Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 93002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Chapter Fifteen
FORREST
Mae left us in the small guest room, closing the door behind herself. I turned at the sound of Sterling’s giggle and saw a men’s set of striped pajamas laid out on the bed beside a woman’s embroidered nightgown.
“That was sweet of Mae,” Sterling said, smiling down at the night clothes our hosts had left for us.
Sterling took her nightgown and disappeared into the bathroom with her purse. I heard the water turn on and looked back to the striped pj’s. It was a nice gesture, but I wasn’t sleeping in those pajamas. It would be like going to bed in a suit. And while the AC in the cottage was decent, it couldn’t quite fight off the summer humidity.
I was lying on top of the covers when Sterling came out of the bathroom, her hair wet, the white nightgown so long it hid her feet. Sometimes, I forgot how small she was. The force of her personality took up far more space than her slight frame.
I changed places with her, taking a quick shower to rinse off the leftover stickiness of the boathouse and sitting outside on a Southern summer night. Pulling my boxers back on, I crossed the dark room and slid beneath the covers.
Sterling eyed my bare shoulders. Drawing up the blanket, she slid her blue eyes my way. “Don’t get any ideas. It would have been weird if I asked to sleep on the couch since they think we’re engaged. Somehow, I don’t think they’d buy that we’re saving ourselves for marriage.”
“Probably not,” I agreed.
“Make sure you stay on your side of the bed.”
“I can’t promise that,” I said honestly. “I have plenty of ideas, but I won’t act on them.”
“Hmm. See that you don’t,” she said in a crisp voice, turning out the light.
She rolled over and appeared to fall asleep. That was fine. I could keep my hands to myself. I lay there in the dark, letting the day wash over me. Strawberry ice cream. My father’s message in the park. The Learys and Callum Leary’s card in the back pocket of Sterling’s jeans. I could slide out of bed while she was sleeping and steal the card, tear it up, and flush it down the toilet. I almost did it, my fingers itching to destroy the thing and cut off her connection to Callum.
But I stayed where I was. Destroying the card wouldn’t remove the threat; it would only undermine her and piss her off, no matter how much I wanted to do it. Instead, I let myself drift, absorbing all the memories that had surfaced since Bob caught us leaving the boathouse.
Helping my mom and Sugar Mae at the hospital fundraiser. Going fishing with my dad and Bob. So much I’d forgotten. In my grief and anger, I’d locked my childhood away, even from myself.
Sleep came, slowly pulling me under into dreams that smelled of the lake and sugar cookies. I woke hours later, the room silent but for the rattle of the AC down the hall. I opened my eyes to find Sterling’s face inches from mine, one leg draped over me, her hand on my bare shoulder.
“This doesn’t mean anything,” she said as she shifted closer and touched her lips to mine. I took the invitation, drawing her lower lip between mine and sucking, nipping, tilting my head to drive my tongue into her mouth. God, the taste of her. It was home.
Sterling was where I wanted to be. She anchored me, gave me roots. This connection between us was everything. I kissed her again and again, my arms coming up to hold her. I found bare skin, the nightgown gone, and my mind short-circuited.
Sterling in my arms, her body against mine— This was all I wanted. She moved over me, straddling my waist, sitting up, and trapping my very hard cock beneath the heat of her. She leaned forward, her full breasts brushing my face. I turned my head to capture a nipple, sucking hard, loving her shocked gasp, the way her thighs tightened at the burst of pleasure. Sterling sat back up, a small dark square in her hand.
A condom. Had she been planning this? That was too much to hope for. But the idea that she was running around with condoms in her purse left me unsettled. Who was it meant for? Not me, that much I knew.
Let it go, I told myself. All I’ve wanted for the last year is this. Sterling, naked in my arms. Now she’s here. Stop fucking asking questions.
That was my dick talking. But my dick was wrong. I wanted so much more than Sterling naked in my arms. I wanted her trust. I wanted her love. I wanted her at my side. I couldn’t have any of that. But she was offering this. Her body, not her heart.