Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Her face is bright and innocent and optimistic, and for a dreamy second, I imagine her looking exactly the same way the first time she holds our child.
“Shall we?” I say, gesturing to our table in the corner, with a view of the Hollywood hills.
She smiles as I lead her over to the table, pulling her chair out for her.
I take my seat opposite her and then reach across and take her hand, telling the beast inside of me to calm down… long enough for us to enjoy our meal before I devour her.
Even so, the urge to flip the table and bend her over, hike up all that fabric and drive my cock between those thick tasty thighs almost overpowers me. I focus on the happiness in her eyes instead, on the feeling of her hand gripping mine.
She holds me tightly, as though she’s afraid this moment, this connection is going to slip away.
But it never will.
It never could.
Goddamn, I’m so relieved she feels the same as me.
“Would you like anything to drink?” I ask.
“Sure,” she says, looking down at the menu. “But how do we order?”
I smirk and gesture to the nearest blue-flamed lantern, the flickering flames casting an eerie but inviting light over the scene. It bounces against her flushed cheeks, shimmers in her eyes, and dances around her.
“There’s an intercom at the base of the unit there. We can give them our order and they come up to serve it to us. It makes things more intimate. And doubly so tonight, since we have the place to ourselves.”
“Was it difficult?” she murmurs, looking around at the empty tables.
“Securing the restaurant just for the two of us on such late notice?”
She nods.
I chuckle. “It was expensive, but not very difficult. I’ve never pulled the A-list card like this before, but I had to make an exception for you. I’m not normally this extravagant.”
“I feel sort of guilty,” she murmurs. “So many people with reservations…”
My chest tightens, a clamping feeling on my heart, squeezing at the emotion in her voice. Of course, my woman would think about this, of course, she’d worry about others before herself.
It’s just one of the many reasons she’s going to make such an excellent mother.
“I paid extra so that each guest could be given a high-value coupon for a return visit, meaning they’ll eat for free, and I’ve been given assurances that they’ll be given first priority on the waiting list. Please try not to worry, Bria. You deserve this.”
She giggles, shaking her head. “But why? Why do I deserve any of this?”
“Because you’re mine,” I growl, anger twisting its way into my voice. “You belong to me. And you deserve the best, only the best, forever. You deserve to feel what it’s like to have the whole world stop for you, because…”
“What?” she says. “Braden.”
I fight the urge to force my words back down inside of me, fight the sense of self-consciousness that tries to take possession of me.
Instead, I squeeze her hand harder, staring firmly at her. “Because my whole world stopped when you walked into it. My whole reality changed. Everything I thought I knew, it shattered, Bria. You shattered me. And rebuilt me just as quickly.”
She blinks and a single tear slides down her cheeks.
I reach up and brush it away with my thumb.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “It’s just...nobody’s ever said anything like that before.”
“Good. It means the pleasure is mine. Mine alone. Now, shall we order?”
She nods and looks down at the menu. “I think I’ll just have an orange juice.”
“That sounds good to me,” I say, reaching over to the lantern and the intercom button.
“You don’t want a beer or something?”
I shake my head and then she sucks in a sharp breath.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I should’ve thought.”
I turn to her, tilting my head. “Why’re you getting all squirmy, eh?”
“It’s just… your parents. Oh, now I’m digging an even bigger hole.”
“Relax, Bria. Yes, it’s true, I’ve never been much of a drinker because of the way they guzzled alcohol when I was a kid. But you don’t have to worry about offending or upsetting me. With me and you, it’s honesty above all else. Honestly, always. Okay?”
She nods. “Okay, yeah. Deal.”
She sounds so innocent when she says the word deal, a lilting tone to her voice.
It makes me want to make other deals with her.
All I can think about is tearing down the front of her dress and sucking on those pert nipples of hers until she’s trembling and shaking like there’s a volcano blowing up inside of her.
Focus.
I push down on the intercom button and make the order, and then turn the menu to look down at the food selections.
“There aren’t any prices,” Bria says.
I look up at her, a smirk touching my lips. “Why would you need to see the prices?”