Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 105301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 527(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 527(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Chapter Sixteen
These past two days have gone as slow as could be, but finally Thursday is here. I couldn’t be more excited if I tried.
Sasha arrives at ten in the morning and I’m too quick to kick her and the children out, which has her laughing. The second she’s gone I dive on my fiancé, legs around his waist, lips all over his, and we crash onto the bed, only to wake two hours later feeling groggy, warm and suffocated under his body.
“We’re late!” Nathan yells suddenly, jolting me from my near slumber.
“Huh?”
“We fell asleep.” He peels his body off mine, allowing me to roll over. I’m fully dressed. Didn’t we have rampant animal sex? “Gwen, move.”
“Tired,” I tell him, blinking the sleep from my eyes.
“Gwen!” He grabs my wrist and pulls.
“Don’t make me.” I roll back over and bury my face in the blanket. His hand connects with my arse but I’m too tired to do little more than grunt. His laughter follows.
Hands grab my ankles and pull me down the bed. I drip from it like slime, my body boneless.
“Gwen, come on.”
“Just five more minutes.”
He sighs heavily and sits beside me. “You promised.”
He’s right, I did.
I roll back over and give him my biggest sleepy smile. “I’m up.” Then I raise my arms and allow him to pull my wobbly body from the floor. I stagger into him and inhale deeply when he holds me tight. He doesn’t moan or rush me, just holds me for as long as I need.
“Love you,” I murmur into his dress shirt before pulling away. “I need coffee.”
He slaps my arse again as I leave the room. That one stung.
“Make me coffee.”
And again. Ouch.
“Stop,” I grin, picking up my pace to avoid his assaults.
“I like it.” He tries again but misses when I jump down the last three steps and skid around the bottom of the stairs.
“Be careful,” he laughs, still chasing me. “I just cleaned the floors this morning.”
He likes cleaning first thing in the morning. He’s so strange. I think it’s because he enjoys the stench of bleach when it lingers throughout the day. I have to admit, I do enjoy walking in and smelling the fresh citrus scent of cleaning fluids when I walk through the door.
I’m becoming as queer as him.
“Stop running with your socks on,” he finally grabs me from behind and pushes me into the wall. Teeth scrape at my neck making me laugh so hard my stomach hurts. He won’t let go. Tears are streaming from my eyes.
“You said we’re late!” I cry, giddy and now wide awake.
On a sigh, he slides his hand down my arm and spins me under his before pulling me back into his chest. I love it when he gets in this kind of mood.
“Let’s go.” His lips touch the tip of my nose.
“Where are we going exactly?”
“To Essex, to the store.”
“And then? Maybe we could go holiday shopping! I need bikinis.”
He clears his throat and shifts in his seat and I sincerely hope that the reason for this and the added flush to his cheeks is because he’s thinking of me in a bikini. “And then to eat. If we have time to shop we will.”
“You’ve found a place?”
“Of course.” He grins and helps me into my jacket. “Come on, we can sleep in tomorrow.”
“Liar.”
I watch his relaxed profile as he leads me from the house. He does seem happy now and that makes me joyous beyond compare. Whatever burdens he carried before don’t seem to be burdening him anymore.
Maybe this is the reason he’s ready to talk to me about it?
Because whatever it is, it’s resolved so I won’t have to worry about it alongside him?
The sooner we get that conversation out of the way, the better. I’ll not push him for it though. I’m just going to enjoy the two days I get with him alone.
“Is it your choice or my choice?” I ask, referring to the radio.
His hand goes to my thigh. “Yours.”
“Yay!” I turn the dial and the stations blur in and out. Why is it that whenever it is my turn to choose the music, there’s no good music on? Sod’s law. In the end, as if fate planned it, we listen to what he wants anyway, not that I mind. I still sulk a little though, just for the hell of it.
“So, what are we doing afterwards?” I ask, excited to see what plans he has in store for me. “You said ‘if we have time to shop’. I doubt going for food is going to take up the rest of the day.”
“Nothing gets by you, does it?” I shake my head in reply and bite my lip. “I’m not telling you.” The twinkle in his eye and smile playing on his lips shows his excitement. Whatever it is, it must be good. I can’t wait; my chest is tingling.