Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 64885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
“Gareth,” she begged, and I could hear how close she was to the edge by the neediness in her voice.
I grinned at her before moving down her body, positioning my face between her thighs. “I want you to come on my tongue tonight, angel,” I said, my warm breath hitting her needy pussy.
I turned my head, kissing her thigh before biting it just enough to hear her moan. She rocked into my face on instinct, and I slid my tongue along her slit.
“Fuck,” I groaned against her swollen flesh. “You taste so good.” I lapped at her, savoring her salty sweet flavor on my tongue.
“Omigod,” she whispered, fisting the sheets as I pumped my tongue into her like I had been with my fingers seconds before. “Omigod,” she said again, and I couldn’t help but grin as I ate at her.
She definitely wasn’t thinking about her nightmare now, and it brought out something so fucking primal inside me, claiming her this way, in a way no one else ever had before.
I licked her again before sliding an arm beneath her, hefting her up slightly so I had the perfect angle to feast on her.
God, she was a dream.
A fucking fantasy I shouldn’t be allowed to touch.
But I was here.
And there was no going back.
Not when I could give her this.
I thrust my tongue inside her until her words were unintelligible, until I felt her walls flutter again. I sucked her clit into my mouth, hard—
“Gareth!” My name came in time with her release, and I continued to lap at her, to drink down her flavor as she came, shuddering against me, her moans increasing every time I glided my tongue over her sensitive clit again and again.
It wasn’t until she went limp that I lowered her back to the bed, gently kissing her thighs before drawing back, licking the rest of her off of my lips.
Her breaths were slow and deep as she looked up at me. “That was…amazing.”
I smiled down at her, telling my aching, needy cock to shut the fuck up.
“You were amazing, angel,” I said, settling beside her.
“I’ve never…I didn’t know it was like that.”
My pride swelled, and maybe that made me a caveman of an asshole, but I didn’t care.
She glanced down at herself, noticing the mark I’d given her on her breast, and I worried for a second she’d be furious—
“I want more of those,” she said.
I literally stopped breathing for a moment.
I forced myself to be still, to shut down every need to keep this going, to give her everything she was asking for.
She smiled at me, exhaustion settling over her as she curled up against me. I allowed myself the touch, tucking her against my chest.
“Not that I’m complaining,” she said. “But what made you change your mind? First the text and now this. I know we didn’t sleep together but…”
“Denying you is fucking hard,” I admitted. “But I also don’t want to leave you aching and unsatisfied. I still believe you need to feel safe, feel in control, need to heal, but…I don’t want to be someone who doesn’t give you what you need.”
“You’re…you’re too good to me.” Her hand splayed on my chest, lazily threatening to go lower. “Are you sure I can’t touch you now? I feel bad leaving you without.” She yawned after the question, and I laughed.
“Not tonight, angel,” I said. I laid my hand over hers, bringing it back to the center of my chest. “Sleep.”
She nodded against my chest, and after several quiet moments, her breathing evened out, her body growing a little heavier against mine.
I couldn’t stop the smile that spread over my lips.
Couldn’t stop the warm sensation growing beneath my skin.
I’d never felt this sort of happiness just holding a woman before…
And I wondered what the fuck I’d just gotten myself into.
CHAPTER 8
Serenity
“Iknow there's been a lot of talk about us not making it to the Super Bowl this year,” Gareth said, a raised glass of champagne in his hand as he stood next to our table in the restaurant, looking over the room filled with members from his Cougars team.
“But I’m proud of you all. You busted your asses all year, at each game, at each practice. And you’ve only gotten better and better. You played hard. You fought hard. To me, that’s a win. The difference between us and the Super Bowl was one game. I can't think of a single play that caused us to lose. I’m damn proud of the season we've had.”
Applause erupted in the restaurant Gareth rented out for the night. The Cougars had been incredibly close to making it into the Super Bowl, and I thought it was an uplifting speech he'd given, especially when I’d overheard several of the players blaming themselves.
Gareth nodded, sipping his champagne before reclaiming his seat to my left. Our table was surrounded by his closest friends, including Asher and Daisy, Weston and Brynn, as well as a new couple I’d just met, Hendricks and Savannah. It was wonderful to meet people outside of the poker game who were friends with Gareth—Hendrix being the Cougars star wide receiver, and his lovely counterpart, Savannah, who happened work for Ethan, had immediately acted as if we were the oldest of friends in the world. It was as jarring as it was thrilling, seeing as how this was my first public outing with Gareth that had nothing to do with shopping. Even more shocking was the ease in which Weston, Asher, and their wives had accepted the news about us. Gareth had talked to the guys shortly after new year’s eve, but seeing the support in person meant so much to me.