Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 132649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
She wailed, the sound high, wild, as her orgasm crashed into her like a freight train and derailed her. Trystan, one hand braced on the mattress beside her head for balance, and the fingers of the other digging—tightly enough to bruise—into one of her butt cheeks, groaned. It was a quiet, helpless sound and it was followed by a shudder, then her name.
Every muscle in his body tightened as he froze and then came, in a series of hard, violent jolts.
In the silence that fell after their fierce bout of lovemaking, Trystan held Iris close, terrified that if he let her go he’d wake up and find himself alone to discover that this had been yet another one of his tormented dreams.
She’d drifted off after her orgasm, body limp, limbs spread with the abandon of a carefree kid. He loved the unguardedness of her sprawl. It meant that she felt safe with him and that made him proud as fuck. He wanted her to feel protected around him. Wanted her to know that he could take care of her and always would.
This moment felt a little too good to be true. That he could have Iris and his career. It was more than he’d hoped for. That was why he was afraid to sleep. Because if this was a dream, he wasn’t sure he’d survive the devastation when he woke up from it. So he lay there, staring at the ceiling, holding her close, stroking her hair, fighting the somnolence with everything in him.
Until his eyes drifted shut.
And he slept.
When Trystan next opened his eyes, the room was gloomier, telling him it was close to sunset, probably just gone six pm. As his eyes adjusted, he searched for Iris, pushing himself up frantically when he didn’t see her anywhere in the immediate vicinity.
He got up, dragging on his boxer briefs and nothing else as he hastily made his way to the kitchen.
He froze when he spotted her, curled up on the sofa, Luna stretched out next to her, with her massive head resting in Iris’s lap.
Iris looked up with a smile when she saw him.
“Hey, you were out like a light, and I figured the jet lag was probably hitting you hard.”
She looked adorable, wearing his shirt and nothing else. Her hair was a mess and she was sipping something from a mug, while leafing through a magazine.
“Trystan?” she prompted, concern laced through her voice. And Trystan knew he was behaving strangely, just staring at her like she was some kind of apparition.
“I thought it was a dream,” he confessed, his voice gruff with sleep and embarrassment but she didn’t look confused. Instead her smile widened in understanding.
“I was scared it wasn’t real too,” she said, then patted the empty space beside her. “Pour yourself a cup of cocoa from the saucepan on the stove and join us.”
He complied with almost indecent haste, getting a mug full of the chocolatey drink before sliding into place beside her. He tucked his arm around her shoulders and she dropped her head into the dip between his chest and his armpit.
“You staying the night?” he asked into the fragrant cloud of her hair.
“Since the reporters seem to have camped out downstairs that would probably be best. They’ll have a field day speculating about what we’re doing up here.”
Trystan took a sip of his chocolate.
“Does that bother you?” he asked cautiously and she laughed, turning her head to press a kiss against his chest, just above his nipple.
“Nope, they can’t even begin to imagine what we’re like together. Anything they come up with would pale in comparison to reality.”
“Yeah?” He couldn’t help feeling a little smug about her comment.
“Yep.”
After a companionable silence, broken only by Luna’s snores, Iris tilted her head to look up at him.
“I’m happy.”
His heart clenched at those two small words and then brimmed to overflowing with joy and love for this woman.
“I am too, Iris.”
So fucking happy.
“You said something a while back that I didn’t quite get. But I know what you mean now because I feel the same way.”
“Hmm?”
“Being with you feels like home.”