Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26251 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26251 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
“Daddy, you know there’s nothing they can do. Plus, you heard what the receptionist said. We’d have to drive an hour to get to the next hotel, and it’s late already. I think we should just make do.”
“Still, I can give them a piece of my mind,” I bite out, scowling. “What the fuck? This place is shit.”
Mari merely looks tired, and immediately, I regret saying those words.
“No, it’s fine, Harris,” she says in a soft voice. “I’ll sleep on the floor, okay? I don’t mind, and it can actually be good for your back.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” I growl. “We’ll both take the big bed. It’s fine, honey. It’s a king-size, so there’s plenty of room, and you’re right. It is getting late. We’ll just spend a couple hours sleeping before getting up bright and early to finish the drive.”
Mari smiles then, her pretty features lighting up.
“Thanks Harris,” she breathes before skipping over to her bag. “I knew this would work out. Do you mind if I use the shower first? I feel so grimy from the trip.” Then, without waiting for my reply, Mari slips into the bathroom with her toiletry bag in hand, and soon I hear her humming as the water starts.
I stand stock still for a moment in the middle of the room. How the fuck did this happen? I’m not supposed to be sharing a hotel room, much less a bed, with the sassy brat. But here we are, and with another frustrated shake of my head, I begin re-folding the pull-out as best I can. This thing is a piece of shit, but at least I get it (mostly) stowed away, and set out unpacking my own things. Maybe things will be okay. I only have to hold it together for another twelve hours or so, and then I’ll be in the clear.
But at that moment, the door to the bathroom opens, and Mari drifts out on a waft of warm steam. My pulse jumps as my cock jerks and I literally stare at the sassy girl because she looks utterly gorgeous. She’s wearing a thin nightshirt that comes down to the tops of her thighs, and I swear, it’s almost transparent. Sure, there’s a Peanuts logo on the front, but if I stare, I can see the tiny Y-shape of her thong beneath, as well as the dark circles of her nipples.
“Mari?” I manage in a raspy tone.
She spins around and smiles at me, her expression innocent.
“Yes Daddy?”
I think of a million things to say. How this is inappropriate. How she looks so fucking sexy with her skin pink and damp, and her lush figure encased in nothing but the thinnest cotton. How I want to seize her mouth for a passionate kiss before doing the same between her thighs.
But nothing comes out except a low gurgle, and then I grab my stuff and rush off into the bathroom. After all, we’re drawing closer and closer to danger … and I can feel my defenses cracking already.
CHAPTER 5
Mari
It was promising at first. I could tell Harris wanted me when I got out of the shower by the way he stared first at my breasts, and then down at the shadow between my legs. My thighs grew damp as my stomach clenched in on itself, but my stepfather didn’t do anything. He merely jerked his chin away before striding into the bathroom for his own ablutions, leaving me in the silence of the bedroom.
Fine. I get it. Harris has iron control, and I’m not going to break it. As a result, I get into the bed and turn out the light before snuggling under the coverlet. Of course, I’m not sleeping. Instead, I wait on tenterhooks until the shower creaks off, and within a few minutes, my handsome stepdad reappears, his silhouette outlined in the darkness.
He’s huge. Gorgeous. That muscular body is still damp, with a towel wrapped around his waist. My mouth goes dry and my nipples harden as I pretend to be asleep, but Harris doesn’t acknowledge me at all. He merely strides to his side of the bed in the dark, and then changes into his pajamas before sliding under the smooth sheets with me. The mattress dips and groans under his weight, but there are no other sounds. Then, sleep.
Well, not actually sleep, sleep. Instead, I hold my breath, wondering what’s about to happen. Is he going to stroke my hair? My thigh? Start talking? But unbelievably, Harris flips over to one side, and within a few minutes, his breathing becomes deep and even.
Cautiously, I turn to face him, and I can see the outline of his strong profile and broad chest in the moonlight through a crack in the curtains. God, he’s handsome with a Roman nose, square jaw, and his black hair casually brushed off his forehead. The lines around his mouth and eyes have softened, and his mouth is relaxed in sleep. But that’s the thing – this man is asleep! How can he be visiting dreamland at a time like this?