Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 110351 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110351 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
His whole body goes rigid and still from where he hovers above me, and then Santi empties his release deep inside of me with a long, low grunt.
His face falls into the crook of my neck, and his damp mop of dark hair tickles my chin, but I don’t mind at all. In fact, I practically revel in the feeling of him being so close.
For a short while, we stay like that; the pair of us half-dressed with my dress bunched up around my hips and his pants pulled halfway down his thighs. I almost can’t believe that we didn’t make it to fully undressing ourselves, but when I think of how much tension there’s been building up between us since that night on the terrace, I’m only half surprised.
Santi trembles slightly, and once his body stills completely, he pulls his hips back so that his softening length is no longer buried to the hilt inside me.
Our chests heave in synchronisation as he rolls away so that he’s next to me, the pair of us absolutely spent. Our arms brush as we lay next to one another in my bed, and with flushed cheeks, I chance a glance in his direction.
He’s looking right back at me, and I can’t help but break out into a wide smile.
“I can’t believe that we just did that,” I whisper.
“Me neither,” he murmurs back, his breathing still a little laboured and green eyes full of wonder.
He opens out his arms a little, and despite how warm I am, I gladly accept his silent invitation to come closer. I roll over so that I’m able to rest my head against his sculpted chest and I relax further into him as I listen to the steady thrum of his heartbeat.
His large hand finds mine, our fingers lacing together, and I can’t remember the last time I felt so content, so... at peace.
I feel myself begin to drift, but then his quiet voice breaks the comfortable silence that had settled over us.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you, Olivia,” he says.
I lift my head to look at him, his words wrapping around me like a warm embrace.
“Good different or bad different?” I ask.
My tone may be light, but my heart is hammering as I await his answer.
“Definitely good,” he replies, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “The kind of different I didn’t know I needed.”
I smile, pressing a kiss to his shoulder before settling back against him.
The evidence of our union trickles from within me, causing a sticky dampness at the top of my thighs, but I’ll deal with that in a minute.
For now, I’m more than content just to lay here, wrapped up in the safety of Santi’s arms.
Chapter Fifteen
“I love a man who knows what he wants.”
“Oh, we’re starting there, are we?” I say with a playful roll of my eyes.
“Absolutely,” Laura replies as she digs into her lunch. “I mean, this man has practically swept you off your feet, hasn’t he? Now spill. What’s going on with you and this rugby-playing dreamboat?”
I shake my head, my cheeks already warming.
“He’s... wonderful. I mean, I don’t know where to start. What do you want to know?”
“Erm, everything!” she laughs.
“Alright,” I say, trying again. “Well, he’s twenty-nine. Erm… He’s a professional rugby player, obviously. He’s been with the same local team for a few years now, but he plays for the national team, too, which is… kind of a big deal. Ah… Rugby season ends in May, not long before my school closes for the summer. I think it’s kind of bittersweet for him.”
Laura raises an eyebrow. “Bittersweet?”
“Right. I mean, I’m just assuming here. It’s very intense,” I explain. “All of the training and stuff. He has quite a tight schedule. It’s obvious when we talk that he loves it, but it’s not exactly easy on the body. He can’t drink alcohol -”
“At all?!” Laura interrupts.
“Nope,” I confirm, popping the p. “And… I don’t know. There’s this sense that he’s thinking ahead, about what comes next. I guess he can’t play forever. But right now, he’s definitely all in. Training, matches, everything. By the sound of things, his schedule is pretty insane.”
“And yet, he makes time for you,” Laura points out.
I can’t suppress my smile there. “Yeah, he does.”
Laura leans closer to the screen, her curiosity palpable. “So, what are your plans for the summer? Are you coming home?”
I pause, considering my answer. “I don’t think so,” I say finally. “I want to stay here. Embrace the culture, keep immersing myself in all of it. I’ve made some friends at work, and obviously, there’s Santi… but I’ve also signed up to do some tutoring over the summer. I’ll be keeping busy, and still earning money.”
Laura blinks at me in mock disbelief. “Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?!” she asks. “The Olivia I know would have been on the first flight back to moan about the heat and hide in the bedroom at her mum’s for a week straight.”