Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 520(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
I fall in love with Poppy all over again.
17
Poppy
There’s so much we don’t know about each other—our last names have never been exchanged, what he does for a living, or where we’re heading after this, emotionally and physically, once the snow clears. I just can’t seem to care as I revel in the afterglow of my first orgasm in two-plus years.
Laird bends down to kiss my temple before he pauses. “You’ve been smiling for an hour.”
He’s been grinning the entire time too, but I won’t tease. I don’t have the energy for a fun comeback when all my reserves have been spent. “I’m happy,” I reply instead, tucking my hands under the pillow supporting my head.
Lying on the couch, I watch him settle into the leather chair at the other end. I like being able to see him, to admire his features and his smile and to see when the dark clouds roll in and his mind goes elsewhere. Whether dark and heavy or light and carefree, I haven’t found anything I can’t appreciate about this man.
Kicking his feet up on the couch near mine, he’s slumped in the chair but doesn’t look as comfortable as I feel. I might have to make room for him to snuggle with me. It’s something I can’t stop thinking about. It’s late, and we’re both tired but dragging our feet about separating. The lids of his eyes have gone half-mast, but he’s still smiling. “You say that so easily,” he says.
“And you say that as if you’re jealous.”
“I am.” Chuckling, he adds, “What’s it like to feel profound happiness?”
“Endless. Nothing seems impossible.” I stop to touch on what I am feeling, other than the general joy of being with him, and then get up and go to him. “I feel invincible.”
Adjusting in the chair, he positions himself to have me sit on his lap. I drape my arms loosely around his neck. I don’t want to come on too strongly, but I could devour him, and it wouldn’t be enough.
The happiness he’s just out of touch with shines in his eyes when he’s looking into mine. I can see it. I wish he could. Resting my hand on his T-shirt-covered chest, I whisper, “One day, you’ll feel the same.”
“I . . .” His hand covers mine.
I hate that everything seems to remind him of another woman, someone I’m too afraid to even ask about. His smile returns with a vengeance as he searches my eyes, kicking my heart up a notch. He seems to pivot from his original thought, and the corners of his eyes soften. “I do with you.”
Who knew that was the balm of reassurance I needed? I lean down to kiss his lips, the need fastening our mouth together before pulling back. Although I can’t see it, I drag my nails over the spot I remember the tattoo being located. “Can we loop back to the star and rose?”
His grin is beaming, but he asks, “Do I have a choice?” as if the topic is taboo.
“Of course, you do. But why do you not talk about it? Does it bring back bad memories?” The warmth of his hand covers my bare thigh as my shorts ride high. I love the way every swipe across my skin feels intended and causes goose bumps to rise in the wake.
“It brings up memories I never want to forget, but they’re complicated and not straightforward.”
“I feel like you could say that about any aspect of your life.”
That makes him chuckle, his body rocking against mine, making me wish we were planning a second round. “I’ll admit that I’m not an open book. I keep my life as private as possible these days.”
“Why is that, Laird?” Caressing his jaw, I run my hand over the scruff that’s gotten thicker over the course of the last day. And then my gaze strolls over his handsome face to meet his eyes again.
“I don’t like the chaos of my life. I value my privacy. I spend most of my time alone—”
I kiss him without an argument from him.
His fingers weave into the hair at the back of my head, and he holds me to him, causing a thrill to zip up my spine. I’ve never been surer than at this moment that this kiss is bigger than most I’ll experience in life. Laird and I are more than attraction. We’re a centrifugal force pulling together.
Left breathless and feeling more alive than I have in so long, I rest my forehead against his and close my eyes. “This might be my favorite place ever.”
His hold on my hips tightens, and he tilts his head to put his eyes back on mine. He’s just as breathless as I am, but he still manages to smile. Reaching to caress my cheek and gaze into my eyes, he asks, “Deer Lake?”