Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
She snuck one last glance at his broad shoulders, rising and falling with every breath he took. His arm muscles, sculpted from hard work and marked by ink, caused her to shiver anew.
Breathe, she silently ordered herself.
Think, she commanded next. Her clothes were scattered around the bedroom, if she called her bridesmaid’s dress clothing to sneak out in. With a last look at the man who’d made the earth move for her last night, Erin eased out from beneath the warm comforter and rose, searching for her dress. She bent over, stark naked, mortified that her butt was in the air as she grabbed her clothes.
“I didn’t peg you as the type to sneak out,” Cole said in a lazy, masculine drawl.
She snagged her dress from the floor and turned to face him, hugging the light lavender fabric against herself for protection, suddenly feeling every bit the good girl she’d been a mere twenty-four hours ago.
“I’ve already seen every inch,” he reminded her, his heavy-lidded gaze never leaving hers.
She flushed. “What type did you peg me for?” she asked, ignoring the humiliating part of his comment.
He eased up against the headboard, sexy, tousled, and too handsome. One look had her wanting to crawl back into bed with him. That wasn’t happening for a number of reasons, the first being that a one-night stand had a shelf life, and she’d used up hers. Second, to her extreme disappointment, he wasn’t asking. And third, bad-girl Erin was an aberration. This morning, with no champagne in her system, respectable Erin had returned, more’s the pity.
He stretched his hands behind his head and leaned back, studying her. The sheet slipped below his navel and it took all her strength not to stare at his flat abdomen and the tented sheet.
“You were pretty gutsy last night, so I wouldn’t have figured you’d take the coward’s way out.” He cocked an eyebrow, his expression serious.
Did the man never smile? “And I wouldn’t have thought you were the type who’d want a woman to stick around . . . after.”
Which made her wonder why he hadn’t let her check out unnoticed, even if he had been awake. It would have spared them both the awkwardness of . . . this. Then again, they’d have to play this conversation out sometime. Might as well get it over with, she thought.
Then his words came back to her. “I was gutsy?” She straightened her shoulders a bit at that.
Erin was tough with her brothers and at work, where she had to be in order to keep up with her boss and hold her own against defense attorneys and their clients. But gutsy with men? That was a first, and she kind of liked hearing it.
“I left the bar with you. That took nerve,” she said, almost pleased with herself.
He eyed her without cracking a grin, but she’d swear she saw a hint of amusement in his eyes. Before he banked it, that is.
“I meant you were gutsy in bed.”
His words, along with the deep rumble of approval in his tone, warmed her inside and out, and the heat of a blush rose to her cheeks.
“Thank you,” she said, immediately horrified. Had she really just said that?
That earned her a sexy grin she’d never forget.
“Back to my original point. We go way back. So no, I didn’t expect you to sneak out,” he said. “Regrets?” he asked, surprising her with both the question and the suddenly defensive edge to his voice.
She immediately shook her head. “None.” It saddened her that he’d think she’d have them.
Not that it surprised her. No one in town had welcomed him with open arms, and if anyone found out about last night, they’d think she’d lost her mind. And if her brothers discovered her secret . . . She refused to go there. If regret hadn’t kicked in yet, she doubted it would. And she wouldn’t want him to think she was embarrassed that she’d slept with him.
“You surprise me,” he admitted, studying her intently. “And I didn’t think there was much left in this world that could.”
He sounded as if he’d seen and done too much in his lifetime. A part of her wanted to reach out and soothe his hidden pain. But before she could dissect her thoughts or, heaven forbid, act on them, he spoke.
“But your instincts about me were right on. I’m not much for long-drawn-out mornings after.”
Disappointment stabbed her in the heart, and that was too dangerous to even contemplate for long. “Glad to know I’m still on my game,” she said, forcing flippancy when she felt anything but.
Now that it was time to say good-bye, it wasn’t just awkward; it hurt a little more than she’d imagined it would. Which was what she got for thinking she could handle a one-night stand with a guy she’d always had somewhat of a thing for. No matter how young she’d been at the time.