Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 128413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
“Remi,” she whispered.
His eyes glowed in a way that wasn’t human, wasn’t Psy. “Not in this house.” It came out a growl that held no menace, his chest rumbling against her as he wrapped her up in his arms.
She held on tight, the muscled heat of him making her shiver.
A nip to her ear that made her jump. “You’re not ready, either.” He nuzzled her. “Finn would have my head if I did what I wanted to do.”
But Auden had found her voice now and she wasn’t about to give it up. Especially not when it came to this man who walked in her dreams and whose scent was her compass. “You taught me what it is to crave touch. You can’t just stop now that I’m an addict,” she argued on a wave of that simmering inner panic. “You’ve cleared this room, too.”
She shifted, held his gaze. “As for not being ready…I had time in the infirmary. I did a little research.” Sure that the erotic searches were emblazoned on her forehead, she’d hidden her organizer under the sheets each time Finn or the nurses walked into the room.
Remi had retrieved her organizer and her clothes from the cabin, and she’d known the device—unlinked to the Scott system—was free of any bugs. So she’d shed her inhibitions and typed in searches that had given her an erotic education that made her squirm.
“I watched videos late at night,” she admitted, even though it made her cheeks burn from the inside. “I saw all the things lovers can do to each other.”
Groaning, he pressed a kiss to her throat, then another. The shiver that ran through her this time was a thing electric. Her already sensitive breasts felt engorged, her nipples tight buds. She pressed herself to the hardness of his chest, her body hot and wanting.
“Enough.” Another kiss to her throat. “I want time, and I want privacy—and I want you to be sure.” He drew back, held her gaze with those of alpha yellow-green. “No mental disruption, no other Auden. Just you and me.”
She wanted to argue with him that that might never happen, but she also knew that this wasn’t just about her. Remi was a man of honor, and he’d never forgive himself if he thought he’d taken advantage of her.
But after swallowing to wet a dry throat, she said, “Can we do things like this, though? When my scent is mine? Not the complete sexual act, but…touching like this?” She knew it was all too soon, her mind still reeling after the birth even if her body was physically healed thanks to Finn’s use of the nanos, but the wild desperation in her wasn’t listening to reason.
What if, whispered that desperate part of her, what if she lost the battle without ever experiencing this piercing intimacy with Remi?
A scowl. “That’s definitely my stubborn Auden.” His hand cupping her jaw, his lips taking hers in an intimacy so sweet and sensual at the same time that she couldn’t breathe.
She gasped when he broke the kiss, her fingers rising to her lips. “I never…” Another rough inhale. “Kisses. I never understood why people would want to do that. Until now.” His breath in her mouth, his fingers so firm and warm on her face, it was the newest addition to her list of cravings when it came to Remi Denier.
His own breathing not exactly steady, Remi ran the back of his hand over her cheek. “It’s okay, Cupcake.” Infinite tenderness in his voice. “We’ll have time. No one is going to stand in our way.”
She should’ve been ashamed that he’d so quickly glimpsed her panic, but all she felt was a sobbing relief. Remi saw her, complete with her ability to love and her faults and her fear. “We’ll finish our kiss?”
“And more,” he promised. “In our own time, at our own pace. No rush, no driving force but our own desire.” He rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone before pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I didn’t bruise your lips, but you want to check your makeup to make sure it’ll pass muster?”
Nodding, Auden walked into the bathroom on legs that held a faint quiver.
Remi stood in the open doorway while she touched up minor details that wouldn’t escape Charisma’s eagle eye.
“So,” he said, leaning one wide shoulder against the doorjamb. “Did your mother favor this house? Is that why Ms. Wai chose the place for the duration of your pregnancy?”
Auden shook her head. “In the last year of her life, Shoshanna didn’t stay in one place for too long.”
“Do you know where she was when she died?”
“Charisma told me it was her residence in Nevada, but who knows.” Auden sleeked back a fine curl that had escaped its bun. “Her body was cremated, the ashes disposed of before I even truly understood that she was dead.”