Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“Then why was I ever even drawn to him? Because now I can look back and see what you’re seeing. What he was really like. Shouldn’t I have been able to cut through his lies?”
“Never underestimate the charm of a snake. Some of the most charming people I’ve ever met have had the blackest souls,” Malcolm said.
“You’re charming,” Josie said.
He laughed suddenly. “I was like a bear with porcupine quills stuck in his paws when I picked you up at the airport. You call that charming?”
“Okay, so maybe you weren’t then, but you can be really charming. But I don’t get the sense that your soul is black.”
“In high school, my soul was pretty damn black. But that wasn’t the man my parents raised. And it’s not the man I want to look at in the mirror.” He reached out and took her hand in his. “I’m sorry you were treated so poorly by your scumbag ex. But you have to know it’s no reflection on you.”
“It’s nice of you to say that.”
“I’m not just saying it, Josie. I’ve spent two days with you, and what I know to be true after those two days is that you don’t have a mean, bad bone in your body.”
She didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know what to do when it seemed that at any moment he might kiss her again. And she wanted it.
Then he said, “Let’s see what absolutely has to be done to make the entrance look welcoming.”
He walked away to stand outside the smallest cottage. She was still trying to get her thoughts straight when all of a sudden, she heard a crack. One of the very heavy roof tiles made of slate was falling straight toward Malcolm’s head.
“Malcolm, watch out!” Moving fast, she tackled him, pushing him out of the way. Both of them tumbled into the dirt just beyond the stone steps of the cottage. The slate shattered, the chips of stone clipping the very edges of her pants and his.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “I didn’t mean to knock you over like that.”
“Thank you.” He put his hands on either side of her face. “That was quick thinking,” he said, his low voice rumbling all the way through her, his hard, muscled body warm and strong beneath her as she still lay atop him. “If you hadn’t acted so quickly, it could have gone a lot worse. Did it hit you?”
She shook her head, unable to move away from him, loving the feel of his hands on her skin. Her gaze dropped to his mouth. And then shifted back up to his eyes, which she swore were smoldering now.
“I’m all right,” she said.
They got up, and he said, “Right, first thing we’ll do is get the roof looked at and make sure nobody gets hit by a falling slate.” He glanced around. “Some of this rock wall is crumbling, and the stone steps could be made safer. I can do that. In fact, I’d enjoy it.”
* * *
Looking down at her, even while he mouthed inanities, Malcolm wanted to tear Josie’s ex apart with his bare hands. Teach him a lesson and make him pay for what he’d done to her, for the way he’d hurt her. But more than anything else, right now all he wanted was to kiss her again.
He couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward, giving her lots of time to pull away, but she didn’t. Instead, her eyes widened, and her lips parted in clear invitation. He leaned in slowly, breathing in her vanilla scent, watching her eyes flutter closed, and then his lips were on hers.
This warmth was more than simple lust. He pulled her hard against his body and deepened the kiss, hearing a little moan of pleasure in her throat as she threw her arms around him and kissed him back with everything she had. It was a long time before they pulled apart, and he felt shaken by the deep emotion he felt.
“Last night, I tried to convince myself kissing you wasn’t this good. But it is. So damn good I don’t ever want to stop.”
“I don’t want to stop either,” she said, her voice sounding no steadier than his. “But I need you to know I’m not ready for a relationship. Not ready for anything that could be even remotely serious. Not after what happened with my ex.”
“I’m not looking for a relationship either.”
What she just said should have been music to his ears. But all he could think was, Why not? Why not fall deeper, just this once? Because she was special. What was he waiting for? Why was he continuing to hold back?
At the same time, he couldn’t break his promise to her. “I vowed I wouldn’t hurt you again,” he reminded her.
She stared into his eyes for several long moments. Her curves pressed against his, her body warm and soft. Her lips were so kissable, he almost gave in and took them with his. But he needed to wait for what she was going to say. For the decision that he could tell she was trying to make.