Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
She goes soft and pliant beneath me, her breaths matching mine as we come down.
I kiss her, slow and lazy before I gently pull out and get cleaned up, returning to the bed to find her still naked and exactly where I left her.
I smile at her, climbing under the covers and tucking her against my side again.
“I don’t think I can move,” she says, her voice relaxed.
“Good,” I say, chest filling with pride. “Just wait until I have you in the morning.”
CHAPTER 10
Zoe
The early morning light wakes me before my alarm, and as I stretch awake, I realize I’m completely and totally naked.
Last night comes crashing back down around me, my skin flushing at the memories of Owen’s lips on my skin, his hands on my body, the way he took care of me in ways no one ever has before.
I glance to my left, where he’s sleeping soundly. His shirt is off too, and from the look of the sheet just barely covering his hips, he never put his boxer-briefs back on. I swallow hard, desire flooding my veins.
His tatted skin is stretched tight over corded muscle, the intricate designs a mixture of abstract and obscure art that connects in a fluid piece that’s so fitting for him. It’s dangerous and intriguing and powerful.
I slide out of bed as gently as I can, not wanting to wake him before I tiptoe to my bathroom. I take care of my needs and then start the shower, knowing I need a good scalding to wake my mind up for the day.
Stepping under the hot water, I sigh, my muscles loosening under the stream. I wash my hair, my mind whirling with memories of last night.
How intense it’d been between us, how exciting. Even now, just thinking about it, I get a thrill straight down my spine.
That night on the roof a few months ago had been wild and fantastical, but last night? It felt…right.
Amazing and exhilarating and just plain right.
I’ve never felt as safe as I do with Owen, and I know that has a ton to do with the simple yet impactful relationship we’ve built over text in the months after the rooftop extravaganza.
And now…what?
My father hired him to protect me.
My heart attached to him months ago.
And the more time I spend with him, the more I like him.
But he’s said it before—he doesn’t do relationships because of the spontaneity of his contract work. He could be called off on an assignment for six months at a time, just like the one he’s on with me. I understand his reasoning for keeping things casual, a serious relationship would be hard to maintain under those circumstances.
Hard, but not impossible.
What am I thinking, though? One night with him and I want to make him my boyfriend?
Yes…yes, that’s exactly what I want.
I want to lay claim to him.
I want to cling to the way he makes me feel…safe and desired and taken care of in every aspect I never knew I needed.
But it was one night…
Well, two nights, if I’m being technical, and then that moment at the gala…
My heart flutters as all the times we’ve been intimate races through my mind, but it’s also the in-between times—coffee dates, lunches, and silly conversations, feeding Gregory together, and all the texting—that also has my heart doing flips.
I make a mental note to text the group chat later. I need my girls’ wise council, and until then, I’m content to put all my analyzing on the back burner. I don’t have anything to feel guilty about, despite the fact that he’d been hired to protect me. We had a semi-relationship before the professional messiness came into the picture, and we were two consenting adults who’d been safe, and that’s all that mattered.
I blow out a breath, rinsing off and doing my best to switch off my mind—
“Can I join you?” Owen’s voice sounds just outside the shower, making my heart do another flip.
I catch my startled breath, excited nerves tangling beneath my skin for all of two seconds before I crack open the glass door.
“Definitely,” I say, swallowing hard when I see him step into the shower, gloriously naked, his beautiful body on full display in the bright light.
Mine is too, and I resist the urge to cover myself. He’d seen and kissed plenty of me last night, no reason to get self-conscious now.
“Good morning,” I say when he steps close to me, his eyes trailing the length of my body.
“The best morning,” he says, his hands gliding over my hips to draw me closer. He brushes a light kiss over my lips, and I melt into the embrace. “You look amazing soaking wet, Kitten,” he says, smirking down at me as he gently spins us, letting the water stream over the back of his head and down his body.