Total pages in book: 244
Estimated words: 236705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1184(@200wpm)___ 947(@250wpm)___ 789(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1184(@200wpm)___ 947(@250wpm)___ 789(@300wpm)
“Owen Hayes, do not walk away from me after that,” I call out, going full bossy mode. “Get over here now.”
Owen closes the distance, stopping a foot in front of me. His eyes are wild. He’s breathing hard, but I doubt it’s from the short walk. “I wasn’t walking away. I needed air. I needed to breathe. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I’m sorry if I ruined dinner or this trip or our friendship. I’m sorry if I fucked up the pact,” he says, giving me no space to speak because he’s back on the same roll he started at the table. “But I’m not at all sorry about how I feel. And I’m tired of being scared of telling you. I’m tired of keeping this to myself, River. I just love you, and I’m in love with you, and I want you to let me love you, and last night was absolutely incredible,” he says, his voice trembling with emotion, his eyes brimming with vulnerability. “And I don’t want to lose you as a friend, and I know we made a pact, but I don’t think I can survive another second of feeling this way for you without telling you.” He stops, takes a breath, then shrugs helplessly, holds out his hands. “I’m so in love with you. And I want you to be my friend, and my lover, and my boyfriend. You’re the one man I want to be good to, and I really hope you’ll let me.”
I’m not speechless very often.
Talking is kind of my thing.
It’s my jam. My pleasure. My defense. It guides me through nearly any situation.
Right now, though, I don’t even know where to start, or how to respond to the magnificence of his words. His big, beautiful, honest, amazing words that crack my heart even more open for him.
But I also can’t stay silent after that kind of profession. So I choose words and actions. I close the distance between us, grabbing his face, holding him tight and whispering, “Do you know what happened to me yesterday?”
“Tell me.” His voice is as desperate as my heart is for him.
“I fell in love with you last night. Is that crazy?”
“No. It’s awesome,” he says, with ten tons of relief in his voice, and another ten of joy.
“I don’t even know what to make of all these wild emotions that are just slamming into me left and right, but I know that I want to stay in love with you. And I don’t want to lose you, Owen. You are the best person I have ever known,” I say, and my heart is shouting his name, begging to get closer. “So clearly the only thing for me to do is be the greatest boyfriend anyone has ever been . . . so that I can keep you.”
Owen’s smile reaches into my soul. “Keep me. Please, keep me,” he says, and all I want is to cozy up with this man who lets himself be so beautifully vulnerable with me. It’s such a privilege to get to love a man like him. And I plan to treat this love like the great gift it is. I slide a palm through his lush hair, and bring him in for a kiss.
Our lips touch in the cold as the chill wraps around us, but I’m warm inside. Warm from the center of my being as I kiss Owen, and he kisses me back, and this doesn’t at all feel like any of our other kisses.
It feels like a whole new promise.
One where we’re saying we’ll look out for each other’s hearts. We’ll protect our friendship. And we’ll cherish this brand-new love.
Owen’s lips drive me crazy. His taste lights me up. The sweep of his mouth on mine, coupled with his greedy murmurs, sends sparks crackling down my body.
So the kiss doesn’t stay soft and tender long.
It turns more urgent. More hungry. Soon, we’re both moaning and gasping . . . and then, we’re laughing.
“I’m getting so turned on kissing you,” he rasps out.
I yank him against me so he can feel what he does to me. “Join the club, pal.”
Owen laughs again, but doesn’t let me go. His hands slide down my arms, rubbing them, warming me up.
“River, I thought I would say something later tonight, but I couldn’t take it any longer,” he says, and it’s like a dam is breaking, and my guy just can’t stop talking. I am good with that because I’m here to catch all the things he’s saying. To treat them as precious, since they are, and so is he. “I’ve had so many feelings for you for so long, and they’re all kind of spilling out tonight. You just . . . make me . . . I can’t even think straight . . .” He presses his forehead to mine. “I just love you. I just do.”