Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“The house is empty for our privacy,” I tell her, and her brows shoot up while a flush joins the party of her freckles. “That’s what my dad just texted me. He also added a lot of hearts and eggplants and a water emoji in a second text, which makes me want to gag.”
Her laughter is loud and comes from her gut as she stands, looking at my phone. Her rosemary and mint scent hits me, and I’m no longer looking at the phone, but her. I want to nuzzle my nose in her hair and just live my days right there. Her question stops me, “Should we be weirded out that he gave us space to make eggplants, water, and heart emojis in?”
I shrug as I chuckle. “We did make a pretty gorgeous kid.”
Her eyes meet mine, a coy smile covering those red lips. “We did.”
More heat flows through me, but I ignore it to do what I’d planned before I saw the text. I hit the song I had ready to play, and Ed Sheeran’s “Kiss Me” fills the space between us. Audrina’s breath catches before I take her hand in mine.
“We were…”
“Twenty,” she answers for me. “It was right after we moved here.”
“Yup, but we flew to Nashville to watch him perform at the Ryman.”
Her eyes are dancing with excitement. “I knew you wanted to kiss me that night. I knew I wasn’t making it up.”
My voice is full of humor as I agree with her. “I’ve never seen you so uninhibited. You sang so loudly, so freely, and when he started this song and you started crying, I was a goner.”
“It was the first time you held me like that.” My brows perk at that. “From behind, your arms around my shoulders. I felt every bit of your body, and it was so hard to pay attention. Then you leaned in, your face at my neck, and all I wanted was to turn my lips toward yours.”
“I might have kissed you,” I say, and she scoffs.
“No, you wouldn’t have.”
I flash her a sheepish look. “I wouldn’t have. The thought of losing the most gorgeous girl in the world freaked me out too much.”
Her eyes are cloudy with tears as I bring her hand to my lips, sucking her knuckles softly before I kiss them. I meet her gaze as I wrap her arm around my neck, then take her other to do the same. Her eyes are wide with passion and set on me as I take hold of her hips to bring her body to mine as the music flows around us. Once we’re pressed together, no space or air between us, she lets out the softest of little moans.
My cock likes that sound a whole lot and throbs against her belly. I would tell him to behave, but I’m caught in her eyes as I wrap my arms tighter around her, my crossed wrists resting against her sweet, juicy ass. I lean in, pressing my forehead to hers, and when our noses touch, she closes her eyes as a soft sigh leaves her lips.
“Uh-uh, dushen’ka, eyes on me.” Her eyes spring open, looking up at me through her thick lashes as her lips curve in a vixenish way. “You asked me a question.”
She nods. “I did.”
“You remember when we went through our Grey’s Anatomy phase with our moms?” It was a long summer, and while I absolutely loathe the show, I enjoyed the togetherness it provided us. Plus, I liked laughing and teasing them when they cried.
She gives me a skeptical look as her fingers play with the curls at my neck. “Not sure where this is going, but yes.”
I grin. “Stay with me,” I plead. “I totally dumped that show ’cause it’s trash, but I remember how toxic the love was between McDumpFace and Meredith.”
“I am so offended right now,” she wheezes, pulling my hair gently. “McDreamy.”
I laugh as I nod. “Yeah, him. And your mom told us that love should never be painful, but I don’t believe that.”
“I think she meant in an abusive way.”
“Sure, but I think sometimes pain is needed in love.” Her brows draw together, and I know I’ve gotta get this out before I can’t. “You walked away, and I had never felt such agony, such emptiness, fear, and anger from not being with you. But I’d go through all that again just to have this moment when you’re in my arms, looking at me with those hazel eyes of yours, and knowing, without a doubt, you are mine.”
Her eyes instantly blur with tears, but her lips curve ever so defiantly. “That’s presumptuous of you, Thatcher Orlov.”
I grin, my body vibrating for this woman. “I am well aware, Mrs. Orlov, but tell me I’m wrong.”
She slides her nose along mine, her eyes boring into mine, and tells me without words what I already know. “You’re not.”