Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
I like that he’s not taking this first time for granted. Later in a relationship things get established but now, he wants to know I consent. I shouldn’t, but there’s zero way I’m not letting this man have me any way he wants. “Yes.”
The word seems to work some magic on him, and he leans over with a smile and kisses me. “You won’t regret it.”
I’m pretty sure I will, but the feel of him thrusting inside me is all I care about right now. I’m so aroused the tight fit doesn’t bother me. He thrusts in and drags out, pulling me up so my arms can go around his shoulders.
“I want you close,” he whispers. “I want to be able to kiss you.”
And he does. Even as he hauls my hips closer and thrusts inside me, his tongue rubs against mine. We’re as close as we can get, and it feels fabulous. It feels warm and right. I hold on as he finds the exact right spot, and this orgasm has me gasping for air and digging my nails lightly into his shoulders. He tightens around me and loses control. I feel the moment he comes and hold him.
And then it’s over, but instead of stepping away and letting the regrets begin, he eases me down and rests his head against my chest. “Now that was what I needed. And a great way to send this countertop off. What were they thinking?”
I can’t help but laugh and wonder what I have gotten myself into.
Chapter Fourteen
I lay back, not quite sure what the hell just happened.
My heart was racing and now it’s finding this glorious pulse that almost feels like it’s synching up to his. It’s the closest I’ve ever felt to a man, and he’s pretty much my enemy.
Is he my enemy?
I try to wrap my head around the last half hour. I made love to Reid Dorsey on the kitchen island in a Gilded Age mansion we’re supposed to be restoring. Yep. I did that and now he’s on top of me and it feels weirdly right, and I don’t trust it at all. “Uhm. We should probably get dressed.”
“Give me a minute, Harper.” He sighs and rubs his cheek against my breast. “This is the calmest I’ve felt in months, and I know the minute our clothes are on we go back to fighting. I don’t want to fight right now. I want to pretend you like me because this is the closest I’ve felt to any woman in my life.”
Damn it. This is not supposed to get emotional. This is supposed to be sex. Nothing more. An itch we scratch and then walk away from and don’t think about again. I’m not supposed to wrap my arms around him and know I feel the same. I want to pretend it’s real, too, and we’re not going to go back to the enemies we are in real life.
“Fine. A cease fire.” I don’t want to fight. I need to understand why every piece of my soul wants to hold this man and start the process all over again. We can have one glorious night before we face reality. “But this is cold, and I have a perfectly good air mattress in the other room. It’s got blankets and everything. It’s small, though.”
He slides off me and doesn’t even wince when he picks me up. It’s like I don’t weigh anything at all. “Then we’ll have to cuddle.”
He carries me through the kitchen to the massive butler’s pantry where I set up an air mattress a few days ago. I put it in the pantry because we’re not working in here at all, so no one would notice.
“I knew this was you,” he says as he lays me down and climbs in after me. “I came in here looking for a quiet place to take a phone call two days ago and saw the bed and knew Harper Ross was pulling some overtime.”
Well, almost no one notices. He’s taking up all the space. I’m forced to kind of lay half on top of him, my arm around his chest and leg dragged over his. “I do stay late sometimes.”
He kisses the top of my head, and his hand smooths over my hair. “You are trying to work two full-time jobs, and it’s catching up to you. You need more sleep. Also, I’m glad you’re not walking home or taking the subway in the middle of the night. If you ever find yourself here late and need to go home, call me. I’m a couple of blocks away. I can be here quickly.”
“Why would I do that?” How is this the way the day is ending? I should be running. We didn’t even pick up our clothes. And yet my head finds his chest and I’m fascinated by the strong beat of his heart.