Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
“You’re so wet for me,” he murmured. His hips ground down on her cleft, dragging a ragged moan from deep within her.
Her stomach coiled, tight and expectant as the air between them crackled—too thick to breathe, too sweet not to taste.
But before she could feel the pulse of release, Finn was pulling up, sitting back on his heels, his gaze moving over her for a moment as he reached for his wallet, finding the foil, then making quick work of protecting them.
“Look at you,” he said, his hands drifting up and down her legs, “trembling just at the thought of more.”
“Finn,” she whimpered, reaching for him and pulling him down on her again. “Please. Please.” Her legs wrapped around him, her body shaky with her need.
“Shh,” he murmured, breath near her ear, “I know. I’ve got you.”
He rocked against her.
The press of him felt like a promise.
For more.
For everything.
Finn’s hips shifted.
Then she felt the press of him again, the push, the slide as he moved into her.
She was strung taut, every nerve lit, her body begging for the release that was just out of reach.
They both gasped at the sensation as he slid deep, her walls closing around him.
“I’ve been dreaming of this,” he told her, his voice thick with need. “About how you would sound when I’m buried deep inside you.” He rocked his hips just a little deeper, dragging a ragged moan from between her lips.
There was nothing then but sensation as he started to move.
Iris felt strung up, every inch of her wired and waiting, sure that the very next touch could detonate her.
“You feel so good,” Finn groaned as their bodies moved faster, growing more desperate.
Pleasure tightened, gathering low and hot like a wave about to crest.
Her breath came in frantic gasps.
“That’s it,” Finn murmured. “Let go. I’ve got you. Just let go.”
And so she did.
She came like a storm breaking, like a tidal surge swallowing everything but the sensations.
Everything clenched as she came, gasping, clawing, wrecked.
Finn groaned as the orgasm continued to roll, taking him with her, his body tensing, his breath catching, his weight coming down on her.
She wrapped him up in her arms and legs, satisfaction humming through her body.
The pleasure—that was easy. The quiet after, limbs tangled, heartbeats in sync, her mind clear to wander—that was another issue completely.
She lay still, careful not to breathe too deep, knowing any slight change would crack the fragile spell they’d fallen into.
It wasn’t long before thoughts surged that had something sneaking its way in. Not regret. But something like its quieter cousin. It was a sense of unease.
She wasn’t supposed to want him.
What did it say about her that she craved someone who never showed her anything real?
Except, of course, his desire.
But desire was fickle and fleeting. It could trick you into thinking you knew who someone was.
Finn lifted up, and she took the opportunity to curl away from him. Slowly. Quietly. Not because she wanted space, but because closeness could start to tell her a lie that she couldn’t afford to believe in.
It seemed as if the ocean itself sighed as the distance grew between them, as the connection dissipated like the sweat on their skin.
“How did you find me?” she asked, still naked, but she pulled her walls tightly around her, shielding everything important.
“Monty.”
Of course.
No one else would have known where she’d come out of the ocean but the pelican she’d been with at the time.
“Why did you run?”
“I was homesick.”
“You could have told me.”
“I wasn’t sure you’d notice.”
“You disappeared from the town hall. Of course I noticed.”
This was her chance.
To rein in her pride.
To confront things head-on.
She sucked in a steadying breath.
“I guess that makes sense,” she said, rolling up. She reached for her dress, yanking it down over her body, not ready to have this conversation while naked. “Since I stole the whole show, right? Made it all about me?”
Her gaze cut to his, watching her words land with impact, making his head jerk back slightly.
“Henry never should have said that.”
That was it. No explanation. No assuring her that he wasn’t going to stand for that kind of disrespect moving forward.
“Do me a favor,” she said, grabbing her bag and shoes. “Tell Henry that the next time he wants to criticize me, he can do it to my face. That way, I can stand up for myself.”
Unlike you, she added silently before walking away.
She left him to scramble to get himself dressed.
She hauled it across the sand but realized her mistake as she walked down the empty road.
She wasn’t in Manhattan anymore. Taxis weren’t just milling about all the time. She wasn’t even sure if there was a subway system to use. Not that she was a fan of those. But it would be better than being stranded.
“Iris?” Finn’s voice was soft and coaxing.