Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 108709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
“Well, shit,” I breathe, panting at the idea of what this man has in store for me. “Who the hell am I to argue with that?”
“Good. Now, if you could stop grinding that sweet cunt over me, it’d be greatly appreciated.”
I laugh, but respectfully stop dry humping the man, getting ready to climb my ass back over to my side of the car, where I can’t be quite so tempted, but I find myself pausing and snaking my hand around the back of his neck. “Just so you know,” I whisper, leaning in toward his ear. “There’s nothing timid about me. I’m about as wild as they come, and I have one hell of an appetite. It takes a skilled, big man to satisfy me, and I won’t be sated until you’ve crumbled for me.”
Stone groans, the hunger in his eyes morphing into pure, raw desire, but I smack his hand away. “Uh-uh, big guy. Not yours to touch. Not yet, anyway,” I purr, slowly climbing off him and settling back into my seat. “You said no, remember? I’m only trying to be a good girl for you. But get me somewhere where you can bend me over and spread me apart, and I promise, every inch of me will be yours.”
20
ARIA
The sun is starting to set when Stone pulls off the highway into an abandoned town that looks as though it hasn’t seen life in well over fifty years. The buildings are falling apart, the windows boarded up, and the paint peeling off the old wood.
Half of the properties look as though a tornado ripped through here and destroyed everything, leaving nothing but rubble in its wake.
“Shit,” I muse, looking at what I’m sure used to be a thriving little town. There’s a main street with stores lining either side, but the road is covered in a thick layer of red country dust, and as we pass through, it kicks up behind us, creating a cloud that seems to engulf the whole town. “This is sad. I wonder what happened here.”
“Same old bullshit, probably,” Stone says. “The grocer marries the town doctor and has a bunch of kids, but the small school can’t handle the demand, so they move away to offer a better life for their children. Only now, the town doesn’t have good health care or fresh vegetables, and no one steps in and takes over, so more people move until there’s no one left to run the farms or stock the shelves. They run out of supplies until they have no choice but to abandon what’s left of the town and move to more populated areas.”
My gaze sweeps toward Stone, my brow arched. “Wow. Who would have known you were so versed in small-town abandonment issues?”
He rolls his eyes. “Seven years behind bars gives you a little perspective,” he says. “Plus, a little common sense tends to go a long way.”
“You calling me dumb, Stone Blackthorne?”
“If the shoe fits, Riley Maddox.”
I cringe at the sound of my real name on his lips, but I quickly shake it off, not wanting to dwell on it right now. “If I didn’t want to fuck you so bad, I’d beat your ass right now.”
“I’d like to see you try, but you and I both know you couldn’t get within two feet of me.”
I scoff and cross my arms over my chest. “I don’t need to punch you in the balls to prove I can beat your ass,” I tell him. “It’s an old town, I’m sure there’s a bunch of forgotten pistols somewhere. We’ll duel at dawn, but be warned. I cheat to win.”
“I know. I was the one who taught you how, but you’re delusional if you think for even a second that I can’t out-cheat your cheating.”
“Shit. Prison really changed you.”
He glances at me, his brow arched. “How would you know? I thought you couldn’t remember anything.”
I grin. “I don’t,” I say, getting all giddy. “I’ve just always wanted to say that.”
Stone shakes his head as he turns off the main street and heads deeper into the abandoned town, passing what looks like the remains of an old school, a gas station with bags over the pumps, and then a residential area.
Most of the houses are in ruins and clearly haven’t stood the test of time, but there are a few still standing. I wouldn’t exactly say they’re inhabitable, but considering the state of everything else, I suppose they should be awarded a gold star for their longevity.
Stone drives past them, deciding that they’re all somehow still too visible from the highway, despite us now being at least a few miles away, and it’s not until we approach the very end of the small town that we find a few farms, their houses still standing tall . . . mostly.