Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 145746 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145746 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
“If you don’t want me to kiss you,” he pants, his breath ragged over my lips, “say that shit now.”
I don’t waste time pondering the wisdom of this, or playing coy or wondering if I’ll regret it. I know I will. This can only end badly, but I want it to begin again. I want it so bad I’m trembling when I tip up on my toes and clutch his head, bringing him down until our lips slam together and open. As soon as our tongues slip, slide, tangle, I whimper. It’s our first kiss in almost twelve years, and I know for him, this is just lust. Mere animal attraction so strong, he’s set his reservations and my transgressions aside to pursue it, but something I’ve been barely holding together since the last time he kissed me breaks. It shatters and I can’t deny the way this feels like home, that he feels like something I never should have lost or left.
But I didn’t leave him.
I didn’t have a choice.
I squeeze my eyes shut against the tears so they won’t fall. I roll my hips into him so he knows he doesn’t have to ask. I’m a hot, slick yes.
“Jesus, Vee,” he groans into the kiss. His hands trace down my back and over my hips to push under my skirt. He squeezes my ass and I dig my nails into his back. Walking us backward to Dessi’s bed, he eases me down and settles between my legs. I spread for him, no hesitation. My body throbs with a rhythm I never forgot, but didn’t realize I still knew. The kiss is all lips and teeth and craving. Wet and hot and desperate. He pushes my skirt up and slides his finger into my underwear, finding my clit unerringly.
I jerk out of the kiss to gasp and toss my head back to the pillow.
“Monk.” I roll into his touch. “I need… I can’t…”
“I know, baby.” He pushes my T-shirt up and pulls the cups of my bra down. “I got you.”
The tandem touch of his fingers between my legs and his mouth at my breast scatters all thoughts. I couldn’t string together three words to stop him if I wanted to, but I do not want to.
The orgasm rolls through me without warning, taking me by surprise and taking me under. A wave so intense, lights flicker behind my eyes and my head swims. My whole body goes stiff as the pleasure ravages me. My arms drop limply to my sides and my head flops into the soft linen of the pillow.
He leaves kisses along the sensitive skin inside my thighs, then scoots back to sit at the far end of the bed, knees pulled up and hugged by his elbows. His breathing is harsh and his erection bulges in his pants.
“Why’d you stop?” I practically slur, dragging myself up and crawling toward him. “Let me.”
I reach for his belt, but his hand covers mine and he tips up my chin until our eyes meet. His are still drunk with lust, but sobriety slowly invades the small room. He says the words I was really hoping we could skip.
“I stopped because we need to talk.”
THIRTY
Monk
The fact that I’m not buried balls deep in Verity right now merits an award. A commendation. This level of discipline should be studied for future generations to emulate. Her shirt is still pushed up and her bra is pulled down and her naked breasts taunt me.
“Could you…” I gesture to her chest.
“Oh.” She hastily pulls the bra up and the shirt down. “Sorry.”
“I actually prefer them like that, but if you’re half naked, we ain’t talking.”
She scoots away until her back hits the headboard.
“What did you want to talk about?” she asks, her expression wary like she’s braced for me to say something that will hurt her.
“I’m not rejecting you, Vee. I want this, but first of all…”
I gesture to the small bed we are both crammed on. “I’m not fucking you on Dessi’s twin mattress.”
She snickers, dipping her head and relaxing her shoulders.
“Second of all, if we’re gonna do this, I want us to be on the same page.”
She frowns. “And by ‘this’ you mean—”
“Have a lot of sex behind everybody’s backs,” I deadpan. “Because I don’t want them folk in my business.”
“Amen to that.” She shudders. “Can you imagine how Jill would react?”
“She’d want a full report. Now how many times did she come, Monk? Only once?” I tsk, and pretend to write it down on my invisible pad. “Do. Better.”
“She has three children,” Verity says, more amusement than exasperation in her tone. “You’d think they would fully occupy her.”
“No such luck,” I say, shifting to the serious things we need to discuss, hopefully getting the most unpleasant parts out of the way. “Look, I want to put the past behind us. Like you said, we were young.”