Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 43198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
I step into Miller’s room and freeze.
He’s just come out of the bathroom, a towel slung around his neck, running it through his damp hair. He’s wearing nothing but boxer briefs. My eyes catch, and I can’t look away. Tattoos cover his skin, winding over his shoulders and down his arms, every line drawing attention to the muscle beneath.
I shouldn’t be staring.
But I am.
I stumble over the words, forcing my eyes off him and to the big bed. “Uh, where do you want me?”
He looks at me, his gaze dripping with desire. He juts his chin. “You really want to know?”
I nod, blinking.
He tosses the towel into a hamper in the corner and then stalks toward me. “I haven’t hidden the fact that I want you, Lindsey, and it’s going to be hell lying beside you and not being able to touch you.”
Oh God, this is it. Can I? Should I? Do I? “Who says you can’t touch me?”
He jerks back, his eyes wide. “What did you just say?”
I cross my arms over my chest and tilt my head. “You touch me all the time when other people are around, but not at all when it’s just us. I thought you’d changed your mind.”
He steps toward me and doesn’t stop until he’s right in front of me. I drop my hands to my sides, and his hands go to my waist. He tugs me toward him, and instantly I feel his hard manhood pressed to my belly. “I didn’t trust myself when it’s just the two of us. I was giving you time. I didn’t want to pressure you. I wasn’t sure what you wanted.”
I lift my arms, go on my tiptoes, and wrap my arms around his neck. “I want this. I want to feel alive.”
He kisses me, and it’s hot. He tilts my head and slides his tongue along mine. When his tongue brushes mine, slowly at first, it sends heat straight through me. I can feel how little control he has left. Like he doesn’t want to stop.
I pull back and search his eyes. “Where do you want me?” I ask again.
He grunts. “Under me. Over me. Let me inside you. All of the above.”
I laugh softly. “I mean on the bed. Which side do you want?”
He lifts me up in his arms and carries me to the bed. “Whichever side you’re on is the side I want.”
He lays me back in the middle of the bed, and I wrap my legs around him, holding him there. One arm loops around his neck while my other hand drifts along his jaw. “I’m sorry.”
He stills, pulling back just enough to look at me. “What are you sorry for?”
“For canceling our second date… for ignoring your calls… for avoiding you for months.”
He blinks, then plants his hands on either side of my head. “I didn’t cheat on you.”
I press my palm lightly to his chest. “First of all, it wouldn’t have been cheating. We’d been on one date.”
He catches my wrist before I can pull away. “It would have been cheating,” he says quietly. “Because I already knew I wanted more with you.” His jaw tightens. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. I shouldn’t have agreed to help Logan, but I’ve always shown up for my family, so—”
“Stop.” I shake my head. “Bree explained it to me. I just… I thought…” My voice falters. “It doesn’t matter what I thought.”
“Yes, it does.” His gaze sharpens on mine. “It matters to me. What did you think?”
I hesitate, then let out a breath. “I thought you were blowing me off. You had this whole story, two dates, your brother, his girlfriend getting kidnapped, and honestly? It sounded like an excuse.”
A corner of his mouth lifts, but there’s no humor in it. “Yeah. I know it did. It’s a lot.” He exhales. “But it was all true.”
“I know.” My fingers curl slightly against his chest. “I think part of me knew it even then.” I swallow. “But I was scared. Seeing you with her… it gutted me.” My voice softens. “And that was after one date.”
His expression shifts and softens. He’s looking into my eyes as if he’s searching for all the answers, and I know I need to be truthful with him.
“I knew,” I whisper, “that if I let myself have you… you could break my heart.”
He shakes his head. “Oh, honey, that’s not going to happen. I’m not going to break your heart.”
I lift my lower body, pressing against him. “Miller?”
He groans. “Yeah?”
“Make me forget everything but me and you right now. I need to feel alive. I need to feel…”
He sits back on his haunches and looks down at me. His hands go to the hem of my shirt, and he pulls it up. I lean forward, and he lifts it over my head and tosses it to the chair in the corner.