Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 54520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
My jacket slips from my shoulders, his mouth following the path down, tasting every inch of exposed skin. When his mouth closes over my breast through the thin fabric of my tank, a shiver bolts through me so sharp I cry out.
“Linc.” His name tears free on a breath. “Here, now.”
The guttural sound he makes vibrates through my chest as his hands fumble with his jeans, urgency locked in every frantic motion. He frees himself with a desperate tug, the blunt head of his cock nudging against the silk of my panties—hot, heavy, the promise of him making my pulse stumble.
The second he pushes the barrier aside, I sink down, inch by aching inch, until he’s buried to the hilt.
The stretch steals my air, the fullness undoing me in the most devastating, exquisite way.
“Fuck, Harlow,” he groans, his grip locking around my hips as if he’ll never let me go. “You feel this, baby? This right here, worth every fucking risk.”
He’s right. Right now, wrapped around him, his name breaking from my lips, his hands anchoring me to him, I wouldn’t trade a single second.
Above us, lanterns float across the sky, their light scattering across the rippling water. And in that glow, caught between memory and magic, I let myself believe. Not just this, but maybe the fairytale too.
Funny how life has a way of rearranging itself when you least expect it, turning what once felt impossible into something inevitable.
The past couple of weeks have been a blur of epic chaos. Linc and I have slipped into this thing so naturally it feels like it’s always been waiting for us. Midnight calls stretched until dawn, texts crammed between weddings, him showing up at my door with half-blown dandelions just because he missed me. He even smuggled me into the firehouse one night, feeding me spaghetti with the crew like I belonged there.
Every moment has been better than I dared hope, and nothing like what I feared. I haven’t regretted a single second…until now.
Now I’m in his truck, knee bouncing, palms slick, seconds from a full-blown panic attack. All because I’m about to have Sunday dinner at the Masters’ house.
His mom, dad, and brothers will all be there—people who think they know me, but only ever knew the version I let them see back then: the confident girl with a sharp tongue and bolder-than-she-felt attitude. In reality, she was just a lonely girl pretending the golden boy next-door didn’t make her heart race every time he so much as looked her way.
Linc isn’t blind to my inner meltdown. His hand slides across the console, warm and steady on my knee.
“Relax, Goldilocks,” he murmurs, voice low and calming “You’re stressing over nothing. They’re going to love you.”
I snort, clinging to sarcasm like a lifeline. “Right. Because what’s not to love about the girl who sabotaged your science project and popped the tires on your bike?”
Just the memory makes my stomach lurch, but not Linc. He only chuckles, completely unfazed.
“I’m serious,” I press. “What if your mom thinks this is some elaborate plot to seduce you, break your heart, and ride off into the sunset laughing?”
That earns me a full bark of laughter. “You’re ridiculous, you know that? Sexy as hell…” His grin widens. “But ridiculous.”
I shoot him a look, not the least bit impressed.
At least one of us is entertained.
“Look, no one’s holding grudges over childhood antics,” he says, more serious now. “If they were, I wouldn’t bring you. I’d never put you in a situation where you’d be treated badly. You know that, right?”
A pang of guilt stirs in my chest. “I know. I’m sorry. I just hate that all they know about me is the girl who plotted your demise.”
“That’s not all they know…”
The way he lets that sentence trail off does not sound good at all.
“Great. What else do they know?”
His gaze flicks from the road to mine, anchoring me in place. “That you’re the first girl I’ve ever cared enough about to bring to Sunday dinner.”
Warmth unfurls in my chest, claiming parts I’m not quite ready to name.
“First girl, huh?” I ask, unable to hide the soft hope in my voice.
He nods. “And that’s all that matters to them. Nothing else. Okay?”
I smile, my heart settling. “Okay. No more freak-outs. I promise.”
“Good.” His fingers tighten on mine, eyes back on the road. “But for the record…you can seduce me all you want and ride off into the sunset laughing, as long as I get shotgun.”
A laugh bursts from me, trailing into a groan. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
His smirk answers for him. “Not a chance.”
Leave it to him to turn my nerves into laughter, even when I want to throttle him.
I drop my head back against the seat, turning to the window, letting the hum of the road settle more of my nerves.