Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 90464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
I love you, Rach.
A breeze plays around me, and I inhale a calming breath. Exhaling slowly, I fold the letter and tuck it back into the envelope.
Thinking about what Rachel wrote to me, I’m sure she wrote something similar for Nova.
God, I hope so. If there’s one person Nova will listen to, it’s my sister.
Climbing to my feet, I head back into the house. Nova’s sitting on the couch, her eyes instantly locking on my face. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” Instead of grabbing Nova and kissing the ever-loving shit out of her and forcing her to agree to dating me, I take a seat on the other couch. “Want to watch a movie? Maybe Twilight?”
She lets out a chuckle. “You’re willing to sit through Twilight with me?”
The corner of my mouth lifts as I look at the woman I love. “Only if you make popcorn.”
“It’s a deal.”
I watch as she gets up and walks to the kitchen. Her body seems tense, and she keeps shooting glances my way.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
Her eyes flit to me again. “Yes. Of course.” The moment she’s done answering me, she looks away.
She’s nervous.
Once Nova heads back to the living room with the popcorn, I grab the remote and switch on the TV. She holds out the bowl to me, but I ignore it and take hold of her arm so I can tug her down beside me.
The moment her butt touches the couch, I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her closer so she’ll lean against me. “Try to relax.”
“I am relaxed,” the words burst from her.
No, you’re not, beautiful, but it’s something I’ll work on with you.
I press play, and as the movie begins, I grab some popcorn from the bowl. When I bring a kernel to Nova’s mouth, her eyes dart to my face. Her lips part, and getting to feed her makes me grow hard at the speed of light.
Desire ignites in her eyes, but she tries to hide it from me by focusing on the movie.
It’s only a matter of time. You’re already mine. You just need to realize it.
It takes more restraint than I thought I possessed not to take what I want. Instead, I settle for wrapping my arm around Nova’s front and pulling her back until she’s leaning against my chest. I brush my fingers up and down her arm while fighting the urge to kiss my way up her neck.
The memory of kissing Nova fills my mind, and remembering her moans and how she said my name like it was a prayer has me growing even harder.
Jesus, I’m going to die of blue balls at this rate.
I suck in a deep breath and try to watch the movie, but it’s impossible.
Holding Nova and not acting on my desire and feelings becomes the sweetest torture I’ve ever had to endure.
Chapter 27
Nova
Lying in bed, thoughts of the night fill my mind.
I paid no attention to Twilight because I was overly aware of Easton.
The way he held me.
His fingers brushing up and down my arm.
His breaths stirring in my hair.
Holy crap. I’ve never felt this hot and bothered before.
Turning onto my other side, my thoughts drift to what Rachel said in the letter.
Deep down, I know I’m safe with Easton and he’ll never hurt me intentionally, but am I willing to take the risk and get romantically involved with him?
God, I’m scared.
What if we date and I somehow ruin things?
What if, down the line, I annoy him the way I annoyed John and Trent?
Staring into the darkness around me, my teeth tug at my bottom lip.
What if . . . my failed relationships weren’t my fault?
What if Easton is the man I should be with, and we actually make things work?
My heartbeat speeds up at the thought.
What if we get married, and we’re able to create a stable family life for Lainey?
Don’t think so far ahead. One day at a time.
Closing my eyes, I focus on taking deep breaths while stilling my mind. It takes a little while, but I’m finally able to drift off to sleep.
Walking into the mansion, everything feels out of place, and I suddenly find myself in the small house I shared with Trent.
Angry people crowd the windows, and I somehow sense they’re Easton’s fans.
All of a sudden, I’m standing in the middle of a field, and huge skyscrapers move across the plains while tornado sirens blare around me.
Intense panic burns through me, and I start to run. Seeing a pool, I dive into the water but then fall onto a hard wooden floor.
“You’re not good enough,” Trent sneers, his foot connecting with my side. “You’ll never be good enough for him.”
Dark and suffocating emotions fill my chest.
“Easton!” I cry while I try to crawl away from Trent. The wood turns to sludge, making it difficult to move, and when I begin to sink into the dark and sticky liquid, I scream, “Easton!”