Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
"Wade," I say…moan, really.
His lips trail toward my ear, his teeth raking the tendon in the side of my neck. "As much as I'd love you naked beneath me, baby, I'm a patient motherfucker," he rasps against the shell of my ear. "Doesn't matter how hard you've had my cock all week. Doesn't matter how many times I've jerked it raw, moaning your name. I'm not rushing you." His hand curves around my jaw, tilting my head back. "Do I want to sleep with you?" His eyes meet mine. "More than I want to breathe."
I whimper. At least, I think that's what you call the pathetic, needy sound that escapes my lips. It's soft and loud at the same time, like it escaped my damn soul.
"But that's not why I'm here now, and it's not why I've been at the bar for the last week, either."
I lick my lips, staring at him. "Then why?"
His expression softens, his rough fingers feathering along my cheek. "You know exactly why, beautiful."
The worst part of that statement isn't that I don't know. It's that I do. I feel it in my soul, growing like the ivy that used to overtake our front porch every summer. Didn't matter how often we cut it back or tried to poison it, the stuff just kept growing until it'd claimed every inch of space it could find.
He's going to do the same thing—claim every inch of space he can, claim pieces of me I didn't even know existed. It's what he wants. I think it's what he's wanted from the very beginning.
"Wade, I…"
His lips come down on mine in a hard kiss, silencing me. "You can freak out about it and try to convince yourself that it can't happen later, Harlow. But it is going to happen," he growls. "I'm not going anywhere." His tongue flicks my bottom lip, a soft groan rumbling in his chest. "So you're going to have to get used to that idea for me."
"I thought cowboys took orders, not gave them," I grumble, scowling at him…mostly because if I don't, I'm going to wrap my hands all up in his shirt and drag his mouth back to mine.
His whole body vibrates with laughter. "This cowboy does both, baby." He nips my bottom lip, then groans again. "I want to kiss you so fuckingly bad right now."
"M-maybe you should."
Heat and triumph flare in his eyes in equal measure before his hand slips to the back of my head, cradling it. His lips touch mine again, his kiss soft. "Open for me, beautiful. Let me have a taste," he breathes.
I obey instantly, instinctively, because I think I might actually combust if I don't.
His breath—mint and a hint of coffee—washes across my face, and then he's kissing me. Really kissing me. I'm not sure if my feet actually leave the ground or if it just feels like they do, but I sink into him, my heart thudding erratically.
He groans against my lips, his tongue stroking mine until I'm dizzy with the taste of him, the feel of him, the heat of his body against mine. God. I never knew kissing could feel like this or that I could be wanted like this.
"Wade," I whisper.
He breaks the kiss with a groan, resting his forehead against mine. His breath is unsteady, his body trembling faintly. "Harlow. Sweet, sweet Harlow," he whispers. "I can't wait until you're ready for me, beautiful." His lips brush my crown. "But I'll be patient for you. Swear, I will."
He's wrecking me a little bit, without even meaning to do it. Maybe that's why I decide to stop fighting whatever this is. To stop thinking I don't deserve it, that he's out of my league, that I'm too much of a mess to be prepared for a man like him. I don't know exactly why all the tension, worry, and anxiety melt away…but they do.
I surrender to whatever this is, to wherever we're headed.
"Don't you dare break my heart," I say, my voice a scrap of sound.
He dips his head, his brown eyes somber when they meet mine. "Wouldn't dream of it, baby."
I nod, certain he means it. And then I slowly untangle myself from his arms, smiling a little when I see the smudge of paint on his cheek. There's another smeared across his shirt. "Um…you've got paint all over you."
He glances down at himself and then shrugs like it's no big deal. "I'll survive. You going to come with me willingly, or am I kidnapping you for the rest of the day?"
I hesitate, glancing down at myself. "Can I finish my painting first?"
"How long do you need?"
"Ten, fifteen minutes?" I bite my lips. "Well, then I need to shower and change, so an hour?"
He just grins at me, shaking his head. "Take all the time you need, beautiful. I'll wait for you."