Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 105697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Leaning against the headboard, he reaches over and rubs my hip. “Have we overstayed our welcome?” His voice is quieter than usual, even when we talk at night. I brush hair away from his forehead and reveal a tempered smile. It’s there, but boy, does it need inflation.
“No. In fact, I’ve heard the opposite from everyone. They want you to stay, but don’t know what you’ll do since the cottage isn’t getting fixed.”
“What happened to the local guys and your second cousin once removed?”
That he even remembers that is hilarious. He’s becoming a regular old townie at this point. “Twice removed, and Mrs. Dover called them off since she’s selling.”
“But if you’re buying, it still needs to get fixed. So let’s get it fixed.”
“It’s not a done deal just because we offer more money. She mentioned contingencies—”
“Then don’t put any contingencies,” he snaps, sitting higher on the bed. Away from me? “And close the deal.”
Standing up, I give him the space he so clearly desires, but I can’t stop staring at him. I look back at the door and then walk out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind me. I wait.
“Summer? Come back in,” he says from the other side.
We all have off days. The day with him was great. He’s just having a moment. I knock this time even though it’s my own bedroom, giving us a redo. He says, “Come in.” The response is much lighter this time around.
When I open the door, the lamp is on, and his mouth is full. Only crumbs remain on the nightstand while he chews. Pressing my back to the closed door, I lock it and bite the inside of my lip to keep from smiling. “Hi, I saw your light on, so I thought I’d stop in.”
“Glad you did,” he says when he finally speaks.
So handsome—the light shining in his eyes is a beacon calling me to him—waiting for me like his night just got better with a smirk that wasn’t there earlier. When I approach the bed, he shifts to the side this time, giving me ample room to make myself comfortable next to him.
I climb on the bed, but I don’t sit next to him. I crawl on my knees and straddle his lap. I’d love to adjust, but I just want to kiss his upset away so badly that I cup his face. Tilting his head back, I lean in and kiss him. Our lips mold together like a confession whispered from my soul to his is exchanged in the connection.
The feel of him hardening under me inspires me to rock into a better position. Large hands take hold of my ass and give a good squeeze. We’re already breaking new ground, crossing lines we haven’t before. The feel of him is both familiar and new, spun into the burning desire I have for him.
I roll my hips on top of him. The hardness feels so good against my clit that I do it again. And again, until I slide my hands to his neck, resting my head against his, closing my eyes as I try to calm my racing heart.
Running a hand over my shoulder, then caressing my jaw, he whispers against my cheek, “We can’t do this here.”
I lean back, still holding on to him. Sliding my hands to his shoulders, I search his eyes for the answer that doesn’t seem to be obvious to me. “Why?”
“Listen.” My breath is heavier than I’d like, so I hold it and turn an ear toward the door. The sound of Jeopardy, the tick of the clock at the base of the stairs, the creak of the floors, and a good night exchanged between two of my sisters. Every sound is so prevalent and louder than it should be.
I haven’t paid attention to the noise in years. With this many people living together, it’s just always how it’s been. “I don’t even hear it anymore.”
“I can’t stop listening to every sound that slips under the door. I kiss you. Someone laughs. I slide my hand over your body, and the theme song to Golden Girls kicks in. I made you come, and someone dropped something heavy in the kitchen. There’s no privacy.”
He’s not wrong, and that throws cold water on the embers we were breathing fire into. Sitting back, I lose the energy to sit straight, so I slump and ask, “You don’t want to do anything?”
After pushing forward, he slides a finger over the outline of my lips, then follows with the softest kiss. “I want to do everything to you, but not here. I only want to hear you when we’re together, especially the first time.”
The sexual attraction has been there all along. Daniel made me feel so good in the tub. It was incredible, but it doesn’t change the growing need I have for him or to give him the same pleasure he gave me. Regulating my reactions isn’t something I want to do.