Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29913 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29913 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
Jenna’s features light up then, her blue eyes glowing.
“A garden!” she breathes. “With fruit trees and a vegetable patch. Tell me, do you guys grow pumpkins?”
I laugh deep in my chest because it’s a good change to see the beautiful woman happy and excited.
“I don’t know, but maybe,” I offer. “The gardens are overseen by Rupert, my groundskeeper, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve got a variety of vegetables going. I know they have sunflowers,” I offer unhelpfully. “They’re pretty hard to miss because they grow six feet tall.”
“My goodness,” Jenna breathes with excitement. “I love sunflowers, and did you know that if you water a sunflower with milk instead of water, the petals grow white and not yellow? So they’re not really sunflowers anymore, but rather snowflowers.”
“Snowflowers,” I repeat slowly. “That’s a beautiful word. In fact, it would be a gorgeous nickname for you, Jenna, because you’re as beautiful as driven snow, and yet also as warm and lovely as a flower. Can I call you that?”
She blushes, glancing bashfully at me through her long lashes.
“Yes, I suppose,” she murmurs. “I like that name. Snowflower.”
Then, I do something unexpected, surprising even myself. I take Jenna’s delicate chin in my hand while lifting it up to me, and then brush my lips gently against hers. Her pout parts on its own, welcoming my touch, but I take my time with the young woman because I want Jenna to know that this is more than some one-off thing. I want her to know that I respect her as a woman, in addition to finding her irresistible, impossibly beautiful, and sexy as hell. In short, I want her to know that although I’m her guardian, I want her in all the ways that a man wants a woman … because soon, Snowflower will be mine.
6
Jenna
It’s been a week since my mother’s wake and Rick’s mind-blowing, Earth-shattering kiss. I never expected to have something like that happen between us, and I’m still shaken by his gesture.
After all, I know what I am to men. I’m a sexpot who posts revealing pictures and videos of herself on-line for money. They see my sweetest spots and likely rub one out with one hand while gripping their cell phones with the other. I wouldn’t be surprised if I star in their dirty fantasies, and I’ve gotten more than one proposition to meet in person. Of course I say no because it’s not what I do. Despite the lurid images, I’m actually untouched, and wouldn’t that be the greatest surprise of all? That the girl who bares it all on screen is actually a virgin, with her innocence intact.
But to my great surprise, Rick doesn’t treat me like a whore or a slut. Instead, his touch was gentle and questing, as if he wanted my permission to move forward. It was as if he knew that beneath the sexy exterior, I’m still a young girl, unsure of herself and bewildered by the big world. It was as if he knew how devastated I am by the passing of my mother, and was reassuring me with his gentle gesture.
So I feel happy to be at Rick’s manor now. I moved in yesterday, and kneel by my open suitcase on the ground, gently folding the last of my lingerie to stow in a dresser drawer. I haven’t seen Rick yet, but I know he’s busy managing Tatti Cosmetics. After all, a huge international conglomerate doesn’t run itself. They need him, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he puts in long hours, day in, day out.
But then there’s a long shadow at my door, and a frisson runs down my spine. Inside, I go hot and weak because I instinctively know it’s him.
“Hey Snowflower,” a deep voice sounds, thrilling me to my core. “How’s move-in going?”
I turn immediately, a bright smile on my face. Rick is as handsome as ever, and he obviously just came from the office. He’s tall and distinguished in a dark suit that highlights his broad shoulders, and a stark white button down which shows off his tan. Those blue eyes pierce my soul, and I literally feel a little weak inside while smiling at him.
“Move-in is good,” I manage in a not-too-breathy voice. “Just putting away the last of my stuff.”
Rick pauses for a moment, staring at the item in my hand, and belatedly, I remember that I was folding lingerie. There’s a sexy purple g-string in my palm, which isn’t much more than a tiny postage stamp attached to a series of strings. When I look back at him, there’s hunger in those blue eyes and a stain on his high cheekbones. But he doesn’t say anything about the lingerie, and instead speaks in a slightly unsteady tone himself.
“Did you get to see the mansion? Did Brearley show you around?”