Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
“Okay?” There isn’t more?
“Yeah, okay.”
Her hands come up to cover mine over her cheeks. “Show me,” she whispers. “Show me who you really are. Not the crown. Not the name. You.”
I stare at her for a long moment, thinking there is no way I heard her right. But then again, Mable is all sweetness. I was a jackass to carry this on. I should have known if I had just told her even first thing this morning she would have understood.
A pressure lifts off my chest.
“That’s all I want,” I say, my voice feeling raw now. “To be real with you. To be someone you can trust.” That makes her smile grow,
“I trust you,” she says, and the simplicity of it undoes me. “But no more lies. Not even by omission. If we’re doing this...”
“We’re doing this,” I confirm, and I kiss her before she can change her mind.
It’s not gentle or careful. I kiss her with everything I’ve got. As though I am drowning and she is the air I need to survive. Only she can sustain me.
A hunger roars inside, and I deepen the kiss. I’ve been starving for this my whole life and only just realized it. My hands slide into her hair, fisting it in my hand, tilting her head back, and she lets out a soft sound that goes straight to my cock.
My hands go to the robe, pushing it off her shoulder so it pools at her feet.
She’s completely naked underneath, all soft curves and flushed skin, and I tear my mouth from hers just to look at her.
“Christ,” I breathe, my hands moving to her waist, her hips, memorizing every inch. “You’re perfect.”
She arches into my touch, her fingers finding the hem of my shirt. “And you’re overdressed.”
“Then let me change that.” I lift her off her feet, a small squeal of surprise leaving her. I carry her over to the bed, placing her down on it so I can quickly strip down. I stand there simply taking her in, spread out in our bed. I’m the first man to see her this way, and I’ll be the last.
“Caldwell?” Her cheeks start to flush deeper.
“Just want to commit it to memory,” I say before I come down over her. “You need to tell me to stop,” I manage, my voice not sounding my own. “Tell me now, because once I start—”
“Don’t stop.” She wraps her arms around me. “I don’t want you to.”
A sound tears from my throat, primal and desperate, and then I’m on her. My mouth finds her throat, her breasts, and the curve of her hip. I don’t want to miss a single spot. I need to taste every fucking inch of the perfection that she is. I’ll never get enough.
She arches off the bed, whimpering my name, and I’ve never heard anything sweeter in my whole fucking life.
“I’ve wanted you since the moment I first saw you,” I murmur against her stomach, pressing kisses to her fluttering pulse. “Watching you sleep in my bed, knowing you were innocent—” I look up at her, meeting her eyes. “I wanted to ruin you for anyone else. To mark you as mine.”
“You already have.” Her fingers thread through my hair, pulling gently.
The desire in her gaze makes me feel like a god. I settle between her thighs, my weight pressing her into the mattress, and force myself to go slowly. I have to make sure she’s ready. As badly as I want to be inside of her, I care more about making this good for her too. No, not just fucking good: mind-blowing.
I kiss down her body, lingering at her breasts, my mouth wrapping around one nipple before moving to the other. I kiss her ribs and the soft curve of her belly. She’s built like a woman in every sense of the word.
“Caldwell—” Her hand tightens in my hair. When she says my name, all breathy and filled with need, I almost come right then, but I force it back. Not until I’m inside of her. I don’t care if it kills me.
“I’ve got you, beautiful,” I murmur against her hip, kissing her there too. “I need to taste you. I need you ready for me.”
She makes a small sound, half protest, half plea. I settle between her thighs, my shoulders spreading them wider, and look up at her one last time. Her face is flushed, her eyes dark with need. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful, and I’ve been all over this world.
I lower my mouth to her, and she cries out, her back arching off the bed. She’s so damn responsive, like a hair trigger, and I listen to every sound she makes, every shift of her hips, reading her body.
She’s sweet and wet and damn perfect. I groan against her, the vibration making her whimper my name. I take my time, making slow circles that make her breath hitch, the firmer pressure that has her gripping the sheets, and the way she trembles when I slide a finger inside her while my tongue works her.