Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Cole stood patiently.
She was acting so weird that she was surprised he hadn’t slammed the door in her face.
“Take a deep breath.”
Drawing a deep breath into her lungs, she released it then wished she had brushed her teeth.
“Never mind. I’m sorry I disturbed you.”
Cole caught her by the arm, preventing her from running back to her room. “Megan, what did you want?”
His patience had her able to loosen her tongue. Licking her bottom lip, she played with the belt tied at her waist. “I don’t want to be alone,” she told him, staring down at the floor.
“Do you mean right now or all night?”
“All night.”
At his silence, Megan dared to look through her lashes to find him staring at her in amusement.
“I just want to be clear. A guy can’t be too careful … Do you want a friendly sleepover, or are you suggesting something more intimate?”
Megan ground her teeth. Why did he want her to say it out loud?
Pulling the belt tighter, she tried to think of what a more experienced woman would say.
“Megan, if you tighten that belt any tighter, you’re not going to be able to breathe.”
She pushed her hands into her pockets and lifted her eyes. “I wouldn’t be opposed to sex.”
Cole gathered both dangling ends of her robe in his hands, twining them around and drawing her closer to his body. “I wouldn’t be opposed to having sex with you either.”
Megan licked her lip again. “You wouldn’t?”
“Nope.” Seductively, the hand holding the belt brushed against her breast as he pulled her even closer. “I just want to make one thing clear before we do this.”
Megan frowned. “What?”
“I don’t have sex with just anyone.”
“I don’t, either.”
“Then we’re in agreement.” Cole stepped back into the room, tugging her forward with him.
Confused, Megan felt as if she was being lured into a trap. “What did we agree on?”
“That you’re mine.” Cole dropped the tie of the robe to close the door and lean against it.
She shook her head. “I didn’t agree to that.”
“You did.”
“I think I would remember saying that. I didn’t.” Nervously, she started backing up when Cole used his back to push away from the door and started walking toward her. Coming to a stop when she felt the bed behind her knees, she rested a hand to his chest. That might have been the wrong thing to do—feeling his smooth skin under her palm.
“I don’t let anyone invite themselves into my bed. What kind of guy do you think I am?”
“Uh …” Megan delved deeper into his eyes then playfully tapped his chest. “You’re just playing with me.”
“Megan …” The amusement in his eyes was replaced with something she couldn’t decipher. “I haven’t begun to play.” When he took a step forward, Megan instinctively took another step back, forgetting the bed was behind her.
Falling backward, she gave a gasp as Cole placed a knee on the bed and leaned over her. Closing her eyes tightly, she clenched her hands in the blanket on the bed.
“Do you mind scooting up so I can lie down, too?”
Her lashes flew up. “Oh … I’m sorry.” Rolling over to get on her knees, she crawled to the head of the bed then wiggled to the side to make more room for Cole.
“You mind if I turn the lights off?”
“Not at all.”
Soft moonlight filtered through the curtains when Cole turned the lights off.
“Let’s grab a nap. We have all night.”
Didn’t he want her?
Finding herself tucked into his side, Megan gazed up at the dark ceiling. Should she make the first move? They had left Treepoint early this morning, so he was probably tired.
Relaxing, she snuggled against his side, her hand going to his bare chest. His arm around her waist pulled her closer, and he left it there as they lay together.
The anxiety brought about by actually having sex with Cole gradually dissipated. Having sex had never been pleasurable with Curt, and the dread of finding out sex with Cole would be just as miserable made her regret knocking on his door.
Lying next to him brought back the heightened awareness, which had fled the moment he showed his desire for her. She was comfortable with the easy-going Cole who wouldn’t hurt a kitten and was ceaselessly kind to her, which had given her the courage to knock on his door in the first place. Yet, the moment his features had hardened, displaying a different side of him when he bent to get on the bed with her, showed an overt masculinity that terrified her.
Having sex with Curt had been miserable and disgusting, so much so that she had developed several excuses to avoid the intimacy whenever possible. When she couldn’t, he would make her pay the price until she found it easier to give in to his demands rather deal with the vile way he treated her.