Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 108974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
That was all he needed. “I figured that out today, too.”
He reached down and shoved an arm under her knees, his other going around her back so he could lift her up against his chest. He carried her through the door, hearing it slam behind them.
“Are you all right?” She whispered the question as she cuddled against him. “You don’t have to talk about it. I just need to know.”
Was he all right? He wasn’t sure he’d been all right for a long time. “I’m better now that I’m with you. I’ll tell you everything you want to know tomorrow. For tonight, let me lose myself. Let me concentrate on you.”
He strode through the tiny cabin to where her bedroom was. He knew the layout of the entire place since he often spent his leisure time out here at the B and B helping Harry do small repairs. He found it soothing, but now he was happy that he knew exactly where to take her. He pushed through the bedroom door and set her on her feet, lowering his head so he could kiss her again.
Her hands went straight to his waist, tugging at his shirt. He reached down and pulled it over his head, tossing it aside. He wanted to feel her hands on his skin. His heart thudded in his chest, and he could feel arousal flooding his system.
She’d left a light on, a small lamp next to the bed that was casting a soft light through the room. He allowed her to touch him, drawing her soft palms across his chest. She leaned over and he felt her kiss his shoulder, right below his neck. If he let her continue, this wouldn’t last as long as he wanted it to, and he wouldn’t give her everything he’d dreamed about. “Take off your shirt for me.”
Brynn stepped back, her eyes going wide. There was a gorgeous flush to her skin that told him she was every bit as aroused as he was. She bit her bottom lip and seemed to come to a decision. She reached down and pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it aside with his. She wore a pretty white bra that clung to her breasts in a way that made him think seriously about devouring her. She was gorgeous and so sweet he could barely stand it. “It’s been a while for me. I think I mentioned that.”
Because she worked all the time. “We can take this as slow as you like.”
“And if I want to go fast?” she asked.
“Then we should negotiate because I want to make this last. I want this first time to feel like forever, and I absolutely want to see you naked.” He needed to lay out how he wanted the evening to go. He didn’t want it to end. “And when we’re done, don’t expect me to leave. I want to sleep next to you. I want to wake up with you and spend the day with you. I have tomorrow off, and so do you. I know you have to start work next week, but as long as you are physically here in Papillon, I want to sleep beside you.”
Her whole body seemed to go soft. “I want that, too.”
She reached behind her back and with a twist of her hand, her bra joined their shirts.
He felt every muscle in his body tighten at the sight of her. “You are so gorgeous. Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
“Sometimes the idea of being pretty feels like my whole world,” she said with a sigh.
He shook his head and let his hands find her waist. “Not pretty. Beautiful. Inside and out. You practically glow for me, Brynn. You’re like the sun, and that has more to do with who you are. You talk about how much you love colors, how hard you try to catch them on paper. You chase that art. You are color to me. When you walked into my life, the world seemed more vibrant than it was before, and that’s not because you were blessed with a stunning face and a sexy body. That’s because you are the woman who stops and helps others, the one who notices things, the one who tries to make the world better for everyone else. I worry that you think about everyone else so much, they forget to think about you.”
“How do you always know the right thing to say to me?”
“I don’t. I said the wrong thing to you a week ago. I should never have left you to handle all that fallout yourself. I should have been there.” He’d known it was a mistake, but he’d had to think of his father. If he could do it all over again, he would find a way to protect them both.