Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 16015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 53(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 53(@300wpm)
“Yep,” she said, popping the P. I handed her a spare helmet I had hanging on the handlebars, and I watched as she strapped it to her head before swinging on behind me. She had no qualms about scooting up close to me, her thighs hugging my hips, her breasts pressing against my back. And when her arms slid around me, a shudder wracked through my body.
“You okay, big guy?” she asked, resting her head on my back, but by the way she spoke, I knew she had a smile tilting her lips.
I dropped one hand to hers, giving them a gentle squeeze. Behind me, she softly sighed. “Yeah,” I rasped. Giving her hands one more tender squeeze, I gripped the handle bars again and swung my bike around, easing out of her apartment building lot and heading down South Hospital Road to get on the road to Dublin.
The thing I really liked about Athena? She got me—understood me. I wasn’t much of a talker, and though I talked more with her than I did anyone else, she still didn’t take offense when I was silent. Instead, she easily filled in the silence, talking to me even though I wasn’t verbally responsive. But whatever she saw on my face kept her going.
“I grew up around here,” she told me as she forked a piece of broccoli. She lifted it to her lips, chewing before she spoke again. My eyes followed the movement before focusing back on what she was saying. I was drinking in every bit of information she could give me. “My grandparents raised me. I left when I was eighteen. Dropped out of high school and got my GED. Thought I could make it without support, but living in a small town did not prepare me for the real world.”
My heart ached for her. I hated the thought that she went through any kind of hardship. “My grandmother kept trying to get me to come back home, but I refused to admit defeat. But finally, things became too hard, and I began stripping.” I frowned, not understanding. She was back in her hometown, and she was still stripping—not that it bothered me. A woman had to do what she had to do. “I got attacked after work one night.” She swallowed thickly. Anger pumped through my veins, and I fisted my hand under the table. “Grandpa was my emergency contact, and when I woke up in the hospital, he was standing over my head, four states away from home.” She smiled at me, her eyes brightening again. “He told me I could do whatever I wanted, whether that was college or stripping, but he requested I come back home.” She waved her hands around. “So, here I am. I got an apartment and got hired at Frisky’s.”
I took a sip of my sweet tea. “Do you like it?” I asked her.
She shrugged. “It’s easy money, and I’m good at it.” She winked at me. “Besides, it brought me to you.”
I raised my glass to that with a smile, and she giggled, clinking her glass of sweet tea to mine, her beautiful, green eyes glimmering in the dim lighting of the restaurant.
Athena swung off my bike and took off the helmet, handing it to me. Then, she pushed her hair back off her shoulders, revealing her collarbone. I suddenly had the urge to scrape my teeth over it. Nip at it. Would it drive her as crazy as the thought was driving me?
“Do you want to come inside?” she asked me, her green eyes locking on mine.
I licked my lips. “Athena—” I rasped. If I followed her up into her apartment, I was going to spread her legs and fuck her.
She slid her hand along the side of my neck and leaned over, brushing her lips over mine. I groaned, my hands reaching out to grasp her wide hips. “I want you to,” she murmured.
Drawing in a deep breath, I ran my eyes over her face, trying to read her. Finally, taking her word for it, I turned my bike off before pulling my helmet off. As soon as I was off my bike, she grabbed my hand in hers, linking our fingers together. I couldn’t rip my eyes from her ass as her hips swayed with each step.
I was aching for her.
She lived on the second floor in apartment 2B. The inside was just like her, and it made me smile. Leopard print pillows decorated her leather couch, and a zebra print blanket was thrown over the back of it. It wasn’t much, but it suited her, and every square inch of the apartment reminded me of her and her bright personality.
Turning to face me, she began walking backward, tugging me with her. I followed her willingly, my heart thumping hard and fast in my chest. When we were in her bedroom, she dropped my hand. Her bedspread was zebra print with matching pillowcases, and leopard print curtains covered her windows.