Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
And the inside was even more spectacular. Huge high ceilings. Rooms that were big but not cold. A sunken living room with an enormous stone fireplace and a big, comfortable-looking sectional in front of it.
Curling up in front of that fire with a blanket, a book, and hot chocolate was her idea of heaven.
“You okay, Effie?” Steele came up behind her, wrapping his arm around her.
He’d picked her up on his own, explaining that Grady was working on something but would meet them at their place.
She still hadn’t seen Grady. Then again, she was barely in the door.
“This place is amazing.” Ahead of her were wall-to-ceiling windows that offered peeks of the backyard and the wall of trees that surrounded them. “It’s magical.”
“Glad you think so, baby girl. You and Brooks are welcome to come stay whenever you like. In fact, I think we should have a sleepover soon.”
Oh, she liked that idea. A lot.
“Brooks would love it here, but I’m not sure I’m ready to bring him.”
“Understood.”
“However, he did mention staying over at a friend’s place on Saturday . . .”
Whoa. That was forward for her.
Don’t push yourself on people, Effie. No man will respect a girl who just gives it away.
She clenched her hands into fists. Damn it. She was getting super tired of Nan’s voice in her head.
“Baby girl? You all right?” Steele turned her, cupping her chin in his hand.
“Yeah, sorry. I just . . . was that too forward?”
“Spitfire, I want to make something clear.”
She sucked in a breath. Whatever he told her, she could take it. Even if he was telling her to back off a bit.
“If I thought you’d agree, I’d have had you living in my house yesterday.”
“W-what?”
“I’d have you living with us by now, baby. I want you. Grady wants you. The only one who has to get that is you. But don’t worry, we’re prepared to do what’s needed to show you how much we want you.” He moved his hand around to her neck, cupping the side of it. His thumb remained under her chin, keeping her face tilted back.
“Starting with this,” he murmured. Bending down, he kissed her lightly.
She let out a small gasp and he took total advantage, pressing his tongue inside her, kissing her deeply.
And the man could kiss.
She leaned into him, gripping him to keep herself steady. When he drew back, she was panting, her body floating.
Steele’s gaze was hot. His hunger for her clear.
“That was so fucking hot.”
She jumped with a gasp, turning to see Grady leaning against the wall, watching them.
What did it say about her that she found the idea of him watching her hot?
She didn’t know. But a shiver of arousal ran through her. Steele turned her around so her back was pressed to his chest.
“Like what you saw?” he asked huskily.
“Yes,” Grady replied.
“Grady likes to watch,” Steele told her.
Grady’s eyes narrowed. Was he upset with Steele for telling her that? Not wanting him to feel bad or get angry, she spoke up.
“I like it too.”
Grady’s eyebrows rose. “You like being watched, sweetheart?”
“Y-yes.”
“You’ve had that before with a boyfriend?” Steele asked. “You had someone watch as you fucked?”
Lord.
Nan would roll over in her grave at how blunt he was. She definitely wouldn’t approve of Steele. Grady, possibly.
Both of them . . . yeah, she would have had a heart attack on the spot.
“No.”
“You’ve thought about it, though?” Steele asked.
She didn’t say anything. She was too busy staring at Grady, who kept watching her as Steele cupped the front of her throat, holding her head up. He didn’t put pressure on her throat, but the threat was there.
And it just made her hotter.
“I’ve thought about a lot of things,” she blurted out.
“That right?” Steele murmured. “You have some desires, some wants that are going unfulfilled, baby girl?”
“I . . . I . . .”
“Answer him,” Grady said firmly.
“I guess so,” she whispered.
“You only guess so?” Steele asked. “Here’s the thing, baby. We’re not mind readers. We’ll try our best to meet your needs, but we might miss something, and you need to tell us if we do.”
“She needs a safeword in case we go too far.”
“Safeword?” she asked in a strangled voice.
“Yep,” Steele said, his hand moving down her chest and over her breast. She shuddered. “You know we both like to be in control. It’s not just a game in the bedroom. For us, it’s part of our life.”
“Y-yes,” she replied, sucking in her stomach as he placed his hand there. Could he feel her rolls? How rounded her tummy was?
Shit. She really needed to start doing crunches or something. That was it, she was going back on a diet tomorrow. Maybe by Saturday, she could tone things up a bit? Was that possible?
“You’ve gone all tense,” he murmured. “We never want to push you too far.”