Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92069 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“I want my sons to know how to cook and my daughters to know how to jumpstart a dead car battery,” she said, turning to face me. “Which reminds me, do you think you could teach me how to do that before I go?”
My chest grew tight. I didn’t want to think about her leaving. “Of course.”
“Thanks. I know you’re really busy, but I’d like to learn.”
“I’m not too busy for you. Should we go up to bed?” I asked, switching off the lights.
“Yes.” She headed for the door. “You did a lot of work today. I’m sure you’re tired.”
“I am, a little,” I said, following her out and locking the door behind us. “But that’s not the only reason I want to go to bed.”
“No?”
“No.” I unlocked my apartment door. “It’s not even the most important one.”
“What’s the most important one?” she asked as we went up the stairs.
That I can’t stop wanting more of you. That I love having you in my bed at night. That I’ll miss you when you’re gone. That I’ll worry about you alone at that motel constantly. That we only have three more nights together. That in less than a week, you’ve managed to get under my skin, and I don’t know what to do about it—I just know that it feels good to be with you.
But I couldn’t admit any of those things to her, so I fell back on sex, which let me show her what I couldn’t say.
“This,” I said as we reached the top of the steps, spinning her around to take her in my arms and crush my mouth against hers in the dark.
As usual with us, it took no time at all for the fire to ignite. I was even more anxious than usual to get inside her, so anxious I couldn’t make it to the bedroom. After yanking off all her clothes, I set her on my dining table and shoved down my jeans just enough to free my bulging cock.
Her legs were wrapped around me and I was about to push inside her when she whispered frantically, “Griffin—wait. It’s not safe right now.”
“Fuck.” I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten protection. That was a rule we absolutely could not break. Hurrying back to my bedroom, I grabbed a condom from my drawer and tore it open with my teeth on my way back to the table. She waited for me at the edge of the table, leaning back on her hands and breathing hard, her legs spread.
“You have no idea how good you look right now,” I told her, rolling on the condom, my cock aching to be inside her again. “This is the picture I want fucking framed on the wall.”
She laughed as I slid inside her. “This is for your eyes only.”
“Fuck yes, it is.” The thought of anyone else getting to see her this way made me insane with rage. Something feral and possessive took over me, and I fucked her more roughly than I ever had before, almost like I wanted to hurt her. Punish her for showing some future asshole this side of her.
Her cries took on a different tone—I knew I was pushing her limits—and her nails raked up and down my arms like claws. Maybe she’d even drawn blood.
I didn’t care.
Unless she asked for mercy, I was going to fuck her the way I needed to, the way my body begged me to. There was something I needed her to understand, and this was the only way to do it.
But she didn’t ask for mercy—even though she cried out in pain and gripped my arms like she was drowning and sank her teeth into my shoulder as I poured myself into her.
When it was over, I braced my arms above her shoulders and looked down at her. “Sorry if I was too rough. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Was it the crop top?”
I laughed. “No, although I do like it.”
“What was it?”
“I don’t know. Just forgot my manners, I guess.”
There was no way I could tell her the truth, which hit me hard as we curled up in my bed and she fell asleep in my arms.
It was panic. Pure and simple.
It was panic that I was about to lose something that mattered to me, and that it would be my own fault. It was panic that a deadline was approaching and a decision had to be made, but I wasn’t ready to make it. It was panic that I was on the verge of making a huge mistake, but I didn’t know what it was . . . letting her go? Or asking her to stay?
I felt like I was losing my mind.
What I’d told Cole was true—I didn’t want my life to change. I didn’t want to change. I’d put up these walls for a damn good reason, and I wasn’t about to tear them down. Not even for her.