Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
“Hey, Mak, you okay in there?”
Breathe, Makayla. “Um. . . not really.”
“What’s wrong? Can I come in?”
“Um. . . yeah.”
He opens the door and sticks his head in, a sullen expression on his face. One I’m not used to seeing. “Is everything okay with you?” I return his question.
A low chuckle filters off his lips. “Yeah. Bad call. But I thought you were the one who needed help.”
“Oh, yeah, well. . . I’m kind of in a bind.” The words lodge in my throat, so I lift my hands, letting them do the explaining for me.
“I see. I got you.” He walks up to me, and I pray he can’t hear the hammering of my heart. “I’m going to lift the dress over your head, okay? I’ll close my eyes.”
“You don’t have to,” I blurt out.
His gaze meets mine. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
He gives me a moment to change my mind, but I don’t. He clasps the material at my knees, dragging his fingers upward and pushing my dress up my thighs. His thumbs graze my hips as he works it past my ribcage.
I may have stopped breathing. There’s a lump in my throat, and I try to swallow past the dryness in my mouth. His fingers work upwards, barely brushing the sides of my breasts. I raise my arms, and he carefully pulls the dress over my head, dropping it to the ground.
“I can keep a secret if you can,” I rush out.
His eyes catch mine. “A secret,” he repeats.
“No one would know.”
It takes him a second, but he picks up what I’m throwing down. Or what I’m attempting to. “But I would know. And you would know,” he says. His head dips. His mouth is so close to mine, his breath skates along my lips.
“That’s all that matters.”
“What are you trying to say, Mak?”
“I want you to touch me, Ben. I need to feel your hands on me.”
He whispers my name just before placing his lips against mine. This kiss. . . it’s almost foreign to me. It’s not rushed or frantic. There’s no anger or aggression. He’s gentle, caring. His hands don’t immediately grab me, and their absence makes me feel lost. Reaching forward, he captures my sides. I don’t know whether to love or hate this version of him. Of us. It’s so slow, so. . . beautiful. “Why are you being so gentle with me?”
His lips brush against mine, sucking my bottom one with slight pressure. “Because I don’t want there to be any reason for you to want to stop. And I want to cherish this moment. That’s just us. You and me.” He finally parts my lips. The simple connection of our tongues ignites the flame always kindling between us. This is what I’ve been craving. This moment. This spark. I raise my arms around his neck, and I pull him as close as I can. My back is then pressed against the bathroom wall. With every second that passes, I feel his control slip. The way his fingers dig into my sides. His urge to deepen our kiss. Our hearts pounding against one another.
“I’m not stopping. I want this. I want you.” A moan falls from my lips as his mouth dips to my neckline.
“Fuck, Mak, to hear you finally say that. . .” He sucks my flesh into his mouth, working his way down, dropping kiss after kiss along my collarbone. “You’ve been killin’ me.” He tugs at the strap of my bra, pressing his lips to my skin. “All this denial. Fighting us.” His teeth graze the tip of my shoulder, stealing another breathless moan.
“I was scared. You and me. . . we’ve never been a good mix.”
“We’re a good mix now.” He reaches behind me and unsnaps my bra. Freeing my breasts, his head dips, and he sucks my right nipple into his mouth. He palms my other breast, squeezing and pinching my nipple between his fingertips.
“I’ve wanted to do this since the day you landed back in my life,” he murmurs. He captures my hard bud between his teeth and gently bites down. A raspy gasp scratches at my throat. I attempt to run my fingers through his hair, groaning at the restriction of my bandages.
“I like it when you’re like this. It makes me feel like I have all the control. To do this.” He pops my nipple from his mouth and moves his attention to the other, sucking hard.
Damn these stupid bandages. I lift them to my mouth and try to bite them off. The vibration of his laughter only makes it worse. “Ben, I need these off,” I beg, needing contact.
“And I need these off.” He releases his hold on my tits and drops his hands to my panties, pulling them down my thighs, exposing me completely.