Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63100 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63100 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him what happened, why he didn’t come after me, why he let me go, but I can’t. I don’t want to ruin the moment, so instead, I step toward him and wrap my arms around his waist, laying my head on his chest and say a quiet, “Thank you.”
He grunts, making me smile, and I pull back, looking at the telescope then the sky, which is just turning dusky. “I wish it was really dark.”
“In a few months, you’ll have hours of darkness to sit outside under the stars,” he tells me.
“True, but I’m still going to use it tonight,” I say as I get up on my tiptoes and kiss him, and he smiles against my mouth.
“Mom and Dad are coming this weekend. They’re driving a bunch of furniture down from Anchorage for me,” Austin says as I snuggle in his lap on one of the deck loungers, where we came out to sit after we ate dinner standing in the kitchen.
“That’s nice.” I hug my sweater closer around while looking out at the ocean, watching as the sun sets on the horizon.
“How do you feel about having dinner with them and me?” he asks softly, almost like he’s concerned about my response, and my body, which had been relaxed, tenses up.
“I don’t know.” I lift my glass, taking another sip of wine so I can keep my mouth occupied. Austin’s mom wasn’t always the nicest person in the world when we were dating. Don’t get me wrong; she loves her son and is a great mother, but she did not like me at all and made it known regularly. His hand comes under my chin, tilting my head back, forcing me to look at him.
“Some of the people around town have already filled her in on the status of our relationship,” he informs me.
“Great,” I grumble, making a smile twitch his lips.
“Just dinner,” he says quietly.
“Sure,” I agree, but promise myself I will go stand out in the cold in nothing but a towel, with wet hair, so by the time she gets here, I will have pneumonia and will be unable to have dinner with her.
“It’ll be fine.”
“I know. You’ll be there with me, so I’m not worried about it.” I try to smile, but I’m pretty sure it comes off as a grimace.
Snuggling back down, resting my head under his chin he mutters. “She hasn’t liked anyone.”
“Pardon?” I ask, tilting my head back to meet his eyes again.
“There hasn’t been one woman I’ve dated or been with that she’s liked. Honestly, she would bring you up in front of them, telling them our story, making it sound like some kind of romantic tragedy.”
“She hated me,” I remind him shaking my head.
“She hated all of them more, baby.”
“I’m totally not taking that as a compliment,” I mutter, making him chuckle.
Shaking my head I relax back under his chin watching as the sunsets completely, leaving a pinkish hue in the sky.
“Are you tired?” he licks against my neck, causing goose bumps to break out across my skin and my nipples to harden.
“No.” I smile, pressing my neck closer to his mouth.
“Hmm.” I feel his smile then we’re up and moving into the house, going through the empty living room, up the stairs, and to the bedroom, where he lies me on the bed.
“I need to change,” I tell him, trying to sit up, but his hands on either side of me and his body over mine cage me in, preventing me from moving.
“All you brought were panties and a toothbrush,” he reminds me, while his hands slide under the edge of my shirt, running over the skin of my stomach.
“I know.”
“You have nothing to change into.”
“Oh,” I whisper as his mouth lowers to mine, pulling my bottom lip between his before traveling it down my neck and pulling open my sweater, pushing it off my shoulders, leaving me in my loose-fitting spaghetti-strap tank. Then his hands are on the buttons of my jeans, opening them up so the small V of my cream lace panties is showing.
“Austin,” I whimper as his mouth lowers over my lower belly and he nips the skin there, sending a zing of arousal to my core. Gripping my jeans he drags them down over my ass and hips, his warmth leaving me only long enough to toss the jeans behind him to the floor. When his body is covering mine again, I put my hands in his shirt and pull up, thankful when his hands go behind his head and he removes his black thermal, adding it to the pile on the ground.
Before I have a chance to mourn their loss, his hands are back on me, traveling up my sides, taking my top with them as they move up over my breasts discarding that piece of clothing behind him as well. Standing back his eyes devour me from head to toe, rumbling something under his breath he runs his fingers along the edge of my bra, between the creamy lace material and my skin.