Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 17048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 85(@200wpm)___ 68(@250wpm)___ 57(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 85(@200wpm)___ 68(@250wpm)___ 57(@300wpm)
“That doesn’t sound much better.” I start giggling uncontrollably.
Either the wine’s gone straight to my head or Vance putting his foot in his mouth is too cute to contain my elation.
“I give up.” He slumps his shoulders and reaches for a spoon sticking out of the mysterious rice dish.
“You know you’re cute when you get flustered?” I ask, grabbing a serving of the roast veg.
“Cute or incredibly handsome and manly?” Both of our hands extend to the tongs resting beside the sliced chicken breasts.
Before either of us notices, our hands brush together, his on top of mine. They stay glued in that position far longer than they should, considering we’re supposed to be scooping out dinner. But neither of us seems to want it to end.
“I’m sorry,” Vance says and snatches his hand away, but the smile brimming on his face is enough to denounce that lie immediately. “Ladies first.”
“Or you could give me a hand.” I gulp at my own silly comment. It’s not like touching hands is anything risqué, so why do I feel like I’m being naughty?
It must be because I know what this hand-holding will lead to.
Vance’s eyes turn to my hand again, and without much thought, his snaps back on top of mine. With it, he helps me pick up a piece of the chicken on my plate first, then his own.
Yeah. If this is how it’s starting, we’re in for one hell of a treat tonight.
5
VANCE
Dinner done. Dishes cleared. One bottle of wine polished, and another cracked and getting worked on. Could this night get any better?
“I haven’t really had the best luck with dating. Or flirting. Or men at all, for that matter,” Hana answers my question of why someone so fucking stunning is still single.
And my God, stunning has to be an understatement, with her petite body and massive breasts squeezed into a skin-tight black cocktail dress. Half my night has been observing her perfect hourglass physique while the other half has been trying to stop myself from doing it.
The only thing harder to look away from than her body is her sparkling blue eyes. Like two warm, inviting pools I’d love to dive in and never get out of. This woman is something else. She has to be.
I haven’t thought about work all night.
“Well, on behalf of the male species,” —I lean over and take one of her hands in both of mine— “let me be the one to apologize for our utter lack of sense.”
“You’re here, aren’t you?” She raises a brow. “Why would you apologize for them?”
“Because it’s taken this long for me to find you?” I’d pat myself on the back for how smooth that sounded if Hana wasn’t sitting right in front of me. Her cheeks turn a rosy pink, and she tries to cover it behind her hand, but I shake my head, and the hand stops short of her face. “Now, why would you want to hide something so beautiful?”
“Vance, stop.” There it is. That sultry tone she used on the phone. The high I’ve been chasing all night. “Otherwise, I’m going to do unspeakable things to you.” She waggles a finger at me from across the table.
I jump out of my chair, and my sudden stand makes her do the same. Wasn’t what I was expecting, but it’ll serve the same purpose.
“Like what?” I ask, wrapping a hand behind her neck and pulling her closer to me. “Something like this?”
Our lips meet, and church bells bang in my ears. It starts soft and gentle but quickly melts into a fiery embrace of passion and intensity to the point where I feel faint. My hands slither down her back while hers trail the grooves of my cut front.
She pulls away, far enough to speak but close enough that I can still feel her hot breath against my lips. “Worse. Much, much worse.”
Hana throws herself into me for another kiss. This time, neglecting any slow softness in favor of the blistering inferno.
I must’ve died and gone to heaven. It’s the only thing that makes sense for how well this is going.
But as much as it pains me to stop, I break away when Hana’s hands travel up my shirt and sink beneath my blazer’s lapels. She’s trying to shed my layers, and we can’t rush the festivities. There’s one more stop before this train can really start moving.
“Come with me.” I take her hand and lead her through my apartment, coming to a stop in front of my bedroom door.
“You know, you could’ve just carried me here, right?” She giggles, and her hand finds its way back into the front of my jacket. “While we were making out, preferably naked.”
I choke on a cough, finding it much harder to go through with my pause than the first time. I’ve pictured her naked a thousand times tonight. A thousand more since we met. And there’s little in this world I’d rather have than to see it in full.