Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
I caught her off guard with the question. She shrugs and looks down at her hands. “It’s all on the intake sheet I filled out.”
I nod. “Yeah, but I want to hear it from you. Can you tell me?”
She laughs. “You know, this would be easier if you were ugly.”
I sit up a little taller. “You think—”
She interrupts me. “Forget it, I shouldn’t say things out loud. I do that a lot without thinking about it. Forgive me.”
“Forgiven,” I say instantly, even though there's nothing to forgive her for. I appreciate the fact that she finds me handsome, though. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, but I hold back because I feel she’s one wrong word from walking out of here.
She leans her head back and groans. “What do I want to get out of cuddle therapy?”
I wait patiently for her to continue, and when she looks at me again, she points to the middle of the room. “Do you care if I pace?”
I sweep my hand out and gesture for her to have at it. “You can do whatever you want, Haven.”
She gets up and starts pacing back and forth. Her head is down, and it’s obvious she’s deep in thought. I’m fine with her taking her time and let my eyes travel down the length of her body. I shift in my seat, making room for my expanding dick. My body has never reacted this way to a woman, not just by looking at her, and I know that the longer I sit here and talk to her, the more my attraction will grow. Maybe a part of me had hoped that once I met her, I would be able to move on and forget about her, but that’s not going to be possible. She brings out a protectiveness in me and a need to get to know her better.
“Take your time, Haven. There’s no rush,” I tell her.
She stops. “I thought the appointment was scheduled for an hour.”
“I have nothing to do after this. Seriously, take your time.”
It’s not quite the truth. I have meetings I was supposed to handle today, but I pushed them back. And I bought every appointment slot for the day to make sure there would not be any interruptions.
She has her hands held together in front of her. “Okay, I want to talk.”
I lean forward, resisting the urge to pull her into my lap. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
5
HAVEN
Repeating his question, I say, “What do I want to get out of cuddle therapy?” I pause, take a deep breath, and hope my face doesn’t turn red when I talk about this. In one long ramble, I say everything that is on my mind. “Well, I want to be able to talk about emotions and what I’m feeling without getting sick to my stomach. I want to not freak out when a man reaches for my hand. I want to be able to say ‘I love you, too’ when my best friend says, ‘I love you.’ I want to be able to hug someone or let them hug me and not flinch at their touch. I don’t want to freak out when I meet someone new and they want to shake my hand. Eventually, I want to let my guard down and let people in.”
After my ramble, I look at him, waiting for the judgment or the pity to show on his face, but I don’t see it. He tilts his head, scoots farther back in his chair, and crosses his leg over his other one. He looks relaxed, and it causes my stance to soften. I move to the chair I was sitting in and look at him. “You think I’m crazy, right?”
He doesn’t smile. “Far from it. All of those are good, Haven, and none of those things you want are unreasonable.”
“But—” I start, and he interrupts me. “No buts. You deserve all of that. Hell, you should have anything and everything you want.”
Taken aback when he says “hell,” I can’t hide the surprise on my face. I’ve been going to therapy for a while now, and I’ve never had a therapist talk to me the way he is. It’s sort of refreshing. I nod my head. “Yeah, I do deserve it. I just need to figure out how to get it.”
He starts to reach for me, and I wait for the panic to hit me, but it doesn’t. It’s more anticipation that I feel than anything. Right before his hand touches me, he jerks it back and mutters, “Sorry.” He clears his throat. “As I was saying, you deserve everything you want, and I want to see you get it. I’d like to help you, Haven, if you’ll let me.”