Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 135604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 678(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 452(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 678(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 452(@300wpm)
For a solid second.
Gasping inside our kiss, I broke away, body going rigid as I shrank back and pressed my heels into the sand. I touched my fingertips to my lips and blinked up at him.
“You smoked?” I asked Jamie, knowing already that he had.
Nicotine saturated my mouth.
I felt Jamie’s hands slide to my hips and hold there. I heard his voice, deep and rich and wrapped around a chuckle, say something but I couldn’t make out what it was.
Eyes lowered to the sand, the only voice I could hear was my own.
He smoked because of you. You did this. If you were that other girl, this never would’ve happened.
“Babe.”
My head jerked up. I blinked Jamie into focus and felt tears building.
“I like you,” I admitted, voice soft and trembling. “I like you so, so much. Not just your hair or the sex stuff. More than that. I lied. I’ve been lying. I am a really good liar, Jamie. It’s a talent I’m not proud of and I’m sorry for it.”
Mouth twitching, Jamie brought his hands to my face and bent down. “You’re a shitty liar, babe,” he said, catching my tears with his thumb.
“I’m not. I’m really good at it.”
“Yeah? You’re so good at it, how come I’ve known for months?”
“You didn’t.”
“Did,” he argued.
I shook my head between his hands.
His brows pulled together. “Babe, you suck at lying. You’ve been feelin’ me for as long as I’ve been feelin’ you. Ain’t just me seein’ it either. Ask your girl.”
“Not like this.”
He stared at me for a breath, expression sticking, then his brows slowly lifted and his face got soft.
“I’m feeling you more than you think,” I confessed, getting that out quick and continuing on before he had chance to interrupt me. “I know you’ve known about me liking you. Even when I denied it. And if we were having this conversation months ago, then you’d be correct in saying you know how I feel. But we’re not. We’re having it now and you don’t know. You have no idea. I liked you when you slashed those tires, Jamie. That was the first day I really liked you. And it’s just been building. It was slow and I could feel it, then it built really, really fast. It’s more now. I doodle your name on notepads, do you know that? And in my ticket book. On napkins. I’m constantly doing it. And I say things to you when you’re asleep and you can’t hear me. I say so many things. And I watch you and I think about you.” He started coming in to kiss me, and I pushed firm against his chest. “Wait! No, please, let me say this. I have to get this out.”
“Said enough, babe,” he claimed, still leaning closer.
“I didn’t! There’s so much. I—” I shook my head. “It’s my turn. You said you liked my big ass, remember? Now it’s my turn.”
Jamie’s mouth twitched again as he stared at me. He breathed a laugh, then he ordered, “Hurry up,” and stopped pressing against my hands but stayed bent down and close, thumb sweeping across my cheek.
My eyes narrowed and my mouth grew tight. Immediately, it was as if I hadn’t been emotional about any of this at all.
“I’m admitting things to you I’ve never admitted,” I pointed out, my words dripping attitude. “This might take some time.”
“Condense it.”
“I’ve got a lot to say. Honestly, you might want to have a seat.”
“Give me the gist of it, babe.”
“I am not rushing this, Jamie McCade. This is too important.”
“Legs,” he growled.
I tipped my chin up, repeating on a hurried whisper, “I’m not rushing this.”
Now his eyes were the ones narrowing. “I’m two seconds away from takin’ you right here, not givin’ a fuck if anyone sees us or not and also not botherin’ with grabbin’ protection,” he informed me, speaking the truth. I could hear it in his voice. “Condense it,” he snarled.
“You smoked because I didn’t claim you.”
“And?”
“This is me claiming you.”
Jamie’s eyes returned to their normal size. His lips parted.
“I really want you to know what all I like,” I added, sounding desperate because I was. I needed to tell him. My fingers wrapped around his ribs. “Please,” I whispered. “Let me tell you my truths.”
Jamie pressed his lips together and drew in a deep breath, looking like hearing that meant something big to him. Then dropping one hand to my hip, he slid the other to the back of my neck and curled his fingers there, squeezing as he dipped closer.
“Give me what you need to give me,” he began. His voice was rough and heavy with meaning. “I’m talkin’ what’s urgent, babe, then you hold on to the rest until I’m moving inside you. I wanna feel all that beauty while you give me that. You got more to share after we’re done, which straight up, is gonna be a while, you got time, ’cause ain’t no fuckin’ way are you leavin’ me. Probably won’t make it to the bed to fuck, but you’ll be wakin’ up there. That’s for damn sure. You got all night to tell me what you need to say.”