Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 104766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
“It was our first date, so I wasn’t gonna…” You know. “I wasn’t gonna make things awkward. That guy was a stranger. He doesn’t need to know our business.”
I’m also pretty confident that unless Mark has been living under a rock, he put two and two together in his brain and realized that maybe Tess was the girl in the SportsCenter story that had been splashed all over the goddamn internet and social media.
We’re just gonna have to brace ourselves in the event that Mark is a sellout…
“Alright. Pretend we were going to do it all over again, and we’re at dinner and Mark comes up, and you introduce me. What do you say?”
Oh shit, she’s testing me.
“Uh.” I’m an idiot and have to stop and think. “I would be like, ‘This is my date, Tess.’”
“Really?”
“Yeah, ’cause you’re my date, and your name is Tess.”
That makes her laugh—thank god—and suddenly, the tension is gone, and she’s caressing the top of my hand with the tips of her fingers.
“That would have been nice.”
It would have, but I’m dumb, so…that’s not what happened.
“Next time,” I say as she scoots toward me, pressing her boobs and body into mine.
CHAPTER 57
TESS
I DON’T ALWAYS FIND MYSELF FALLING IN LOVE, BUT WHEN I DO, IT’S WITH MY BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND.
“Next time,” I repeat, pressing into him.
His arms wrap around me, pulling me forward, his lips pressing a kiss against my forehead.
He smells good—like the shower he had earlier. Aftershave lotion and fabric detergent.
He smells comfortable and warm, like I’ve been missing him the past twenty-four hours even though we’ve been mostly together.
His fingers trace a pattern along my back, up and down my spine, igniting a cascade of shivers.
“Mmm.” That feels good.
I nuzzle closer. He feels secure.
“Are we good?” he asks, the low timbre of his voice vibrating in his chest, causing me to shiver again.
Love the sound of his voice.
Always have.
It’s deep and sexy and…
Mine.
I nod against his chest. “We’re good. I’m sorry I was being difficult. I just got into my own head.”
How can I possibly explain all the emotions inside my brain when half of them are still baby hormones? How can I put into words what I feel without sounding needy or like a clinger or like I want to move too fast toward the finish line?
His fingers gently tilt my chin as if he’s searching for my gaze in the dark, and all I can do is picture them, beautiful blue eyes that I’ve been in love with since I was a teenager.
And then, almost as if he’s reading my mind, his lips brush against mine in a gentle, tentative kiss.
Soft and sweet and apologetic.
Too soft.
Too sweet.
I pull back, our foreheads still touching as I catch my breath.
“More,” I whisper, my voice barely audible, but I know he hears it. “I want more.”
I can feel him smile. “More?”
I nod, my heart racing. “Yes.”
Harder.
Faster.
Don’t stop…
I want to make up for lost time. Make up for what we’ve lost.
Make up.
Make out.
His arms tighten around me as if he’s trying to anchor himself at this moment.
And then his lips find mine again, and this time they’re hungry.
Our lips move against each other in a dance of urgency, clearly fueled by longing and lust and hormones.
The softness of our first kiss has given way to something primal and more insistent because now Drew knows that’s how I like it.
I whimper, needing…
Something.
“We’re not rushing.” he whispers in my ear.
I nod, realizing to some degree that I was about to use sex as a Band-Aid to heal my hurt, desperate for closeness because my heart and body still have to heal. I know that could be wrong, but at the same time…I long for him.
“Explain to me why it took me so long to realize how fucking sexy you are.” His voice croons into my ear and down my cerebellum.
“’Cause Grady and his friends are all idiots?” I let out a soft laugh, my fingers tracing a path along his jawline.
“Whoa. Hey now, not all of us are, just most of us.” I can almost see his eyes twinkling with mischief as he pulls me closer, his breath warm against my ear. “Lucky me, I’m the only smart one who figured it out in time.”
“Pfft. Only like, a million years later.”
He hesitates with his hand on my boob. “Are you rolling your eyes again?”
I let out a laugh. “I can’t help it!”
How does he know…?
Drew’s fingers tangle in my hair, pulling me closer so our bodies press close, arms wrapped around each other.
Our breaths mingle, ragged and desperate, his mouth leaving mine so he can kiss my neck. Collarbone. Shoulder.
“You’re going to be okay, Tess.” He says against my hair, his deep voice low.
“I know.”
And I do know.
My body has had a week to heal and I feel like I’ve done the right thing by telling my mom and family and letting Drew know right away instead of keeping it inside and dealing with the situation myself.