Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 147021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 735(@200wpm)___ 588(@250wpm)___ 490(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 735(@200wpm)___ 588(@250wpm)___ 490(@300wpm)
“You’re fucking perfect, Princess.” He brushes his lips over mine. “You were made for me.”
Those words settle in my chest, all the months of uncertainty melting away with his conviction. In this moment I feel healed. Whole. Like he’s where I belong.
He moves over me, hips rolling, eyes never leaving mine. He murmurs words of praise, telling me I’m his. That he’ll never get enough of me.
I want it to be true. It feels like it is—like he’s the missing piece, and now I’m finally whole. I want this to last forever, to stay in this bubble with him, where we fit together perfectly and nothing can come between us. Where I’m enough. Worth the risk.
I’m so hopelessly, helplessly in love with him. I’ll never want someone else the way I want him, with every fiber of my being, with my entire heart.
The orgasm washes over me, not a crashing wave, but one that drags me down and keeps me swirling in interminable bliss. Hollis’s strokes grow erratic, and he pushes in deep and stills, a low, desperate groan vibrating against my lips.
I swear I see everything I feel for him echoed in his eyes. Like we’re finally on the same page.
He rolls us over in one smooth motion, still inside me, and I lie on top of him, our bodies slick with sweat. I rest my cheek on his chest, forehead pressed against the side of his neck. His arms come around me, and his lips find my temple.
Fear slithers down my spine. What if the guilt hits him? What if he thinks this was a mistake? What if he shuts me out?
His finger drifts along the edge of my jaw, and he lifts my chin. Anxiety makes my stomach clench. He’s still inside me. What if I see something I don’t want to in his eyes? What if the best sex of my life becomes the worst?
He kisses me softly. “Hi, beautiful.”
“Hi.” I’m suddenly shy and uncertain.
“I think we might need another shower.”
I laugh, relieved, as I take in the warm expression on his gorgeous face. No regret. No guilt. Just contentment that echoes in my chest. “And a glass of water.”
“I’d prefer a beer. And maybe a snack. And then I’d like to get you back into this bed and keep you here for the rest of the day, minus the occasional break to refuel.”
I smile and duck my head. “I was okay?”
His eyes flare, and he shifts, sitting up and taking me with him. He waits until my gaze meets his. “Okay is never a word I would use to describe you. I have been fighting this since January, and not just because of the attraction we share, Aurora. It’s so much more than that. This, you and me, what’s happening here.” He pauses, shakes his head, and presses his lips to mine. “You are incredible. That was incredible. For me, anyway.”
“For me, too.” I finally understand what the phrase making love means. Because that’s what it felt like, being filled with his love. But I don’t tell him that, too afraid to admit those feelings. Maybe I’m overwhelmed by lust and how good the sex was.
He kisses me one last time. “Shower, snack, and cuddle, and then back to bed?”
“Sounds perfect.”
CHAPTER 30
HAMMER
Iwake to breakfast in bed. Cinnamon French toast and fresh fruit, and coffee exactly how I like it. Yesterday, last night, and this morning are hands down the best first time I’ve ever experienced.
“We need to talk about how we want this to look—this thing between us,” Hollis says when I’m most of the way through my French toast.
I want it to last. I want this to be real outside of this bedroom and my apartment. “I want more of this with you,” I tell him.
He nods slowly. “What exactly do you mean?”
I wished I’d had the nerve to bring it up first, so I know where he stands. I’m scared to put my heart on the line after all the ups and downs since January. For me, this isn’t a fling. “More dates, more of you and me.”
“For this to work, we should talk to Roman.”
I set my fork down, appetite gone. I move the tray off my lap and turn toward him. “He’ll be upset.” I can’t see this going over well. I hate upsetting him. I won’t even be honest about my favorite color with my dad. How can I be honest about this?
He’d be so disappointed in me. For breaking his one rule, and with the very last person on earth I should want. For all the lies I’ve told him. For the secrets I’m keeping. Thinking about it makes me want to vomit.
“At first, yes. But if he knows we’re serious, he’ll come to terms with it.” Hollis takes my hand in his, eyes on my fingers. “Unless that’s not where your head is.”