Total pages in book: 176
Estimated words: 167257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 558(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 167257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 558(@300wpm)
The lion of Idlewild was far from humble.
Rowdy’s stern expression broke, and he smirked. His grip on me gentled before he pecked my lips. “You sure?” he whispered. “Don’t do this for me, Dream. I’m too far gone. Nothing you do will make me less obsessed with you.”
I reached up and pressed my hand to his cheek. “I’m doing it for us,” I whispered back. Besides, my heart wouldn’t let me leave. There was a reason he’d brought me here.
“Bet.” It was all he said before that asshole lifted me without warning. I yelped when he dumped me inside the basket before basically stepping in after me, thanks to his freakishly long legs. “We’re ready,” he announced to the pilot.
The pilot spat out his chewing tobacco, then quickly ran through a safety demonstration.
Minutes later, we were lifting off the ground.
My eyes immediately snapped closed, and my fresh acrylic nails that I made Rowdy un-ass eighty dollars for after embarrassing me at the club dug into his arms as I clung to him. He didn’t complain, just rubbed my back as he tried to coax me into enjoying the view.
“Oh, shit. Look, baby, birds.”
“Mm-hmm. They’re so pretty,” I lied as I burrowed my face deeper against his chest. Rowdy snickered, knowing full well that I was not about to open my eyes for some damn birds.
He tried a little longer to coax me into looking before abandoning his patient approach…and me.
My heart tightly clenched when Rowdy pried himself away from me. I whimpered and made a desperate grab for him, but he stepped out of reach, forcing me to blindly chase after him.
“Owen!” I pleaded when my search came up empty.
I collided with the low wall of the basket, my hands grasping the wicker edge for purchase at the same time that I felt a punishing grip around my nape, keeping me from spilling over.
My eyes flew open, and words lodged in my lungs, my fear overshadowed by wonder as I gaped at the breathtaking view.
“Oh. Wow.” I was only vaguely aware of Rowdy pressing himself against me from behind, his arms caging me in protectively as I admired Idlewild and the mountains that surrounded it from twenty-five hundred feet in the air. “It’s so beautiful, Owen.”
Up here, out of reach and away from it all, it felt like anything was possible.
It felt like we were possible.
Rowdy hummed his agreement, nuzzling my hair before kissing the top of my head. “I knew your scary ass would like it.”
“Yes, you did.” Nodding, I took a page from his book and reached back, taking a firm grip on his nuts without warning and squeezing until I felt the strained puff of air on my cheek that told me I had his undivided attention. “But do me a favor, and don’t play with me like that again.”
“Let me go, Atlas.” Feeling his hand around my wrist, I squeezed harder, digging my sharp nails in for good measure. A moment longer, and I’d probably even break the skin. “Fuck, baby. Aight.” His pitch raised a little when I still didn’t let go. “Aight, aight, damn!”
Satisfied that we understood each other, I released him and smiled to myself, tuning Rowdy out as he grumbled and talked shit. I was too busy admiring the view he’d tricked me into enjoying.
It really was gorgeous.
Not even Rowdy could resist its call. He stopped fussing eventually to join me in the moment.
“Will all of our dates be this adventurous?”
I felt him shrug and kiss the skin behind my ear, a delighted shiver working down my spine. “If you want it to.”
My lips parted, but no answer came. This was not something I would ever have done—alone or even with a friend.
But with Rowdy?
Somehow, I knew I’d dive off a cliff if only he said he was coming too. With him, I felt so vulnerable yet so fearless at the same time. I knew nothing could touch me as long as he stalked my shadow.
Rowdy cleared his throat before I could fall too deep down the rabbit hole.
“I have something I wanted to ask you.” He sounded uncharacteristically nervous, making me suck in a break a moment before his arms slipped around my waist, anchoring me to him.
Whatever Rowdy wanted to ask me, he wasn’t certain my answer wouldn’t be no. He wanted to assure himself I couldn’t run away—as if being stuck in a hot-air balloon with him wasn’t enough.
“So, ask,” I said with more confidence than I felt.
Rowdy pinched my butt and tightened his hold when I tried to turn around. “I like you, Dream, more than I’ve ever liked anyone. I think about you all day, and even when I try to stop, I just wonder if you’re thinking about me too. I love making you smile, and I’m obsessed with making you come. I have no intentions of stopping anytime soon, so running away from me is a big fucking problem. I’d rather spend that time giving you what you came to Idlewild looking for.”