Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
I smile at him. “I don’t know. Can you keep your hands off me if we do?”
He shakes his head. “Absolutely fuckin’ not.”
I laugh and smack him on the leg. “Right. Well then, yeah, we won’t be going on dates in town.”
“Okay, so you’ll come here.”
I nod, letting out a breath. “Okay. And maybe we should do a few rules or something.”
He nods and points to the space between him and the back of the couch. “Okay. Come up here, and we can talk about it.”
I shake my head. “I’m not going to fit—”
He cuts me off. “Woman, are you going to argue with everything I say? You’re going to fit perfect, right next to me on this couch. Now come here.”
I point at the small space. “You want me there?”
He grabs my hand and tugs me until I’m falling across his body. I giggle as I slide to my side. He positions me as if I weigh nothing at all and my head is cradled on his shoulder. His leg is fitted between mine, and my breasts are pressed against his chest. I stretch my body and snuggle closer to him. “Is this good?”
He puts his hand at my waist and pulls me even closer. “This is perfect.”
“Okay, so rules. I think while we’re doing this, we should probably not be dating anyone else.”
I hold my breath, waiting for him to disagree. He leans down. “Baby, you’re crazy if you think I’m even going to look at another woman. It’s not happening.”
I can’t help but think about my whole life. The number of men my mom has had in the house, the times she’s cheated on her husbands or they’ve cheated on her. Hell, Baker’s right, I wouldn’t know what a healthy relationship looks like if it was right in front of my face. “Okay, but if you decide you want to—”
He cuts me off with a kiss. It’s way too short, but he gets his point across. “It’s not happening.”
I nod. “Okay.”
His fingers are underneath the hem of my shirt, stroking the bare skin of my belly. I can barely form a thought, but I want to go ahead and get it all out. “Also, there’s something else you should probably know.”
We’re so close I can’t look away. The only thing I can see is him. “This is embarrassing, Baker. Don’t freak out.”
He tenses, and it worries me a little. Is he going to react how Chloe did the other night? Or is he going to kick me out and tell me he’s changed his mind? There are so many things I’m thinking I’m second-guessing if I really need to tell him or not.
“Tell me.”
I gulp. “You know what. Maybe now's not the best time to talk about it. Just forget it.”
He leans in and rubs his nose against mine. “I’m not forgetting it. You’re not getting out of it that easy. Tell me.”
“I, uh…” I let my voice trail off. “This is so embarrassing.”
His hand comes up, and he cups my cheek. “Tell me.”
While looking in his eyes, I do it. Well, I at least try to break it down for him. “I want to take this slow.”
He rears back. “Is this uncomfortable to you? We can go as slow as you want to. I don’t want to pressure you.”
I feel overheated. “No, it’s not that.” I blow out a breath and bury my forehead in his chest. “I’m a virgin,” I mutter.
When he doesn’t react, I raise my head and look at him through my hooded lashes. He doesn’t look disgusted or as if he’s about to run away. But he does look curious. “Did you just say you’re a virgin?”
Embarrassment fills me. I roll my eyes. “Are you starting to think I’m more trouble than I’m worth?”
His voice is low and gruff. “Cass, baby, how could you think I’d be upset with that?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I’m sure you’re expecting—”
He shakes his head and stops me. “I’m not expecting anything. You don’t get it. I’m happy to just be here like this with you. I won’t put any pressure on you. You have complete control of this, okay?”
I put my hand to his chest. “I said slow. I would still like to kiss you and just see where it goes.”
He rolls to his back and pulls me on top of him. “You can kiss me anytime you want.”
I say it before I can think twice about it. “What if I want more?”
His breath catches. “In case you haven’t realized it yet, I won’t tell you no. You want anything from me, you can have it.”
I bite my lip. “Okay, so if I asked you to take your shirt off, you’d do it?”
His eyebrows lift in surprise. “You want me to take my shirt off?”
I nod. “Yeah, I do. Since I first saw you, I’ve wondered what you look like without your shirt.”