Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
He spun her around, cutting her off mid-sentence. “You damn well are one of us,” he said and sealed his mouth over hers.
He kissed her, a deep, thorough kiss obviously meant to express more than she was ready to deal with, but she couldn’t deny him. Lifting onto her toes, she met his tongue with hers. Their bodies aligned, his need obvious thanks to the hard erection pressing insistently against her belly. Warmth spread like liquid through her veins, and she could no longer think or worry at all.
He wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her closer when a knock sounded on the bedroom door.
She turned her head toward the open bedroom door.
“Breakfast is getting cold.” Zach stood in the entryway, his hand raised and an unapologetic grin on his face.
“Cockblocker,” Harrison muttered, still holding her around the waist.
Winter felt her cheeks burn and glared at his brother. Zach merely winked at her.
“I cannot wait until it’s your turn to find a woman who matters, and I can give you this much shit,” Harrison muttered.
She mattered. The word pinged in her brain.
Zack fake choked. “There hasn’t been anyone who interested me that way since…” He shook his head. “Never mind. I’ll see you in the kitchen,” he muttered and walked out.
“What was that all about?” she asked.
“That’s a story too long for now.” Harrison grasped her hand, looking at her through his sexy indigo gaze.
And when her tongue slid over her lips, those eyes darkened with desire. Which was good, she thought, because the same yearning was still pulsing through her body, along with confusion about what was going on between them.
“Are you up to going back in to eat?” he asked.
Still dazed, she managed to nod.
Chapter Eleven
Hours later and Winter’s head still spun from Harrison’s words and that kiss. Thank goodness Nikki and Asher showed up a few hours after breakfast, which gave Winter the emotional support she needed. An hour after that, a pregnant Aurora, Harrison’s brother and Jade’s twin, Nick, and their daughter, Leah, arrived. At Michael and Serenity’s request, they all gathered in the family room.
Leah, an adorable six-year-old, bounced into the house, wearing a pair of leopard print leggings, a long black T-shirt and a pink and black fleece jacket with a pair of shimmery pink Doc Martens on her feet.
She paraded around the room, collecting hugs and kisses from her grandparents and all her aunts and uncles, finally reaching Harrison and Winter.
“Hi, Leah,” Winter said.
“Who are you?” she asked, wrinkling her nose up at Winter, a curious expression on her face.
“Leah, ask that question nicely,” Aurora said, shooting Winter an apologetic glance.
Winter waved a hand through the air, indicating it was fine. “I’m Winter.”
“Like the season? We learned them in school.”
Winter grinned. “Just like the season.”
“Well, it’s fall now,” Leah informed her. “I like your name.”
Harrison grasped Winter’s hand. “Winter is my girlfriend,” he told Leah.
This was news to Winter, but she didn’t want to question him in front of his family, who appeared equally stunned, given their wide-eyed stares.
Winter wanted to take the focus off the subject. “You know, Leah, I have a flowered pair of Doc Martens, but I love yours.”
“Ooh! Mommy, I want flowered ones!”
“Of course you do.” Aurora rolled her eyes, her smile an indulgent one.
“Hey there, kid. Got a hug for your uncle?” Harrison asked.
She smiled up at him and wrapped her thin arms around his neck. “Guess what?” she yelled in his ear. “My tooth is loose!” She leaned back and wiggled her bottom front tooth.
Harrison juggled her easily. “Very cool. Now give me a kiss.”
She smacked her lips on his cheek. Then, as if an idea hit her, she braced her hands on his cheeks. “Can we do it, Uncle Harrison? Please?”
Winter didn’t know what it was but from the others’ laughter, they did.
Harrison narrowed his gaze and appeared deep in thought. “Well, I don’t know…”
“Please!”
“Okay.” He shifted her higher and settled her in a sitting position on his arm so she had a higher view of the room.
Nick grabbed the nearest item, a tall candlestick, and handed it to his daughter.
She grasped the item in her hand and looked around the room. “Thank you, everyone. Thank you. I’d like to thank the Academy,” Leah said, pronouncing the word properly, as she leaned forward, taking a bow.
She received a standing ovation and Winter joined in.
When the Leah show was over, Harrison lowered her to the floor and the little girl took another bow.
“Oh my God, she is adorable,” Winter said in his ear.
“That child is precocious. I can’t imagine her sharing the spotlight with the two babies on their way,” he said of Aurora and Jade.
He seemed to catch himself and turned to face her, his expression softer than she’d ever seen it. “Make that three babies,” he said, placing a hand on Winter’s flat belly.