Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64337 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 214(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64337 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 214(@300wpm)
Black fuzz creeps in around the edges of my vision and my arms go numb. I realize I’m losing consciousness, but before my eyes can slide closed, Seven’s face is inches from mine, whispering, “Breathe, Binx McGuire. You fucking breathe for me, baby. Right now. That’s an order.”
Then, he kisses me—really kisses me. His lips press against mine, firm and demanding, laying claim to my mouth with an intensity that sends a wave of shock zipping through me from head to toe.
Thank God, the shock wave is enough to set my body free. The vice around my ribs loosens with a spasm. I gasp in a breath, filling the hand Seven still presses to my stomach and then some.
I pant against his lips as he murmurs, “That’s it, there you go. You’re okay. You’re okay now, baby, I promise.”
He releases my wrists and starts to shift away, but I move faster. I curl my fingers around his neck, dragging him back into my arms, and for once, he doesn’t fight me.
He comes to me with a groan, kissing me even harder this time, his tongue stroking into my mouth and his hands suddenly everywhere. His touch is still gentle, concerned, but I can feel the hunger there, too.
This isn’t just fear, this is longing, passion.
He has to feel it, too. He just has to.
I wrap my legs around his hips and flex my muscles, drawing him closer, my hope bolstered by the rock-hard length behind his fly. I moan and lift my hips, thrilling to the feel of him pulsing against me through our clothes.
He wants me, he really does. He wants me and he’s finally done fighting it.
He grinds between my legs, making my breath rush out against his lips as we continue to kiss like we’re never going to get enough. I know I never will. Kissing him is even better than I imagined it would be. It’s the best thing I’ve ever felt, even while lying in cold mud that smells vaguely of earthworms.
“Fuck, Binx,” he rumbles against my lips in between frantic, hungry kisses. “You feel so fucking good.”
“I want you so much,” I say, shuddering as he continues to fuck me through our clothes. I haven’t made out like this since high school, but it’s indescribably hot. It doesn’t matter that we’re both still fully dressed and covered in mud and soaked to the skin, I can’t remember the last time I was this happy.
This relieved…
This is all I’ve wanted for so long. Just the chance to be this close to him, to show him how much he means to me.
“You’re the only one,” I continue, arching into his touch as he cups my breast though my shirt, squeezing tight enough to send another jolt of arousal rocketing straight to my core. “I don’t want anyone else. I’ll never want anyone else. It’s just you, Seven. Just you.”
He stiffens against me, and I instantly know I’ve said too much.
“No,” I insist, gripping the front of his shirt as he tries to pull away. “No, you can’t run away from me. Not now. Not when we’re so close.”
“We have to get back to the trail,” he says, his gaze on my shoulder, as if looking me in the eye is suddenly too much for him.
“No,” I insist, emotion making my chest tight again. “We don’t. We have to be honest with each other. This is more than attraction. This is something special. You’re my best friend, Seven. I love you.” He winces, but I force myself to keep going. “And you love me. And yes, it’s a friendly kind of love now, but it could be so much more. For both of us. You know it could. You know. So, please, stop pushing me away. I can’t take it anymore. It’s killing me.”
His wince becomes an expression of such exquisite pain that I wish I could turn back time and shove the stupid words back in my stupid mouth.
I know all about his wife. I know how she died, and I’ve heard enough from Bettie to know that it ripped Seven apart. He never fully recovered from the loss. The fact that they were separated when the crash happened piled another layer of guilt and misery onto an already tragic situation. Afterwards, he crawled into an emotional cave, rolled a rock in front of the entrance, and refused to come out for anyone.
Even Sprout doesn’t get the full force of his love.
I feel it when they’re together, how desperate she is to break through that final wall to the tender-hearted man inside. On an intellectual level, she knows her daddy loves her more than anything in the world, but there’s a part of her that wants more.
More of his time, more of his goofy smiles, more of the relaxed, easy-loving man I’ve only seen a few times, when the stars aligned to make him feel safe enough to come out of the prison he locked himself away in when his marriage ended in tragedy.