Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Gorya felt another tremble go through Maya’s body. That’s it, baby. You’re done. I’m taking you out of here.
She turned fully into him, her eyes blazing frost blue directly into his. Expressive. Telling him things he’d never heard before from anyone else and didn’t ever expect to. Her palms framed his face right there in front of everyone. They might have been partially in the shadows, but he knew everyone in the room was a shifter and could see her. She didn’t really look directly at the others. She mostly kept her gaze fixed just above their heads or between them. With Gorya, she was always so intimate. Intense.
What is step three?
That threw him. He hadn’t been expecting the question. A slow, genuine smile spread through his mind. Lit his eyes. I have no idea. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I chose the last two. It’s your turn. Any ideas?
I’ve been giving it some thought. Her fingers stroked around the curve of his jaw, sending little darts of fire through his entire system. Quite a bit of thought actually.
What have you come up with? He couldn’t believe how hard his heart was pounding.
This. Kissing you in front of your family and friends.
She sounded very decisive. Her eyes continued to look straight into his. Seeing into him.
His heart nearly stopped beating. His lungs couldn’t find air. His world narrowed until there was only Maya. Is that even a possibility?
I have no idea, but we’re about to find out.
While being careful of her wound, he slid his hands down her sides to her hips and dug his fingers possessively into the curves to pull her between his thighs. She didn’t even stiffen. She fit there smoothly, as if she was already used to that spot. Close to him. Close to the heat of him.
He nearly forgot there were others in the room. Nearly forgot she was injured. The fragrance of her enveloped him. Seeped in through his pores and wrapped around his soul.
You’re sure about this? He kept his tone light. Teasing. Stroking the inside of her mind intimately. She might be certain, but he wasn’t. This was a bad, bad idea for so many reasons.
She traced his lower lip with the pad of her finger. Very sure.
Timur cleared his throat. “It’s getting hot in here.” There was a trace of amusement in his voice.
Gorya ignored his cousin. The sound registered from a distance, but as if he were underwater, and the words were muffled and distorted. Sweat trickled down his chest. What had gotten into her? She was so skittish in public. They were surrounded by shifters. The doors to the room were closed.
Baby, just wait. I’ll kiss you when we get back to the room. He was beginning to panic. He never panicked. He was the smooth one. The charming one. Always in control. Why the hell was he on the verge of picking her up in his arms and making a run for it?
What’s wrong, honey? Tell me? It’s just us. No one else.
Her lips moved against his, feather light. A breath. His entire body reacted. He was so lost. What would he do without her? He hadn’t known he could fall so hard so fast. It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. He couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t. Maya believed she was fully committed—and she was. But she was always on the verge of flight. She was terrified she couldn’t measure up. She couldn’t meet his needs. He had to control the pace. He couldn’t make a single mistake. This could turn into a disaster very quickly, and he wasn’t about to lose her because he hadn’t controlled the situation.
I’m not taking the chance that you’re not ready, Maya. I can’t lose you. Her fingers stroking his jaws were sending little flairs of heat rolling through his body.
You aren’t going to lose me. These are steps, remember. We might not be perfect each time. We might not even make it through this the first time. If it doesn’t work, you can just carry me out of here, and we’ll end up laughing about it. That’s how we roll together, right?
In love. That sucked. He hadn’t thought he would ever feel that for anyone. I didn’t know I was capable, Maya.
The briefest of hesitations. I didn’t know either.
Her lips skimmed his. Burned like the hottest flame. Her entire body trembled so badly he was afraid she would fall. He slid his arm around her back and locked the other behind her knees.
Already? Just like that, all panic was gone and he was once more fully in control. There was amusement in his voice. Teasing her. You can’t panic when we haven’t even kissed, and it was your idea. He swung her into his arms and stood, cradling her against his chest.