Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
In that moment, I know that I need to get out of here. I won’t be able to withstand much more of this onslaught.
“The clock is ticking,” he growls, voice sounding as if it’s been dredged from the very bottom of the ocean. “We’re running out of time.”
The alarm continues to ring as my gaze stays locked on his. I’m incapable of looking away. Before I realize it, my fingers tangle in the fabric of his hoody, dragging him even closer until there’s not a whisper of air between us. The heat that emanates from him is nothing short of intoxicating. As soon as I stretch onto the tips of my toes, my mouth collides with his. In a surprising twist, he keeps his lips firmly pressed together. My tongue sweeps tentatively across the seam.
Have I ever had to work for Ford’s attention?
Renewed fire sparks to life inside me as I double down on my efforts.
Once.
Twice.
Three times my tongue sweeps across his, demanding entry.
When his mouth remains firmly locked, I pull away enough to glare before sinking my teeth into his lower lip and tugging it. A sharp hiss of breath escapes from him as his mouth opens. A low growl vibrates in his chest as my tongue plunges inside to tangle with his own. The minty freshness of his breath invades my senses along with a taste that is uniquely Ford.
I’ve missed it so much.
I’ve missed him so much.
My palms flatten against his pectorals before sliding upward and tangling around his thickly corded neck. His hands settle on my ass, squeezing the muscle as he hauls me close enough to feel the thick jut of his erection against my lower abdomen.
That’s all it takes for my core to dampen in response. I’m like one of Pavlov’s well-trained dogs when it comes to Ford’s cock. Just the feel of his hard length is enough to arouse me.
His mouth roves over mine. Teeth scraping, tongues licking, lips devouring. The sharp ache of hunger reverberates throughout my entire being. It’s one that feels as if it will never be satisfied again.
Just when it feels like he’ll swallow me whole, or maybe it’s the other way around, his hands disappear from my backside and he breaks free from the tangle of my arms, taking a quick step in retreat.
My breath comes out in short, gasping pants as I press myself against the wall in order to remain vertical. Any moment, I’ll slump to the floor in a gooey mess of raging hormones and lust.
His eyes turn stormy as he uses his thumb and forefinger to wipe the corners of his mouth. Without looking away, he reaches across the space and hits the button, sending the car into jolting motion once again. The bell stops trilling as the elevator descends to the lobby in silence. My heart thumps a painful tattoo against my chest.
As the taste of him floods my senses, my brain spins.
I need to say something.
Something that will change the trajectory of our relationship.
But I’m at a loss.
In the end, not a single sound escapes from me.
Disappointment crashes over his expression before it’s hidden behind a mask of indifference. He drags his eyes away, only to stare straight ahead as if I’m no longer there.
I didn’t think it was possible for my heart to break any more than it already has but I was wrong. It shatters into a million jagged pieces that will never be put back together again.
I wrap my arms around my middle, attempting to keep all the pain locked deep inside so it doesn’t have a chance to leak out. So he doesn’t see just how much this encounter, and the finality of it, has destroyed me.
All I know is that I will never be the same again.
My life can now be marked by two very distinct periods of time.
Before Ford.
And after.
I’m just not sure how to survive the after part.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Carina
The sun sits high in the sky as I pull the BMW up the long stretch of driveway and park near the front door. Relief leaks from my lungs as I scan the weather brick drive and find my mother’s Audi absent. Although, three other cars are parked off to the side.
Since it’s the middle of the week, I imagine aides are working on Crawford’s political strategy. He’s usually surrounded by five or six at all times.
Unless Pamela is around.
I cut the engine, grab the takeout bag I picked up and slide from the vehicle before walking up the front stairs to the door. For the first six months I lived here, I couldn’t stop myself from pressing the doorbell. Finally, Crawford sat me down and told me that it wasn’t necessary. That this house was as much mine as his. He never failed to make me feel welcome.