Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 69371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
“I’m assuming that means you’re staying?” I ask, getting up and walking over to the sink to see that he was cleaning as he went, and the only things left to clean are the two plates and the pan.
“Who is going to save you from the raccoons if I go?” He leans back, smirking at me, and the only thing I do is stick my tongue out at him, making him laugh even more. My head spins as I start to wash the dishes.
“I’m going to go shower,” he shares, getting up from the stool and grabbing the bottle of scotch. I don’t say anything to him. Instead, I finish cleaning up. My head spins even more now, and I laugh as I pull off the covers to the bed and climb under them. As soon as I lay my head on the pillow, the bathroom door opens, and he walks out just wearing his jeans. He looks around twice and then spots me in the bed. “Building the wall?” he asks, and I just laugh.
“I didn’t turn off the lights.” I close my eyes, taking in the spinning of the room. I open them up again, watching him walk to the wall and flip the switch. He steps into the room, and I see that his jeans button is undone. His feet are bare, and I can see his shadow coming to the bed.
“Permission to lie down on the covers,” he jokes, and I can hear him chuckling before he lies down on his side of the bed.
“I didn’t build the wall,” I note. “My head was spinning.” My eyes get used to the light, and the soft light from the moon comes into the window. “It’s peaceful,” I say, and he turns his head on the pillow and looks at me. “Did you mean what you said?”
“Which part?” he asks, his voice soft as he turns over on his side to look at me.
“The part about our night together?” I ask, knowing that I shouldn’t even care and there are other things to worry about. “Forget it,” I say just as fast, getting ready to turn over and give him my back. I make a mental note to never ever drink scotch again.
His hand comes out, grabbing my hip before I turn around. “Clarabella.” He says my name exactly like he did that night. “I’m a lot of things,” he says, his voice coming out so clear. “I may be a coward for the morning after, but I’m not a liar.”
I swallow, and I don’t know why, but I feel like he’s closer to me. “I never said you were a liar.” The words come out, and my mouth is suddenly as dry as the desert. “I’ve drunk too much.” I pretend as if I’m drunker than I really am.
“You didn’t even drink that much.” He calls me out on my lie. “You took sips the whole night.”
“What do you want from me?” I wish the lights were on so I could see his face. So I could stare into his eyes and see what he’s thinking.
The air feels so thick in the room. It feels like time is standing still. It feels like both of us know what is going to happen, but neither of us is sure it should happen. My heart starts to beat so hard I feel like it’s literally going to come out of my chest. My tongue feels like it’s getting heavy, and my hands are shaking with anticipation. My brain is finally catching up to what is happening in my heart when he says the words.
“I want this,” he says, his voice almost growling. His hand on my hip reaches up into the side of my hair, and in the blink of an eye, my hands are reaching for his face as his lips crash down on mine. The minute our tongues invade each other’s mouth, we both moan. His tongue slides into mine, and I can taste the scotch on him. It’s a moment that will forever stay with me, a moment that I guess was bound to happen. A moment that feels like it was always supposed to be like this. I move my head to the side so I can deepen the kiss, his tongue fighting with mine. We both want to win the battle as he pushes me onto my back. My leg moves up, but it’s stuck under the cover.
“Wait.” I move my head away from his, and he stops and doesn’t move.
“I shouldn’t have.” He moves off me enough for me to throw the cover off me and then reach for him.
“This is better.” I pull him back down on me, and my leg cocks up over his hip, my finger coming up and tracing his bottom lip. “Kiss me, Luke.”