Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“So instead, you thought I was the pathetic girl who couldn't handle being without my best friend every minute of every day?”
“I never thought you were pathetic, Buttons.”
“Seriously, I hate that nickname.”
Confession time.
I reach out to touch her hand. “I love that name. It reminds me of the day I caught a glimpse of that sexy pink lace bra you were wearing. I knew it was wrong, but I would have given anything to see you stripped down into nothing but that bra that day, Tillie,” I admit.
She gasps. “What?”
I moan. “I wanted it so fucking bad. I wondered for days if you had on the matching panties. It drove me crazy.”
“Ryder…” she breathes, the sound whooshing out of her perfect lips.
“I need to know, Tillie. Did you?” Her cheeks heat with color, but she stays quiet. Slowly, her head drops down to look at her feet. I use my finger to tilt her chin up until her eyes meet mine.
“Were you wearing some pretty pink lacy panties that would hide that sweet pussy from me, Tillie?” I damn near groan, my cock practically throbbing.
“No,” she confesses, her answer is barely a whisper.
"Damn, that's a shame," I tell her with a smirk as she clears her throat.
“I was wearing a matching thong because Emmie laughed at me for wearing boy shorts one time when I stayed at her house. She told me guys don't look at girls who wear them.”
I sit back, taking that in. There's a lot there. Hurt, sadness, shame, and even a tinge of anger. I still don't know what happened between them, but I’m starting to think Emily fucked with her head as much as she did mine. For now, I push those thoughts away and keep my focus on the woman in front of me.
“That’s bullshit. That day was torture for me, baby.”
“It was?”
“Tillie, I wanted to touch you so fucking much that my hands were shaking.”
“But you were dating—” I lean over, catching her lips, thrusting my tongue into her mouth. Right now, I want to feel Tillie. Talking about anyone but her feels like an intrusion, and I don't want that. It's the past, and the more time I spend with Tillie, the more I am certain that she is my future.
When we break apart, I press my forehead against hers, then pull away slowly. I look into her eyes, wanting her to see the truth. “After that incident, I made the decision to try and avoid you. The feelings I had were so strong, I wasn’t sure I could control them. I also knew that I didn't have a right to feel that way toward you. Still, it doesn’t make the way I reacted to you—the way my body reacted to you any less true, Buttons. I wanted you then, and I sure as fuck want you now.”
Tillie stares back at me. I can see the conflict written clearly on her face. My future is with her and she’s sitting there, deciding whether or not to believe me. I lean down, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. She closes her eyes and I kiss her closed eyelids for good measure.
“Let's get you home,” I whisper.
She lets out a shaky breath. “I'm not sure what's happening between us, Ryder.”
“I think you do,” I argue softly.
“What do you want from me?”
“Are you sure you want that answer?” I ask.
She nods.
“Everything, Buttons. Everything.”
There's no second thought or hesitation. She leans up to kiss me. My heart thunders in my chest as a growl vibrates through me. I push a hand up her shirt to palm her breast. Her tongue darts into my mouth. I can feel the urgency of her need because it mirrors my own. I click the button to her seatbelt, unbuckling her to haul her onto my lap. I may go to hell for this, but I’m not giving Tillie up to be with my brother.
I want her too much.
Tillie
All signs are pointing to the fact that I’m insane. Then again, I always have been when it comes to Ryder Monroe. No normal person falls in love with a guy in the sixth grade and it remains, even though the guy doesn’t know she’s alive.
Or maybe he did.
He sounds so convincing when he says he was attracted to me. I know Emily is gorgeous, I couldn’t hold a candle to her and that’s never bothered me that much. There are times that I wished that I could be like her just so Ryder would notice me. Yet, even then that was a silly fantasy where Ryder would wake up one day and be madly in love with me. I like me, though. I’m never going to be really skinny. I’m never going to have perfect hair and I’m not going to be the girl who wears high heels and movie star makeup. For one, I love cooking, baking, and eating. For two, I’m a klutz. I’d kill myself in heels.