Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 34938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
“Kent!” she screams, throwing her arm forward and grabbing me by the shirt. It's enough to hold me in place and give me the chance to re-balance myself. “Are you all right?” she asks, her eyes scanning me in the dark.
“Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you for catching me, that could have been really bad.” Her hands are still tightly curled into the fabric of my shirt as she peers up at me. “Let's go back to the house, can we do that?”
Perri nods, and I'm relieved. I help her down the rocks, and we walk back to the house in the roaring storm. I'm holding her hand as tight as I can, because I swear I can feel her blowing around in the wind. I'm afraid to let her go, afraid the wind will take her and steal her away from me.
I can't lose her again.
The thunder booms and we both jerk in surprise as the tide washes against our feet. Reaching the house, we dart inside, and I almost have to fight the door to get it closed.
Turning to face her, she's dripping wet. Beads of water roll down her face, dripping off the edge of her nose. Her nipples are hard, and perfectly outlined under her soaking wet shirt.
Black eyeliner is smeared under her eyes and her cheeks are rosy from the cold rain and sharp wind.
And still, she looks just as damn beautiful as the first time I saw her.
The softness of her skin, wet, shiny, enticing me to come closer and touch her. I take a step, lifting my hand to her face. She's cold, her flesh almost ice under my touch.
“You're so cold,” I say, ready to wrap her in my arms to heat her body.
Perri lifts her eyes, and my heart squeezes inside my chest as she holds her gaze steady. She licks her lips lightly and pulls in her bottom lip as she reaches her hand up and captures my wrist.
She presses her cheek deeper into my palm, closing her eyes for a mere second. I watch her, taking in every single detail of her face. The thin lines across her forehead as her eyebrows arch, the way her lashes fan her eyes as she opens them again, the way her pupils expand like bottomless pools.
I'm drawn in, unable to break away, lost and held hostage by the beauty in my hands. And I love it. I love her. . .
“Perri,” I say, gently brushing my thumb across her jawline. “You were right, you were right all along. It was your father, and yes, he did want me to tell him how you were doing.” She blinks, and I feel her jaw clench. “And I told him the truth, I told him how amazing you are, how you know what you're doing, that he'd be stupid to not let you manage his properties.”
“You did? You told him that?”
“Of course I told him that because it's the truth.” She lets out a weighted breath, and her eyes flick between mine. “You don't need to be watched over and micromanaged. You're a smart woman, you know what you're doing.”
“But what about everything I did wrong? What about the pool—”
“I don't want to think about the pool. That's why finding you was so important tonight. The thought of you out there, the idea that you could have gotten hurt, or possibly even die because of me, I couldn't live with myself. You already almost died once; I won't lose you again.”
“Kent, I don't want you to worry about me like that. I'm not going anywhere.”
“That's right, you're not going anywhere because I’m not letting you go, Perri.” Scooping her face in both my hands, I keep my eyes fixed on hers. “I love you,” I say, the words full and flowing out easier than I thought they would.
“What?” she asks, quirking a brow.
“I love you,” I say it again, searching her gaze for the same answer. “I won't pretend I don't, and I won't pretend that we could break this off tomorrow and I'd move on like it never happened to me. I love you, Perri Dean, and I want you in my life forever.”
Her eyes gloss over as tears well up. She sniffles, and blinks, causing a couple tears to drop free. They slip down her cheeks, and I use my thumbs to sweep them away.
“I love you too,” she says softly as one corner of her mouth pulls up into a light smile. “I really do, I love you.”
Crushing my lips onto hers, I dig my fingers into the back of her head and grip her hair to keep her from pulling away. I want us closer. I want to share every moment of the rest of my life with her.
Perri tips her head in my hands as she wraps her arms around my neck, kissing me back with just as much passion. Her tongue slips into my mouth, crazed and excited as it twirls and dances around mine.