Total pages in book: 166
Estimated words: 169305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 847(@200wpm)___ 677(@250wpm)___ 564(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 169305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 847(@200wpm)___ 677(@250wpm)___ 564(@300wpm)
“Farrow.” Her name tore out of my throat, guttural and raw.
“Do you think you’re ready for a kiss, Zach?”
No. Yes.
I feigned confidence, digging my fingers into her sides. “Sweetheart, I’ve been ready since you sat at that Go table in a flimsy nightgown and tried to pretend you belonged.”
“I never tried to pretend, you fool. I knew I’d stand out—and was proud of it.”
She beamed, and in that moment, I’d never seen anything so miraculous, and stunning, and fuck it. I erased the rest of the space between us, searing my lips to hers.
For a moment, we just breathed each other in. The air crackled between us like fireworks. Her lips were soft and warm, pliant in contrast with the rest of her.
Every cell in my body tingled.
It felt like we were fusing together, and I craved more.
Slowly—so damn slowly—I pried her mouth open and glided my tongue along her lower lip.
She let out a tiny moan, and I remembered what Tabitha told me before I sent her to hell—Farrow didn’t do love. Was incapable of feelings.
There’d be nothing to worry about for her.
Her heart wouldn’t break.
But mine?
Farrow’s tongue found mine and slid into my mouth, chasing away my thoughts. The sensation felt awkward—even uncomfortable.
Having someone else’s organ in my body made the skin on the back of my neck crawl.
I froze in place, but Farrow didn’t relent. She slid her fingernails along my scalp, sending blissful shivers down my spine.
She took her time withdrawing her tongue from my mouth. It was only after she retreated that I realized I fucking loved having a part of her inside me.
I took over, clutching her shoulders and kissing her with abandon. Our mouths fought, nipping and biting and kissing and growling.
I swallowed every groan and whimper she produced, holding her by her hair and backing her against the wall. We both stumbled over discarded blankets and strewn pillows, laughing into our kiss.
I wanted to devour her. To eat her whole and lick my fingers afterwards.
“Heaven,” I decided, my tongue chasing hers inside her mouth, swirling and caressing, reaching every corner. “You taste like heaven.”
My fingers moved from her hair, hands bracketing her delicate throat. I tilted her head up, kissing my way down her neck.
She felt so fragile in my arms, bucking her hips to meet my hard cock. I shook with anticipation, ready to fuck her through the wall and into another dimension, I was so horny for her.
Her mouth found mine, and again, we kissed like our lives depended on it.
“Clothes.” She clawed at my shirt, breathless. “We don’t need them.”
I happened to be in complete agreement. She began tearing at my button-down when the door downstairs kicked open and slammed against the wall.
“I’m baaaack.”
Regina had returned.
Great.
In an instant, Octi pushed me away.
I staggered back, frustrated and horny and on goddamn edge.
“We can’t do this.” Fae wiped her swollen, bruised lips. “No one can know I’m messing around with an engaged man.”
“The engagement is bullshit,” I reminded her.
Eileen had informed me just yesterday that she’d like to return to New York as soon as our schedule allowed.
“No, your relationship is bullshit. The engagement, however, is very real.”
She was right.
I stared at her, frustrated and annoyed. The hushed voices downstairs left no room for doubt—Tabitha had filled Regina in.
Farrow rubbed her face, growling. “What do you want, Zach?”
I want to soak in your warmth just a little longer, so when I return to my cold, numbing life, I don’t freeze over.
“I want us to honor each other’s promises.” I kissed the top of her head, halting for a moment to let the secret scent of her body crawl into my system. “Fix me, Farrow.”
Each second she got closer to unchaining herself from Vera and her stepsisters was a second that brought us further apart. The moment she didn’t need me anymore, she’d leave.
So what if she does?
I would return to my peaceful, quiet existence.
Structured, ruthless, and solitary.
Lifeless.
Farrow:
We have a breakthrough regarding Dad’s will.
Farrow:
I’ll definitely be able to contest it.
Farrow:
Ari?
Farrow:
You there?
Farrow:
You’re fired as my best friend.
Farrow:
Okay, you’re not.
Farrow:
But come back.
I need you.
Two days after my birthday, I was back to scrubbing toilets and wiping windows.
My knees scraped the tiles of the bathroom in Zach’s guest room as I poured bleach into the toilet nobody had used for at least a decade. The fumes tickled my nose, burning my eyes.
Zach roamed the house like an unhinged phantom, barking orders and casting a dark, formidable shadow on Natalie and the rest of his staffers.
He’d done zero work since morning, instead popping his head into the various rooms I floated between and demanding to know what I wanted to eat for lunch, what my plans were after work hours, and if it were possible to spend time together.
I assumed ‘spend time together’ was code for rubbing our genitals until fire ignited.