Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 130414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
“Close enough.”
The question had been a joke, so it took me a while to register his answer. Tipping my head back, I laughed. “What do you know? There is a sense of humor under all this ice.”
“Have you considered how far you want to take this?” He passed the bottle back to me, two-thirds empty.
“Can I just tell you when to stop?”
“From my brief history with you, my guess is you won’t stop until you’ve not only lost your virginity, but have lost the virginity of every other well-bred girl in this zip code, too. Let’s agree to keep your hymen intact.” Someone needed to work on their dirty talk.
“Sounds good. Are you from New York?”
“No.”
“Then wher—”
“Let’s not talk.”
Oh. Kay. The man wasn’t going down in my history book for the nicest hookup, but he was the hottest one by a thousand miles, so I let it slide. We shuttled the champagne back and forth until it emptied. My body felt like a live wire, humming with anticipation. Finally—finally—he set the bottle on the ground, pushed off the wall, and pinched my chin between his thumb and index finger, tilting my head up. My heart somersaulted, diving to the pit of my stomach, where it liquidized into sludge.
For the first time, his eyes glittered with warm approval. “I’ve met IRS agents more likable than you. I’ll give you one thing, though. You’re quite delicious, Miss Townsend.”
My mouth fell open. “How would you kno—” But I never finished the sentence because he spat his gum on the grass and shut me up with a searing kiss.
His mouth was warm and smelled of bonfire, expensive perfume, and spearmint. It sucked all logic out of me, rendering me dizzy. His body felt strong, hard, and foreign. I molded into him, wrapping around him like an octopus.
He darted the tip of his tongue out, parting my lips. When I opened them eagerly, his satisfaction reverberated in my stomach. He cupped the back of my neck to deepen the kiss. His tongue was fully in my mouth now, exploring the grounds like it was conquering every inch. The bite of freshness from his gum filled me. He tasted delicious, applying just the right amount of pressure. Just like that, his harsh words and stony exterior melted into passion, fire, and a depraved promise for things I didn’t know if I could handle.
The place between my legs throbbed. I tried to remember if anything I’d ever done before felt like this. The answer, depressingly, was no. This was completely new territory. Unchartered waters I wanted to dive right into. I whimpered into his mouth, yanking the lapels of his jacket, my tongue chasing his. I didn’t care what he thought of me. I’d never see him again.
My hands roamed his sleeves, clutching the expensive material and sinewy muscles beneath it. He was athletic and built without looking bulky. Lord, he was beautiful. Cold, smooth, and imperial as marble. As if somebody had breathed just enough soul into a Roman statue to make it move—but not enough to make it feel.
As we devoured each other, I wondered if I could feel each individual ridge of his six-pack. I patted down his abs. I could. Wait until Frankie heard about this. She was going to cry horny tears.
Romeo pushed me against the wall, wrapping my dark tresses around his fist two times over like reins of a horse. He tugged, slanting my head up and deepening our kiss. His massive erection dug into my thigh, pulsating with heat and need. A thrill shot up my spine.
“My, my.” His grip tightened. I felt him unfurling, the walls around him cracking just a tad. “You were made for corruption, weren’t you, Shortbread?”
Did he just call me … Shortbread?
“More.” I clawed at his suit. I didn’t know what I was asking for. All I knew was it tasted and felt better than any dessert. And that it would be over in a few minutes. I couldn’t afford to be gone too long.
“More what?” His hand had already snaked into the slit of my dress.
“More … I don’t know. You’re the expert here.”
He gripped my ass. An index finger slipped under the elastic of my cotton panties, plowing into my butt cheek.
“Yes. Yes. That.” I broke our kiss, biting his chin, my inexperience bleeding into the encounter when I couldn’t help myself. “But … the other way. Up front.”
“Sure you want to lose your virginity to the fingers of a stranger who gave you shortbread?”
“Don’t push inside, then.” I jerked my head away, frowning at him. “Just work around … you know, the frame.”
He shoved his hand between my legs, covering my heated center with his palm, squeezing hard. “I really ought to fuck the sass out of you right here and now for that smart mouth of yours.” It marked the first time this artful Mid-Atlantic man had used profanity, and somehow, I knew it was a rare occasion for him.