Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
She’s like a delicate flower, and I want to peel away one petal at a time, and experience every part of her. Right now, I’m too damn hard to figure out much more than how much I want to fuck her. I’m also one moment away from blowing it with her, and she may not even know it. As her mother said, because change happens one moment and not the next. It’s a saying I could call profoundly true. Which is exactly why I need to ensure all of her moments, for the rest of the night, are nothing but pleasure.
I follow her inside and lock the door behind me. When I turn, she’s already crossed the expansive room of leather and wood, and is now standing with her back to me, staring out of the window overlooking the Hawaiian skyline. Lightning flashes against the pitch-black night with a strike of yellow and blue, high and low across the sky, as beautiful as it is dangerous.
When I join her, stepping to her side, she doesn’t turn to face me. Instead, she watches another flash in the sky and then glances over at me. “From one moment to the next.” There’s a vulnerability in her I am all about exploring, but right now, it’s making her want to run again. That’s what she’s telling me.
I step behind her with every intent of making her forget everything, including her own name.
Chapter Ten
Sofia
There are times in life when each of us has been in the center of a crowd and felt alone, or simply as if we do not belong.
I stand above the Hawaiian city, the miles of ocean below me, the stars, sand, and moon whispering to me, opening me up in the most vulnerable of ways. Suddenly, despite being in the hotel room of one of the sexiest men I’ve ever met, I’m alone in the world, chasing a dream I may never achieve, and it cuts in a deep, unexplainable way. If I was told I had to put words to this very moment, to all that I feel, I’d say it’s an impossible feat, unattainable.
It's then that I’m aware of Ethan stepping behind me, the heat of his body radiating through me, driving anticipation and the thundering of my heart in my chest. His strong hands come down on my shoulders, caressing down my arms with a gentle touch, goosebumps lifting in their wake. I am now officially reminded that I am not alone tonight. I am here, with him, and he is the answer to everything and nothing, and somehow, he manages to be exactly what I need.
“Penny for your thoughts,” he murmurs, his breath warm on my neck.
“You don’t need a penny.”
“Want and need are complicated words. What do you need, Zoey?”
That name. God, that name is destroying me. I rotate to face him, an action that breaks our connection. I’m suddenly aware of how tall he is—towering over me by a good foot—and how intense his presence is.
“A drink,” I say, though my head is buzzing enough. A drink is not what I need. I need him. I need him to know my name. I need it not to matter. “Remember?” I ask. “I don’t normally do this kind of thing. A little extra liquid courage might do me right.” I hold up a hand. “And before you ask me if I want to back out, no. I don’t want to back out. I just want—”
“A drink,” he supplies.
“Yes. Please?”
He surprises me then and steps into me, his powerful body pressing to mine, one hand molding me to his hips, his thick erection against my belly. Adrenaline pulses through me even as he cups my face and says, “At any time—”
“I told you. I don’t want to stop.” I catch the lapels on his jacket. “So you stop giving me an out. I told you, you’re going to make me think too much and —”
He leans in and brushes his mouth over mine, a tease of his tongue finding mine, and I’m melting all over again. “Sweetheart, the last thing I want you to do is walk out of that door.”
Sweetheart.
I like it.
I can live with that name.
His thumb strokes over my lip. “If I don’t get you that drink now, you’ll never get it.” He releases me and rotates, walking away.
I find myself wanting to reach for him, pull him back, and feel him close again. I watch him move toward the bar, but he pauses in the living room, shrugging out of his jacket, and I’m truly spellbound. His crisp, white shirt pulls snugly across his muscled back, promising me he is better naked than he is dressed, which isn’t a surprise, but validation is as sexy as it is a bit intimidating. I’m so over my head with this man, it’s not even funny. He’s older. He’s more experienced. He’s certainly more confident.