Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
She glares at me silently for two full seconds before saying, “Gin and tonic.”
Only one other person at the table needs another drink, and Pax puts a hand on my knee.
“I can go if you want to stay here,” he offers.
“No, I’ll come with you.”
My pulse hasn’t slowed since John’s comment about what Pax has been through. Even though Pax and I aren’t really dating, I thought we were at least friends, and I’ve never heard him say a thing about loss in his life.
As we walk toward the bar, I slide my hand into his, gently tugging his hand and leading him past the bar and out of the ballroom.
“Where are we going?” he murmurs from behind me.
“Somewhere quiet.”
It takes a couple of minutes for me to find a silent, empty hallway. A huge ice machine buzzes nearby as I look up at him. He cocks a brow at me, looking intrigued.
“I feel like you either want to punch me or make out with me,” he quips. “Or maybe both?”
I ignore him, knowing we don’t have much time before we have to get the drinks and get back to our table. I’m not a nosy person, but I was thrown off balance to find out that Pax has sadness in his past, too. If that’s the case, I need him to know I’m here. To talk about it, not talk about it, or just be a shoulder to cry on when it hits him out of the blue.
“What was John talking about?” I ask.
His expression clouds. “It’s a long story, Ky. John and Sophia know my parents, and they’ve known me for a long time, too.”
Stepping closer, he puts one of his big hands around my waist and then slides it around to the small of my back. Our chests are just a few inches apart, his warmth radiating and my heart racing. Even at five foot nine, I have to crane my neck to look into his eyes. The emotions I see there are all too familiar.
“I want to tell you about it,” he says softly. “But not here.”
I lay a palm on his chest, wishing we could leave this event and go somewhere alone. I missed it before, but now I see it. It’s in the measured way he studies things and the way he silently comforts those around him rather than overwhelming them with words.
Pax has lost someone, too. He always asked me how Eric was when he was still alive, and when I answered, he genuinely listened. Of all Pike’s teammates, he was the only one who came to the funeral service to pay his respects, and it wasn’t just because he’s Pike’s friend. It was because he’s been there and he knows how much those things mean.
I found him attractive before, but in this moment, I feel a deeper connection than I’ve felt toward anyone in a long time. It seems that Pax keeps his loss as private as he can, which is what I would have done if I could have.
Wrapping my fingers around the side of his jacket, I tug him down and stand up on the balls of my feet. He hears my silent plea, kiss me, and he responds immediately.
His hand moves to cup my cheek and he lowers his mouth to mine, brushing a soft caress over my lips. My pulse pounds and I drown in the sensation of his lips on mine. I pull harder on the lapels of his jacket. He’s close—so close, but still not as close as I want him to be.
When he wraps his arm tightly around my waist and pulls me against him, I gasp, moaning as he deepens the kiss, communicating so much more with his hands and mouth than he ever could with words.
I link my arms around his neck, running my fingers up the base of his head and into his hair. His lips leave mine, trailing kisses from my jaw to my neck, and then to my collarbone.
I’m burning for him in a matter of seconds, wishing we had a room here so we could ditch this party to tear each other’s clothes off. Though I don’t know where this sudden passion came from, I don’t want it to stop.
“I’ll go to another ice machine,” someone murmurs from nearby.
Pax pulls away and we both look to the other end of the hallway, where a man is ducking his head and speed walking away. I laugh lightly, touching my fingertips to my kiss-swollen lips.
“I like you,” Pax says in a low tone meant only for me. “I mean…not because we’re pretending to date. I really like you.”
I smile up at him, warm inside. “I was hoping so. If you kiss all your pretend girlfriends that way, I can’t imagine what you do to your real ones.”