Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
And not just that… I wanted to spend the night at Alec’s. We’d taken things slow, only kisses, which had already been heated enough to burn my panties, but today I finally wanted to take the next step in our physical relationship, or at the very least get a repeat performance from the pool.
Despite Holly’s disapproving frown, I wore my favorite shorts that accentuated my butt and a T-shirt with ten rules to survive a zombie apocalypse on the front. Alec greeted me with a gentle kiss on the lips as I slipped into his room. A smirk spread on his face when he noticed my shirt. He definitely approved. Slowly his eyes drifted lower, checking out my legs, and the flicker of fire in his eyes sent a pleasant shiver down my back.
Happy that my instinct had been right, I stepped out of my shoes. My pulse picking up, I lay back on his bed while Alec zapped through the list of movies. A swarm of butterflies fluttered in my belly as I watched the muscles in Alec’s lower back and shoulders flex beneath his white T-shirt. He kicked off his sneakers and locked the door. Date night number three, and it was the first time he’d done that. My imagination went into overdrive and the fluttering in my stomach turned into a riot. I had been the one who’d wanted to take things slow, and Alec hadn’t pressured me. Maybe he could sense that today things were different.
Alec turned slowly as if he’d only just realize how his actions might look. His eyes were cautious as he glanced at me. Did I look nervous? “Because of Tanner. I don’t want him to barge in.” Then he added with a hint of annoyance. “Again.”
Good thinking. Tanner had walked in on us kissing on the bed twice. If I had to bear his teasing and kissy noises one more time, I’d shave his beloved mohawk off while he was sleeping. And I didn’t even want to consider the amount of embarrassment I’d feel if Tanner walked in on us naked.
I gave Alec a smile, though the mix of nerves, embarrassment and excitement had me feeling like I was going to combust. Nobody would interrupt us; anything could happen. How far would we have gone in the pool house that day if there hadn’t been noises?
Alec was experienced—after all, he was older than me, and he’d dated Kate for months. How far did he want to go? How far did I want him to go? This felt momentous somehow.
“I can unlock it, though, if that’s what you prefer,” he said softly. It was pretty obvious from his expression that it wasn’t what he wanted but it made me happy that he was trying to make me feel comfortable.
“Don’t be stupid. Come here.” I patted the bed and made more room for him.
His expression lit up, but I could still detect a hint of uncertainty in the way he moved. He was always worried about me and constantly protective of me. That would probably never change. I had to show him that I wasn’t some breakable porcelain doll. I had extraordinary abilities; I’d recently survived a serial killer.
He sank down beside me and stretched out his long legs. Then he paused and pointed at a big, round red candle on his nightstand. “Do you want me to light it?”
That was too much. I couldn’t help it. I burst into laughter. “Did Holly put you up to this?” I could imagine only too well how she’d followed him around, trying to teach him what constituted a romantic date. Alec chuckled. “Maybe.”
“Okay, well, I’m not the candlelight type. The glow of a light saber is more my thing.”
“Thank god. This thing smells like apples and cinnamon and I hate the stench.”
The last bit of tension leaked from Alec’s body and he sank into the crisp (the laundry staff loved starch) black cushions with Chucky’s face on the front propped up against the dark-wood headboard. I pressed myself against his chest, breathing in his woodsy smell as he wrapped his arm around me. I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what his date nights had been like with Kate. Had she liked candlelight? He pressed a kiss against my temple and I looked up, bringing our faces closer together. Our breaths mingled. I leaned forward, trying my best to bury my worries. He was mine now.
“You can trust me,” he said quietly, his gray eyes earnest and open. Once again, it was almost like he’d read my thoughts.
I inched toward him until I could almost feel the heat of his mouth. I kissed him and smiled against his lips. Besides Holly, Alec was the only person I’d ever allowed myself to trust completely. The feeling was comforting and thrilling at the same time.