Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 140184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 701(@200wpm)___ 561(@250wpm)___ 467(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 701(@200wpm)___ 561(@250wpm)___ 467(@300wpm)
Peering up at him, I pepper his strong jaw with tiny kisses to get his attention.
He knows what I’m doing, but he makes me work for it for a minute before he gives me what he knows I want. When he does, he smirks, finally deigning to meet my gaze. “You have the tendencies of a kitten when you aren’t sure if I’m mad at you.”
“Meow,” I tease, nuzzling him.
He reaches over with his big hand to stroke my face. I hadn’t thought of it that way, but I do love when he pets me. I bask in his attention now that I’ve earned it, lapping up the affection he doles out like a hungry kitten at mealtime.
Maybe Jonathan’s nickname does suit me.
All my life, I’ve lacked the security of a safe home, a loving, reliable family, even the consistent expectation of a hot meal to fill my belly.
Now, I have all of that and more.
My new family may be a bit unconventional, but they love me and prioritize taking care of me, even when it’s hard. Even when I scratch them.
I wasn’t looking for a home when I showed up on the Granville doorstep that first day, but they took me in and gave me one, anyway.
Maybe I was a stray, but I don’t feel like one anymore.
I’m more loved and much safer than I’ve ever been in my whole life.
I don’t know how it could get better than this. I don’t know how I could possibly ask for more.
Chapter thirty-one
Kennedy
“Enjoy your stay, Mr. and Mrs. Granville,” says the friendly hotel worker as they pass our room key to Milo.
“Thank you,” he says, not bothering to correct them.
The erroneous assumption makes me smile.
Mrs. Granville. I like the sound of that.
I don’t say that, of course.
Even though I feel like a permanent fixture in Milo’s life and I’d marry him tomorrow if he asked me to, we haven’t really been dating for long and we’re certainly not married.
We haven’t even had sex yet.
But that’s why we’re here.
I mean, the official story is that he just wanted to bring me on vacation for a mental reset now that the dust has settled back home, but I know Milo was determined to give me a special, romantic first time. I know he tried to talk himself out of it a time or two, but between my body’s rebellion and his stubbornness, it never happened.
Booking this trip is doing things his way, and I’m more than happy to come along wherever he wants to take me.
I’ve never even been on a real vacation before, so to be on one like this is crazy to me.
Our resort is right on the ocean. When we walk through the immaculate lobby to an open-air walkway, I can smell the salty ocean breeze.
I reach down and take Milo’s free hand with mine as we wheel our luggage behind us. “I can’t believe we’re really here.”
He gives my hand a squeeze, looking over and smiling faintly at my excitement. Nodding his head to the right, he indicates a path lined with tropical plants. “That’s where we’ll come to get our massages tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait. And we have to check out that bar right on the beach. And the pool! And the restaurant. I want that steak dish with the pineapple that we saw on the website. That looked incredible.”
“Well, we have all week. There’s plenty of time to check every item off your vacation to-do list.”
Since I’m the only one who has been rattling off all the things I want to do while we’re here, I look over at him. “What’s on yours?”
He smirks. “You.”
I roll my eyes indulgently. “Well, yeah, obviously. What else?”
“You again. And again. And again. You get the idea.”
I sigh happily. “I love vacation.”
When we get to the room, I’m so excited to check it out. Milo didn’t show me any pictures of it because he wanted me to be surprised by at least some of the things on this trip, and boy, am I.
This is nothing like any hotel room I’ve ever seen before. It’s like a house.
When we walk through the front door, there’s a gleaming marble floor with plush rugs under the furniture, white columns, and posh lighting fixtures. It’s open floor plan with a kitchen to our right, a dining area across from it, and a living room right in front of us with windows that stretch all the way down to the floor so that whole wall is gorgeous ocean views.
“Holy crap.”
Milo chuckles, lightly grabbing my waist and hauling me toward the hallway between the kitchen and dining room.
The bedroom and bathroom are this way.
He pushes open a gleaming door to reveal a lovely bedroom dressed in creams and golds. It’s on the left side, so the far wall is floor-to-ceiling windows with an ocean view like the main living area. I can see through the sliding door that we also have a balcony with a table and two chairs, perfect for an intimate breakfast with a breathtaking view of the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea.