Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 111038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
God.
That hurt.
My chest felt ripped open.
Saying those words, hearing them, I was embarrassed.
“Hey.” He leaned back, tipping my head up. His eyes were fierce, his mouth set in a determined line. “The teacher thing is messed up. You know that wasn’t your fault. Right?”
I nodded. “I know.”
But the effect didn’t go away.
He sighed. “You’re not saying, but I can only imagine what the others said to you, and I’m sorry. I’m really sorry you went through that.” He cupped the side of my face and leaned forward, his forehead resting against mine. “I can’t speak for what happened to you in the past, but I can speak for now. I will be a dick. Okay? Like, full disclosure here. I know I will be a dick, because I just am. I will try not to be. I never want to hurt you, but it’s my default setting. So far I’m not that guy with you, and I will always try to be better. I’m sure I’ll slip and the D will come out. Having said that, I’m an honest dick, so if I skate on you or leave you and you’re feeling your stuff about me, ask me. Okay? I will be honest. You never have to worry or wonder where I am. I’m brutally honest, though maybe that’s a good thing with you and me, huh?”
I grasped his wrist. My heart pounding harder, more sure. “Do you promise? You’ll always be honest?”
“I will, even if it hurts you. I’ll be honest.”
He wasn’t telling me pretty, fake words. He wasn’t saying he’d always be there for me. He wasn’t saying he’d never leave, but honesty was big. I could work with honesty. I could handle the truth, no matter how much his answer might hurt.
I breathed out a shaky breath. “You can’t ghost me.”
“I won’t do that. I promise. Call, text, and if I’m able, I will respond. I can promise you that much.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
His thumb traced my bottom lip. His other hand had remained between our bodies, resting just inside my jeans, and now he began tracing under my thong. He had me squirming within a beat, and he grinned, leaning forward to nip at my lips.
He groaned. “I think I’m obsessed with your body.”
I let out an abrupt laugh. He’d said he’d be honest. But I could handle that, and I stopped thinking, closing the distance until my mouth was over his. He maneuvered himself to lie on top of me, and I liked it.
Oh yes. I liked this a whole lot.
21
Blaise
This was ridiculous. I was a horny guy in heat, like, twenty-four-seven.
I couldn’t even take my girl—and I couldn’t believe I was already calling her that—to dinner at a restaurant.
I wanted to touch her all the time.
I wanted to kiss her all the time.
I wanted in her pants super bad, but I was also enjoying just giving her lots of orgasms.
We did actually make it to her camping store later, and I loved that she was looking for a security system, because that meant she was thinking of my concern. But I was also distracted every time she made a sound.
She was cute.
Every new item she saw, she fell in love with, and my dick tried to grow into its own zip code. Every time she smiled, even when she was confused by something, she was adorable. She looked amazing walking around in those tight jeans, her simple tank, and I knew how those nipples tasted and felt. I could see they were hard for me, and every time I saw another guy checking her out, I gave him the look I reserved for people I wanted to murder. She couldn’t figure out why no store attendants came over to help her. They were all dudes, and they weren’t stupid. They saw how I wanted to rip their heads off.
Smart little fuckers, they were.
I was trying to be a good guy. I could’ve pulled her back to my Wagon, driven her somewhere, and had her moaning for me, but nope—a full date. That’s what I wanted to give her. So after the store, we went to dinner.
And I was in agony.
She was currently rubbing my lap under the table, and this time, she knew the torture she was putting me through. She soaked it up, and I wanted to soak her up, but that would be later. When I leaned over and whispered that promise to her, she blushed, and I kept hearing this weird thunking sound in my chest, like something twisted up in me was falling into place.
It scared the shit out of me, but not enough to end this date. Never enough for that.
After dinner, Aspen wanted to go to a bookstore, so we hit one up. We held hands. And she showed me the romance book aisle. Her favorite.