Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Yep.” My reply is clipped, and I take a deep breath. I don’t want to be an ass to her.
“You sure?”
I exhale slowly. “Yeah, just been a long day.” That has to be the reason I’m being so territorial over her. She’s in town to help her grandmother, and she’s recently divorced. She doesn’t need Archer sniffing around.
“I think this is it.” She stops in front of a door. I watch as she enters the code into the keyless lock. It beeps and the small light flashes green. Pushing open the door, she hesitantly takes a step. She feels around on the wall, taking a step farther, and yelps.
On instinct, my hands reach for her, pulling her back against my chest. “I’ve got you,” I tell her. She’s breathing hard. The sound of her heavy breaths fills the darkened room.
“I’m sorry. I was looking for the light and… I tripped and… I’m so embarrassed.”
“Don’t be.” My arm is snaked around the front of her body, holding her to me. I can’t help but notice that she’s a perfect fit. Her body molds to mine as if she were made to be right where she is.
She releases a long shuddering breath, and her shoulders relax. “Thank you for saving me.”
She moves as if she wants out of my arms, but no way am I letting her go, not knowing what’s surrounding us. “Stay,” I whisper, my lips next to her ear. I feel her body shudder, and my cock thickens. Knowing that I need to get myself together, I place my hands on her hips to steady her. I keep one there while the other searches the wall for the light switch.
“Found it,” I tell her, flipping the switch. The room illuminates with a soft glow, and she turns to smile up at me. My heart stalls in my chest. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. Her big brown eyes have this sparkle to them when she smiles, and I instantly want to know what they look like when she gets off. Do they sparkle, or are they filled with heat and desire? And her lips, are they as soft as they appear? I squeeze her hip, sliding an arm around her waist as I bite down on my cheek to keep myself from bending my head and finding out.
“Thank you.” Her smile is bright, and her cheeks are flushed. I can’t help but wonder if that’s the embarrassment or if I have that effect on her. I hope like hell it’s the latter. Does she flush like that everywhere? My eyes dart to her chest. She’s completely covered, but my imagination is vivid when it comes to her, and I can see her in my mind. Her chest flushed, nipples tight.
“What are we looking for?” I ask, trying to control the urge to kiss her while pushing the images of her naked to the back of my mind. This is not the time. It’s been years since a woman has had this effect on me. Hell, I don’t know that I’ve ever had this reaction to anyone before her. Instant and blazing hot. I push it down and try to pretend I don’t want her.
“Grandma said there would be freezer buckets to store ice for drinks.” She steps over the box that almost tripped her and scans the room. “There.” She points at the top shelf, where two black buckets with lids sit.
Stretching her arms above her head, she attempts to reach them. Moving quickly, I step behind her, once again aligning her back to my front. “Let me,” I say, my voice husky. Kennedy falls back to her feet, which places her body even closer to mine. She’s trapped in front of me while I work on bringing the first bucket down from the shelf.
Snaking my arm around her waist, I hold her close. I can feel a slight tremble in her body, and it causes my cock to twitch behind my zipper. It’s been a long damn time since I’ve let myself be this close to a woman.
I place the first bucket on the floor next to my feet and reach for the other one, all while she’s trapped in front of me. “Now what?” I ask once I have the second bucket off the shelf.
Instead of releasing her, I wrap both arms around her waist. She leans into my touch, and fuck that does something to me. My heart begins to thunder erratically in my chest, as I watch her chest rise and fall with each heavy breath.
I don’t know what I’m doing, she’s not mine. However, right now, here in this small storage closet she feels as if she is.
“Declan.” She breathes my name, and my control is ready to snap. I want nothing more than to strip her bare and fuck her against the door. Instead, I focus on controlling that urge, and whisper, “Careful. We can’t have you falling.” I play it off as if I was protecting her, and I was, and I still am. From me. If given the chance I would devour her.