Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
I tried to keep my expression neutral, but tension filled my muscles. Was she even eighteen?
Questions hovered in my mind, one of which I tried extremely hard to ignore because it would make me face just how depraved I truly was. My instincts screamed that this girl belonged to me, and that her age was just a number. But what if she wasn’t legally an adult? Would that stop me from taking her?
My hands itched to grab her and run, giving me my answer. Fuck.
When she was only a couple of feet away, she stopped and smiled shyly. And…holy fucking shit was I screwed…two deep dimples dug into her cheeks. My heart skipped a beat, and my cock twitched. Normally, it wouldn't be a painful reaction, but I was so damn hard that any movement against my sensitive shaft was extremely uncomfortable.
“Hello.” Her voice was soft and sweet, spreading warmth through my chest and a tingling in my balls.
“Hello,” I responded, forcing myself to sound normal and not demand to know her name, how old she was, if she had a boyfriend—and if so, where they lived so I could kill him—and…if she was as innocent as she looked. As seductive as her movements were, they were not practiced, and her smile was genuine. I was willing to bet that she had no idea of her effect on men. “I haven’t seen you here before,” I said, fishing for information.
She shrugged. “My house is in East Hampton. I’m just visiting with some friends over here.”
The Hamptons were a relatively small place. Even so, my house was in Southampton, and I didn’t often make my way up to her neck of the woods.
I glanced around, wondering if said friends would be running down the beach at any moment to steal my girl away from me. “They didn’t want to take a walk with you?”
Her dimples popped again when her lips curled up. “I just finished the last of my finals and wanted to enjoy a little solitude after cramming so hard. Last semester ended up being the hardest out of all four years at college.”
“Congratulations,” I said with a grin.
College? Thank fuck. I was relieved to hear that, yet I couldn’t seem to get over how young she looked. Especially when she blushed at my comment.
“Thank you.”
I scratched my beard and watched her for another second. “You look so young. I would have guessed that you’d just graduated high school.”
Her answering laughter was pretty, like the tinkling of a little bell on a cat’s collar. “I get that a lot. Especially because it’s true.” Then she shook her head and added, “The young part, not the high school part.”
I was confused. “Pardon?”
“Sorry, I’m not being very clear, am I? I graduated high school when I was fourteen and started college the next fall.” She grinned and leaned forward as if to tell me a secret, her eyes twinkling merrily. “As my sister puts it, I’m wicked smart.” She giggled as she put her weight back on her heels.
I chuckled and relaxed as I did the math. “Done with college at eighteen? I’d say so.” She was still too fucking young for me, but I had already ceased to care. She was mine, and I wouldn't let anything stand in the way of keeping her.
“Now I just need to decide what I want to do with my degree.” Surprisingly, she didn’t seem at all excited about the prospect.
I almost blurted that whatever she decided, it would have to be in New York City because I intended to move her in the second we returned. And I wanted to tell her that I’d support whatever job she wanted as long as she could do it while she was giving me babies.
Instead, I casually asked, “What was your major?”
My little kitten blushed adorably and looked up at me through her lashes. “Foreign language, literature, and linguistics,” she replied softly.
I cocked my head to the side and stuffed my hands in the pockets of my jeans so I wouldn’t touch her just yet. “Why does that embarrass you, kitten? That’s not an easy subject. You should be proud of yourself.”
“I am…it’s…just…” she sighed and bit her lip. It was sexy as fuck, but it also made my teeth ache with the desire to nibble on that plump lip. “Um, I actually chose it because I knew I’d be able to use it in jobs that would allow me to work from home.”
The potential meaning in her choice had excitement coursing through my veins. “You want to be home with your family?” I guessed, not bothering to hide the satisfaction in my tone.
Her expression was curious when she raised her head to look directly into my face. “Yes.”
“I think that’s admirable.”
She lost some of her tension and smiled at me before her expression turned wistful. “Thank you. I love kids, and I come from a large family. It’s loud and crazy and so amazing that I want one of my own.” She paused, her green pools filled with a dreamy mist. Then suddenly, her lips flattened, and she cast her eyes down, swallowing hard. “Does your…um…wife stay home with your kids?”