Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
“I guess we could tell them to start without us,” I gasped as he started to play with my nipples.
“I already did,” he said with a grin.
“You think of everything, don’t you,” I said appreciatively as I slid my arms around his neck and inhaled. I loved the smell of him. Clean soap and something was just all him. My dear, sweet, manly husband.
“When it comes to getting my woman alone, I will do anything. You know this, wife.”
“It’s one of your best qualities, husband.”
He lowered his head to my lips and we stopped talking. We were only twenty minutes late for dinner. I had to beg him to be quick. He only agreed when I promised him more fun after the kids were down for the night.
It was past midnight when I finally closed my eyes that night, but as usual, I was smiling.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Drake
I looked around and assessed the situation. My mission was on track. I had a checklist and I was nearly done. Pre-visualization was a vital component of achieving a successful outcome.
Twinkling lights. Check.
Table and chairs. Check.
Candles stuck in old wine bottles. Check.
Actual wine. Check.
Mae had hooked me up. I was on the rooftop of the diner, getting ready for my date with Dana. I was fucking nervous. It killed me admitting that to myself. I was never nervous.
I had faced down combat with less nerves than I was feeling getting ready for this date.
I did not want to fuck this up.
I could not fuck this up.
It wasn’t all that different when it boiled down to it. This was life or death to me. But my body wasn’t in danger. Only my heart was.
If I had imagined some poor sap feeling like this even a few months ago I would have laughed my ass off. If me from the past decade had seen my own damned self standing on the rooftop of Mae’s, hanging string lights, setting a table, and rubbing my sweaty palms on my sparkling clean jeans, I would have never believed it. I would have said it was Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
But it was real. It was me. And doing something sweet for Dana felt so good. More than good. It felt magical.
Goddamn, I was already whipped and I hadn’t taken her to bed yet. I didn’t give a damn. I wasn’t ashamed. I wanted to shout to the rooftops that she was my girl. That I was her man.
And I was going to keep her forever, dammit.
My phone alarm pinged. It was time for Whiskey and Becky to drop Dana off. If all went well tonight she was bringing a bag to stay at my place. Permanently, if I had anything to say about it.
I was already working on plans for a house we could build together. This was just another step towards my ultimate goal: to claim and keep her for my own. Forever.
She knew I wanted to be with her. She was on the same page, as far as I knew. She hadn’t been looking for a man, but I knew she loved me.
She just hadn’t said it yet.
Basically at this point, I just had to not fuck this up. My plan was to wine and dine her, charm her, and take her home. That’s when the true test would begin. I would not push her to go any father than she was ready to go. I would not dive between her legs or bury myself inside her for days, weeks, years. I would not do anything I wanted to do. I would resist. I would fight my body’s instincts. I would suffer to prove how much I loved her.
Slow and steady, buddy, I reminded myself.
It would be heaven having her in my bed all night. It would be hell, holding her and not taking her. But that is what it was going to take. I would walk over hot coals for her.
I would do anything to be with her.
Anything at all.
I ran down the metal staircase to the parking lot and waited for Whiskey’s SUV. I was getting my own soon. I was getting a whole lot of things soon.
All of it for her.
I watched eagerly as Whiskey and Becky drove up in separate cars. They had loaded up a few things from Dana’s apartment and kept watch over her. He was leaving me with the packed SUV for the night so we could transfer some more of Dana’s belongings to my apartment. Then Becks would drive him home.
All of this was running through my head as Whiskey climbed out of the car and shook his head at me. He had a funny look on his face. Almost like… he felt sorry for me.
“Here’s the keys, man,” he said, handing them over. “Get ready.”
“Ready for what?”
He just shook his head again.