Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 59701 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59701 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
“You reminded me that I’m less than.”
“No, I invited my parents to come and meet you. Clearly, I went about it all wrong. I should have told you.”
“Yeah, you should have. I know this isn’t permanent, and who knows, a few months from now, this won’t matter, but I deserve to see your royal parents with dignity.”
“This matters.” I move in and cup her cheek. “How can you think that this won’t matter? Have I given you the impression that this is a fling for me? That you’re some kind of paramour?”
“No.” She swallows hard as her pulse hammers in her delicate throat.
I lean in and press my lips there and feel her soften against me. I drag my nose up to her ear and lick her earlobe.
Lifting her easily, I stride into the bedroom and make quick work of our clothes. My hand immediately finds her naked pussy, and I push my fingers inside of her.
“Oh, God,” she moans, lifting her hips in invitation.
“This is mine, Aspen.” I press my thumb to her clit and watch as she quickly falls into an orgasm. “Mine.”
She grabs onto my arm, her short nails digging into my flesh as she writhes beneath me.
How can she think that she doesn’t matter? Everything I’ve done over the past month, every decision I’ve made, has been with her in mind. She is the best part of my life. She’s become the single reason I get out of bed each morning.
“You don’t just matter,” I murmur as I protect us both and then slide inside her, seating myself balls-deep. “You’re everything, Aspen, and I’ll spend every minute of each day reminding you, convincing you, if I have to.”
She lifts her legs, wraps them around me, and holds me close as I move faster and faster, chasing the climax I feel gathering in my balls. Jesus, I never stop craving her.
I link my fingers with hers and watch her beautiful face as I fall over the edge into paradise.
When I’ve caught my breath enough to speak, I press a kiss to her temple. “Tonight won’t happen again, love.”
“Thank you.” She brushes her fingers through my hair. “And, Callum, you’re everything for me, too. Which is one of the reasons I was so mortified today. I want to make you proud. I never want to embarrass you.”
“You don’t embarrass me,” I assure her. “But I’ll also make sure you always have the tools in your arsenal to be comfortable and confident.”
“That’s all I ask,” she says. “Well, that and I could use some sleep.”
“I can’t promise sleep.” I grin and roll us onto our sides, facing each other, still connected. Her eyes widen.
“Already?”
“I’ll never get enough of you.”
* * *
“I need your help.” I’m standing in Monica’s beauty salon before they open for the day, watching as she and Natasha place clean towels in a rack above the hair washing bowls.
Monica raises a brow. “You need our help?”
“That’s right.”
“I can’t wait to hear this,” Natasha says and sits on one of the chairs. “How can we help? If you’re about to ask how to dump Aspen gently, I’ll remove your genitalia.”
I wince. “Not where I’m going with this.”
“Good. Proceed.”
“Did Aspen mention to you that I bought us a trip to Fiji when we attended the benefit together?”
“She mentioned it,” Monica replies.
“Well, I want to take her. In three days.”
“You move fast,” Natasha says.
“She has new employees that she trusts, and I know Gretchen can handle things for a while,” I say.
“You pay attention,” Monica says, nodding. “I agree, the café is covered, and if they need any help, I can step in. Natasha and I have both helped out from time to time.”
“She’s right,” Natasha says, “the café won’t be an issue, once you talk her into it. She’s a bit of a workaholic, so getting her on a plane might be tough.”
“Well, I’m planning to propose while we’re there, so it needs to happen.”
Both women smile at me as if I just proposed to them.
“That’s so romantic,” Monica says.
“Just the sweetest thing ever,” Natasha agrees. “You love her. Oh my God, I’m so happy for her.”
“I’d like to take her away, have a holiday, and ask her to marry me. We will most likely go to England for a few days before we come back here.”
“We’ve got this,” Monica assures me. “You just tell her, don’t surprise her because she’ll want to make sure everything is squared away at Drips, and we’ll do the rest.”
“Oh, trust me, I’ve learned my lesson with surprises. I’ll speak with her this evening. Thank you, ladies.”
“I can’t wait to hear everything,” Monica says. “We’ll plan a girls’ night for when you get back.”
I laugh and walk out of the salon, with David right behind me, and saunter down the block toward Drips & Sips. I make a quick stop at Brooke’s Blooms, buy a bouquet of pink roses, and then walk into the café where I see Aspen glaring at a man from across the counter.