Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 117201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
“Yes, I wear mittens,” she said. “They’re superior to gloves.”
“How? There’s no finger mobility. You’re basically a lobster.”
Did she have any idea that her smile was causing a volcanic eruption in his chest?
“Because you can wave like this,” she responded, demonstrating a four-finger wave that was so fucking cute, he needed to lie down.
“That’s the only reason?” he rasped. “Waving?”
“And your fingers stay warmer, because of the body heat. They’re like little people in there, huddling together to survive a storm.”
“I don’t want to think of my fingers as people.”
Her giggle ripped a hole in his throat. “You’re missing out,” she said firmly. “You need to try mittens, Burgess.” His grumble only made her smile broaden. “I can’t believe we’re talking about outerwear while standing in the middle of a Central American jungle.”
“We’re not built for this climate. I sweated through my shirt before I even made it to your room this morning.”
Tallulah’s gaze tracked down his bare chest and stomach, unmistakable lust flaring in the depths of her eyes before she shot them down to the ground. “Oh, that’s why you were disrobing when I opened the door? I thought it was to tempt me.”
Burgess firmed in his board shorts, the moisture drying up in his mouth. So, she still wanted to fuck him, even though it made moving on harder? That might excite him, ply him with satisfaction and gratitude, but he wouldn’t be laying a finger on her. He wouldn’t be the reason she turned into her own worst enemy. Still, he couldn’t quite stop himself from making the situation worse, because he wanted to be inside her more than he wanted to live for tomorrow’s sunrise. And that would be his continuous state until his dying day. “I’m pretty sure you’re the temptation with those little yellow strings hanging out of your shorts, gorgeous.”
A long slide of muscle worked in her graceful throat as she swallowed, eyes closing, as if to savor the intimate turn of the conversation. “It occurred to me on the ride here that this bathing suit is probably not built for cliff diving, but in my defense, I didn’t know we were having an outdoor adventure day when I packed. And it’s the only one I brought with me.”
“I’ll go first. If it comes off when you jump, I’ll shield you and we’ll find the bathing suit together. Shouldn’t be that hard since it’s bright yellow, right?” Something possessive and heavy welled in his chest and it wouldn’t remain trapped inside. “I don’t give a fuck if we’re together or not,” he rasped. “No one but me is seeing you naked.”
Burgess never found out how she might have responded, because Apollo rode into the clearing on an ATV, the churn of the engine splitting the morning serenity in half. “Well, what do you know? You both survived.”
It seemed to cost Tallulah an effort to drag her attention off Burgess, but he wasn’t going to read into that. Or anything she’d said about bikinis or temptation. He’d hurt her too much for her to recover. That’s what she’d said, plainly, and that sentiment was echoing in his ears even now. His possessiveness of this woman had caused him to slip, but that wouldn’t be happening again. Unless, of course, someone else tried to see her naked. In which case, he’d rip the sun down out of the sky, so it would be too dark for anyone to see her.
“Yes, we did,” Tallulah said, giving Apollo a quick smile. “I guess we’ll be adding to your collection of five-star Tripadvisor reviews.”
“Of course they’re all five stars,” Burgess said. “The people who didn’t survive aren’t alive to leave one-star ratings.”
Apollo threw back his head and laughed. “Dead men tell no tales.”
Tallulah coughed. “Feeling less confident in this cliff jump.”
“Ah, come on, it’s going to be just as safe as the zip line.” Ozzie rode up on another ATV. “Let’s get to the jump spot early. Around lunchtime, it gets too busy. Each of you hop on the back of—”
“Nope,” Burgess clipped. So much for keeping his possessiveness at bay. “She rides with me. I made it through her turn on the zip line, but I need to build back some mental stamina before she jumps off a fucking cliff.” He shook his head. “That’s not going to happen if she’s on the back of a different ATV.”
Ozzie and Apollo traded an amused glance.
“Do you know how to drive one of these things, boss?” Apollo asked.
“I know how to drive a snowmobile. Same principle.”
“If you say so.” Ozzie sighed, climbing off his ATV and getting on behind Apollo. “Are you coming, Tallulah?”
Burgess looked down at Tallulah to find her staring at him strangely.
Of course she was. They’d broken up and he was still acting like he had some kind of claim on her. “Protecting you is a habit,” he said, the back of his neck extra warm. “I guess I’m not going to be able to break it so easily.”