Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54886 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54886 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
I didn’t need to think.
I already knew.
I knocked on her door at nine o’clock that night. I heard light footsteps, and she opened the door, surprised. Her hair was up, and she was dressed in fuzzy pants and a long sweatshirt. Warm socks were on her feet. She looked adorable.
“Asher?” she asked, confused.
“I’ve been thinking,” I said.
“I see.” She chewed on her lip. “Did you want to come in and tell me your thoughts, or did you come to say goodbye?”
I stepped into the apartment. “I came to share.”
“Okay.”
She had the tree lights on, quiet music playing, and a book was open on the sofa. A mug of something warm steamed on the coffee table.
“AJ asleep?”
“He conked out about twenty minutes ago.”
“Am I interrupting your quiet time?” I had a feeling she didn’t get much of that.
“I don’t mind,” she replied. “I was going to read a bit and take some calls. I can put it off.”
“Take some calls?”
“I work for a customer call center. I usually try to do a couple of hours in the evenings and the morning before AJ gets up.”
“And you work all day?”
“Yeah.” She shrugged as if it was nothing. “The more calls I log, the more I make. It helps me give AJ a few treats in the year and a nice Christmas.”
I stared at her in wonder. Then suddenly, she was in my arms and my mouth covered hers. I pulled her tight to my chest. She flung her arms around my neck, returning my passion with her own. She tasted of the tea she had been sipping and something I couldn’t identify. Something uniquely her. Despite the difference in our heights, she fit against me well, her curves molding to my hardness. She made a low noise in her throat as I deepened the kiss, exploring her, discovering all the sweetness of her sexy mouth. She gripped my hair, played with the ends, and ran her tongue along mine, making me shiver. I ended up on the sofa, her on my lap, as our kisses became frantic. She straddled me, impatiently pushing off my coat so I felt the heat of her skin through the thin layers that separated us. I lost myself to her. To everything about her. The weight of her on my lap, the press of her mouth on mine, the feel of her nipples grazing my chest. How my cock felt trapped between us. I knew we had to stop soon or we would cross a line neither of us was ready for. But I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t break away from the wonder of her mouth. The warmth of her embrace.
Until the plaintive sound of her son’s voice cut through the fog that had surrounded us.
“Momma!”
She pushed off me, scrambling from my lap. I hated the cold feeling that flooded me without her warmth. Her eyes were wide and startled, her hair messy from my hands, and she was adorably rumpled.
Her gaze strayed to me then snapped back as a second summons was called. She hurried away, and I let my head fall to my chest with a low groan.
I hadn’t planned on walking in here and mauling her like a college frat boy. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her all day. The whole time I dealt with a client, I thought about her. Her smile. Her beautiful eyes. That wild hair. How it felt under my fingers. How soft her skin was. What a wonderful mother she was to her son. How awesome I thought AJ was. The fact that we shared the same name.
I thought about her until I had no choice but to come see her and ask her out again.
Until my body took over my mind and all that mattered was getting her close. I pushed off the sofa, rolling my shoulders and willing my body back under control.
I had only met her that morning, for Christ’s sake. Why was I feeling so strongly about her? Why was she filling my every thought?
I blew out a long breath. I needed to get myself under control.
Now.
ROSIE
I smoothed the blanket over AJ’s shoulder, stroking the hair back from his forehead. He often called out to me not long after falling asleep. It had been that way since he was able to say “Momma.” As if he needed to feel me close before drifting into his deep sleep.
I was normally prepared for it.
But not tonight.
Tonight, I had been locked in Asher’s arms. Drowning in his taste. Reveling in his touch.
I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror that hung on the wall across from AJ’s bed. My lips were swollen and red. My hair was messy. My eyes were wide, and I looked as if I had been thoroughly kissed.
And I had.
My God, that man’s mouth.