Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Dane: I guess that depends.
My heartbeat picks up, and my hand shakes as I hold my phone, trying to decide how to respond.
Josie: Depends on what?
Dane: Depends on why you’re texting . . .
My breathing comes out in heavy pants. Now what do I say? I stare at the message. Does he want me to say something innocent? Or is he angling for something else? Something daring.
Or I can just lay myself out there.
Josie: I want to see you.
The phone rattles in my hand. I can’t believe I put myself out there like this. Now I have to wait and see if he rejects me.
This is the worst idea I’ve ever had.
Why do I do this to myself?
The waiting feels like agony.
Dane: Then the answer is always yes.
A burst of energy flows through my body. Always yes. My pulse picks up until the blood is pounding so hard in my veins I might pass out.
Dane: When?
Wait, what? He just asked when. He wants to see me too.
Well, actually, he never said that, but it’s implied . . . right?
My heart hammers in my chest.
What does this mean? It means nothing, dummy. He wants to sleep with me again. Nothing more. Stop getting worked up. This will never be anything more than a forbidden love affair I’ll always have in my memory.
Josie: Today.
Dane: Tonight.
Josie: Okay.
Dane: I’ll send you the address.
And he does.
This is a bad idea. I’ll most likely get hurt, yet despite the impending doom that’s settled in my gut, I can’t find it in me to care.
I’d rather feel the pain than never feel at all.
38
JOSIE
Hours later, I’m driving to the address he gave me. The day went by pretty fast. I kept busy researching social media accounts for other sports teams to see what they were doing for marketing. I didn’t limit myself to just hockey but did a deep dive into all sports—soccer, football, and hell, I even looked up rugby even though I know nothing about the sport.
After I was done, I read, my personal favorite being fantasy romances, usually with an ancient Greek twist.
A laugh bubbles, no time to think about that right now, I need to focus on tonight and not on the book I’m reading.
I’m wearing a short floral dress. It’s innocent yet sexy, the perfect combo for a night in at his place.
For some reason, I’m nervous.
This isn’t the first time we’ve been alone together, but it’s the first time it’s planned.
It’s been spontaneous every time we’ve been together, but not this time. Will that ruin the excitement?
Or will he rip off my clothes?
My stomach tightens as his house appears in front of me.
It’s a large, beautiful, modern white house with floor-to-ceiling windows and no soul.
It’s so different from my father’s house, the type of house where you can raise a family. A bitter barb jumps onto my tongue, but I push it back. Tonight isn’t about my father.
It’s about Dane and me, so despite my curiosity about the cold nature of his house, I push the thoughts away.
Once I’ve pulled up to where the front door is, I throw my car in park and head toward it.
The soles of my shoes click on the stairs as I go to knock on the front door. Hand raised, I don’t even get to knock before it’s being opened.
Dane stands in front of me, hair still wet from a shower, in a thermal shirt and jeans. I can smell the faint scent of soap . . . it smells so good; I want to burrow myself into his neck.
Damn.
He looks good.
Tall and handsome.
A five-o’clock shadow dusts his face.
Despite being in his house, he still appears grumpy, with no smile on his face.
He steps back and allows me to enter, and when I do, I let out a small gasp. This place is gorgeous. It’s large and open.
Dane steps up to me, and I step back.
That makes him smirk, and I raise an eyebrow at him. “What?”
“Now that you’re here, are you going to play this game?”
“And what game is that?”
“That you don’t want to come all over my cock.”
I open my mouth to say something, but before I can get the words out, he pulls me toward him. Then his lips find mine.
He kisses me as if I’m water and he’s been in a desert. He devours me. Plunders my mouth with his tongue. I sink against him, letting him take over and guide me.
I’m putty in his hands, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
He pulls away, taking a step back. “Let’s get a drink and go over some ground rules.”
I roll my eyes. “And there he is again.”
“Who?”
“Mr. Grumpy Pants.”
He throws his head back and laughs, a sound I don’t hear often, and it warms my belly.
The sound is so beautiful I vow to always try to make him laugh. “Well, we can’t all be hellfire, can we?”