Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
She covered my hand with hers, the palm warm and soft against my skin. Our eyes locked, and the tension between us mounted again.
“I want to kiss you.”
“Is something stopping you?” she murmured.
I closed the distance between us, covering her mouth with mine. I slid my tongue between her open lips and groaned at the taste of her. I cupped the back of her head, weaving my fingers into her rich mass of hair, the silkiness of it heavy in my hand. I tilted her head back, diving deeper into her sweet mouth, exploring it. I hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her onto my lap. She draped her arms around my shoulders, kissing me back with the same intensity I was showing her. She tugged at my hair, played with the strands at the back and slid her fingers along my neck, making me shudder. I delved my hands under her shirt, ghosting up her back, feeling the delicate structure of her spine under my fingers. The heat of her skin, the velvetiness of it. I wanted to feel her completely bare and pressed against me toe to chest. I was lost in a vortex of sensation. Her on my lap, my cock pressed between us. Her breasts rubbing against my chest. The heat of her soaking into my skin. The scent of her swirling around me. The sweetness of her mouth and the sensual drag of her tongue on mine.
I wanted her. More than I could ever remember wanting another woman.
Then her phone rang, the ringtone blaring out in the room, startling us. We separated, our breathing heavy, our eyes wild.
“That’s Andi,” she said. “If I don’t answer—”
“Get it.”
She crawled off my lap, answering brightly. “Hi.”
She listened for a moment, tugging a hand through her heavy hair. “No, I’m good. Just getting ready for bed.”
I stood, walking away from her. I walked onto her balcony, overlooking the pool. The area was mostly deserted, the night air cool on my skin. I sucked in some much-needed oxygen, allowing my body to calm. Mila joined me, standing to one side.
“On her way back?”
“Soon.”
“I should go.”
She hesitated. “Yes, I suppose so.”
Her hand was resting on the balcony railing. I covered it with mine, squeezing it. “You need to rest.”
She nodded, and with a groan, I turned and pulled her into my arms. I held her tightly, loving the way she burrowed into me as if she belonged there. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Shortcake. And we’ll figure out where we go from here.”
“Are we going anywhere?”
“If you want. You can decide.”
She tilted back her head. “What do you want?”
I was honest. “You. Any way I can get you. As a friend. A mentor. A strictly professional level.” I paused. “A wholly unprofessional level. Your lover. Whatever you want.”
She blinked, not speaking. I pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I repeated. “Sleep well.”
Walking away from her was the hardest thing I had done in a very long time. I stopped at the door and looked over my shoulder. She had followed me inside and was by the balcony door, the lights behind her, casting her in a burnished glow. I was certain I had never seen anything as beautiful as she was right at that moment. Her hair was a mess from my hands, her lips swollen and her cheeks pink. Unable to help myself, I lifted my phone and took a photo.
Then I winked and left.
I had a feeling sleep wasn’t going to be what was happening when I returned to my room.
Not for a long time.
CHAPTER NINE
MILA
I watched the sun come up, the light hitting the water in the pool. The sunrises here were different from back home, the colors more yellow and orange than in Port Albany. I missed the pinks and purples that were so prevalent there. I rested my arms on the balcony railing, feeling nostalgic. I missed home.
I hadn’t slept well again. Andi had made me relax all day once we’d gotten back from the studio after the incident, so I wasn’t tired. I had done some writing, but my mind wasn’t on the story. It was somewhere else in this hotel—on Nicholas.
Some of the words he’d said stuck with me. Echoed in my head.
“You’ll get tired of me, Mila. Everyone does.”
On occasion, I caught true sadness in his eyes. Heard it in his voice. I wanted to ask him, but I wasn’t sure I should. If he would tell me.
But I knew there was more to Nicholas Scott than he let people see. There was something deep and profound in his expression. His voice. Something he kept hidden.
I wondered if he had anyone to talk to about it.
I ran a hand through my hair. I had no idea how he would act around me today. How I would react to seeing him. What last night meant—if anything.