Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“Talk to me. Please.”
Matt couldn’t refuse her anything. “About what?”
“Anything.”
“Okay.” Naked, he sank to the floor beside the tub and took her hand. “Got a subject in mind?”
“Um…what did you want to be when you grew up? Rock star? Astronaut?” She pushed her finger under the brim of his hat, tilting it back on his head. “Cowboy?”
“I wanted to play hockey. I lived for winters, and I loved skating. I was big for my age, fast, and competitive.”
She gaped, looking pleasantly surprised. “I didn’t know you could ice skate. That’s something I’ve never even tried. Not a lot of call for that growing up here. Gator wrestling, maybe…”
Matt shuddered. “Pass.”
“Same.” She laughed.
“So, what did you want to be?” he asked, enjoying the frivolous conversation, like they didn’t have a care in the world, soothing. “A model? An actress? An influencer?”
“God, no. I don’t like people gawking at me. It’s one reason I dreaded all the stuffy events the Pershings dragged me to, especially while Todd and I were engaged. I felt like a doll on constant display. I was scrutinized and judged. I knew some people thought I wasn’t good enough for Winston Pershing’s golden-boy grandson because I hadn’t come from a blue-blood family or gone to the right schools. Heck, a few even suggested my accent made me unacceptable.”
“They’re assholes. You barely have one. Besides, I think yours is sexy.”
She flushed while she splashed warm water all over her body until she glistened in the morning sun. “You think most of me is sexy.”
“No. I think all of you is sexy, honey. Everything about you.” He curled his hand around her nape and brought her in for a kiss. “Every single thing.”
“Hmm. You might be biased.”
“Oh, well.” He shrugged. “What did you want to be?”
“A teacher. I love kids.” She sighed. “I miss the classroom. Winston insisted I stop teaching shortly after Todd and I got engaged. He said I would be a better ambassador for education. What he meant was that I should suck the asses of rich people who cared about shaping education to fit their agendas so they would donate to his campaign.”
Matt scowled. “He wasn’t up for re-election that year.”
“He hasn’t had to actively campaign since I’ve known him. But politicians are always running for re-election. I’d love it if he lost this November, but polls say he’s leading by ten points. Not as far ahead as past cycles, but I doubt he’s in any danger of going down. That’s another reason he’s so powerful. He’ll probably die in that seat, and he knows it.”
“Don’t lose hope. The election is months away. Anything could happen.”
“No, it can’t.” Her expression begged him not to placate her. “I’m scared.”
He squeezed her hand, wishing he could whisk her away from the danger and keep her forever. “You’ll get through this.”
She bit her lip. “I’ve been trying so hard not to think about what’s happening with the negotiations, but it’s taking so long…”
“Don’t borrow trouble.” But hadn’t he been thinking the same thing?
“You don’t know Winston like I do. If he’s dragging his feet, he’s got some shady strategy to minimize the damage and swing public perception in his favor. I keep trying to imagine what, but I’m not devious like that.”
Matt didn’t know anyone who operated at that political level, and it worried him. Still, he wanted to put her at ease. “You don’t know what’s going on. We need to wait and see what the senator comes back with.”
“No” She shook her head, fixing the knot of her hair into a loose bun when it fell around her shoulders. “We need to proactively mitigate whatever weaknesses we have now. I’ve been mentally shoving this worry aside. I’d rather be with you and forget the rest of the world, but I can’t afford to avoid this. It’s too dangerous.”
As much as Matt ached to take all her problems from her shoulders, he feared she was right.
Deep in thought, he reached for the bar of homemade soap nearby. “Stand.”
Madison did, water dripping from her peachy-fair skin, making her look like a goddess. He smoothed a palm down her back and over her taut ass, loving her beckoning curves. He followed suit by foaming the soap, then palming his way over her shoulders, across her distended nipples, and down her flat abdomen.
Fuck, he was already hard for her again. It shouldn’t be possible after this much sex, but one touch and he ached.
He ignored his erection and focused on her, lifting her foot to the edge of the tub to gently clean her swollen pussy. She stiffened, letting out a little hiss.
He slowed his touch. “Madison…”
At the warning note in his voice, she shook her head as if to reassure him. “I’m fine.”
He cocked a brow. “You need to tell me when you’re this sore.”