Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27995 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27995 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
“Did I?” She backs up, bumping against the counter edge. “You’re very sure of yourself.”
“I’m sure of what I see.” I rest my hands on the counter on either side of her, caging her in “And what I feel.
I even saw you rubbing your thighs together. Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you don’t feel it, too.”
“Mr. Ward—”
“Ronan,” I say. “You called me Ronan last night.”
“Ronan.” My name in her mouth is sin itself, and it makes my cock harder than a crowbar. “This will complicate things.”
“Why?” I lean in until our foreheads nearly touch. “We’re attracted to each other. The question isn’t whether the attraction exists. The question is what we do about it.”
She lifts her chin, defiance flashing in those soft blue eyes. “And if I say nothing?”
“Then nothing happens.” I push away from the counter, giving her space, no matter how it kills me to do so. “I meant what I said at the auction. You’re not obligated to do anything. My bid bought your company, not your body.”
Redness creeps along her cheeks and neck. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me for basic human decency.”
She laughs, a bright sound that hits me in the chest. “You’d be surprised how rare that can be.”
“I wouldn’t, actually.” The thought of anyone treating her as less than precious makes something dark unfurl inside me. “But while we’re being honest, I want you, Rayne. I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you. And I think you want me, too. Stop pretending you don’t feel it.”
Her cheeks flush crimson. “I never said I didn’t feel ... something.”
“Something,” I echo, amused.
“You’re hot, criminally so. I’d have to be blind not to notice.” She’s flustered now, words tumbling out faster, and her eyes dart to the walls, the chairs, looking anywhere but me. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to jump into bed with you just because you paid for a weekend date.”
“No.” I reach out, tracing the line of her jaw with my thumb. She shivers but doesn’t pull away. “I expect you’d need better reasons than that.”
“L-like what?”
“Like the fact that when I touch you” —I brush my fingers down her neck, feeling her pulse leap beneath my touch— “your whole body responds. Like the fact that you’ve been thinking about kissing me since last night. Like the fact that right now, you’re wondering what my mouth would feel like on yours. On your neck. Between your thighs.”
Her breath catches. “You think you know what I want?”
“I know what I want to give you.”
A tremor runs through her. Her tongue darts out to wet her lips. “And what’s that?”
“Everything.”
I wait. Ball in her court. I’ve made my desire clear, but the next move is hers.
For a moment, she’s perfectly still, caught between running and surrendering. Then she reaches up, curls her fingers into the front of my shirt, and pulls me down to her.
Well, fuck.
The first touch of her lips is electric. Soft, hesitant, then quickly turning hungry as she opens beneath me. I groan into her mouth, my hands finding her waist, tugging her against me. She tastes like coffee and something sweeter. Her fingers tangle in my hair, nails scraping my scalp, and the little bite of pain breaks whatever restraint I had left.
I press her back against the counter, lifting her easily onto it. Her legs part, welcoming me between them as I deepen the kiss, claiming her mouth with a raw desperation that catches me off-guard. I’ve never lost control like this, never wanted someone with such blinding intensity.
Yet here I am.
“Ronan,” she gasps as I trail kisses down her throat.
“I’ve thought about this since I saw you,” I say, nipping at her pulse point, sucking on the sensitive spot on the side of her neck. “Thought about how you’d taste. How you’d sound when I touch you.”
Her head falls back, giving me better access to the delicate skin of her throat. I suck hard enough to leave a mark that will take days to fade. Mine.
“This is crazy,” she says, even as her hips roll against me. “We barely know each other.”
“Then let’s get acquainted.” I capture her mouth again, swallowing her moan as my hands slide beneath her top, finding warm, bare skin. Her body arches into my touch.
“Wait,” she whispers against my lips, but her actions contradict her words as she wraps her legs around my waist, pulling me closer, giving me no room to move. “We shouldn’t—”
“Tell me to stop.” My voice is rough and gravelly with want. “Tell me you don’t want this.”
Instead of answering, she kisses me again, deeper, dirtier. Her tongue slides against mine as her hands fumble with the buttons of my pajama top. I help her, nearly tearing the fabric in my haste. When her palms flatten against my bare chest, my heart stops beating. I’m on the verge of going mad with desire.