Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
The question remained…Was she?
She laughed softly. The man was so overwhelming, she wouldn’t know what to do with him even if she was interested—and she was. He was just so big, and that hair should have been ridiculous, but it gave him the air of a wild thing that could never be tamed. In truth, they couldn’t be more opposite.
Not to mention she didn’t know a single thing about him.
He’d charged in here, taken control of the situation, made her a delicious drink, and charged back out into the night. She rested her forehead against the cool wood of the door. If she were braver, she’d follow him home. She’d flirt. She’d issue an invitation that couldn’t be misinterpreted…
And he’d say no just like he did to the initial offer for drinks.
Sloan opened her eyes and straightened. “The only reason he came over was because he pitied me.” Call her naive, but she didn’t want her first time with a man to be because he felt sorry for her.
So she turned the deadbolt, and then did her normal circuit of the house to ensure everything was closed and locked. Satisfied and feeling a little silly—what were the odds that someone would choose this house to break into?—Sloan shook her head. She knew better. She might have left the past and the dangers of Boston behind, but that didn’t mean she should be careless.
Someone would be coming for her. It was only a matter of time. She just hoped that Teague had hidden her well enough, and that she could keep under the radar on her end as well.
She needed to stay out of trouble, and Jude had trouble written all over him.
Stripping, she allowed herself to imagine, just for a moment, what it would have been like if he’d stayed. He’d take control in the bedroom the same way he had over drinks. There was no doubt about that. Sloan closed her eyes and ran her hands down her body, imagining it was his touch. Her fingers stopped just north of the band of her panties.
I shouldn’t.
But she wanted to.
She slipped beneath the covers and took off her underwear. She never slept naked, and it felt downright decadent to have the silky sheets rubbing against her nipples with every breath. Would he kiss her there? Or even between her legs?
She closed her eyes again, refusing to feel self-conscious as she ran her hand down her stomach to stroke herself between her thighs. She might be thinking of him, but no one had to know. It was her private little fantasy, something that would never happen in the real world.
Her body was already primed, and she spread her wetness up and over her clit, nearly gasping with the shock of pleasure the move brought. She’d masturbated before, but there was something just naughty about doing it while visualizing the man who lived next door. If she concentrated, she could almost feel his whiskers against her inner thigh, his tongue following the path her finger traced. Her body tightened, the pleasure so acute, it almost hurt. Sloan arched her back, a moan slipping free despite herself. Her orgasm stole her breath, but she managed to whisper Jude’s name as she came.
What in God’s name was I thinking?
She opened her eyes, feeling so incredibly foolish. “It doesn’t matter, because it’s just pretend. It won’t ever happen.” Something like disappointment banged inside her, but she ignored it. She had a life here, a life that she’d chosen for herself. She had nothing to be ashamed of. She smiled to herself and rolled over, pulling the covers up to her neck. Tomorrow would come soon enough. She’d get up with the sun and attend yoga, and then she’d go to her shift at the diner. After? Well, maybe she’d give cooking another shot.
Things were finally looking up.
* * *
Jude’s grip on the railing was so tight, he’d have slivers for sure. It didn’t fucking matter. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the window into the spare bedroom. The bedroom where Sloan had just coaxed herself into orgasm and moaned his name upon release. He tightened his grip, the pain reminding him that he could not go into her room, pull the tease of sheets off her body, and show her what a real orgasm looked like.
It took every ounce of control he had to let go of the railing and walk down the stairs to the beach. And just keep walking.
She hadn’t invited him into her bed. Maybe she would have if he’d stuck around, but the girl was a lightweight if he’d ever seen one, and Jude wasn’t a fan of the idea of taking advantage of her being more than a little tipsy. Another line he refused to cross, even after he’d left so many in the rearview. He didn’t take contracts for kids, or for anyone without a track record to rival his.