Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 168121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 841(@200wpm)___ 672(@250wpm)___ 560(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 168121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 841(@200wpm)___ 672(@250wpm)___ 560(@300wpm)
He widened his eyes, but they were smiling. “Next time, I’ll be awake.” He interlaced their fingers, palms to palms and brought the backs of her hands to his chest. “Baby steps, okay?”
With all that thick brown hair curling around the tips of his ears, his dark round eyes and clear golden skin, he was way too beautiful to not be touched. She strained toward him. “Baby steps.”
He moved their hands from his shoulders to his cheeks, flinching as her knuckles stroked his velvet skin. Then he gathered her fingers at his mouth where he nuzzled and kissed each one, sending trickles of pleasure over her hands and up her arms.
What he did next, cut her breath. He let go briefly to turn her wrists, pressed her palms against his cheeks, and dropped his hands. He stared at her out of penetrating eyes, pinning her in place.
A fever bloomed beneath her fingers, and his facial muscles bunched and lolled. His breath sped up, quietly at first. Then the whoosh of air pushing through his nose carried noisily through the small space.
There was something pulling at the edges of his eyes, twitching the skin there, stretching from the corners, and spreading through his face. It settled on his mouth, twisting his lips away from his clenched teeth.
She jerked her hands back. “Jay?”
He was looking at her but he didn’t see her.
“Jay, talk to me.”
Not a blink. Not a twitch.
Dammit, she wanted wrap her arms around him. Since she couldn’t, she tried to warm her voice with the comfort of a hug. “I’m here. Please, talk to me.”
He closed his eyes and cupped his ears. One hand dropped to the front of his pants, rubbing whatever the bump was in his pocket.
Fucking hell. Holding her arms out and away, she circled her legs around his hips, hooked her boots behind his knees, and closed the gap between their bodies, trapping his hand against his pocket.
No response. He was lost in his head. Could she climb in there with him and pull him out?
She stretched her neck to reach his slacked jaw and kissed his bottom lip. “Where are we, Jay?”
He stopped breathing. He held his breath so long, she filled her lungs to shout for help—
“The shed.” he exhausted in a shuddering gasp.
Her heart slammed against her ribs. The shed? “Who’s with us?”
“Alone. So dark.” His voice sounded small, younger. He brought his arms up between them and hugged his chest, rocking.
Oh God, what memories was he hanging onto? “What are we doing in the shed?”
“Hiding.”
The childlike whisper chilled the room and coated her spine with ice.
“I’m with you, Jay. I need you. I need you to hold me.”
His eyes shot open, and his breath released in gulping waves. “Charlee.”
“I’m here.” With useless fucking arms hanging at her sides.
The sculpted cuts of his gorgeous face sharpened as he dropped his hands in her lap. “Put your hands back.”
No way. She shook her head.
He bent until their brows touched. “We’re so close. Please?” His timbre was stiff, forced.
Shit. Shit. Shit. She clenched her fists at her sides. She’d wanted to push him, but not like this.
Without warning, a hum vibrated in his chest. What began as a purr, warbled into quivering notes. The first inflection of his voice sent a shiver through her. “Cut me open. Dipping deeper.” More soughing notes. “Heart in hand.”
The pitch of his voice and its reflection of meaning wrapped around her, lulling her into a trance.
He licked his lips and sang the next verse against her mouth. “With you, I float.”
The effect his lilt had on her was visceral. Immediate. Erotic. His voice stroked her body, saturating her pussy and seducing her into a dripping wet puddle. So hypnotized, she didn’t register his arm moving until he gripped her wrist and placed her palm over his heart.
His humming broke when her hand made contact, and his heart pounded against her touch.
He began again. “It’s the only way to swim.” He held her eyes, his hand over hers, and murmured the rhythm as he sang. “In your blue seas.”
Gasps broke through her parted lips.
Nestling closer into the triangle of her legs, he brushed his lips over hers. The low melody of the song vibrated through the press of his lips and the thrum in his chest. Her heart pounded and she returned his kiss while he hummed.
He leaned back and looked into her eyes. “That’s where I’ll be,” he sang. “Don’t disappear on me.”
The tune reverberated through his closed lips. “Come to L.A. with me.” He ended with a sultry hum.
Her chest tightened. She wanted more of his sexy voice, wanted more of this beautiful man. “When did you write that?”
“Just now.”
Wow. Music had always had an effect on her but..”Your voice…I’ve never heard you sing live. It was…” Dark. Deep. Panty-soaking. “Profound.”