Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 41825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 209(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 209(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
After a beat, she took a step away. This time, I let her. I moved to the cupboards to grab plates and cups, then took them to the table. As we set everything out, I asked her about her class, and we fell into easy conversation.
Before I knew it, our meal was gone, and we’d remained seated at the table talking for a couple of hours. Being with her was like breathing. Effortless, comfortable, and necessary.
When she stood and began to clear the dishes, I stopped her with my hand on top of hers. “Go rest, baby. You cooked, I clean.”
“Oh, but—”
“My house, my rules.”
She laughed, but there was still indecision in her expression.
“Your mother isn’t here, Hadley,” I reminded her firmly, wondering if she had ever been allowed to simply relax.
“Um, okay.”
“Good girl.” I moved closer, not stopping until our bodies were practically glued together. She gazed up at me, her eyes soft and trusting, and my heart kicked hard in my chest. My thumb brushed lightly along her jaw, my voice rough as I murmured, “Thank you for dinner, baby.”
Her lips parted softly, warmth flushing her cheeks. The way she looked at me was undoing me faster than I wanted to admit. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she answered, “It’s nothing. You’ve taken such good care of me.”
My blood heated at her words, desire tightening my muscles, making it harder and harder to resist closing the distance between us. I wanted to take care of her the way I had that morning, but my self-control was already hanging by a thread.
I moved my hand, threading my fingers into her hair, my palm cradling the nape of her neck. Her breath hitched sharply, her eyes locked onto mine, a mixture of nerves and anticipation simmering in their depths.
“I’m just getting started, baby.” My voice was thick with a possessiveness I could no longer conceal. “I take care of what’s mine.”
She shivered visibly, her lashes dipping as her eyes darkened slightly. A soft, hungry sound escaped her throat. It took every ounce of restraint I had not to kiss her right then, but I forced myself to exhale slowly and ease my hold, gently guiding her toward the living room.
“Sit,” I instructed softly. “Rest.”
Hadley watched me closely for a moment, a hint of discomfort still lingering beneath her carefully composed smile. I raised an eyebrow, and she laughed, her smile turning genuine.
She was so fucking beautiful. Soft, open, and strong all at once. But her parents had worked hard to make her believe she had to hide who she truly was. And fuck if I wasn’t determined to break down every wall her parents had ever forced her to build inside her.
9
HADLEY
“Thanks for lunch,” I called to Jana before she backed out of Thayer’s driveway.
We’d spent a couple of hours laughing over greasy burgers while she pumped me for information about my relationship. Not that I’d had much to tell her since he still hadn’t popped my cherry, much to my chagrin. Which was too embarrassing to share with anyone.
I never thought I’d be the girl panting after a guy until I met Thayer. There hadn’t been anyone I’d wanted to accept a date with, let alone have sex. Now I knew exactly what I wanted, but my pesky head injury had him being super careful with me. I didn’t know whether to be grateful for his restraint or frustrated by it.
“It’s been days,” I grumbled to myself as I used the key Thayer had given me.
I kicked off my shoes by the door and padded barefoot to the bedroom. I peeled off my top and jeans, tossing them into the hamper without thinking, then opened the dresser drawer that had somehow become mine. My fingers brushed soft cotton, and I pulled out one of Thayer’s worn T-shirts and a pair of leggings I’d ordered online. I hadn’t gone back to my parents’ house for anything, so same-day delivery had become my new best friend.
Slipping the oversized shirt over my head, I breathed in the faint trace of him that still clung to the fabric. It was ridiculous how much I loved wearing his things. The shirt swallowed me, the hem hitting mid-thigh, but it felt like being wrapped in his arms.
I wandered into the attached bathroom to grab a hair band from the drawer, humming under my breath. My hand paused halfway to the elastic when my eyes landed on the countertop.
The exact vanilla-citrus lotion I always bought sat right beside his plain hand soap. My toothbrush stood next to his in the holder. A tube of my favorite lip balm, the expensive brand I treated myself to once a year, was lined up neatly with his razor. Even the little jar of night cream I loved had appeared, in the scent I preferred. Everything I’d quietly mentioned or used over the past few days was mixed in with his things, like it belonged.