Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
He matches every movement to mine, hands gripping my waist, guiding the angle, the depth. My arms loop around his shoulders, skin against skin, and I lean forward into him, savoring the steady build of heat and pressure. His weight anchors me; his rhythm pulls me closer to a place of fierce, beautiful surrender. I don’t care how loud I’m moaning, or how risky this is. Being here with him, curled around him, making love on this bike... it is unlike anything I have ever experienced.
“Just like this,” I whisper, voice rough with desire.
His only reply is a low, possessive growl. Each thrust reverberates through us both, a shared current of pleasure that rises faster and faster. I clench around him, letting the friction take me higher, teetering on the edge until I can’t hold back. With a soft cry that mingles with the distant crash of waves, I release—my muscles trembling as warmth surges through me. He follows soon after, burying himself deeply, and a final groan slips from his lips, dissolving into the night. For a moment we stay locked together, the world suspended.
Slowly, he eases out and I sink back down onto the seat, a trickle of sweat traveling down my forehead. “You know I love you,” he murmurs, swiping it away with his thumb.
“I know,” I say, my voice light. “And I love you, probably more.”
He grunts. “Impossible.”
I grin.
He tilts my chin up so our eyes meet. His irises catch the starlight, flecks of silver dancing in them. “Our child is going to have the best parents.”
My pulse quickens at the reminder of the new life growing between us. I press my palm against my abdomen. “Do you have any names you like?”
His face gets serious, then he laughs. “Well, obviously. If it’s a boy, Edward Phoenix. If it’s a girl, Eveline Phoenix.”
I laugh. “Edward?”
He throws his hands up. “What’s wrong with Edward?”
“Nothing, it’s just...”
“Don’t say it, baby,” he warns, playfully. “Eddie is a good, solid name.”
I chuckle. “Eddie is kind of cute...”
He tugs me closer, wrapping his arms around me, and we sit there, just taking it all in. Above us, the night sky is studded with stars that seem to bear witness to our hopes, the promise of the life we’ll share. In the afterglow of our moment, grounded by trust and lit by love, I know without a doubt that there is nothing—nothing—we can’t face together.
21
My mother’s fingers tremble as she fans herself, her face ashen beneath the carefully applied blush.
“Oh God, I feel ill.”
Beads of sweat glisten at her hairline despite the cool breeze flowing through the open window. I chuckle at her, catching Jasmine’s eye in the mirror as she finishes up her makeup.
“Come on, Mom, you’ve been waiting for this moment your whole life.” I dab a tissue at the corner of her eye, careful not to smudge the smoky shadow we’d spent thirty minutes perfecting.
“I know but, oh God, it’s really happening.” Her voice cracks. “Am I making a mistake?”
“Mother!” I laugh, gripping her bare shoulders firmly enough to leave momentary impressions on her sun-kissed skin. “He’s your everything, remember?”
She exhales slowly, her breath smelling faintly of mint and the champagne we’d sipped while getting ready. “My everything. You’re right about that, but...”
“Come on, you’ve loved Chief from day one. You can’t back out now. You and I both know you won’t walk away, not again.” The mascara wand glides between my fingers as I finish the final coat on her lashes, which curl upward. “God, he’s going to fall over when he sees you.”
I step back, admiring how utterly breathtaking she is.
“You’re right, I know. I am just so nervous...” Her knuckles whiten around her bouquet of wild daisies.
Jasmine’s silk dress clings to her skin as she slides into it, the baby pink fabric catching the light like cotton candy. My own baby blue dress hangs perfectly against my curves, the material cool and smooth. My belly is rounding out slightly, and this dress makes it incredibly difficult to hide, but I’m proud of it so I don’t care. It’s nice seeing my body change, knowing there is life growing inside me.
“You girls look...” Mom’s voice catches on a sob. “Oh my...”
“Mom, stop crying,” I roll my eyes and kiss her cheek. “I can’t keep fixing this makeup. Now stand back, let’s have a look at you.”
She steps back and Jasmine and I both press our hands to our chests. Her wedding dress flows around her, strapless white chiffon that ripples with each anxious breath, the silk underlay gleaming. The diamond pendant nestles in the hollow of her throat, catching prisms of light that dance across her collarbones. Her golden-brown hair falls in soft waves past her shoulders, and beneath the hem of her gown peek the well-worn black leather biker boots, their silver buckles scratched from years of riding.