Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Her heat gripped him like a fist and his thoughts grew hazy, his mind and body lost to everything Cammie. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her heels digging into his ass, as her cries of pleasure filled the room.
Feeling feral, he pounded into her, the bed creaking loudly. They kissed, and it was all teeth and tongue, just as rough as the way they were moving against each other.
“Oh, God,” she moaned. “It’s so good. So good… Don’t stop!”
Shifting, he lifted her legs higher, allowing him to sink even deeper inside her. The headboard slammed against the wall, and her fingernails scraped across his shoulders.
“I want you to come for me again. Now, Cammie.” He rolled his hips, and she quivered as she came for a second time, her velvet walls squeezing him until he followed her over, groaning low in his throat as he filled the condom.
Cammie rose up to pepper kisses along his neck and across his jaw. When she reached his lips, the kiss she gave him was tender, full of an emotion he couldn’t name and ought to fear. Yet somehow, it felt right.
A few minutes later, he pulled out, feeling the loss, then left the bed and strode into his bathroom to ditch the condom. When he returned, Cammie lay where he’d left her, limbs sprawled out on the mattress.
“I have to say, I’m glad I stopped by to check out the view,” she said in a low, husky voice. Darkness cloaked her face, but he could hear the smile in her voice.
Chuckling, he pulled back the blankets. For once, instead of trying to come up with a way to get rid of the woman in his bed, he settled on his back and helped Cammie curl into his side. She rested her head on his shoulder and tucked one leg between his. They lay in silence, and he allowed himself to enjoy the peace as her hand traced patterns on his chest, and contentment filled him. The room felt calm after their vigorous… lovemaking.
He hesitated before giving it a name, but the word seemed fitting when it came to Cammie. Was he anxious at that thought? Yes, he was. This had all started because he needed a date to a business event, someone willing to pretend to be his girlfriend. He hadn’t seen Cammie or his feelings for her coming. In the moment, sleeping with her seemed like a good idea. After all, the attraction was there. But the rest of it, the emotions that came along with what had been more than sex? Those hadn’t been part of the plan, but he couldn’t deny he was falling for her.
“Thanks for listening to me open up about my mom,” she said. “I don’t really talk about her much because it can be painful but it felt right to tell you.”
He twirled a strand of her silky blonde hair between his fingers. “Tell me something good about her. A happy memory.”
She grew silent in thought. “Well, and you’re going to laugh, but of course my thoughts go to Christmas.”
He let out a chuckle.
“Every year, we had this tradition. Mom and I would make cinnamon rolls from scratch on Christmas Eve, rolling out the dough, filling it with brown sugar and cinnamon, and baking them first thing in the morning. I swear, the smell of cinnamon always makes me think of eating those pastries smothered in cream cheese frosting on Christmas morning,” she said, her voice a mixture of wistfulness and happiness.
The combination had his heart aching for her loss. It was obvious that she loved and missed her mom. “Who do you spend Christmas with now that she’s gone?” he asked.
There was a pause, and she stopped tracing patterns on his skin. “I spend it alone.”
His body stiffened. No. That couldn’t be right. Someone as sweet as Cammie, who loved Christmas as much as she did, shouldn’t spend the holiday alone.
“Are you serious?” he asked in a strangled voice.
He felt her nod. “Mona, my friend from the coffee shop, usually invites me over, but she has a husband and toddler son. I don’t want to intrude on their holiday together, so I usually just stay home.”
Leo’s first thought was that he should invite her over to spend Christmas with him at his parents’ house. They were both retired and lived in the city in the large townhouse he’d been raised in. He and Jenny went there every Christmas morning, and he was sure they’d welcome Cammie.
But the more he thought about it, he ended up talking himself out of the idea. Surely it was too soon to suggest they spend a major holiday together. And if she didn’t want to intrude on her friend’s time with her husband and kid, she’d probably have the same reservations about spending Christmas with his family as well.