Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 68735 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68735 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
And only one man had ever affected me like this…and now he was mine.
I looked up at Audric, and he looked down at me, and just like that, all my fears and hesitation disappeared.
I leaned up onto my tiptoes, indicating what I wanted, and he leaned down until our lips brushed.
It wasn’t anything special.
Just a light brush of his lips, so chaste that not even a nun could get mad at it.
But it was everything to me.
All my fears faded away, and I knew that this wouldn’t be like the last time with Patty.
There would be no fear here.
There would be only Audric and me, and everything that I ever wanted it to be.
He pulled away, his hand coming up to cup my face. “Okay?”
In answer, I pulled away completely, then lifted my shirt off over my head.
His breath hitched, and his eyes dilated.
“Creole…”
“The longer we take to do this, the more nervous I’m going to get,” I admitted. “Come on. Let’s go.”
It was my “let’s go” that had him jolting forward and pulling me into his arms.
He didn’t go far with me, though. He carried me to the bath, then reached down and switched the water on.
My breath hitched.
“Am I dirty, Audi?” I teased.
His eyes flicked down to the faucets as he bent forward slightly and tested the heat.
“No.” He twisted me so that I was once again standing in front of him and he was sitting on the edge of the bath. “But there’s lots of natural light in here. It’s not a bed. And I want to make sure you feel safe.”
I melted.
But even though I was melting for him, I still shrugged out of my bra, then my pants.
The only thing that was left was my panties, and I hesitated to pull those off.
“I have a scar,” I admitted.
He chuckled. “You show me yours, I’ll show you mine.”
My brows shot up. “You have scars?”
He snorted and lifted his shirt, showing off a hot, muscular body that had changed so much from the last time I’d seen it.
“You’ve put on a lot of muscle since I’ve seen you half naked last,” I admitted.
His eyes came up to meet mine as he reached for my hand. “I’m not a boy anymore, Cree. I’m a man.”
Yes, yes he was.
“You used to have the boniest shoulders.” I giggled as I used my free hand to run over the length of his shoulder muscles. “Now, you’re so muscular that it’s comical. You remember when we used to sit on either side of you and watch the stars?”
“You remember how it was always you that I leaned on the most?”
No, I hadn’t realized he’d leaned on me more than Laney.
“You used to always complain about how I was pushing you away. I was never pushing you away. I was leaning your way to get away from Laney.”
I trailed my fingers up the length of his trap, stopping right under his square jaw.
“Now, about these scars,” I teased.
His hands went to the backs of my knees, and he pulled me forward until I was straddling him.
I sat on his lap, my knees going into the cool tile on either side of his hips and didn’t miss the very obvious erection that was now pressing against my slit.
Three years ago, even this position would’ve sent me running for the door.
But not anymore.
And especially not with this man.
All my fears and concerns felt nonexistent when it came to him.
“One right here,” he said as he let one of my hips go to show me his hand. “This happened the night you started hating me.”
I closed my eyes, and carefully dropped my face down against his neck, his collarbone pressing against my lips.
“I’m so sorry, Audi,” I breathed.
“And this one.” He picked up one of my hands and pressed it against his chest, right over his heart. “While not a scar, I got it for you.”
My head picked up, and I stared at it for a long time before I said, “What? What does it mean?”
Then the yellow ribbon started to become more pronounced the longer I looked at his chest.
The tattoo I’d seen when he’d first taken his shirt off of an owl’s face, with the owl’s wing stretched out over his shoulder, was holding a yellow ribbon.
A ribbon that signified leukemia.
And when I leaned in closer, there was a date.
Or, more importantly, a date of birth, and a date of death.
My baby’s.
“Audi…” I breathed.
“Got your mom in here, too.” He pointed at another ribbon that I hadn’t seen. This one in the owl’s claws.
A bright pink one that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen until now.
Shit.
I looked up at him, my eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry I was s-so mad at you.”
He wrapped his arms around me, his hands going so far around that his fingers were pressing against my ribs on the front side.