Total pages in book: 218
Estimated words: 215412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1077(@200wpm)___ 862(@250wpm)___ 718(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 215412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1077(@200wpm)___ 862(@250wpm)___ 718(@300wpm)
“Yes and amen.” She kisses my lips. “We’ll be heathens together.”
“Sweet unholy yes. Let’s start a cult. Church of Now-a-day Heathens. I’ve always wanted to be a priest. You can be my priestess. We’ll do his and her robes, matching tattoos, forbidden sex rituals, the whole damn thing.”
“Say no more. I’m never leaving you.”
“Cool.” Holding her against my chest, I paddle lazily around the pool. “So you and me. What do you want it to look like? Tomorrow? Next week? After that?”
She stares at me for a long time, the water rippling around us, her thighs clutched to my hips, and her swimsuit clinging so sinfully it makes my pulse throb.
Finally, she says, “I want to stop running.”
“From him?”
“From everything. I want to figure out who I am when I’m not fighting to stay alive.”
“Then let’s find out.” I run my hands along her thighs where silky skin meets the seam of her bikini bottoms. “What do you love? What are your favorite things?”
“I love engines. The rumble, the electricity, all that sexy power. I love thunderstorms for the same reason.” Her eyes hold mine, open and trusting. “And I love the way you look at me.”
“For the same reason?”
“Definitely.”
Her breathy answer doesn’t help the chub I’ve been fighting since she put on this damn bikini. I glance at the main house, knowing my family won’t be home from the distillery until late.
“What do you need right now?” I nuzzle her neck.
“You. Closer.”
“Then there’s only one question left.” I pull the string that holds her top and watch the scrap of material float away from her breasts. “Have you ever had sex in a pool?”
“No.” She reaches into my swim shorts and curls her fingers around me, claiming me.
I drag her out of her bikini and claim her right back with a need that feels like fate is finally sharpening its teeth.
Monty bangs on the guest house door at eight in the morning.
“Get up.” More banging. “We’re taking the yacht out.”
I sit up too fast and nearly fall off the bed. Wolf groans into his pillow, his hair a tangled black mess.
We left the door to the balcony open all night, the only reason we hear the wake-up call.
“Don’t care!” Wolf shouts toward the open door.
“It’s summer!” Monty shouts back. “Be at the dock in an hour.”
Summer.
In California, that means burnt asphalt, burnt skin, and traffic jams that smell like burnt rubber.
Here, though, summer feels warm but not punishing. Bright but not glaring. The Alaskan sun doesn’t cook my skin through my clothes. It kisses it like a playful wolf. Like my playful wolf.
We haven’t left the island in five days. The fresh air would be good for us.
I climb onto Wolf’s back, my bare chest pressed to the defined line of his spine.
He groans again, but now it sounds less sleepy and more hungry.
I nip the back of his neck. Then his shoulder. Then the place where his ribs curve. I cover every bit of skin I can reach with fast, noisy kisses.
“Sweet goddess of torment.” He squirms beneath me, grinding his hips into the mattress. “Come here.”
He reaches back to grab me, but I’m faster. I roll off him and yank the blanket away in one swift rip, leaving him completely uncovered.
Then I stare like I’ve never seen a man before.
Broad shoulders, strong backbone, narrow waist, long legs, all smooth muscle over pure tension, power wrapped in pale skin, shaped for speed, stamina, and insatiable fucking.
Naked Wolf is my favorite Wolf.
Unable to help myself, I pounce and sink my teeth into the chiseled muscle of his ass.
He jerks and lets out a rough sound that definitely isn’t a complaint.
“My darling dove.” His smile ruins his growly tone. “You have two seconds to hop on my dick.”
With a grin, I hop off the bed, just as naked as he is, and saunter backward toward the bathroom.
His hooded eyes rake over me in a slow sweep that weakens my knees.
“Come with me in the shower.” I hook a finger at him. “Or I’ll come without you.”
He’s off the bed so fast I don’t have time to blink.
We shower together, climax together, and an hour later, we’re on Monty’s yacht, slicing through Sitka Sound.
Not for the first time, it strikes me how bizarrely gentle summer is here. It’s cool at the edges. Soft around the lungs. Feels like a reset.
Wolf and I lie on the outdoor couch tucked against the cabin wall, our bodies entwined on sun-warmed cushions. His leg drapes heavily over my thigh, his cheek resting on a bent arm, his eyes regarding me from inches away. Every time the boat rocks, his breath kisses my cheek.
Across from us, Leo and Frankie are passed out on a shared sun lounger near the railing. Leo sprawls like he lost a fight with gravity, one leg hanging off the edge and a tangle of braids covering his cheek. His arms cradle a curled-up Frankie, her face tucked against his chest.