Total pages in book: 14
Estimated words: 12408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 62(@200wpm)___ 50(@250wpm)___ 41(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 12408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 62(@200wpm)___ 50(@250wpm)___ 41(@300wpm)
Shoot. I bite down on my bottom lip debating on whether it’s okay to just not answer. My heart races. More than it should. Mustering up all the courage I have, I open the door with shaking hands. “Hi. How are you?” I don’t know how I even got the words out. He stands there with a crisp white tee and navy shorts. His blue eyes brought out by the sunny day behind him and something settles in me. Thump. Thump. And still my heart picks up when he speaks.
“Hey.” He runs his free hand through sun-kissed brunette hair. “Is now a good time to talk for a minute?”
Thump, thump, thump. I swear my heart flips in my chest. It’s acting as foolish as I have and I can’t stop it.
“Of course.” I step back to let him in. He comes into the entryway, smelling like sunscreen and body wash. “Is everything okay?” I close my eyes slowly at the question. Once again feeling foolish. Of course it’s not. Anyone with two open eyes can know that.
“I don’t know.” His eyes search mine, and he holds out a little paper bag to me. “Listen, Luna, I don’t know what happened the other day, but I got you these. I wanted to apologize for upsetting you and replace the shell that broke. I’m sorry I came on so strong.”
I pause for a moment, surprised that he’s the one apologizing.
“Thank you.” I take the bag and look inside. Ten shells, maybe fifteen, all the same kind I picked up the other day. “Thanks, Parker. I—” My throat closes up. “I wanted to apologize too, but I didn’t want to come off badly. I got you—” I go into the living room and get the earplugs, then take them back to him, my face hot. “I was in the middle of writing you a note, actually. I’m sorry we kept you awake. I don’t know how much you can hear from here and I didn’t want it to seem mean to get them for you. I thought it might be funny and—-” My nervous rambling is cut off. My ears hot and my heart still disobeying the rest of me.
“You’ve kept me awake even more since then.”
“I have?” Thump. Thump. My eyes go wide. I’ve been so quiet.
Then he leans in, his strong hand wrapping around my chin, and kisses me. It’s sweet. His touch is soft and my heart slows for a moment. As if not wanting to run away from this. I can’t help sighing into his mouth and deepening the kiss when it feels like he’s going to pull away.
The relief and nearly the act of falling is far too tempting when he kisses me, soft, yet passionate, like he’s been wanting to do this for a long time.
Parker pulls away and bites his lip, his eyes dark and hot. It’s nothing like he looked the other day at the beach. This is all Parker wanting me. I recognize the passion in his eyes and the warmth that flows through me. It ignites like a smoldering fire finally given tinder.
I haven’t felt like wanting myself, but suddenly—there he is. There’s a man I want desperately. A man who brought me shells because he worried about me and kissed me because he wanted to. I could taste it in the kiss. He wants me. And I want him.
“I hope that was–” Parker says, voice low and his eyes hungry with a primal desire.
Without second thought, or perhaps no thought even at all, I put my arms around his neck and kiss him again.
My entire body comes alive in his arms. The heaviness disappears from my shoulders.
His hands move to my waist, and he pulls me even closer as he starts to move me backward into the condo. I’m barely able to push the door shut and I feel him smile against my lips as it closes. Suddenly, I’m hot all over and lust fills every thought that comes to me.
I need him. His hands that slip up my shirt. I need his lips that fall down my neck. I need his warm breath and the masculine moans that fall from his full lips. His lips find mine again and I mold my lips to his, parting them, tasting him and giving in to the desire fully. The kiss deepens as we go until I don’t care where he’s taking me. We could go anywhere at all, and it wouldn’t matter as long as he kept touching me.
Next thing I know, Parker’s laying me out on the couch, pushing my shirt over my head as he goes. His skin on mine is everything. My body sensitized and needy. I want to keep kissing him, but there’s fabric in the way, so I pitch in. Parker’s clothes seem more important than mine to get off, and we’re both so focused on it that it only takes a minute before we’re both naked. The clothes are recklessly tossed and my legs spread for him. Bared to him and aching for his touch.