Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 125852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
My big, strong man. My beastly…boyfriend.
He was afraid to tell me this, likely worried I would judge, or worse, walk away.
Deep down though, in that part of him where a part of me lives, he knew. It’s why he held on.
It’s why we’re here right now, because he understood that fear is natural, worry is inevitable, but trust…trust is everything.
“You know all my secrets now,” he whispers, turning his head slightly to kiss my wrist, those brilliant eyes meeting mine. “You know what that means?”
“What?”
His forehead meets mine. “I get to keep you.”
His words draw more tears to my eyes, and I melt into him, my eyes closing.
I don’t have to pretend he didn’t quickly become my everything anymore, because I’m his too. I want this. Us.
Him and the life he’s planned.
“Brady?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Can we have sex now?”
Brady goes stiff but only for a millisecond, and then he throws his head back with a laugh, and just like that, our future is settled.
My man tackles me onto the mattress.
If I’m lucky, that’s where we’ll stay for the rest of the weekend.
CHAPTER FORTY
Cameron
Six months later
Brady comes barreling out the front of my dorm building with the final box in his hands. It’s move-out day, marking the end of our third year here at Avix University.
“Last one!” I clap, cheering him on from my seat like the proper passenger princess he’s forced me to be today. I did at least bring down what I could carry on my way to my spot in the cab of his truck.
He finishes his game of packing Tetris, fixing the last box into the back beside his, and lifts his hands into the air in victory.
I give him a celebratory cheer, and he flexes his muscles like he’s on a stage at some sort of muscle-man competition.
A few people around honk and whistle, and Brady grins, eating up the attention, but the only one he really cares about watching is me.
And I am glued to the man.
My man.
My man who finished out the season as the number-one defensive end in all of college football. I’m so fucking proud of him.
He closes the tailgate and walks over to the grass pathway before heading back and hopping into the cab of the truck. He tugs me to the middle, into my seat, and when he turns to face me, he has two dandelions in his hands, the petals long gone, leaving only the white wisps behind. He holds one out to me as he rolls his window down all the way and smiles. “Make a wish.”
I smile at my gentle giant and close my eyes, making a quick wish. Together we blow the little seeds, watching as they float away out the window.
“What did you wish for?” I ask as soon as we’re buckled.
He merely smirks and presses a quick kiss to my temple. He prepares to pull away, but before he can, I reach out and set something on his dash.
His hand freezes on the gearstick, eyes glued to the little clay molding. His head snaps from it to me and back again before he reaches out and takes it in his hands.
He inspects it a little closer, and I laugh when his fingers glide over the sharpest point.
“Brady!” I smack him and he grins.
“Did you make me a mold of your body, baby?”
“It’s my boobs and pierced nipples, but yes, yes, I did.” I smile, proud. “Remember back in, like, I don’t even know, October maybe, when I told you I made you something in class?”
Brady’s jaw drops. “No.”
“Yes.”
He sits back so he’s half leaning on the door, frowning at me. “You mean to tell me I could have had the mental image of my favorite part of you in my head for all those long showers I had to take after you started torturing me with pretend mouth fucking?”
“That is exactly what I mean. Too bad it got lost in my room at some point and I forgot about it.” I grin, taking it back and grimacing at how bad my molding skills were back at the start of the semester. “I literally just found it today under the bed.”
Brady swipes it from my hands, pressing a hard peck to my lips. “Mine,” he mumbles against them, then sets the little clay boobs on the opposite side where I can’t reach.
I sit back with a smile, and we’re on the road a minute later, this time without having to stop for coffee before hitting the highway because he already had one in here waiting for me to claim it.
Ari, Mason, and the others left ahead of us, but Brady needed some extra time, so of course I hung around until he was ready. He said he had another stop to make before he could be here, but we aren’t all that far behind.