Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Why couldn’t I have that one person who thought I was incredible the moment they met me? Why couldn’t my mate be that person? I’d learned early that life never gave you what you wanted and rarely gave you what you needed, but why couldn’t I have that one thing?
I stared at Beau.
Maybe I didn’t get that, but I did have him. He was there in front of me—all of him. Every barrier between us was gone. I could feel it.
That should be enough. I’d make it enough.
Gripping his shirt, I pulled myself toward him and pressed my mouth to his. It would be enough.
So what if I wasn’t his first choice? He was choosing me now.
“Baby,” he murmured, pulling me into his lap as he tumbled to his ass. “Fuck. More.”
His tongue slid into my mouth, and my skin tingled from my scalp to my toes.
I needed more of him. Grappling for the hem of his shirt, our lips parted briefly as I pulled it over his head.
“Are you sure?” he asked, pulling me closer. “You’re upset.”
Instead of answering him, I pulled off my own t-shirt.
“Hold that thought,” he rasped, gently untangling our limbs.
He helped me to my feet and moved carefully around me, disappearing into the shower. A moment later, the sound of running water filled the room.
“What are you doing?” I asked, looking into the massive shower.
Beau was standing next to the tub, his jeans unbuttoned and hanging precariously on his hips.
“Taking you to heaven,” he said, his lips quirking up on one side.
He remembered what I’d said about the tub.
He remembered everything.
We spent an hour in the water. Kissing slowed us down. It added another layer to what had already been incredible sex. Exploring each other in soft touches and gentle movements, our skin slick from the bath oils he’d added, Beau dismantled me in a way I wasn’t sure I could come back from.
By the time we got out, my fingers were wrinkled, and the rest of my body was pliant. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever been more relaxed, and I stood with my hands in Beau’s hair as he carefully dried me off. The strands were spiky and wet, clinging to my skin.
“Get in bed, baby,” he ordered, kissing my sternum softly. “I’ll be right in.”
My hair was huge, and goose bumps covered my skin as I left the bathroom. Beau had never turned on the light in the bedroom, and everything was in shadow as I slid between the sheets, shivering. It was the first time I’d been actually cold since we’d met, and the implications weren’t lost on me.
I couldn’t feel the heat.
Trying not to let myself worry, my mind still raced as Beau finished up in the bathroom. Why couldn’t I feel it anymore? The heat had become so normal that I hadn’t even really noticed it except when it was amplified. Now that I couldn’t feel it all, the lack was making my chest tighten with panic.
“I’m going to light the fire,” Beau said as he crossed the room, naked. “If we leave the door open, it’ll keep things warmer in here.”
I barely noticed the flex of his bare ass.
He didn’t feel the heat anymore, either.
What did it mean? Had we somehow broken it? Was that even possible?
“I’m wrecked,” Beau said as he climbed into bed, immediately pulling me into his arms. “Fuck, you’re like an ice cube.”
“It’s cold in here,” I replied, pushing in closer.
“It’ll warm up quick,” he assured me, his hand briskly rubbing up and down my back as he wrapped his legs around mine. “Kiss me.”
“In what universe would I take orders from you?” I replied, hiding my fear with a joke as I tipped my head back to look at him.
“This one, apparently,” he said smugly, leaning in. The kiss was deep and wet. My toes curled, and my arm around his back tightened, my nails digging into his skin as his hand gripped my ass.
I wanted him closer. Dread made my heart pound as I pressed myself against every inch of flesh I could reach.
“Warmer now?” he asked, lifting his head a little as his body relaxed into the bed.
“A little,” I agreed. I wasn’t freezing anymore, but I still couldn’t feel the comforting presence of the heat.
“Sleep, baby,” he murmured, tucking my head beneath his chin. “It’s late.”
“I wonder who came to the door,” I mused, closing my eyes.
“They’ll still be here in the morning,” he replied easily. “If it was an emergency, they’d have used the intercom.”
I thought about how the intercom system worked until I fell asleep, refusing to let myself spiral.
That night I woke up too many times to count, my pulse racing. I couldn’t remember the nightmares that had held me captive, but every time I escaped them, Beau was there. He held me through the night, never once loosening his grip.