Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 97724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
“You were up early this morning,” I remind her.
“I was sleeping on a man, on the couch, so it was a little different.” She stops to think about that and chuckles. “A lot different, actually.”
Her phone rings from inside her bag, and she frowns, licks her lips, and digs the phone out of her bag.
“Sorry, it’s Mik.”
“Take it.”
She answers but doesn’t leave the table. “I thought for sure you’d be in practice right now. What are you about?”
She listens, and I can’t take my eyes off her. She’s quick to smile, to laugh, to offer a kind word. She’s not only beautiful on the outside but on the inside, too.
“Mik, that’s wonderful. Congratulations. Of course, I’d love to see that performance, but you know I can’t—yes, I know. I’m so proud of you. I love you, too. Come see me soon. Bye now.”
With a sigh, she drops the phone back in her bag.
“He secured the lead in a performance we’d been working on for years,” she says softly. “And I’m so proud of him. He deserves that role.”
“And he wants you to come watch it. Of course, he does. You should.”
Skyla shakes her head. “I won’t ever go back to New York. I just can’t. But it’ll be filmed, and I’ll watch it from here.”
“Wait.” I reach over and take her hand in mine. “Are some of your performances available to watch online?”
“Many are, yes.” She nods and wrinkles her nose. “You want to watch them?”
“Fuck yes, I want to watch them.”
“Don’t watch them with me,” she insists. “Because I’ll be annoying and give you all the commentary you didn’t ask for. And I’ll critique myself endlessly. I’m not a good audience for myself.”
“You’re not invited, then.” I laugh when she frowns. “You just said I shouldn’t watch with you.”
“I thought you’d try a little harder than that.”
“Okay.” I pull my card out and offer it to the server. “Let me watch it with you so you can teach me something. Maybe tell me what you were thinking when you were performing.”
“I knew you’d be good at the convincing. All right then, I’ll watch with you sometime.”
I like that we continue to make plans.
After I drive Skyla and Riley home and get her car stowed away in the garage, I walk through the house with her, and she joins me on the porch.
“That was the longest date of my life,” she says, checking her watch. “Fifteen hours sets a record.”
In answer, I take her chin in my fingers and tilt her face up so I can nip at her lips before sinking in and dragging my tongue along the seam of her mouth. She opens up for me and groans as her hands fist in my shirt. I slip my free hand over her hip and around to her ass, pulling her against me.
When I pull my lips from hers, I gaze down into emerald pools and feel my heart stutter. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll pick you up.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I’ll pick you up, Irish.” I kiss her once more, and then tear myself away before I lift her up and carry her back inside, straight to her bedroom, and lose myself in her for the rest of the day. “Have a good afternoon.”
“You too.” Her fingers are on her lips as she watches me climb in my truck, and just as I’m about to pull away, I see her in the rearview mirror, standing there, and I can’t resist her.
I throw the truck in park, push out of the vehicle, and march up to her. As I approach, her arms open wide, as if she already knew what I was going to do. With my hands planted on her ass, I lift her, and she wraps those strong legs around my waist, her hands dive into my beard, and I kiss the fuck out of her.
She moans, and my dick hardens. Jesus Christ, I want her more than my next breath.
“Beck,” she whispers against my lips.
“Yeah, Irish?”
“Tomorrow feels far away.”
I grin and nip at her lips once more, and she moans, pressing herself closer to me as she wraps her long arms around my neck, holding on tight. I bury my face in her neck, hugging her close.
“I know. It’s already killing me. What time are you done with classes?”
“Four,” she says against my skin.
“I’ll be there at three fifty-five.”
Skyla nods, and I release her, letting her slide down my body to her feet. Her eyebrow quirks at my hardness pressed against her.
“I’ve been touching you for fifteen hours,” I remind her. “It’s fucking torture, but it’s worth it.”
She laughs and leans in to kiss my chest, right over my heart. “Drive safely, Mr. Blackwell.”
“Have a good day, Ms. Gallagher.”
I return to my truck and pull away from the house, sure not to look in the rearview, so I’m not tempted to stay with her. I have too much to do at the farm, and I can already tell that twenty-four hours are going to be too many without her.