Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 79039 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79039 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
“What’s wrong, Harper? Are you scared?”
“If anyone should be scared here, it’s your toes. I’m not a dancer,” I tell him with complete honesty.
“You just haven’t had the right partner,” he says, standing up.
He reaches his hand out. I really shouldn’t, but I automatically put mine in it. Damn it. What is it about Hunter that sends my self-preservation flying? I let him lead me to an old jukebox and watch as he picks a song. My eyes go wide, because that’s one of my favorite songs. It’s old but I remember Dad and I driving down the road with it blaring. It’s hard to believe that was eight years ago. God, I miss him more and more every day. I can’t find my voice to express any of this to Hunter, so I don’t say a damn thing. I just walk with him as if I’m in a trance.
I’m in big trouble.
Chapter 10
BB
It sounds hokey as hell, but after months of thinking I’d never get the chance to hold Beau in my arms again, I feel like I’ve won the fucking lottery. As I escort her onto the dance floor, put my hands on her hips, and pull her into me, I stare into her eyes. She looks at me, nervously worrying her bottom lip.
“Y-You know this song?” she asks nervously.
“It’s one of my favorites,” I reply, I’m not big into country music, but this song by the Eli Young Band has always been special to me. I think because it’s a dream that I’ve always wanted.
“Mine, too.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” I whisper into her ear.
“It doesn’t?”
“No, babe. Despite all the bullshit that I caused to fuck us up, the two of us are a lot alike.”
“I’m not so sure,” she whispers. I don’t respond. I hear sadness in her voice and I’m not sure what to do with that.
Strands of the song Skin and Bones begin to filter through the room. This place is loud, but it all seems to fade away as the song starts and I pull Beau close. She lays her head on my shoulder and lets the music take over. I hold her tightly, as the singer belts out the lyrics.
When she trembles against me, I bend down, letting my nose slide against the side of her face, breathing her in. Then, I move to her ear and finally her neck. “Are you okay, Harper?” I whisper. Something about this moment feels bigger than anything I’ve ever experienced with anyone else in my life.
“I used to ride in my dad’s old truck with him and he’d tell me that this song was exactly how he felt about my mother. He never could bring himself to hold anything against her. I told him he deserved better. I tried to get him to start dating. Dad would always just shake his head. Then, he’d smile, his eyes sad, and tell me that she was in his bones just like the lyrics of this song said. Dad said unless he could give all of himself to a woman, there was no point in hurting her when he was ready to walk away.”
“That’s kind of …”
“Beautifully sad?” she jokes, but I hear her pain.
“Harper …”
“It’s fucked up, but it is exactly what I’ve always wanted. It turns out, I just have bad taste,” she responds, and I feel a punch in my gut.
“Babe—”
“We’re not alike, Hunter. There’s no way you can say that. The truth is, you don’t truly know me,” she murmurs, her breathing ragged in a way that makes me ache to take her right here—regardless of where we’re at or who is around us.
“I think I know you better than you realize, but if you want to play that card, tonight’s the night we start getting to know one another.”
“It is? I don’t remember agreeing to that.”
I grin down at her. “That’s what first dates are, Harper. We get to know one another. I fucked up in our past. Now, we begin again.”
“I see you have it all figured out, Cowboy.”
“And that right there is where we will begin our get to know one another session of the date,” I decide, enjoying the way her eyebrows shoot up and her mouth thins out in annoyance.
“I don’t know what in the world you’re talking about. I also can’t figure out where you concluded that you could dictate anything about tonight,” she grumbles.
I bend down and press my lips against hers, running the tip of my tongue against the full, softness of hers, silently begging for entry. I feel like I’ve won the fucking lottery a second time when she opens her mouth, letting me inside. I explore slowly, wondering how the taste of her seems to be even sweeter than the last time we kissed. Her tongue boldly seeks mine out. I swallow her moan of hunger and I’m pretty fucking sure that I make my own. Someone bumps into Beau, and she breaks from my mouth with a startled gasp. I increase my hold on her.