Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
I turned and led him down the short hallway to my room, hyperaware of his presence behind me. The space felt impossibly intimate with him in it—the unmade bed with its white cotton sheets, the stack of books on the nightstand, the framed photos of my parents and friends on the dresser.
He moved to the window and looked out at the slice of ocean visible through the trees and houses beyond. “You can see the water from here.”
“Just barely,” I agreed, coming up behind him. “But I like having it there. It makes me feel settled. Calmer.”
He turned in my arms, and the look on his face was so tender it made my chest tight. “You’ve always loved it here.”
“Yes.”
“You want to stay.”
I drew in a breath and stood straighter. “I do. I feel more myself here, and I really like the school where I work. There’s something about the city that had started to feel lonely. I like that it doesn’t feel that way here.”
He pulled me into his arms. “Then we’ll stay.”
The breath caught in my chest. “We?”
He nodded. “We. That part’s nonnegotiable.”
My heart felt like it was going to flutter out of my chest and wing giddily through the air. “We’re negotiating?” I teased softly.
He tilted my chin up and lowered his voice to a stage whisper. “Inside tip: you have all the power in this one. I’d use it to ask for something huge right now. Chances are good he’ll agree to anything.”
My cheeks hurt from smiling. “I want you naked in my bed. I want you on top of me. And I want you to make love to me over and over until I pass out from dehydration and exhaustion.”
The crinkles around his eyes deepened as he leaned forward and whispered next to my ear. “You could have had a Lotus Elan like the one you always wished for when you blew out your birthday candles.”
Heat raced to my cheeks. “How did you know that’s what I wished for?”
He pressed soft kisses to the side of my face. “Because you were obsessed with it after you saw it in the old Avengers series on TV. I wanted to get one for you when you got your driver’s license, but Nadine warned me of the safety issues in an antique car.”
Kit’s kisses were distracting me. “Fuck Nadine and her uptight… oh. Please more of that. Thank you.”
He continued teasing me with kisses that were too soft but too delicious to give up.
“Mm, you content with your choice, then? The boring old man over the exciting vintage sports car?”
I reached for the hem of his sweater, my fingers trembling slightly. “I’m not sure. Maybe I want to take each one for a test drive. Compare the two.”
He chuckled, raising his arms to help me pull it over his head. The sweater fell to the floor, and I had to take a moment just to look at him. Broad shoulders and solid chest, a light dusting of hair that I wanted to map with my tongue. He was beautiful in the way that mature men were beautiful—not pretty or perfect, but real and strong and mine.
“Your turn,” he said, his voice already rough with want.
I pulled my sweater off, suddenly self-conscious. When I’d been naked in front of him before, it had been different. First, my vision and awareness had been darkened by rage. Second, everything had happened too quickly for either one of us to spend much time staring.
“I’m no Remy Carmona,” I muttered, remembering one of the runway models he’d dated years ago.
“Thank fuck for that. He was a raging narcissist.” Kit’s hands went to my waist, holding me steady. “Wait a minute. Why are we talking about Remy right now?”
“No reason,” I said, moving back into his embrace, seeking the warmth radiating off his broad chest.
“Are you comparing yourself to someone I’ve been with?” His voice rose with incredulity. “Because you couldn’t be more ridiculous right now. You’re fucking perfect,” he said firmly. “Absolutely perfect and the most beautiful human I’ve ever met. Always have been. When you’re in front of me, it’s like there’s a spotlight on you. The rest of the cast is in shadow.”
The conviction in his voice chased away my doubts. This was Kit—my Kit—and he loved me. All of me.
I reached for his belt, working it open with clumsy fingers. He helped me with the button and zipper of his jeans, all the while murmuring more reassurance and compliments, then stepped out of them along with his boxer briefs. I did the same, and then we were both naked, standing in the moonlight filtering through my bedroom window.
“Come here,” Kit said, sitting on the edge of my bed and pulling me to stand between his knees. His hands skimmed up my sides, thumbs brushing over my nipples and making me gasp. “I want to touch you. Really touch you this time.”