Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“I saw that,” she says, smirking. “Be glad you’re my husband, or I’d tell you to mind your business.”
I smirk back at her, standing, too. “You’ve never once told me to mind my business.”
“Would you have listened if I did?” she asks as I follow her into the bedroom.
“Depends.”
“On what?” She stops at the foot of the bed and faces me. “On whether you liked the guy I was dancing with or not?”
I take a step closer to her, watching her pupils dilate. “If someone’s grabbing your ass and you’re smacking at him to stop, whether we’re married or not, you are my business.”
Her eyes twinkle. “Oh, really?”
“Yup.”
“What about now that I am your wife?”
My wife.
It’s a challenge, a sexy dare that threatens to unravel my restraint. Her lips press together in a cheeky taunt that makes my blood go red-hot.
My pulse kicks in hard as I close the distance between us. Every instinct is to pick her up and throw her on the bed, which is what I’d do if we didn’t have all these prearranged rules. Normally, I’d want to have her, reminding her that I still exist and she shouldn’t forget me.
This time, though, I want to possess her. Not out of dominance or control, but out of a fierce need to show her that she’s protected, cherished, and completely mine in a way she’s never been before.
“Now that you’re my wife,” I say, touching her pout with the tip of my finger. “No one will get close enough to you to grab your ass, so that won’t be an issue.”
Her lips part before I register it, and she gently bites the tip of my finger.
It’s like being lit on the outside and threatened not to burn.
Every instinct is screaming at me to finish closing the distance and take what she’s offering. Fighting the urge is like holding a piece of live wire with my bare hands. I’m one breath away from losing this battle, and I can’t let that happen.
I draw my hand away from her mouth, feeling her teeth scrape against my skin. It’s a shot straight to my groin—a deliberate attempt to see how far I can be stretched. It’s exhilarating and maddening at the same time.
I fill my lungs with air. “Take the bed. I’ll take the floor.”
She leans away, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Excuse me?”
“I said I’ll take the floor.” I swipe my bag off the floor and carry it with me into the en suite. “Just toss me a pillow, and I’ll grab an extra blanket from the closet.”
“You’re not sleeping on the floor, Hart.”
I peel my clothes off down to my boxer briefs and make quick work of brushing my teeth.
“Why not?” I ask before I rinse my mouth.
“Because people walk there. I don’t know. It’s gross. I can sleep in the chair in the living room.”
“My wife is not sleeping in a fucking chair while I sleep in a bed. Abso-fucking-lutely not.” I turn off the bathroom light and find the extra blanket that I prayed was there. “You. Bed.”
“I feel bad,” she says.
“Don’t.” I ignore the way she looks, sitting in the middle of the bed with her hair now around her shoulders, and spread the blanket on the floor. Then I slide a pillow off the mattress and toss it on the floor. “Good night, Mira.”
She reaches over and flips the switch by the bed, making the room dark. The only light comes through the windows because we didn’t close the curtains. It’s just enough to cast a warm, hazy glow through the room.
“Night, Hart.”
I unfold my body onto the floor, taking care not to groan as I try to get situated. My senses are in overdrive, and I hear every breath she takes above me.
If I reached far enough, I could touch her. When I breathe, I’m met with her scent. I’m acutely aware of her proximity and state of undress, and it’s too much to process after the day that we’ve had.
I take my cock in my hand and squeeze, sucking in a breath as I imagine the tightness coming from her pussy.
This is why I arranged for two beds.
“Hey, Hart,” she asks, a tease to her tone.
I clear my throat. “Yeah?”
“Our agreement was no sex, right?”
“Do you have to remind me?” I ask, groaning.
Her giggle makes me smile.
“But that was to keep lines from being blurred, right?” she asks, her voice growing higher.
“Yeah. I suppose.” Where’s she going with this? “Probably a smart idea. Not my favorite one by any stretch of the imagination, but smart.”
“But you and I would have sex every now and then, right?” She rolls over to the edge of the bed, peering down at me. “It’s going to be a long twelve months. Maybe the rules don’t apply until we’re back in Sugar Creek.” Her grin turns mischievous. “Maybe we should just fuck and get it out of our system.”