Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 132951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
It’s like tossing a lit match into a vat of gasoline. My need for more is all-consuming.
I open for her, which is an exceptionally awful idea. Because the moment our tongues brush, kissing her like this is all I ever want to do for the rest of my miserable fucking life. The world could turn to dust around us, and I wouldn’t care. I snake an arm around her waist, pulling her tighter against me. My hand slides into her hair, angling her head so I can deepen the kiss.
Mildred makes a soft, surprised sound as I sweep her mouth again and again. I want to get lost in this feeling, in her softness, in feeling something good. In her. I run my other hand over her hip, curving around the generous swell of her ass.
“Connor, dear, remember where you are,” Meems calls, her voice laced with humor.
“We definitely got the shot,” the photographer says with a slightly uncomfortable chuckle.
Which is when I realize I’ve been trying to climb inside my fiancée’s mouth. I wrench free and put some space between us. Mildred stumbles back, eyes wide and glassy. I catch her before she can tumble down the stairs. A flush works its way up her chest and into her cheeks.
“I need a minute.” I spin around and rush up the stairs.
“Just, um…I’ll be back, too.” Mildred’s voice is pitchy.
I stride down the hall, heading for my bedroom, my self-loathing on fire. Mildred is on my heels, making it impossible for me to close the door behind me without slamming it in her face.
She glances around at my bedroom. She’s never been in here before.
I grip the back of my neck. I’m such a fucking asshole. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
She moves closer, deeper into my bedroom. I don’t want the memory of her in here. I don’t want her to leave.
Her eyes glitter with emotions. “Run away, you mean?”
“Kissed you like that.” My jaw clenches. My cock aches. My disgust is at an all-time high. She’s not here because she wants to be. She’s not my fiancée because she enjoys my company. She’s here to save herself from a lifetime of struggle and to give Meems hope that I won’t end up sad and alone.
“I kissed you back, Connor.” She’s right in front of me, close enough to touch.
“You didn’t really have a choice, did you?” I say through gritted teeth.
“There’s always a choice.” She settles a palm on my chest, but I can’t handle the contact.
Everything is heightened, and all I want is to feel her lips on mine and her soft tongue. I want her moans and her sighs and the feel of her skin under my fingers. But that’s a level of complication neither of us needs, so I step back out of reach.
“I’m overstimulated,” I snap.
She raises both hands. “I’m sorry.”
I turn away so I can adjust my erection, which is bent at an uncomfortable angle. “I need a moment, and you being in here is the opposite of helpful.”
I’m met with silence.
I sigh. Why do I always have to be an asshole? Mildred doesn’t deserve my bad mood. It’s not her fault I’m painfully attracted to her and struggling to manage my fucking hormones. “I’m—”
I turn around so I can explain myself, but she’s gone.
Her disappearance is an effective solution to my problem below the waist. But when I’m finally in control enough to return to the living room, the photographer is gone as well, and my fiancée is nowhere to be found.
CHAPTER 14
DRED
“Iwish my gran read these kinds of books.” Tally’s eyes are wide, and her cheeks are red.
“I bet Dallas’s granny would totally read steamy romance,” Hemi muses.
“My grammy only reads autobiographies,” Rix sighs.
“My grandma loves cozy mystery,” Hammer says. “And my mom only reads self-help books.”
“I have loved romance my entire life. I wanted to be Cinderella when I was a little girl,” Essie confides. “But my hair wasn’t the right color, plus her stepsister situation wasn’t all that great.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” I agree.
“No one would be surprised to hear that Callie’s favorite is Merida.” Lexi rubs her baby belly.
“Not even a little,” I laugh.
“I always loved Pocahontas and Mulan,” Meems says thoughtfully.
“That tracks.” I grin.
She winks.
She’s been all smiles since the girls arrived for “book club” an hour and a half ago. It’s a new thing I sprang on them post-engagement photoshoot. I used the fact that we have an actual library as an excuse. But honestly, how could I not when I’ve been granted access to my very own personal library? It has nothing to do with needing insulation from Connor and the second kiss I can’t stop thinking about.
All it took was an invitation, and a time and date, and here they are. I’m sure they thought they’d have a chance to dig into my reasons for this development in my relationship situation. However, Meems is the hostess with the most-est, so they haven’t had an opportunity. But they’re inadvertently getting to know the primary reason I’m here, in this gorgeous space, so there’s that.