Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88889 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88889 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“You can move to one of the other towns in the Sugar River Valley area and still be close enough to visit them daily,” I mention.
“I never thought of that,” she murmurs. “Maybe I should get a farm. I can milk cows for a living.”
“Yeah? You think you’ll like living on a farm?”
She lets out a chuckle. “Hmm . . . all the space. No neighbors right across the road.” She’s quiet for a moment. “I think it would be awesome.”
I glance over my shoulder at her. “Then why don’t you?”
Kelcie shrugs. “I like living next door to you.”
“I’m not attached to this house. I can sell and move as well.”
The idea of living on a farm with Kelcie sounds heavenly.
“All jokes aside,” she mutters. “I hope this nasty business with Colby and his family is over.”
I wasn’t joking. I would follow Kelcie to the ends of the earth if she let me.
When the pasta is ready, I drain it and mix all the ingredients together. Letting it rest in the pot, I lean back against the counter and cross my arms over my chest.
“If they come looking for trouble, let me know and I’ll handle it.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t expect that of you. You hate talking to people, and I’ll never forgive myself if you get in a fight because of me.”
“Kelcie.” I wait for her to look at me. “I’m not going to sit back and let people walk all over you.” Needing her to understand what she means to me without saying the actual words, I admit, “You’re important to me.”
Emotion washes over her face, and her voice is soft when she replies, “You’re important to me too.”
“You would stand up for me, so let me do the same for you.”
She nods and climbs to her feet from where she’s sitting by the table. When she comes toward me, I uncross my arms and open them. We hug, and she rests her cheek against my chest, letting out a sigh.
“I’m so thankful for you, Levi. I was drowning until you came along.”
“Ditto.”
Her voice is vulnerable as she whispers, “Promise you won’t just up and leave me.”
“Not unless you ask me to.”
“Promise,” she insists.
“I promise.”
She tilts her head back and looks up at me with so much hope that it makes my heartbeat speed up. My eyes lower to her mouth before flicking back to her gaze, where I can see my entire future in her soft brown irises.
God only knows where I get the strength to let go of her. I extract my body from between hers and the counter and grab two plates out of the cupboard.
“Why do you do that, Levi?”
With my back turned to her, I set the plates down and close my eyes.
“Is it my imagination?” she asks. “Am I seeing something that’s not there?”
Unable to lie, I shake my head. “No.”
“Then why do you keep pulling away?” When I don’t answer her, she says, “Look at me and tell me why you keep breaking the moments instead of kissing me.”
I grind my molars, trying to come up with a way out of this mess.
“I already failed at one marriage,” I spit out the first thing that comes to mind.
“So you think we would fail?”
I hear her move closer to me, and I quickly dart to the side and out of her reach. “Can we not do this?”
Pain ripples over her face, and she wraps her arms around her middle. “Okay.” She looks at the back door. “I think it will be best if I go home. I’m sorry I brought it up.”
The look of rejection in her eyes tells me I’m about to lose her, and it’s the one thing I can’t deal with.
She never promised not to leave me.
As Kelcie walks toward the door, I dart forward and grab her wrist. When she spins around, I bring my other hand to the back of her neck and slam my mouth to hers.
Unlike the times I kissed my ex and hated swapping spit, the pleasure I feel when my tongue pushes past Kelcie’s lips draws a groan from me.
Holy fuck.
Kelcie is pure heaven.
Chapter 14
Kelcie
I had my first kiss a year after graduating from school, and I lost my virginity to a carnival worker who upped and left town before I even woke up. I didn’t even know the guy’s last name.
To say my romantic history is sad would be the understatement of the year. It was never something I gave any thought to until Levi.
So when Levi grabs me by the back of my neck and yanks me toward him, shock ripples through me. His mouth crashes against mine, and I struggle to play catch-up as he practically devours me.
His lips knead mine roughly, and his tongue sweeps into my mouth with such dominance, I don’t know if I’m coming or going.