Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 100294 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100294 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
I collapse on top of her, careful not to crush her, my face buried in her neck. We’re both breathing hard, sweat-slicked and tangled together, and I don’t want to move. Ever.
She runs her fingers through my hair, gentle now, and I feel her lips brush my temple. “That was—”
“Yeah,” I say because I don’t have words either.
Slowly I pull out, my cock slipping free from her snug pussy that’s still trying to strangle it.
I roll, taking her with me so she’s sprawled across my chest. I grab the blanket from the other bed and drape it over us, and she settles in, her head on my shoulder, her hair everywhere. She places her hand over my heart. I’m sure she can feel how hard it’s still pounding.
I kiss her forehead, her nose, and her mouth, soft and slow. “You’re staying,” I say. It’s not a question this time.
“Yeah,” she whispers, eyes already drifting closed. “I’m staying.”
I hold her tighter, feeling her breathing even out, and stare at the ceiling, my heart still pounding. She thinks I mean she’s staying for the night. I meant forever, and she already agreed.
She’s here. She’s mine. And I’m never letting go.
Chapter Thirty-One
MADELINE
Ismile without even opening my eyes yet, remembering last night. Luke is nuzzled into my neck and wrapped around me like a giant teddy bear. I suppose he is, to me at least. He growls a lot but is extra cuddly.
I let out a huff when I hear my phone buzzing. It’s not the alarm I set but a text making it vibrate slightly on the nightstand.
I reach for it, my body protesting, muscles I didn’t know I had aching in the best way. I’m tangled in sheets smelling like Luke.
Luke’s hold on me tightens before I can reach it. “Ignore it,” he growls in my neck. He’s so warm and relaxed I want to stay here. I want to forget the world outside this room. My responsibilities.
But my phone buzzes again.
“I have to. It could be my sister or Georgia. I also need to use the bathroom.”
“Fine,” he huffs. I untangle myself from him, grab my phone, and stand. I wince slightly as the sheet falls away.
I catch sight of myself in the mirror across the room, hair wild, neck marked with faint bruises, and lips still swollen. Shit. It’s clear what I was up to last night, but damn, I have to say I kind of love it. My body was well used and loved.
I head into the bathroom and unlock my phone to read the messages from Georgia.
Georgia: Are we heading out soon?
Georgia: You have work. Don’t forget.
Shit. Work. The thing I’ve been debating quitting but haven’t been able to. I keep doing it because... why? Pride? Stubbornness? The desperate need to prove I can take care of myself?
I type back quickly.
Me: Give me twenty.
I set my phone back down on the nightstand. Luke’s arm comes out, snagging me around the waist and pulling me back into bed with him. I let out a laugh.
“I have to go. I have work,” I tell him. He starts kissing up my neck, knowing it’s my weak spot. He spent the night learning every inch of my body.
“No.” His grip tightens. “Quit.”
I laugh, turning to face him. “Just like that?”
“Just like that.” He opens his eyes, dark and serious. “I’ll pay you. Whatever they pay you, I’ll double it. Triple it.”
“Luke.” I roll my eyes, pushing at his chest. “You can’t just pay me to quit my job.”
“Why not?”
“Because that’s insane.” I sit up again, searching for my clothes. My shirt is on the floor, my shorts somewhere near the bathroom. “And I’m not your kept woman.”
He sits up too, the sheet falling to his waist, and I have to force myself to look away. He’s too distracting like this, naked, all sleep-mussed and possessive. “You’re not,” he says. “You’re just... busy. We’re both busy. And there’s a lot of shit going down. I don’t want you there. Not with everything happening.”
I find my bra and pull it on, then my shirt. “The mystery? The murder?”
“All of it.” He swings his legs out of bed, standing naked and unbothered. “I don’t like you there. I don’t like the way Joey looks at you. I want your extra time.” I should probably be mad at him for acting like a neanderthal, but I can’t help but be amused. I know this is all coming from a place of him wanting to protect me and not trying to control me.
I pull on my shorts, and he’s watching me with that look, the one that says he’s two seconds from throwing me back on the bed and having his way with me. So freaking tempting.
“Luke.” I soften my voice, walking over to him. I put my hands on his chest. “I’ve actually been thinking about quitting.”