Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
“Hang on.” I open my purse and sort through my stuff, finding my key.
No sooner do I open the door than Dakota comes barreling toward us, a white ball of fur jumping on Axel with her front paws.
“Dakota, off,” I say as I shut the door behind us.
The well-trained dog immediately places all four paws on the floor. I haven’t been able to train the greeting out of her, but she listens once she says hello.
I kick off my shoes by the door, then glance at Axel, wondering if he’ll care that he now has white fur on his black clothes. But he is already kneeling on the floor, giving my baby a huge greeting that will only make the hair situation worse. Question answered, I muse.
Though Dakota greets everyone warmly, she is good at getting a sense of people and turning her back if she doesn’t like how she is treated. No worries here. If her paws on his shoulders are anything to go by, she and Axel are now best buds.
Amused, I lean against the wall, watching them for a minute before I’m ready to move things along. “Let’s relax in another room, or she’s going to think you’re her new playmate.”
Axel’s gaze meets mine, and laughter dances in his eyes. “Jealous that another girl is paying attention to me?”
I roll my eyes. “Are you seriously asking me if I’m jealous of my dog?”
He rises to his feet and walks toward me. I take one step back and come up against the wall, aware of his large body so close to mine.
“I’m sorry about Walter,” I say softly.
He nods. “I should have listened to you. You know what you’re talking about, and you know what? Maybe a part of me did want the dog to get your approval, at least at first.”
It impresses me that he admits the truth. “Until you met him,” I murmur, lifting my hand and cupping his cheek. “Pets have a way of burrowing into our hearts.”
He touches his forehead to mine. “Not just pets.”
We remain like that, our breaths mingling, so many words between us unsaid.
Maybe they need to be spoken out loud. “It feels like this is moving so fast I can’t keep up,” I say.
“Because when we’re together, it’s like no time has passed.” He places his hand beneath my chin and tilts my head up so I meet his gaze. “Stop overthinking, Tara. Let those walls down,” he says in a husky voice.
Oh, God. I really can’t resist him. Rising onto my tiptoes, I press my lips to his, and he lets out a low groan. Next thing I know, he lifts me, and I wrap my legs around his waist, holding on. I bury my face in the crook of his neck and breathe in his scent, one I dream about every night when I am alone.
“Bedroom?” he asks.
I direct him, and he carries me to my room with determined strides. “Close the door, or we’ll have company you don’t want.”
He kicks the door shut behind us. “Unless you’re replacing me as your girlfriend with Dakota?” I laugh at the thought but sober quickly as my chest rubs against his, my nipples feeling the pressure of his hard body as I move.
“You’re irreplaceable,” he says, tossing me onto the bed.
I bounce and glance up to find his expression filled with yearning.
He clasps my legs and yanks me closer to the edge of the mattress, making me wonder what he has planned. Nothing prepares me for the moment he grasps the sides of my button-down shirt and yanks, sending the buttons flying.
I gasp in surprise but have to admit I find his determination hot, and my core pulses with need. He pulls one cup of my bra down and latches on to my nipple with his mouth, sucking until my sex practically vibrates with each tug of his lips and scrape of his teeth.
Writhing on the mattress, I try to hold on to the covers but can’t get a grip, so I pull on his hair instead. I can’t decide if I’m urging him on or trying to escape the intensity of feelings he arouses. As if he knows I can’t take any more, he switches to the other breast, giving it the same treatment until I think I might come from his mouth on my nipples alone.
“I need you inside me.” My body won’t let me deny what it wants.
“I like you bossy.” He stands upright, pulling me to a sitting position. “Now strip.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Now who’s bossy?” I ask as he watches, waiting for me to move.
I shrug off my blouse, unhook and slide off my bra. Only then does he shed his T-shirt, unbutton, unzip, and tug down his jeans and boxer briefs. His shoes are already kicked to the side, and his clothes quickly join them.