Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 33433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
His denim eyes run up and down my body, his expression heating. "Jesus," he mutters, reaching for my hand before his lips touch the corner of my mouth. "Just when I think you can't get any more beautiful, you prove me wrong, baby. You look ravishing."
I smile, my heart fluttering. "Not a bad opener, Captain."
He just grins before yanking me up against his chest. "I brought you something."
"Not flowers," I groan.
"Of course not. You hate them."
"You remembered," I say, a little surprised. Most guys think I'm joking about that, but I'm really not. A girl can only have so many flowers thrown at her feet before they lose their charm.
His eyes meet mine. "I remember everything you've told me about you, Sophie." The way he says it makes it impossible to doubt him. He reaches into his pocket and then holds out his hand.
A shocked laugh burbles from my lips when I see the plastic medallion dangling from his fingers on a blue and white ribbon. "Are you serious? You got me a gold medal?"
"You won the race," he says, smirking at me. "Thought you deserved an award for your efforts."
I take it from his hand, only to laugh even harder when I see that he scratched out 1st Place Ski Champion and scrawled 1st Place Cheater in its place in black Sharpie.
"Where did you find this?" I ask, grinning like a madwoman as I slip the ribbon over my head so the medallion settles between my breasts.
"At the sports store in town." He scratches the scruff on his jaw. "They didn't know what the fuck to think when I asked for a leotard big enough to fit me."
I clap a hand over my mouth, choking on laughter.
"Hope you like hot pink, ballerina," he mutters. "Because that's what I got."
"Seriously?"
"Yep, a Drag Queen helped me out."
I stare at him with wide eyes, but he's completely serious. "Your afternoon of shopping was far more interesting than mine, Harlan," I finally sputter through laughter. "All I bought was a new pair of panties."
His expression turns feral, his hands tightening on my hips. "Are you wearing them right now?"
"Maybe."
He groans so loud, my whole body vibrates with the sound. "Jesus." His lips press against mine in a hard kiss, his tongue flicking at the seam of my lips before he backs off, like he's afraid to trust himself right now. "Come on. Dinner, before I forget that I'm supposed to be a gentleman and bend you over the nearest flat surface to see these new panties for myself."
I just hum, looping my arm through his.
We move to the elevator, but instead of pushing the button to take me down to the restaurant, he hits the button to take us up. I shoot him a questioning look, but he just ignores it. When the elevator shudders to a stop on the roof, we step out into a private enclosed dining area, flickering with candles. The walls are glass, overlooking the mountains and valleys. It must be heated because it's nice and warm.
"Harlan," I gasp, spinning in a circle. "It's gorgeous."
He just grins at me, his hand a heavy weight on the small of my back as he leads me to the table set up in the center. "Thought you might appreciate a view while I appreciate mine."
From anyone else, that line would be ridiculous. The way he says it—in that deep rumble—makes it something else altogether. He's sweet in a way that's still so damn unexpected. It always hits me right in the chest, like a shot right to my heart.
He helps me sit, his hand trailing down my bare shoulder before he circles the small table to his own seat, his eyes locked on me. A waitress materializes from nowhere with a bottle of wine, leaving it on the table.
"This is truly beautiful," I murmur when she vanishes again, leaving us alone on top of the world.
"I thought about taking you to the restaurant on top of the mountain, but I figured you'd seen enough of the mountain for one day."
"Uh, definitely," I grumble. "It took all the hot water in this place to unfreeze my ass."
A ghost of a smile plays at his lips while he pours wine for us. "All of it, huh?"
"Yes, all of it. Their water heaters will never recover."
He chuckles, nudging my glass toward me. "Drink your wine before I kiss you again."
"You have an unhealthy obsession with my mouth, Captain."
"No," he disagrees, his voice firm as his eyes meet mine. "I have an unhealthy obsession with every part of you, Sophie." His hot gaze rakes down my body. "Every part."
I shiver, quickly taking a sip of wine before I do something wild like throw myself over the table into his arms. I love the way he looks at me like he's looking at something he wants to devour. I'm not a problem to him, a commodity, or something out of place, or dollar signs. I'm just…his.