Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
She’s waiting by the back door when I pull into the driveway.
“I’ll give you a key,” I tell her as I unlock the door.
“Oh, you don’t have to. I probably won’t be here that long.”
Those words coming out of her mouth are like a kick to the jaw.
You’re not going anywhere, Wildfire.
“It will be a while before the crew can get up to the apartment, Jules. You’re here, with me, for the foreseeable future.”
She bites her lip and steps inside, and I cup her chin, making her look up at me.
“Unless you don’t want to be here. I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to.”
“It’s not that. I don’t want to take advantage of you. I don’t want to give you another reason to resent me later—”
“Whoa.” Cupping her face, I frown down at her. “I’m an asshole, but I’m not a complete monster. We’re figuring our shit out. I couldn’t resent you for being here with me, when that’s exactly what I want. I don’t want you anywhere else. And if I didn’t want you here, I’d tell you so.”
“Yeah.” She gives me a soft smile. “You definitely would. Thank you. I can sleep in the guest room—”
“We’re going to clear this whole fucking thing up right here, right now.”
Lifting her, I carry her to the kitchen and set her on the countertop so I’m eye to eye with her. Leaning my hands on either side of her hips, I cage her in.
“I want you in my room and in my bed for as long as you want to be here. Does that spell it out for you?”
“Yeah. It’s just …” She nibbles her lip.
“What, baby?”
“I don’t know if I can trust this.”
I frown down at her. “Trust what, exactly?”
“This.” She swallows hard and looks down at my chest. “That you’ll still feel this way in a few days. That it’s not just happening because we’ve been sort of forced together here and there, and you’ve let your guard down, but when you remember everything that happened, you won’t hate me again, and make me leave, and—”
I rest my lips over hers, kissing her softly, nibbling those perfect lips. And when I pull back, I tip my forehead to hers.
“I. Don’t. Hate you.” I drag my fingertips down her soft cheek, to her neck, and hold her there. Hold her gaze. “I never hated you. I was hurt and angry, but we already said that we’re going to let the past stay behind us and work on something new.”
“Yeah,” she whispers. “Still scares me. Aren’t you scared?”
“Fucking terrified.” Her eyes soften with my admission, and it sets me at ease, too. “But I want you more than I’m scared of it.”
“Okay.” She nods, then leans in and rests her forehead on my chest. “One day at a time. Can I use your super beautiful shower?”
“You can use whatever you want.” I kiss the top of her head and help her off the counter, then lead her down the hallway.
This afternoon, Jules went up to the apartment and packed up the rest of what she could salvage from the flood, and I brought it back here. She finds what she wants to change into and gathers it into her arms.
“You should have everything you need in there,” I tell her, gesturing to the bathroom.
“I’ll be ready to go in about twenty,” she replies.
With a nod, I back out of the bedroom. I’ll shower down the hall. I would prefer to be in there with her, but once we start, I won’t want to let her go any time soon, and my girl wants ice cream for dinner.
She can have anything she damn well wants.
And when I’m inside her again, it’s not going to be a quick, angry fuck in my garage.
Not that there’s not a time and place for that, and I look forward to it happening again, when she doesn’t run out on me after.
This time, it’ll be in my bed, where I can fucking devour her.
Thirty minutes later, I’m pulling the bike out of the garage. I pass the helmet I bought for Jules to her, and her eyes go big.
“This fits me.”
Suddenly, as I’m tying the chin strap, her eyes narrow and go sapphire blue.
“Wait.” Her hands cover mine, stopping my movements. “Who the fuck did you buy this woman-sized helmet for? I don’t want to wear something that you bought for someone else, Brooks—”
“Stop.” I hold the chin guard of the helmet and make her look me in the eyes. She’s glaring at me, and fuck if it doesn’t make me hard.
There’s my wildfire.
“Number one, I’ve never had another woman on my bike. Not once, Juliet.”
Those eyes widen, her jaw goes slack, and I keep talking.
“Two, I bought this for you last week.”
“B-before you knew I’d be staying here.”