Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
I shake my head and point toward the bowl in front of him. “Eat.”
He eats the chili as if it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted. I barely touch it because I don’t have an appetite. I know I got him here, and I know we’re stranded.
“What are you thinking?” He’s pointing at me. “Right now, why are you frowning?”
I sit back in my seat. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”
He drops his spoon in the now empty bowl and picks up a napkin to wipe his face. He scoots his chair out and turns to face me. “Okay. Why do you think that?”
I lift my shoulders and avoid his gaze. Damn, this is so embarrassing.
He grabs my chair and pulls me toward him until my knees are between his legs. He reaches for my chin and lifts it and searches my eyes. “Talk to me. Why is this a bad idea?”
I wince just thinking about it. “Because I forced you here. I knew you’d come when you found out about me staying in the cabin. And now you’re stranded here with me. Basically, it’s like I’m forcing you to sleep with me.” I start to stutter. “I mean, we don’t have to sleep together… there’s one bed… but I mean, you don’t have to have sex with me.”
I pull my chin from his hold and try to get away from him. The embarrassment is just too much to handle at this point. The more I struggle, the harder he holds on to me. When I finally stop trying to get away, I find myself in his lap. He nuzzles his face into my neck. “First of all, nothing is going to happen that you don’t want to happen.”
I open my mouth, but he stops me. “Second, this between you and me was going to happen. Tonight, tomorrow, next week, there’s a limit to how strong I can be.” He cups my cheek and looks at me. “Yeah, this is still a bad idea.”
“But—” I start.
He smiles and shakes his head. “But I don’t want to fight it. For one night, I want to know what it’s like to have you in my arms. I want to lay in that small bed with you snuggled into my side and wake up with you lying next to me. Whatever happens between those times is a bonus, Maddie. But make no mistake, I want this. Whatever you’re offering me tonight, I want it.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and lean into him. “Me too. I want you, Rhett, and I’m tired of waiting.”
He picks me up from his lap and sets me down in the chair. I sit stunned and watch him clean up the dishes. “I can get those later.”
He shakes his head. “I can do it now. And then I’m going to take a shower.”
“A shower?”
He nods. “Yep. I worked all day, and once I get in that bed, I don’t plan on getting out of it until the snow melts.”
I bite my lip because whether he means to or not, his words excite me. I sit awkwardly until he finishes washing the dishes and putting away the leftovers. I’m not one for sitting around, so this feels weird to me. I get up from my chair. “Okay, I’ll just…”
He turns and tosses the dish towel on the counter. “Shower with me.”
I stumble on my own two feet, but he catches me, smiling. I shake my head because surely I didn’t hear him right. “Shower with you?”
He nods, and while holding me, he starts walking me backward toward the bathroom. “Yes, I want you to shower with me.”
Of course I want to shower with him, but insecurity settles in. The closer we get to the bathroom, the more I second-guess it. “So, uh, are we showering in the dark?”
He shakes his head. “In the dark? How am I supposed to see you in the dark?”
I raise my eyebrows. “Exactly. That’s the point.”
He stops next to the shower and puts his hands on my shoulders. “You don’t want me to see you?”
I scrunch my nose up. “More like, are you sure you want to see me? I’m a rancher, Rhett.”
His eyebrows raise, and he looks at me with surprise. “I know what you are, Maddie, I’m just trying to figure out what you being a rancher has to do with anything.”
I jut my chin at him. “I don’t diet. I eat when I’m hungry, and I’m not shaped like most women you would probably find attractive.”
He’s trying not to laugh. His eyes are sparkling, and it’s obvious that he’s trying not to smile. I want to get on him about it, but the fact he’s smiling stuns me a little.
His hands trail down my arms, and he grabs both my hands. “I find you very attractive, Maddie.” He leans in and whispers in my ear, “I tasted your cunt last night, baby. I’m completely fuckin’ hooked.” He kisses my ear and down my neck before whispering into my ear, “Let me see you.”