Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 141281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 706(@200wpm)___ 565(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 706(@200wpm)___ 565(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
His lips come down on mine.
My body explodes.
I come so hard I see stars—all the stars above—my pussy clenching around his fingers so tight I break.
I’m aching, burning, pulsing against his hand.
I fight crying out, but I end up groaning into his mouth instead.
Chris devours my pleasure and keeps working his fingers, a wicked prelude to all the ways I know he’ll take me later tonight.
When the storm passes, I collapse against him, wiping sweat off my brow, loving how he kisses me so gingerly like he’s waking me up from a dream.
And let’s be real, he absolutely is.
“Holy hell! I can’t believe you made me do t-that,” I stammer. “We’ve got to set some boundaries, Mister. No kidding this time.”
He chuckles like I can’t be serious.
Even his rolling laugh makes me ache for him. I want to drop to my knees and suck him off right here in the open, but there’s no hiding that from anyone.
What am I turning into?
“Leave that to me, babe. I know your limits. Don’t worry, I’m gonna push them all, sweet Delia.”
I suck in a breath, tingling to my toes.
“But why?” I bite my lip and look into his eyes.
“Because you’re mine, dammit. You were a virgin before me. I’m the only man you’ve had—and the only one you get. I’ll burn these memories into you permanently. Gotta leave you something to fuck yourself to every night I can’t warm your bed. Have to keep you mine somehow.”
My heart dives.
Is that what he’s worried about?
He thinks I’ll run off with another man or lose interest when he isn’t around?
It should piss me off.
I want to believe I’ve earned his trust, but something about this fear that’s disguised in his usual dirty language, feels weirdly endearing.
Regaining my strength, I stretch up on my tiptoes and push my lips to his, kissing him with a brand-new hunger.
This isn’t about his worries.
He’s opening up to me right now, exposing a crack in the stoic testosterone armor I’m so used to.
I run my hand over his face, admiring his powerful jawline.
We kiss for a few more fraught minutes, trying to get more, more, and it’s never enough.
My thighs shift together, hungry to feel him wedged between them.
“You know there’s nothing to worry about, right? I don’t know how to date a super soldier man, but I’ll learn. You’re worth it, Chris.” Smiling, I tell him everything, hoping it’s what he needs to hear.
“These missions don’t always go off clean, Delia. Guys get killed. Or captured. They might not come back for years. Sometimes they come home in pieces.” There’s a brutish edge in his voice like he’s preparing me for something horrific.
Like he knows we’re racing headfirst into the darkness, plummeting into the scary depths of his life that could drag him down, never to resurface.
“I get it. I’ve done my research. I have some idea what it’s like for those poor military wives...”
He cocks his head, smug disbelief lining his lips.
“All theory. That’s a start, but it’s no stand-in for experience. And I don’t just mean mine. Cordelia, are you ready to put your life on hold for me? To accept there’s a chance I might not come home to kiss you again?”
My breath stalls.
Okay, now I see what this is.
One more chance to back out.
For a second, grim possibilities swirl in my head, foggy and anxious and sad.
Then I mouth “no,” shaking my head so hard it hurts.
I want to kiss him with the entire weight of my soul.
Everything that proves I know what I’m asking for.
What I’m accepting just by being with him.
Didn’t he save my life once?
Didn’t I see what could happen when things go wrong, up close and scarily personal?
Why the hell would I crack up now?
I lean in and whisper in his ear, “With you, I’m ready for anything, Prince Charming Dick. So, are you just going to stand around gabbing all night—or will you stop worrying and get me on my back?”
His eyes light up and he laughs.
He kisses me deeply, his tongue chasing mine.
“Love the way you think, Miss Delia. Guess you’ve learned a thing or two about pleasing my stubborn ass.”
* * *
I need this damn dress off now.
I’m climbing the wall, pressed up against it, deliciously crushed under Chris and a relentless flurry of kisses.
With too many people lounging around the beach, we snuck into the basement.
Dad’s wine cellar is usually locked. Thank God, or else we’d probably find a few partiers down here, passed out in a puddle of thousand-dollar wine.
We’ve got to be careful with all the bottles against the wall.
There’s a granite counter with a sink in the center, and that’s where Chris takes me next, tearing off my dress as he sucks at my neck.
“Faster, Chris... Get me naked,” I whimper, raking my nails down his chest, so overwhelmed with lust I feel like a melting candle. “I need you inside me.”