Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
“Were you going to sneak off without saying goodbye?” I asked against her lips.
“Never,” she whispered, kissing me back, her hands gliding up my chest. “I was coming to find you, you just found me first.”
“What can I say?” I said, smiling down at her. “I like to win.”
“You always win,” she chided.
I walked her backward until her spine pressed against the wall, relishing the way she felt against me. Fuck, I’d never get tired of kissing Brynn, it was the best awakening and the sweetest torture. I wanted more, even though I’d had her under me this morning. But it was more than this electric chemistry we had. Brynn was rooted in my soul, her happiness my ultimate goal.
“Wes,” she said against my lips, so I moved them down the line of her jaw, and kissed her neck. “I have to go. My flight.”
“I own the plane,” I said against her neck, my hands roaming over her hips. “I can tell it when to leave.”
She playfully smacked my chest. “As much as I’d love to keep doing this, I really do need to go. I have to prep for the filming of the final piece of my presentation.”
“I know,” I groaned, kissing her collarbone. “Seth’s team just got his done too. It’s waiting for my approval, but I’ve left work for the day. You could too.” I dragged my hand down her thigh, my fingers meeting her skin thanks to the slit in her dress. “All I’d have to is shove this to the side…” I teased her heat over the lace she wore for emphasis. “And I could be inside you—”
“Weston Rutherford,” she chided me, a smile on her lips. “Stop trying to distract me from my work, you know how much this means to me.”
I kissed her again, removing my hands from beneath her dress before taking a step away from her.
“You’re right,” I said, holding my hands up innocently. “I’m sorry.”
Her skin was beautifully flushed, her eyes slightly hazed. “Don’t be sorry,” she said, straightening herself. “Be ready when I get home.”
Home.
The word clanged through me, rooting me to the spot. Brynn had practically been living at my place for the last four months, and while I loved hearing her call it home, it only made me realize that it wasn’t.
It wasn’t her home. Not in the way that mattered.
But it’d only been four months, I highly doubted she was ready for me to ask her to move in, and most certainly not minutes before she had to leave for a business trip. Were we ready for that? Fuck, I was ready for anything that would make her mine in a more official way, but she this was all so new. Plus, she’d been so busy lately, juggling her new career and still maintaining my day-to-day things on top of it. Making a huge move like that would only put added pressure on her that she didn’t need.
“Right,” I said, fumbling my words. “You should get going.”
She tilted her head, reaching up to cup my cheek. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, giving her an assuring smile. “Long day. Ready to go home, but I have to do one last round of face time with the donors.”
“Poor, Wes,” she said. “Get some rest tonight, okay? And don’t you dare watch Love Is Blind without me!”
“I would never,” I called after as she headed toward the hotel lobby, her pumps clicking on the marble floor.
My gut twisted once she was out of sight, a sort of emptiness taking up a sore spot in my chest. I shoved it down and headed back into the gala, the event still going strong, never once missing my presence. Just a couple more rounds of mingling and I could get out of here—
“Weston,” Lena’s voice sounded from behind me where I’d found myself near the entrance of the event room. “I haven’t seen you all night!”
She swept up to me, her silver dress sparkling under all the lights as she kissed either side of my cheek. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered.
“Lena—”
“There he is,” Mr. Nelson—Lena’s father and owner of Nelson Tech—said, cutting me off. “Quite the event you have here,” he said, reaching out to shake my hand. “As always. Very impressive.”
I dipped my head, trying my best to step away from Lena and focus on him, but she kept sticking to my side. “Thanks, Mr. Nelson, we do all right.”
“Can we get a picture?” a media photographer called from right behind Mr. Nelson, and I shifted into my paparazzi role on instinct.
I straightened my stance, situating my facial features in a way that couldn’t be misconstrued. I’d dealt with paparazzi long enough to know a calm, aloof face was better than any with real emotions—which would be irritation right now if I actually showed anything because Lena slipped her hand against my chest, leaning into me for the picture.