Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
His eyes narrow into slits. “Fuck,” he croaks. And then he stops moving.
I grin up at him. “You’re close?”
He responds with a mumbled expletive.
I slide my hands down his sinewy back. He’s got muscles in places I didn’t even know had muscles. “What are you waiting for then?”
“You.”
“Me what?”
“I’m waiting for you to tell me just how much you want it.” He rotates his hips and then withdraws again, his pace excruciatingly slow.
A shockwave rocks my core, causing me to squeeze his tight ass and buck against him. Suddenly I don’t have the energy to tease or prolong the inevitable.
“I want it very, very badly,” I whisper.
With a satisfied nod, he plunges into me and swallows my strangled cry with a hard kiss. His mouth devours mine, his fingers stroking my hair and my hips and my clit. I drink in his kisses and it isn’t long before waves of pleasure crash over me again. A climax so extraordinary that my legs shake and bright light explodes in front of my eyes.
The bliss only deepens when I feel Ben shudder, when I hear the low groan signaling that he’s coming. I tighten my grip around his neck. When I press my breasts to his sweat-soaked chest, the erratic thumping of his heartbeat vibrates against my skin.
I don’t know how long we lie there, and I don’t care that the crush of his powerful chest restricts the flow of oxygen to my brain. I like the weight of him. And the slick feel of him. And the spicy masculine scent of him. I know I should move, get up, get dressed, put an end to this intimate moment, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I release a sigh and stroke his back, pressing my face to his chest as he slowly rolls over and brings me with him.
22
Ben
I’m reeling, not so much from the incredible sex, but from Maggie’s odd behavior. Something’s changed. I can’t put my finger on it, but I sense it as I hold Maggie in my arms and thread my fingers through her hair. Somehow, in the minutes we’ve been lying here recovering from our mind-blowing orgasms, she’s dropped her guard. She didn’t jump out of the bed after the sex, didn’t start rambling on about her schedule and schoolwork and all the reasons why being here with me is a bad idea.
She just curled up beside me, letting me stroke her hair.
I like it.
A lot.
“So what now?” she asks after giving a big yawn. “Should we take a walk on the beach?”
“Says the redhead after yawning her face off,” I tease. “It’s okay to be tired, babe. To just lie around and do nothing.”
She shifts, moving onto her side so that her gaze locks with mine. Her expression reflects uneasiness. “Doing nothing makes me anxious.”
I grin. “I’ve noticed.”
“It’s not a bad thing, is it?”
“No, it’s not a bad thing. No need to get defensive.” I reach for her leg and lift it so that it’s draped over my thighs, not sure why I need the physical contact so desperately. “I just think you need to learn how to relax every now and then.”
She doesn’t answer, but the troubled look on her face speaks volumes. I wonder how many times she’s heard that before from the people in her life. Her friends. Co-workers. That dumbass Tony. I’d bet anything that Maggie’s non-existent love life is a direct result of her need to always be doing something.
“What do you want from your life?” I find myself asking. “Aside from being a social worker?”
Surprise flickers in her gaze, followed by a glimmer of confusion. “To be honest, I’ve never really thought past the career thing.”
“You don’t think about getting married? Or having children? Traveling, gardening, anything that doesn’t involve working?”
“Not really.” Before I can question the response, she turns the tables on me. “What about you? Do you ever think of a life beyond acting?”
“All the time.” A wry smile creases my mouth. “If I’m being honest, acting is definitely not what I thought it would be.”
“What did you hope to get from it?”
I pause to think. Shit. I’ve never let myself examine the hopes I had going into this industry. Or the unhappiness I feel now that my career has zigzagged in a direction I never wanted.
“Ben?”
I chew on the inside of my cheek, trying to put it into words I’ve never said out loud. “It’s…it’s like I bought a first-class ticket for passage on the Titanic,” I finally say. “You know, boarding the ship, getting caught up in the splendor of it, thinking I’m on top of the world. And then comes the iceberg and the ship sinks.”
“So what’s your iceberg?” she asks, reaching out to touch my chin.
I haven’t shaved in days, and the feel of Maggie’s fingers skimming my rough beard makes my groin tighten. She doesn’t miss the way my cock jerks in response, but she wiggles her eyebrows and gives me a no-nonsense stare. “Oh no. We’re having a conversation. Stop trying to distract me.”