Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 98823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
“Point taken.” I hated how I always seemed to say the wrong thing to him. I wanted to shower him with all the well-deserved praise while also finding ways to make him take an equally well-earned rest. At least he wasn’t pulling away from my massage. “I think of the band as my team too. It’s only together that we reach our full potential. It can’t be all me.”
“Exactly.” He groaned as I found another particularly challenging tense spot above his shoulder blade. “Fuck. That feels amazing. Thank you.”
“See?” I preened, wriggling so much my towel came loose, and we both laughed. Chuckling, I draped myself over his back. “See? Chilling isn’t that hard. Now, what should we order for food?”
“After last night, I should have a salad.” He gave me a half-grin.
“Banish should from your vocabulary,” I ordered as I straightened and grabbed the room phone. “I’ll order for us.”
Again, I expected an argument or at least some alpha-man harumphing about how he’d choose his own food, but all he did was sigh good-naturedly. “Fine. Ruin my arteries.”
I ordered the excellent wings I’d had last time we were at this hotel plus the fried pickles, but I tossed on a big salad to reward Duncan’s compliance. Then because I was being so virtuous, I finished with a tempting-sounding slice of pie that we could share.
“Guess I should get dressed.” I shimmied my naked ass over to my bag.
“Thought we were banishing should?” Duncan laughed as I pulled on a clean pair of shorts and a shirt that advertised a small band popular when I was in high school. “Don’t cover up on my account. I’ll handle the door in any case. There’s probably plenty of celebrity-hungry hotel personnel looking for a glimpse of you.”
“Hey, you want to fetch the food. I’m not gonna complain.” I sprawled back on the couch. “Let me be lazy.”
“Impossible.” He slung an arm around me, and damn, I loved him loose like this, and I’d give him a dozen more massages if that’s what it took to keep him this way.
“I’m not sure my fans are what we need to worry about though. You glower at the food service staff and flex those bodyguard muscles, and you might end up being the one with a fan club.”
“Ha.” Duncan shook his head like he wasn’t hot as fuck. But his inability to see it was one of his more charming qualities.
Snuggling into his arm before he could remove it, I chose the next episode, one I figured Duncan might like with some funny kids in the ER and some inter-squad EMT drama. And he seemed to, laughing along with me and holding me close until the food arrived.
“Be right back.” He untangled us to fetch the tray, promptly returning to arrange the food on the glass coffee table in front of us.
“No rogue fans hiding under the cart?” I laughed, but he frowned.
“Tell me that hasn’t happened before.”
“I wouldn’t want to lie to you.” I busied myself with dividing up the food, but I was serious. I didn’t want to lie to Duncan. I liked teasing him, but I also liked how I didn’t have to be on for him, didn’t need to be the best, shiniest version of myself. In a weird way, I felt more authentic around him than nearly anyone else. “And it was only the one time.”
“Once is plenty.” Duncan helped himself to some chicken. “And that’s not happening on my watch.”
Secure. That was what I felt and what made it so easy to relax around him. With Duncan, I didn’t need to worry that some minor but important detail would be missed. I had plenty of people taking care of me, but something about Duncan made me feel safe and cared for on a different, deeper level.
“Taste this,” I commanded, holding out a forkful of a truly stellar blueberry crumb pie featuring local fruit under a blizzard of powered sugar and soft, buttery crumbs. But when Duncan obediently opened his mouth, my pleasure came from something far sweeter than a sugar rush.
“Damn.” He moaned and licked the fork, and that was all it took for my cock to get interested in round two.
“If pie can make you groan like that, imagine what my tongue could do.” I held out another bite for him.
“It would have to be damn spectacular to beat that pie.” His eyes danced, and I started to crawl on top of him but got distracted by the TV, which had moved on to an episode I hadn’t seen yet. “Oh no. The older EMT dude got injured.”
“Hope the crew helps him through it.” Duncan’s tone was so serious that I abandoned my seduction plans in favor of using him as a pillow.
“I’m sure they will.”
“Don’t be so sure.” He pursed his mouth as he stared at the screen like he alone could will the EMT to be okay. Wow. He was almost more compelling than the show, all the emotions on his face. He must have been something on missions, caring that deeply.