Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Shaking his head as if confused, he placed his hand on the side of my face. “You said you wanted your first time to be with someone you loved.”
I bit down on my lip and looked away before I met his eyes again. It didn’t take him long to figure it out. A plethora of emotions crossed his face as his eyes widened, and he softly said my name again.
“Sutton, sweetheart.”
I squeezed my eyes shut because I knew I couldn’t look at him while I uttered my next words. “I know you don’t love me back, and that’s okay. I mean, unless you don’t want me, then…”
I opened my eyes in time to see Brody close his. I could see the pained expression on his face before he opened them and our gazes locked again. Something was different. He looked…conflicted.
“I want you more than you could know, Sutton. I have for a long time.”
Butterflies danced in my stomach as his words sank in. “You…you have?”
He nodded and ran the back of his fingers down my cheek.
Brody wanted me.
Smiling, I slid my shaking fingers through his hair and pressed my mouth to his once more. The kiss was slower, sweeter than before. It filled my body with a feeling I had never experienced. It was like a warm blanket on a cold winter night, and somehow I knew everything would be okay because of this kiss. That what happened next would forever change our lives.
“Then take me, Brody. I want it to be you. Please.”
Before I knew what was happening, Brody stood, lifting me right with him. He gently placed my feet on the sand, then took my hand and started to walk down the beach, away from the bonfire.
“Where are we going?”
“To our fishing hut.”
Shivers ran through my body, and I knew it wasn’t from any chill in the air since it was a hot August night.
Brody and Gannon’s parents owned two houses in Seaside. Their main house was on Captain’s Row, which wasn’t that far from my parents’ house. They also had a smaller place on the beach that included a fishing hut on a private pier over the water. I had been to it a few times. It was really nice, unlike some local fishing huts. The last time I’d been in it with Addie, it had a card table, a bar, and a sofa inside. I knew, from what Addie had told me, that Brody and Gannon hung out there a lot.
“Why don’t we go to the beach house?” I asked as we started down the pier toward the hut.
Brody looked at me and winked. “Gannon and Addie are there.”
That caused me to swing my head around and glance back over my shoulder. “Oh,” I said softly, seeing a faint light coming from the house. Addie and Gannon’s relationship was…complicated, to say the least. They had mutually agreed to break up after high school since Gannon was going into the Navy and Addie was heading off to college. But when they were in town at the same time, they were on again. And that meant sneaking off to do whatever it was they did when they were alone.
Brody pulled out his keys and unlocked the door to the hut, then motioned for me to go in. I wondered how many girls he’d brought here to have sex. I knew he wasn’t a sweet, innocent boy, but the thought of other women having him first made me jealous, and I hated that feeling. I worked at pushing the emotion away. This wasn’t the time or place for that.
Brody turned on a light and smiled. When he spoke his next words, my eyes went wide. It was as if he’d read my mind.
“I have to tell you, Sutton, I’ve never brought a girl here. And if Gannon knew what we were about to do, he’d be pissed. This place is like a sanctuary for him. No girls allowed. Well, not unless they’re fishing.”
I knew I had a wide grin on my face. Of course, Brody probably thought I was smiling because of what Gannon would say if he knew what we were about to do.
Taking a few steps closer to me, he pushed a lock of my brown hair behind my ear. “Are you sure about this, sweetheart?”
I blinked rapidly in an attempt to keep my tears at bay. It wasn’t because I was scared or worried; I was on the verge of crying because Brody had called me sweetheart, and not in a casual, friendly way.
“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. I want my first time to be with you, Brody.”
A brilliant smile appeared on his face, and he reached for my tank top and pulled it over my head. He placed it on the table, then stared hotly at my white lace bra for a few seconds before he started to slide my shorts off.