Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 129427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129427 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
My face grew hot with embarrassment, and I couldn’t help my giggles as he slipped from me, hissing under his breath.
“It’s silly,” I protested. He rolled to lie at my side, and pulled me into his arms.
“I don’t care if it’s silly,” he muttered against my forehead, dropping a kiss there to punctuate his words “I asked because I wanted to know.”
“I... um, I’ve never had like, full intercourse without a condom before,” I confessed. Then I remembered how inexperienced I had been the first time we’d been together, and I had to laugh as I added, “I didn’t realize I would be able to... feel it.”
He laughed at that. “I assume you’re referring to—”
“Your cum, yes.” I could feel it now, leaking out of me and coating my thighs. “Shut up, now I’m embarrassed.”
“Don’t be.” He tilted my chin up so he could look me in the eye. “You don’t ever have to be embarrassed with me. You are, without exception, the most exciting lover I have ever been with. And that’s not the anti-anxiety drugs talking.”
I snorted. “That’s very nice of you, but I don’t think I’m that exciting.”
“Don’t be coy, it doesn’t suit you.” He reached down and pulled the sheets and blankets over us. Another derisive laugh from me caused him to defend his position with blunt truth. “Well, you did let me fuck your ass the first time we met. I thought that was quite adventurous of you.”
I squealed at his crude words and slapped his shoulder. “Hey, you led me astray from the garden path, or whatever. I’d never done that before.”
“I’m honored to be your mentor in all of these depraved practices.”
It felt good to lay in his arms, to have him next to me again. Maybe he was right; maybe we should see each other more often.
Something stirred in the back of my mind. “Can I ask you something?”
“No,” he replied sleepily. “No, we don’t know each other well enough for something as intimate as a question.”
I sighed my annoyance at his teasing. “Six years ago... why did you take my plane ticket, if you were just going to leave me enough money to buy another one, anyway?”
His chest rose under my cheek, and he held his breath for a moment as he considered his answer. “I didn’t want to strand you. I just wanted to make you slow down and think. You were so brilliant and full of life... I didn’t want to see you do something rash out of fear. I felt absolutely helpless to see you make this mistake for yourself... I suppose I was playing the role of Emma’s father, rather than Sophie’s one-night stand.”
“Well, I made the right choice,” I congratulated myself, rubbing the arch of my foot up and down his calf. It was getting more difficult to keep my eyes open. I yawned, a bit louder than I was expecting. “I’m sleepy.”
“Do you want me to leave?” he asked, stirring under my hand.
I shook my head and snuggled in closer. “No. No, right now, everything is perfect.”
* * * *
I woke to the warmth of Neil’s body beside me, the coarse hair on his chest beneath my palm. The late morning sun illuminated the room, and dust motes cheerfully drifted in the light from the window.
He’d stayed all night. That both pleased and utterly terrified me.
As I sat up to check the time, he stirred beside me, murmuring a sleep thick, “Good morning.”
I opened my mouth to answer him and— Oh god. My breath.
He reached for me, one arm around my waist, and I quickly stopped him with a hand against his shoulder, my other hand covering my mouth. I gasped a horrified, muffled, “No!”
He squinted at me in the clean morning light, looking a bit annoyed. “Oh, for fu— do you think I’ve never smelled morning breath before?”
“You haven’t smelled mine, and you aren’t going to.” I rolled to my side, facing away from him, and pulled the blankets over my mouth.
He spooned up behind me, an impressive morning erection pressing against my ass.
“Well, good morning to you, too,” I giggled, and he nuzzled his head into my shoulder to kiss my neck.
He chuckled, and I felt it rumbling low and deep in his chest. “Don’t be too flattered, it’s because I really have to pee.”
“Well, I guess we’re not doing the morning sex thing, then?” I turned my head to bat my eyes at him over the top of the blanket. He pulled away from me reluctantly. “No, I’m afraid not. I have lunch with Rudy at noon, and I need to stop at home and change. And chisel off these contacts.”
“You wear contacts?” I couldn’t believe I’d never noticed them before. I spent enough time staring into his eyes, after all.
“Only when I want to see.” He sat up on the other side of the bed, squinting as he scanned the room. “We’ll do the big, romantic morning tomorrow, I promise.”