Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49393 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
I raised my head, using every ounce of willpower I had to my name, and met her fevered eyes. She sat back onto my lap, tipped her head to my shoulder and tried to catch her breath. She understood, we both did. This wasn’t the time for a fiery fling. It was a chance to enjoy each other’s company and share a really lousy book that did have some above-average spiciness to it.
“Let’s wait,” she said, her voice breathy. I nodded and kissed her on top of her head.
I nodded in agreement. It felt like every muscle in my body was coiled maximum capacity, a painful tightness that I used to bring myself down from that maddening level of arousal.
She climbed off my lap and straightened her clothes a little self-consciously. I wanted to check in with her and make sure she was okay, but I was busy making myself recite Greek verb declensions to finish calming down. My body was slowly coming back down to a normal pulse and temperature but it took a lot of intentional effort to make that happen. Looking over at Jasmine at any point in that process would have defeated the purpose and put me right back at square one. Finally, I felt like I was sufficiently in control of myself. I released my grip on the arm rests and looked over at her,
“Maybe we should stop reading for now,” she said with a giggle.
I huffed out a deep breath and nodded my agreement.
18
TY
I grumbled about having to get up early to leave on vacation. It was six-thirty in the morning when I shouldered my duffel bag and boarded the sleek silver jet. I settled onto an aisle seat, wide and cushioned, comfortable enough for a nap. Except there was no hope of a nap or me. Once I was awake, I was awake.
Drew opened his laptop and asked if we wanted to watch with him. We exchanged a glance and shook our heads. Nobody wanted to hurt his feelings, but nobody wanted to sit through another Marvel flick right now. In fact, as they wheeled the jetway stairs off and closed the hatch, I saw Jake settle in, lean his seat back and shut his eyes. Eli was flying the plane.
I pulled out my tablet and tapped the e-reader. I started to skim the first couple of chapters of the book I’d bought for research, but I found myself getting drawn in by the characters and their story. It wasn’t dumb and cheesy. It was a genuine, caring relationship that unfolded between the softspoken veterinarian who barely survived a hit and run accident and the three burly paramedics who saved her life. The premise was pretty laughable, but I was reading it for ideas, for inspiration.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I was glued to my e-reader for about a hundred pages before I looked up. It was then that I realized I had a seatmate. Jasmine had settled in next to me, a fluffy blanket wrapped around her like she was freezing just at the thought of all that snow waiting at our destination.
“Hey,” she said when I noticed her, “you’re pretty deep into whatever’s on that tablet. I’m nosy. What are you reading?”
She leaned her head on my arm and batted her eyelashes at me playfully. I shrugged.
“There’s no reason you shouldn’t have a look. I’m reading,” I cleared my throat, surprised to find myself a little embarrassed, “a romance novel. Very highly rated, in fact.”
“Really? Which one? I’ve read a bunch. I’m a frequent flier at the library. I go after all the new releases. I love contemporaries.”
“It’s about a foursome,” I blurted out.
“Oh,” she said.
“Yeah, I’m kind of into this one. The characters and everything. I’m rooting for them, and I want to know how the whole thing turns out.”
“You’re adorable,” she said, beaming up at me. It made me feel absurdly proud of myself, and I liked the warm rush I got from her approval.
“I’m not adorable. I’m a manly man. A manly ex-soldier who likes manly things,” I quipped.
She laughed and slapped me on the arm. “Yes, you are all of those things. But it’s okay to have a softer side too. I really like that about you.”
“You do, eh?” I asked playfully.
She nodded. “I do. So what’s this book about?”
I cleared my throat. “Well it’s about this woman and these three guys who are all in a relationship. It’s about how they spoil her rotten and make sure she’s taken care of in every single way.”
“Hmm, I like the sound of that,” she purred.
The sound made me instantly hard. I shifted in my seat and she laughed.
“Do you care if I read with you?”
“Yeah, that sounds great. I don’t mind sharing, but you knew that about me already, didn’t you?” I teased.