Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 86878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Maybe “hanging out” isn’t quite the right term for it.
But I still won’t be sharing that with Colby.
As soon as I shove my feet into my shoes and grab my bag, I stride from the locker room.
“Hey, where are you going? You didn’t answer the question! Inquiring minds want to know who you’re spending time with!”
I give Colby the finger before disappearing through the door with a sigh of relief.
Those fuckers I call my friends can be relentless.
Ten minutes later, I’m standing at her door, knocking. I’ve never been so impatient to see a girl. My pulse speeds up with each second that ticks by.
What if she’s changed her mind?
What if she decided this—us—is too much?
Before my brain can spin further out of control, the door swings open. Ava stands across the threshold in black leggings and a cropped pale-blue sweater that shows just enough skin to drive me crazy. Her hair is still up in a bun. My fingers itch to take the tie out and watch the golden mass spill down her back.
Every time I see her, I’m bowled over by her beauty.
No. Not just her beauty. Everything about her.
“You look amazing.”
“Thanks,” she murmurs. “Want to come in?”
It doesn’t take long for the tension we always seem to generate to crackle in the air like an impending storm. She leads me to the couch, and we settle a few inches apart. Her hands twist together in her lap as she glances at me and then away.
The only need pumping through me is the one that demands I put her at ease.
I reach out and cover both her hands with my larger one. “You know we don’t have to do anything, right? I meant what I said the other night. We’ll take this at whatever pace you need. I’m not in a rush.”
She releases a breath, and her shoulders sag, as if a heavy weight has been lifted from them. “I don’t understand you at all.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know,” she mumbles. “I didn’t expect you to be so nice. Or thoughtful. Or understanding.”
“Well, I guess with the right person, I can be all of those things.”
When her gaze lifts to mine, her eyes are filled with doubt and something else that pulls at me. “Are you saying I’m the right person?”
Unable to resist, I slide her onto my lap until her thighs straddle mine. My hands rest on the gentle swells of her hips before pulling her a little closer so I can feel the heat of her body nestled against me. Her breath hitches, and her lips part slightly as our gazes cling.
At every turn, I’m falling deeper for this girl.
“I think you might be,” I admit, the words feeling more real than anything I’ve said in a long time.
Her hands slide upward to my neck before her fingers thread through my hair. “Can I tell you something?”
I nod as my heartbeat picks up tempo. “Anything.”
I want to know every little thought that pops into her brain.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how you kissed me this morning.”
Her words send a jolt of heat straight through me. “I’ve been thinking about it too. More than I should.”
I’ve had plenty of girls whisper the filthiest things imaginable in my ear, but none of them have turned me on the way Ava does while admitting something so innocent.
It makes me realize just how different everything is with her.
How much she matters.
For the first time in my life, I want to take care and make sure the person I’m with doesn’t get hurt.
I want to do whatever is necessary to protect her.
Even though we didn’t know each other before, I wish it were possible to go back in time and keep her safe.
I’ll do the next best thing and put her needs above my own.
She leans in and brushes her lips against mine in the faintest, sweetest kiss. It’s as if I’m sinking further into something I didn’t realize I was already too deeply entrenched in to escape from.
My hands tighten on her hips, pulling her closer as our kiss intensifies. Her lips are soft, her breath warm as she moves against me, and for a moment, everything else falls away.
Her past.
Her doubts.
My own guilt about Coach.
None of it matters at this moment.
When she shifts, brushing against my erection, I bite back a groan.
There’s no doubt about it. This girl will be my complete undoing.
And you know what?
I’ve never wanted anything more.
Just like earlier this morning at the ice rink, heat flashes in her eyes, turning them darker. My cock stiffens as she repeats the movement.
“I like the way it feels when I slide against you,” she whispers, mouth hovering over mine.
“You’re killing me, Tink.”
Her lips lift into a smile.
That’s the moment I realize I’ll do whatever it takes to keep that expression on her face.