Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 74940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
“You and me both. I wasn’t sleeping, River. I can’t sleep.”
He stalks toward me, grabs me, and crushes our mouths together.
It’s tempting—oh, so tempting—to succumb to him again. But—
I push him away, our lips parting with a loud smack. I can’t do this again. I enjoyed it, but I’m beginning to feel something I shouldn’t, and my impulse is to stop this in its tracks.
“River, if I’m just a distraction on a troubling day—and I think that’s what I was earlier—I’m done with that. I was happy to give you what you needed, but I can’t be that woman twice in one night. I can’t be your escape.”
“That’s not what you were. Or are.”
“What am I then? You know there’s no future between us. You won’t leave Montana, and I can’t leave New York.”
He narrows his gaze. “I’ll ask you again then. Why are you here? Because I don’t think either Brett or Seb plans to leave LA, and I know damned well Alex won’t leave New Orleans. He says it’s the most inspiring place in the country.”
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit...
Sometimes my mouth gets the better of me.
His gaze pierces me, and he’s waiting for an answer.
I take him in—his size, his strength, his sheer magnificence. I’m pulled toward him, as if there’s a gravitational force drawing me, rendering my doubts and fears powerless. Emotion coils in my belly—emotion I never expected to have for any man. And certainly not this one.
What I’m feeling goes beyond mere attraction—at least any attraction I’ve had to a man in the past.
But I must get hold of myself. He doesn’t feel anything for me other than pure physical chemistry. He may be hung up on Rachel, and he’s upset about a friend he no longer knows and concerned about our safety.
“Are you going to answer me?” he prods, his gaze still narrowed.
I inhale deeply. “Yes, of course. I didn’t mean I was averse to relocating. I meant that I’m not ranch material, River. Not that I think you’re offering me anything more than another romp. I meant what I said. I don’t want to be your escape again. That was fine once. You needed it, and in my own way, I did too. But I don’t want to be with a man who’s thinking about someone else.”
He caresses my cheek, sending a surge of warmth through me, like sunlight piercing through the clouds after a storm. It's gentle, comforting, and oh, so terrifying because I know he’s acting on nothing more than a stiff cock and a desire for escape.
What is wrong with me? Because as he looks at me, really looks at me, my legs turn to jelly.
“I wasn’t thinking of anyone else,” he says, his voice gruff. “It was all you, Emily.”
“But Rachel...”
“I hardly knew Rachel. I was attracted to her, but her interests clearly lie elsewhere. I feel terrible about what happened, but I didn’t pin any hopes on her or anyone. Not this soon.”
He lowers his mouth until only an inch exists between our lips. I want his kiss, but more than that, I want the sense of belonging I’m feeling in this moment. That warmth and comfort—without the fear of losing myself.
The utter honesty.
I’ve built a wall around my heart—not because it’s been broken, but because I’m focused on my career and relationships are messy. But here, with River, I feel the wall begin to crumble.
It’s not love. Not yet.
But it’s something. Something I didn’t want or expect.
We have no future, but in this moment, he makes me feel alive, appreciated, and downright petrified in the most beautiful way.
He closes the distance between our mouths and kisses me.
Gently, this time. So different from the raw passion of before.
He slides his tongue between my lips...and I give in.
EPISODE 62
THREE MORE AND OUT THE DOOR
Sienna
I pull Marc into my room, slam the door, and then push him against the wall, meeting his gaze. “I’m looking for raw,” I say. “I’m looking for dirty. Can you handle that?”
“Uh...sure. But I’m not supposed to—”
I touch two fingers to his lips to silence him. “I know all about Evangeline’s rules too. Your secret—and your employment—is safe with me. You’re hot, and I want you.”
He narrows his eyes. “Damn. You’re gorgeous.”
My hair’s still damp from my shower, and my face is free of makeup. Gorgeous? I’ll take it.
“Good. Take this body. Use this body. Because I’m sure as hell going to use yours. I want some hot and dirty sex, Marc.”
He grips my shoulders, and in a flash we’ve switched places. I’m pinned against the wall, and Marc’s blue eyes are searing with intensity.
“You sure you know what you’re asking for?” he says.
“Yeah. I’m sure. I want it all, Marc.”
He slams his lips onto mine.
The kiss is hard—simply hard. Not full of passion like Alex’s. Not full of lust like Brett’s. And certainly not full of love—or what I thought was love—like Leroy’s. Instead, it’s forceful and aggressive, devoid of all emotion.