Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
I open the bag and have to choke back a laugh. I’m pretty sure that Hale ordered every type of fry Ernie makes. But he didn’t stop at fries. Hale also ordered onion rings, mac and cheese, fried okra, and potato cakes. “You didn’t have data on this?” I tease.
Hale scowls. “Ernie doesn’t keep digital records.”
I pause, a fry halfway to my mouth. “You’re serious.”
His ears go red again. The guilt that flickers across his face reminds me of a schoolboy in trouble.
I narrow my eyes at him. The house is decorated to my liking, but I assumed that was a coincidence. My favorite foods are in the kitchen, including readymade chocolate chip muffins. Hale hates muffins. It’s one of the things I learned about him while I was working at the dessert shop. He calls them sad cupcakes. “Just how much do you know about me?”
He hesitates before admitting, “I may have curated some information regarding your habits and preferences based on your online patterns.”
I gasp and feign outrage even though I’m secretly delighted. “You mean digital stalking.”
“Stalking is an ugly word. It was more fact-finding.” He sets down his burger and looks ready to start his opening argument.
I think he expects me to be mad or blow this into something huge. But I don’t feel even a little bit upset. If anything, hope is blooming in my chest. Maybe I’m not the only one with a crush here. “For how long?”
“Since April eleventh,” he rattles the date off as quickly as he would his birthday.
“That was the day we met.” He likes me. Hale likes me. I’m ninety-nine percent sure of it now.
A delighted smile crosses his face. “Then I wasn’t the only one smitten.”
I can’t resist teasing him, relief making me feel giddy. “Who says I was smitten?”
He reaches for my side, tickling me lightly. I didn’t expect this playful side of Hale. I reach for a pillow and smack him with it gently, giggling the entire time. After the day of sexual tension and the exhaustion of the furniture assembly, it feels good to laugh with him.
He growls and pins me down, wedging his body over mine.
My breath catches in my throat as the air around us crackles. Suddenly, we’re two people caught in a lightning storm of our own making.
My breasts feel heavy, and my nipples are hard points beneath my T-shirt. I lick my bottom lip, wondering what it would feel like to be kissed by this mountain man. Would he be gentle, coaxing me to open for him? Or rough, demanding what he wants and plundering my mouth with his?
Hale watches me lick my lips and his eyes darken. I feel the bulge in his pants against my stomach.
“You could push me away,” he says. This right here is part of the reason that I like this man. He’s pinning me with his strength. He could easily hold me down, but he’s giving me a choice and letting me know he respects my desires.
I make a noise of frustration in the back of my throat. “You’d better kiss me, Hale Evans. I’ve been waiting five long months and—”
I can’t get the rest of my words out because Hale growls and drops his head, seaming our lips together. It’s everything I thought a kiss from Hale would be. It’s soft and exploratory at first before quickly turning rough and demanding.
I arch my body against him, trying desperately to get the friction in all the places I need.
Hale calls my name in a whisper when he lifts his head and trails kisses down the column of my throat. He grunts, “Knew you’d taste like this. Like sugar and sin.”
I thread my fingers through his hair and tug on the short strands. I don’t want him to hold back. I want to be completely consumed by this man. I want to spend hours exploring each other in filthy ways. “I want everything with you.”
It was the wrong thing to say because suddenly he’s rolling off my body and repositioning himself on the couch.
I feel cold without his weight over me, and he helps me sit up. He must sense my anxiety because he takes my hands in his. “I want everything too. I want a dozen babies and sitting on the porch swing every night. I want to watch you graduate from medical school then spend fifty years holding your hand while we celebrate the arrival of grandkids together.”
My breath catches in my throat. I wasn’t prepared for this kind of confession. What I thought was two people making out sounds like it’s so much more to Hale. I’ve never been wanted by anyone. The thought that Hale does is a little overwhelming. I clear my throat and squeak out, “Maybe we could start with a date.”