Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96189 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96189 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
“Oh.”
It’s a small sound, quietly spoken, but there’s warmth there. Surprise, too, but mostly genuine, warm delight. She hesitates and then wraps her arms around my waist. “You’re, um, hard again.”
“I’m always hard when I’m with you.” I might as well confess because it’s not like I can hide it.
“Is Tuesday okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Your heart’s beating fast.”
“I thought you were leaving me and that apparently is the most terrifying thing I’ve experienced in my twenty-five years.”
“You box?”
“Yup.”
“Can I watch you sometime?”
“Can I watch you dance?”
“Yes. If you want.”
“I want.”
“Okay.”
I let out a long exhale and force my arms to release her enough that her cheek is no longer mashed against my pectorals. “You hungry?”
“Yeah. I could eat.”
A smile breaks across my face. “That’s my girl.”
CHAPTER 12
ERIKA
“Ice cream for breakfast?” I laugh as he places the bowl in front of me. It’s the most perfect banana split I’ve ever seen. Tuesday hops out of my lap where she’s been perched since I woke up and goes straight to the counter to investigate the bowl. She gives it a small sniff before turning tail and hopping down, taking off toward the bedroom. It might not be to her liking, but it looks perfect to me.
“I remember making you miss ice cream last night.” He reaches for the spoon, filling it with a bite that includes a little of everything in the bowl. He lifts the spoon, bringing it to my mouth as I part my lips and let him feed me. I moan when the sweet treat hits my tongue. I’ve never had ice cream for breakfast before. Tank leans down, kissing my lips. He slips his warm tongue into my now cool mouth. When he pulls away I sit with my eyes closed for a minute, savoring the taste of him.
“If you keep this up I might never leave,” I joke.
“Good.” He shrugs before bringing another spoonful to my gaping mouth. I close my mouth around it. I never know what to expect from him, so I’m not sure if he’s joking or not. I’m enjoying letting him feed me. When I was growing up, my parents never really showed me much affection. Most of the attention they gave me was for their own selfish reasons. They always made sure that they saved face to the outside world. I was expected to be perfect in everything that I did. Sitting here having ice cream for breakfast is something that would have never happened when I lived at home, so I’m going to savor every moment of it.
When I woke up this morning and Tank wasn’t in bed with me, I had a small panic attack. I immediately convinced myself that I needed to leave. My own fears got the best of me until I saw the panic on his face when he realized I was trying to leave. All of the things he’d said the night before come flooding back, reminding me that Tank told me he loved me at one point. I’m not sure if he knows I heard him.
If I’m being honest with myself, then I don’t think Tank is joking about me never leaving. I have no idea why this man has a fascination with me, but I’m going to go with it.
I let him feed me a few more bites. “What about you?” I take the spoon from his hand to feed him a bite. He smiles so big it makes my heart flutter.
“I must be winning you over if you’re sharing your food with me now.” He’s so smug about it. I swear his chest puffs out a touch. I laugh because he’s so freaking adorable. I’m sure that’s not a word people commonly use to describe him, but he really is. He might be one of the biggest men I’ve ever met, but it’s clear he’s the sweetest, too. I guess big men come with big hearts, or maybe I’m special. I enjoy thinking that I’m the only one getting this softer side of him. I want to have something from him that he doesn’t share with anyone else.
“I think after last night you can eat anything of mine.” My eyes widen for a moment and my mouth falls open when I realize what I’ve said. Tank bursts into laughter. “That’s not what I meant,” I rush to add. “I mean you can…I—” I drop my spoon. “I give up.” Tank keeps on chuckling as he picks up the spoon and brings another bite to my mouth. I take it quickly so I have a reason not to speak any more. Who knows what might come out next? Plus, although I’m eating this cold ice cream, my entire face feels like it’s on fire.
“You can drop the spoon, but I’ll always pick it back up for you.” I snort and swallow the bite he gave me. He reaches out, running his hand down my hair. I’ve noticed he loves playing with it. Last night he took every opportunity he could to bury his hands in it. I could feel him stroking it as I slept last night. The tiny touches relaxed me until I fell into a deeper sleep.