Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
“Then it sounds like I’ll have plenty of distractions until you return.” My nose wrinkled. “But when do you need to leave? Right now?”
He shook his head. “Not until early morning.”
“Oh, good.” My relief over having a little more time with him dispelled my nervousness over spending the night in bed together. “You should try to get some rest then.”
“I could say the same. It’s been a long couple of days for you.” He tugged me over to the bed and helped me settle on my good side. Then he gently wrapped his arms around me, being careful not to put any pressure on my ribs.
Being cradled in his embrace was even better than I imagined. “This is nice.”
“Fucking perfect,” he rasped, his breath hot against my neck. “Hate to ruin the moment, but I need to update you on your college fund before I leave.”
Twisting my neck to look at him, I laughed softly. “It hasn’t even been a full day yet, and the bank is closed, but you already have an update?”
“When you have someone like Grey on your side, you don’t have to worry about business hours. He put his hacking skills to good use and set up an untraceable bank account for you. Then he transferred every last penny from your college savings into it, so nobody can touch the money except for you,” he explained. “So now you have time to figure out what you want to do without anyone pressuring you into making a decision you might regret later.”
“I really appreciate him taking a risk like that for me. Thank you.”
Knowing that I had options was a relief, but I couldn’t help but wonder how bad things would get for my dad if I didn’t give him the money.
“Anything for you.” Pulling me closer, he brushed his lips against mine in the briefest of kisses.
Before he could pull away, I cupped the back of his head and whispered, “More. I want my first real kiss to be a good one.”
“Fuck,” he groaned, his mouth crashing against mine as he proceeded to blow my mind by exceeding my wildest imagination of what a kiss could be. Our tongues tangled together while he cradled me gently against his chest, his palm stroking my side before his fingers dug into my hip.
When he finally lifted his head, I was in a dazed fog. “Wow.”
“Rest easy, sweet girl. I’ve got your back.”
While that was both literally and figuratively true since he was spooning me, I drifted off to sleep faster than I had in months.
8
PHANTOM
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, inspecting the growth on the lower half of my face. Inside the medicine cabinet was a razor and shaving cream, and I debated whether to use it.
The night I had to leave, Tessa had looked hot as fuck in one of my T-shirts, and it had taken every ounce of my control to simply hold her while she slept and not take it any farther. But I wasn't going to rush through our first time together. When I left at four o’clock the next morning, I kissed her forehead and whispered that I loved her and to be safe.
The only reason I felt comfortable leaving her at all was because we kept the compound locked down tight. And Mac had promised to stay at the clubhouse, along with a couple of other brothers who knew multiple ways to kill a person, until I returned. He’d also agreed to one more favor—I asked him to have Tessa’s property patch and vest ready when I got home.
I’d just returned after being gone for four days and headed straight to my bathroom to take a shower. It was only around midnight, but Tessa was fast asleep in my bed. All I wanted to do was crawl in there with her, but I wouldn't do that without washing away the filth from the past four days. Literally and figuratively.
After a frigid shower, I had planned to shave, but something stopped me. After a few minutes, I admitted the truth to myself. I wouldn’t be able to hold back from Tessa for much longer. When I finally took her cherry, I wanted to see my whisker burn all over her silky skin, branding her on the outside the same way I intended to on the inside.
Quietly, I opened the bathroom door, quickly shutting off the light so it wouldn’t wake her, then I padded naked over to the bed and slipped under the covers. Tessa immediately rolled toward me, plastering herself against my side with a soft sigh.
I was pleased when I didn’t see her wince at the movement because I’d been worried about her pain. Patch had kept me informed, but I would always want to see to her care myself, so it bugged the fuck out of me that I wasn’t there.