Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“Jasper didn’t ruin anything,” he murmurs. “Because I’m here. As much as I’ve tried to hold you at a distance, I can’t do it.”
“What I’m telling you is the truth,” I whisper, needing him to believe me.
Leaning forward, his lips brush over mine. Back and forth they sweep until I’m dizzy with the sensation. I draw his warm, minty breath into my lungs as his tongue licks at my mouth.
A whimper escapes from me as I shift beneath him, restless for more. When I lift my arms, attempting to tangle them around his neck, his fingers tighten, pressing them back to the mattress.
“I want to touch you,” I whisper.
His lips curve as he shakes his head. “I don’t think I could stand that right now. I refuse to come in my pants for a second time today.”
Even thinking about what happened in both Ms. Pettijohn’s office and in his vehicle this afternoon is enough to have my core throbbing with need. He kisses the corners of my lips before settling over the fullness as his tongue brushes across the seam. When I open, he steals inside.
Austin is all sharp edges, but there’s a softness to him as if he’s trying to hold back and take this slow. The self-control he exerts only makes me want him more. It also makes me wonder what it would be like to see him when he’s not holding back, being gentle because he knows that’s what I need.
Powerful.
Dominating.
Forceful.
Those are the adjectives that spring to mind when I think about Austin Hawthorne.
Barely harnessed energy on the verge of breaking free.
The way he touches me is enough to set my body to flames.
Now that I’ve sampled a taste, I can’t imagine not having more. There’s no way any other man will ever measure up. When his mouth fuses to mine, the velvety softness of his tongue wreaking havoc inside me, it feels like I’ll lose a piece of myself. In that moment, I realize I’ll never be the same again.
This boy will ruin me for all others.
And yet, that innate knowledge isn’t enough to stop this moment from unfolding.
Whatever happens, I refuse to regret it.
He pulls away just enough to mutter, “So damn sweet. Do you have any idea what you do to me?”
Maybe. But only because he does the exact same thing to me. He turns my world upside down and inside out. I have no idea how I’ll ever fight my way free of him.
When his mouth resettles on mine, I open, only wanting him to delve back in so I can forget everything that rages outside this bedroom. The caress is fleeting before he’s sitting back, creating distance between us.
Too much distance.
My body aches as I shift restlessly. His fingers loosen from around my wrists before stroking down my bare arms until they can reach my ribcage. His gaze tracks the steady movement as his palms settle on my breasts, squeezing the softness. Unlike when he touched me in the hallway before school, the way he handles me now is gentle.
Just as my eyelids flutter shut and I arch into his palms, the warmth disappears. He grips the hem of my tank and drags it upward until he can peel it away, tossing it to the carpeted floor alongside the bed.
His gaze fastens onto my breasts. “How are you this beautiful?”
No one has ever stared at me so openly. It’s almost as if he’s trying to soak up every single detail and commit it to memory. Heat flushes my cheeks and chest as my arms rise to shield my nudity.
“Don’t do that.” His voice drops, becoming rougher. “Don’t ever hide yourself from me.” His arms rise, shackling my wrists once more before dragging them above my head to the pillow. “Leave them there.”
It’s a struggle to do as he says and not move them. When he sits back, eating me up with his eyes, I can’t help but shift beneath his penetrating stare.
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“I’m not,” I lie.
“Good. I’ve been fantasizing about what you looked like beneath your uniform since we met. Now, I finally get to see every damn inch. I can take my time and spread you out. I can stare at you for hours if that’s what I want.”
The low hum of his voice and the meaning of his words strums something deep inside I didn’t know existed. The thought of him doing exactly that is such a turn-on.
His thumbs and forefingers settle around each turgid peak before giving them a small pinch. A sizzle of pain zips through me before it’s chased away by a flash of pleasure.
“Such stiff little nipples.”
A whimper escapes from me and my back bows. Need spirals through me as the buds become impossibly hard. When he tweaks them for a second time, a fresh burst of arousal explodes in my core before throbbing insistently to life. He stays focused on my chest, playing with me, twisting and pulling until it feels like I’ll self-combust.