Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“This isn’t all on you, Tallie.”
“It certainly feels that way.”
“I felt like that for eight years. Still not so sure I was wrong.”
“You were definitely wrong. You were the love of my life, and they took you from me. I haven’t been the same since.”
“You really believe that.”
“Without a doubt.”
“Come here,” his voice cut through the air, low and rough, like a whisper meant only for me.
All the fear, the regret, the anger raged inside of me, making it difficult to know what to do.
“Tallie.”
I didn’t move. I just stood there, staring at him. I was torn between wanting to run out the door and wanting to leap into his arms. The pull I felt towards him was impossible to ignore, and before I knew what I was doing, I’d taken a step forward. And then another.
“I should’ve fought harder,” I whispered, barely audible, my voice trembling. “I should’ve made them see...”
His tone was firm and demanding as he ordered, “Now, Tallie.”
I took another step. I was finally standing right in front of him. We were just inches apart. My eyes searched his, looking for any sign that he might feel the same way I did.
But he gave me nothing—not yet.
Not until I was exactly where he wanted me.
His eyes were still trained on mine as he slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me against him. I gasped, startled, but before I could even think, his mouth crashed against mine. It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle. It was angry. And raw. And desperate.
It was everything we’d both been holding back for years.
I could feel his hand at the back of my neck as his fingers tangled in my hair. My hand rested against his chest as he deepened the kiss. I let myself melt into him. My body responded to his like it had been starved for him.
When he pulled back just enough for us both to catch our breath, he reached up and cupped my face, gently brushing his thumb across my cheek. My tears were still there, and when his eyes landed on them, something in him cracked, and I could feel it.
“Damn, I’ve missed you,” he whispered, his voice thick, raw with the truth of it.
I almost couldn’t speak. My lips trembled as I whispered back, my heart beating so loudly in my chest that it felt like it was going to burst. “I missed you, too. You’ll never know how much.”
I wrapped my arms around him, holding him just as tightly as he was holding me. And for the first time in a long time, everything inside me finally calmed. He was here. He was holding me. After all the pain and lost time, I finally had him back.
He looked down and studied me for a moment, searching for some kind of confirmation that I wanted this moment as much as he did, and once he found it, his mouth crashed against mine. We both let go of our doubts and just let ourselves get lost in the moment.
The tips of his fingers trailed along my spine, and I arched towards him, seeking the heat of his touch. He continued to kiss me, and I could feel a fire burning deep inside me, smoldering as it spread through my body. He kissed me long and hard, and we were inching to the point of no return when he eased back and whispered, “Never could get enough of you.”
“I wasted so much time. Why did I do that? Why did I let them…”
“Don’t do that. Don’t go back there. Stay here with me. Right now, in this moment. Can you do that?”
I wanted this moment with him. I wanted to forget about the past and let my heart be my guide. I could feel my emotions building inside of me, and I had to fight back my tears as I nodded and muttered, “Yes, Holt. I can do that.”
My pulse started to race as he leaned towards me and pressed his lips against mine once again. Holt owned a piece of my heart that no one else could have. Right or wrong, I wanted him, needed him, and I was willing to put everything on the line to have him in my life again.
He trailed kisses along my neck, sending chills throughout my entire body. My breath caught when I felt his hand inching its way down my stomach. He stopped at the buckle of my jeans, and in an instant, he had them unfastened and was slipping his hand down the waistband of my lace panties. And just like that, my doubts started rolling in.
I suddenly became nervous when he led me over to the sofa. I hadn’t been with anyone since the last time we were together. I’d had a child—his child. I was worried that he would notice the changes in my body and wouldn’t find me as appealing as he had once before. But when I looked up at him and saw the longing in his eyes, my doubts were quickly forgotten. The truth was, I wanted him just as much as he wanted me, if not more.