Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
I’m all done up and pretty nervous when he arrives to pick me up at six. He rings the bell of the little house I’m renting and I take one last look in the mirror before opening the door.
Here goes nothing…
“Wow,” we both whisper at the same time when we see each other.
Graham is standing on my porch looking dreamy as hell in a deep blue button-down collared shirt rolled up his thick sexy forearms, dark jeans that hug his muscular thighs, and spotless brown shoes. He’s holding one single red rose but seems to have forgotten all about it. He straightens up when he sees me and stands there—frozen with his heated eyes locked on me.
I feel tingles from my toes to my fingertips as his sexy mouth falls open slightly, his dark eyes sweeping over me like he’s trying to take in every detail at once. For a second, I think he’s about to say something, but nothing comes out. He just stands there, holding the rose like it’s a gift to a goddess he wasn’t expecting to meet.
I shift, a little self-conscious under the weight of his stare. I’m not used to having men looking at me like this.
“What?” I ask, my voice more defensive than I intended.
He blinks and shakes his head a little like I’ve just snapped him out of a trance. “I’m sorry,” he says, his dark possessive eyes still trailing all over me. “You just… You’re beautiful.”
“Oh,” I say, feeling my cheeks getting hot. “Thank you.”
“Is this new?” he asks, looking a little shaken. “The dress, I mean.”
His eyes roam up my body, lingering on my bare shoulders and arms, but not in a way that feels critical. It’s more like he’s admiring a masterpiece.
I can feel my heart pounding. Both with excitement and worry.
“I got it today,” I say, kind of wishing I bought something that covered me up a bit more. “I wasn’t sure about it, though. I can change…”
“No,” he says with a fierceness to his tone. “Don’t. Please. You’re stunning, Cara. Absolutely stunning.”
I want to believe him, but it’s hard.
“I know dresses like this don’t really suit me.”
Graham’s brow furrows as he takes another step closer until we’re just a breath apart. “I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard anything so untrue. I’ve never seen a sexier girl in my life.”
I feel a warmth rise to my cheeks, my insecurities momentarily shoved into the background by the intensity of his gaze. My fingers tug at the edge of the dress instinctively. “You don’t mind the muscles?” I ask softly, unable to keep the question from spilling out.
His dark eyes snap to mine, serious and full of heat as he steps into my house. “Mind them?”
He sets the flower down on the small table by the door and cups my shoulders, his thumbs brushing lightly over the curve of my collarbone. “Cara, are you kidding me? Your muscles are beautiful. They’re incredible. They’re you. They make you strong. They keep you safe when I’m not there. They protect you and probably scare the crap out of anyone who would dare mess with you. Do you know how hot that is? How could I not find that sexy?”
I blink, caught completely off guard. “Sexy?”
I’ve never thought of myself as sexy. Especially not my muscles. I thought they took away from my appeal, not elevated it. But the way Graham says it—like it’s the most obvious truth in the world—makes my heart stutter.
“So sexy,” he says, his big hands sliding down my arms, fingers grazing the curves of my biceps. “You’re strong, and you’re beautiful. I can’t believe you don’t see that.”
No one’s ever spoken about me like this before—like my strength isn’t something to be ashamed of but something to admire. To want.
My self-consciousness begins to drift away with his lustful gaze. Years of insecurity built up strong like concrete walls begin to crack with the tender way he’s touching me. He’s looking at me like I’m a goddess he wants to worship with every breath he takes.
My breath catches. A shiver runs down my spine. I wasn’t expecting this…
To feel sexy. To feel beautiful.
“I…” My words falter as my heart races. “You really mean that?”
“You are perfect,” he says as he leans down and kisses my shoulder softly. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”
I swallow hard as he kisses my collarbone. My head lolls back as he kisses my other shoulder. God, it feels good. Not just his lips and hands… It feels good not to hate the way I look, even if it’s just for a moment.
Something shifts inside me—a warmth and a confidence I haven’t felt in years, if ever. I reach out, grab his shirt in my hands, and pull him inside. I kick the door closed and push him up against the wall. He grins at me when he feels my strength.