Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 164838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
My body flatlined.
My heart went berserk.
Highly inappropriate humour made me reply, “General anaesthesia would probably do the trick.”
She didn’t respond for a second, but then a soft laugh escaped. “You’re saying if I found some chloroform and knocked you out, I could have my wicked way with you?”
Rolling my wrists to remove her grip, I shrugged. “I wouldn’t be able to say no, would I?”
“Alright.” She let me go and crossed her arms with a nod. “Nana taught me how to make a few sleeping tinctures. It might take a few hours to kick in, but if you drank an entire vial, you would be drowsy enough for me to take advantage.”
I sagged against the doorframe between the living room and kitchen. “It wouldn’t be taking advantage, believe me.”
“Then why don’t you let me help?” Her gaze dropped to my jeans where my erection hadn’t gone down despite the mess of my heart. “Why are you being so stubborn about this?” She stomped her foot adorably, reminding me of a younger version of her when I’d called her Lori and pulled her pigtails.
God, even those memories hurt.
“How about you box up my dessert, and I’ll go? I’ll accept your thank-you in the form of sugar.”
“Unfortunately, that choice is no longer available.” She pouted. “The ice cream has melted and ruined it.”
Arching my chin at the rest of the cake on the countertop, I smirked. “No problem. I’ll just have a piece of that instead.”
“Tell you what…” She moved toward the cake in question and picked up the knife she’d used to slice two pieces. “I’ll serve you another if you eat it here.”
I sighed heavily and pointed at my mask. “And we’ve circled back to the fact that I can’t eat and I’m not taking this off.”
“I agree, that is an issue. But I think I’ve figured out a solution to that little problem.”
My eyebrows knitted together, the squeeze-on fake piercing tugging uncomfortably. “You have? How?”
Flashing me a smile, she tossed the knife back down. “Wait there.” Darting from the kitchen, she headed toward the back of the house where the laundry matched the floorplan of my place. Unlike mine, where I’d installed a drying rack that came down from the ceiling and tucked away all the machines in slim-line cupboards, Sailor’s was cramped with bamboo shelving holding copious amounts of creams and concoctions thanks to Melody’s business.
She came back with something colourful in her hand.
I eyed her suspiciously as she dropped the item on the countertop. “Ta-da!”
Plucking the black silk ribbon, I hefted the surprisingly heavy eye mask. A motif of a butterfly with its two wings spread out to cover someone’s eyes glimmered with iridescent purples, blues, and blacks. “I’m confused.”
Taking it from me, she rubbed the thick padding. “Nana imported a bunch of these to sell with her essential oil blends. The interior is filled with absorbent micro beads that hold the scent of lavender for sleeping or peppermint for headaches. It also entirely blocks out light and vision. You can’t see a damn thing with it on.”
I stiffened. “Y-You’re suggesting to blindfold yourself?”
“I am.” She swung the eye mask around on its silk ribbons. “With the way the beads mould, I swear I won’t be able to see anything. I’ll wear it the entire time you eat. I promise I won’t remove it until you say I can. Once you’ve enjoyed your thank-you gift, you don’t have to rush away. We can talk or listen to music or…make out.”
And there it was.
My limit.
I finally found the point where I turned into an asshole.
Snatching the eye mask, I stepped into her personal space. “Turn around.”
She swallowed hard, her blue gaze flaring before she nodded and obeyed.
Reaching around her, I positioned the butterfly wings above her nose and rasped, “Hold it over your eyes.”
Without a word, she did as she was told, gently pressing the beads to form a barrier over her sight. Once she found a comfortable shape, I tied a knot at the back of her head. My hands shook as I spun her around to face me. She swayed a little; my fingers dug into her shoulders, keeping her still.
Vestiges of the doctor who would never put someone’s mental health at risk for his own gain had to ask, “Are you okay? Is this alright? You sure this isn’t too much, too soon?”
Licking her lips—her tongue driving me motherfucking crazy—she nodded. “I’m okay. I trust you.”
I caught her chin and held her all while my heart pounded so fast my blood turned to ash. “You really shouldn’t.”
She trembled a little and placed a hand over my thundering heart. “I know you won’t hurt me.”
“Not intentionally, no.”
“And it’s because of that honesty that I know you won’t hurt me, even unintentionally.”
I nudged her nose with mine. “It’s inevitable if we keep doing this.” My mask blocked our skin from touching. Fear about removing it clenched my gut. What if she could see? What if this was a ruse and I was falling for it, all because I couldn’t fight her anymore?