Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 106092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
“Let’s set up camp,” Kellen says to our group. “Start a fire and get some food in our bellies. The sooner we can all crash, the sooner we can then get Elise some help.”
Everyone snaps into action while Wayne tends to the car. Once Hope and Aaron manage to erect one of the tents, we get Elise settled inside. Kellen tries to make a fire after we’ve gathered enough sticks and kindling. As soon as the first flame flickers to life, I feel a thousand times better already. Minutes later, it’s roaring and everyone, including the newcomers, are standing as close as possible to the much-needed heat.
Judy and Hailey share some of the food from their backpacks with the girls while I set to putting up the tent I plan on sharing with Kellen. I’d meant it that I wanted to snuggle with him to stay warm. But now that the worst feels as though it’s behind us, I’m curious if he’d do more.
The chemistry between us, though completely inconvenient, is palpable. Having a night of privacy in our own tent sounds like bliss to me.
I don’t stick around to find out where everyone else is bedding down for the night, instead choosing to follow Kellen into the tent. It’s illuminated by the fire outside, so there’s no need for using the battery-operated lantern or flashlights. We share a quick dinner of pistachios, protein bars, and bottled water. He’s somber and quiet despite the excitement of having a ride for Elise.
“Everything okay?” I ask as I pull off one of my boots.
Kellen grunts. “My brother and dad are in Texas, you know? I don’t know their fate. Did they make it out alive? Are they looking for me?” His voice cracks at the end. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be a buzzkill.”
I wait until he stretches out on the open bedroll and then ease down next to him. He pulls the bed covering over both of us and zips it up to bundle us inside.
“You’re not being a buzzkill,” I tell him once I’m no longer shivering and inhaling his musky masculine scent that he’d been embarrassed about just yesterday. “You’re worried about your family. I get it.”
He sighs heavily. “I’m not on the best terms with my brother and refuse to speak to my father, but…”
“But you still love them.”
“Yeah. I do.”
I splay my palm over his chest. He covers it with his own hand, squeezing it.
“You know,” I say with a smile, “if they’re anything like you, they made it safely out of there. Apparently, being a badass runs in the family.”
“Hmph.”
“What? You are a badass. We wouldn’t be here without you.”
He groans. “You have it backward, man. It’s because of you we’ve made it this far.”
“Agree to disagree.”
His hand slips off mine and then finds my chin. He tilts my head up until our noses touch. With a gentle swipe of his thumb over my bottom lip, he silently asks for what he wants.
A kiss.
Hell yeah.
I part my lips and lean into him. He meets me the rest of the way, pressing his full lips to mine. The kiss is a soft peck at first, but then as though we’re both ravenous for the other, our tongues immediately go to war, thrashing and lashing. Kellen’s palm slides to my hair and he threads his fingers in the strands before pulling me closer to him. A pulse of desire shoots through me, emboldening me to take this a step further. I slide my leg over his hips and then straddle him.
Our kiss takes on a more frantic energy as we both paw at each other wherever we can get our hands. I want to memorize every hard plane of his body, every curve of his muscles, every prickly piece of stubble on his jaw. His hands grip my hips and he uses my body to grind against him.
Holy fuck.
I needed this.
I needed five minutes to forget everything around me and take a moment of pleasure.
Heat burns like lava through my veins, chasing away the rest of my chills. I shamelessly hump this man.
“Kell,” I rasp out, attempting to keep my sounds of pleasure from carrying to everyone in the camp. “Fuck, this feels so good.”
He agrees with a growl and nips at my bottom lip. “So good.”
My orgasm drops like a bomb and then sends shockwaves of ecstasy rumbling powerfully through my every nerve ending. I don’t even care that I’m making a mess of my only pair of boxers. The ragged sounds of Kellen losing it too are worth it.
“One of these days, I’m going to get a shower,” he grumbles. “I swear I’ve been dirty the entire time I’ve known you.”
I smirk against his lips. “You smelled good for like five minutes there in the beginning.”
“Just for that, you get to deal with the cleanup, smart-ass.” He unzips the bedroll and lifts a brow at me. “Now. Your tip is dwindling.”