Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 280(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 280(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Her face lights up, and the sight makes the little white lie to Callum seem worth it. “Really?”
I nod. “Really. So, what are we going to do?”
The next several hours are spent in bed, talking and laughing. I open up about my childhood, sharing stories of what it was like growing up as the youngest of the Atwoods. She listens intently, her eyes never leaving mine, though she doesn’t share much about her own life. I figure she’s just too caught up in my tales to think about hers, but I’m curious to learn more about her too.
When we get hungry, we order Chinese food and eat it right there in bed, surrounded by the comfort of pillows and blankets.
“These fortunes are never good,” she says, cracking open her fortune cookie with a skeptical look.
“Oh, come on, sometimes they’re spot on. Let me see.” I snatch the tiny slip of paper from her fingers before she can read it and pretend to scrutinize it. Grinning, I say, “Seems pretty accurate to me.”
“What’s it say?” she asks, eyeing me suspiciously.
“That you will find an irresistible man who you can’t imagine spending another day without,” I tease, waggling my eyebrows at her.
Her eyes widen in surprise before narrowing in mock suspicion. “Liar,” she accuses, snatching the fortune back from me as I laugh. She reads it aloud, “There’s good and bad, which is which.”
“Yeah, that one does suck,” I admit, still chuckling.
“I liked yours better,” she says with a smile, her eyes softening as she tosses the paper aside. The simple joy of this moment, shared over takeout and silly fortunes, is exactly the kind of happiness I never want to let go of.
“Me too,” I say, grabbing the back of her head to pull her toward me. I kiss her and the moment our tongues touch we both let out a moan.
I pull back, grinning as I search her beautiful face. “Before I end up making a mess of all this Chinese food on your bed, let's do something else.”
Her beautiful smile takes over her face as she nods. “Sure.”
“Let’s finish eating because we’re going to need our energy for what I have planned, but how about while we do that, you get some of your favorite books and show me your favorite quotes. I’ll read them to you while we finish eating.”
“Seriously?” she asks with wide eyes.
“Yeah,” I say with a shrug. “I think it’s kinda romantic.”
“Oh it is,” she says, jumping out of bed to grab her books.
For the next few hours, we stay tangled in each other, lying in bed as I read her favorite quotes aloud. Each one reveals a different facet of who she is, a peek into the complex world of Millie Mason. The quotes are as varied as the emotions they evoke—some are tender and romantic, speaking of love that transcends time; others are sweet, filled with the kind of warmth that makes your heart swell. But there are also quotes laced with anger, raw and powerful, reflecting the fire that burns beneath her calm exterior. And then there are the erotic ones, words that ignite a different kind of heat between us, stirring a desire that’s impossible to ignore.
It’s a wild combination, a rollercoaster of emotions that takes us from soft, lingering touches to intense, heated gazes. Each quote feels like a new discovery, a deeper connection, and as I read them to her, I can’t help but be turned on by the passion and depth they convey. It’s intoxicating, being able to see so many sides of her, to explore the many layers that make up the woman I’m falling for.
The air around us is charged, and I feel a growing need to close the book and let the words we’ve shared turn into something more. But for now, I relish the intimacy of this moment, the way her eyes light up with every passage, the way she reacts to each line as if it’s a piece of her soul being laid bare.
Inside the walls of her apartment, it feels like we’ve created our own sanctuary, a safe haven that shields us from the chaos of the outside world. Here, within these four walls, it’s as if nothing can touch us—not the questions that linger in the back of my mind, not the problems that await us beyond this door, not the uncertainties of what the future might hold.
This space is our refuge, where everything else fades into the background. The worries that normally weigh so heavily on me seem distant, insignificant compared to the warmth and comfort I find in Millie’s arms.
There are so many things I know I need to face, so many conversations we need to have, but right now, none of that matters. What’s important is being here, in this moment, wrapped in the safe cocoon of Millie’s embrace. In this place, with her, I feel invincible, as if nothing in the world could possibly go wrong as long as we’re together.