Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Burying my fingers in her hair, I angled her face up. Her lips were so full. So warm-looking. I wondered what they’d taste like. I wanted so badly to dip my head down and find out. But her eyes—her eyes were still troubled.
She seemed content to stay where she was, pressed up against me. Her body was so warm. Her pink lips parted, and her voice was husky. “Theo, I—” She trailed off. Then she looked away. “I pity him, too.”
“Who?”
“Nelson. He’s always in his room—that can’t be much of a life for him.”
Why were we still on this topic? But I knew why… she was nervous. Nervous in a different way than when I’d revealed that I knew she was a student.
I smoothed her hair away from her face and put my finger under her chin, lifting until our eyes met again. “I'm definitely not thinking about Nelson right now.”
Her voice was low and rumbly. “Me either,” she whispered, and her eyes closed.
That was my cue. I pulled her in closer and noticed the faint freckles on her soft cheeks as I tilted my head down. Her hair smelled faintly of something sweet, maybe vanilla or coconut—I wasn’t sure, but it was her, and it was perfect. I slid a hand up to the back of her neck, my thumb brushing lightly against her skin there, and I felt her body shiver against mine.
When I met her lips, she stilled, and I could practically feel her hesitation. Though gorgeous, she struck me as a very inexperienced young woman. That wasn’t too surprising, given the hard knocks she’d had in her life.
Her warm little body was motionless for a long moment, but then she relaxed, leaning into me as some of the tension faded away. She slid her hands up my arms and then linked them behind me, drawing us closer. I angled my head slightly, deepening the kiss without rushing her, my hand in her hair. She tasted sweet.
She moaned, and the throaty sound made my cock jump in my pants. I teased her lips open with my tongue, letting my body take over and my mind still. Kissing her seemed like the most natural thing in the world.
After another long moment of bliss, Hailey nipped lightly at my bottom lip, and then I felt her lips twist into a smile. I pulled back, not because I wanted to, but because I didn’t want to overwhelm her. When I opened my eyes, hers were still closed, and I drank in the sight of her, with her cheeks flushed and her lips slightly swollen.
She was so fucking beautiful, and she didn’t even know it. I would’ve bet anything, with the hard life she’d lived, that no man had ever worshiped her body the way it deserved. The way I would if the circumstances were different.
Her dazed eyes opened, and she smiled up at me. Reluctantly, I let go of her, letting her take a step back. But I reached up and traced her lower lip with my finger.
She held my gaze, but she took a step back, catching her foot on her book bag. I grabbed her arms, steadying her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Her voice was low and slightly hoarse. Then she smiled. “My day started off badly, but it’s getting better.”
That made me grin. “My day started off just fine, but then it got even better, too.” I picked up her bag and handed it to her. “Can I walk you back to the house?”
“Yes, please.” She sounded like a little girl accepting ice cream, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder as we headed out.
The building still interested me, but now I had something much more fascinating to think about.
14
THEO
Two days after the party, the house had finally gotten back to normal. As was our policy, we brought in a team of cleaners yesterday, and they whipped things into shape. Of course, in the fall, we’d have the pledge class to do that. Either way, I was glad it didn’t fall on Hailey. It would’ve taken her years by herself.
Now that I knew she was a student, I could see how little time she had to herself. The poor girl. I didn’t know how I’d keep up in my classes if I had to work as hard as she did.
It was Sunday, and I didn’t have all that much studying to do, so I treated myself to an extra-long workout in the basement gym. Sometimes it felt really good to push your body to the limit, to really test what it could do.
Of course, that was more fun when you had a woman in your bed and could explore what your bodies could do together.
After a long shower and lunch, I decided to go see what Ian was up to. Well, besides studying. That was a given. But sometimes my old friend could be coaxed into taking a break. I found that that was more likely to happen when I showed up with food, so I raided the kitchen and brought him some snacks.