Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 58952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
The smile that curved her lips now lit up her eyes, too. “I’ve always wanted to live in a big city and be an event planner like I am at the Meridian, and I’m genuinely happy here in New York, more than I ever was in Fairview. The whole thing with my sister and Greg was really a blessing in disguise, because looking back, I know for certain I would have been miserable being married to him. At least I saw real passion between him and Ashley that night at the office. I couldn’t remember a time that Greg was nearly tearing my clothes off to have his way with me.”
“That’s on him, not on you,” Chase said vehemently, because obviously her ex was an idiot.
“I think that lack of passion was on both of us, because I had no urge to tear his clothes off, either. Sex between us was always just… bland and boring, if I’m being honest. I always wanted something more…” As if realizing what she’d been about to reveal, her cheeks pinkened, and she ducked her head in embarrassment. “And now that I’ve probably given you more information than you ever wanted to know about my sex life, I think I’ll have a cannoli.”
He watched her reach for the dessert, oddly charmed by that rare blush on her face, and what she’d been about to divulge. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting something more,” he said, his voice low and husky.
She’d just taken a bite of the sweet ricotta-filled pastry, and her pretty eyes suddenly danced with humor as she chewed, then swallowed. “Why, Mr. Gossard, are you offering something more?” she asked flirtatiously.
He felt the breath leave his lungs, because in that moment he had the urge to press her back onto the small couch and show her the kind of passion he could ignite between the two of them. He wanted to swipe his tongue along her bottom lip and lick off the light coating of powdered sugar lingering there, before plundering deeper. He wanted to strip off her sweater and bra and see if her nipples tasted just as sweet before letting his mouth traverse down between her thighs for yet another sample, until she was delirious with pleasure and learned the true meaning of ecstasy.
Fuck. He shifted in his seat as desire shot straight to his dick. All evening long, he’d tried his best to ignore the heated attraction that had been evident between them since day one, and Jesus, now it was all he could do to keep from answering her question with an unequivocal and enthusiastic yes.
He cleared his throat and somehow managed to be a gentleman, and instead tortured himself as he watched her slowly suck the powdered sugar from her fingers after finishing her cannoli. Slowly, deliberately, thoroughly…
“I just mean, you deserve more,” he said, desperate to distract his brain from envisioning his aching cock replacing her fingers as they slid into her mouth and her lips and tongue wrapped sensually around them. “More passion. More lust-fueled encounters. More wild, uninhibited sex.”
Amusement sparkled in her eyes and an alluring smile curved her lips as she leaned much closer, drawing his gaze to that mouth he wanted to kiss and devour. “I do deserve all those things, don’t I?” she agreed, her voice low and sultry.
What. The. Hell. He was suddenly dealing with a vixen, a woman who was clearly seducing him. If it had been any other random female, he would have dove right in and wouldn’t have thought twice about slaking his needs before sending her on her way, without any intention of ever seeing her again, as was his method of operation.
But the last thing Chase wanted to do was take advantage of this woman, who deserved more romance and finesse than a one-night stand, which was all he was good for. Great sex, for sure, but no promises or commitment to go with it, and he respected Lauren enough not to cross that line with her. He wasn’t emotionally equipped to be anything more than her temporary, stand-in boyfriend for a weekend.
Telling himself he was doing the right thing, he abruptly stood and reached for the dessert plate. “How about I wrap up the extra cannoli for you to take home?” he said, then beelined it back into the kitchen so he could fucking breathe without wanting to pounce on Lauren.
Pulling tin foil from a drawer, he ripped off a sheet much too aggressively, thanks to all the pent-up desire waging war inside of him. Forcing himself to exhale a deep breath and calm the fuck down, he wrapped up the pastries more gently so he didn’t crush them to pieces, just as he caught sight of Lauren heading back inside. Feigning indifference, he leaned his backside against the counter and waited for her to join him.