Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 16556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 83(@200wpm)___ 66(@250wpm)___ 55(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 83(@200wpm)___ 66(@250wpm)___ 55(@300wpm)
Lacey Holt
After waiting for “The One”, I’ve decided to give up on the idea and have a steamy night of passion. So after a late night, I hire a “boyfriend by the hour”. Only the guy who shows up to cash my V-card isn’t the one I ordered…
Ryan Ford
I’ve kept my hands off my best friend’s little sister. But a man can only take so much and when I learn that sweet Lacey is looking for a night to remember, I’ll be the only one to satisfy her wicked desires.
Get ready for an older alpha, a curvy woman, and a sinful one-night fling in Mine Always. There’s NO cheating and NO cliffhangers. Just a sweet, sexy HEA.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
LACEY
I scroll through my phone while my pancake browns, looking for a notification that my date has canceled. But there’s no cancellation, only a message that my “boyfriend by the hour” as the website called him will be meeting me Saturday night.
I close my eyes and try to picture the suave, handsome man who was promised to satisfy my dirty cravings. But all I can see is an image of Ryan, my older brother’s hot best friend. A man who also happens to be my roommate and sixteen years older than me. Off limits in every way and also not interested in me even a little bit.
My screen lights up with a call from an unknown number and I answer quickly, wondering if it’s about my date.
But it’s not about that.
It’s another automated message from the nearby art school, reminding me I only have a few days left to confirm my acceptance if I want to join the fall semester.
I sent some artwork into the prestigious university a few months ago on a whim. I never expected to hear anything back, let alone that they accepted me.
It still feels surreal to think that somewhere out there, I’m actually wanted even if it’s only by a school.
I’ve spent my life as a foster kid, being bounced from one place to the next. Even my half-brother whose doorstep I landed on seems hesitant to accept me.
The social worker’s voice from the past echoes in my head, “Some girls just aren’t wanted. They’re not loveable enough.”
For the first time in years, I let myself drag out the memories I keep locked away in a box in my mind. That little red house on Stonewell Drive. Having a mom who put bows in my hair before school. Getting help with my homework from a dad. Eating meals with a family.
I should have known that wouldn’t last. Nothing good does.
The scent of burned pancake hits my nostrils just as the fire alarm screeches, alerting everyone in the apartment building that I’m a cooking disaster.
I shut off the burner then glance in the direction of Ryan’s bedroom. Eric, my brother, probably slept at the office again. But I hate waking Ryan. He rarely sleeps due to chronic insomnia.
Since I’m barely five two in heels, I grab a kitchen chair and use it as a makeshift ladder, hoping I can stop the noise before Ryan is awake.
I manage to shut it off and in the sudden silence, I hear his husky voice. “What are you burning this time?”
His sudden appearance startles me, and I tip forward in the chair, headed to the chipped linoleum.
Ryan’s reflexes are still fast from his years in the Marines. He catches me, his strong hands going around my chunky hips and keeping me upright. This close to him, I can see the flecks of blue in his Atlantic gaze and the hint of gray starting around his temples.
“Huh, purple,” he says softly.
I dyed my hair a lavender color last night. Years of ducking out and avoiding people have taught me how to quickly change my appearance. I haven’t had to hide out from anybody in a long time. But I get bored easy these days.
Suddenly, I’m aware that my chest is against Ryan’s. Despite the black t-shirt he’s wearing, my nipples tighten at the connection with the hard planes of his body.
Ryan’s breathing hitches but that has to be a reaction to moving so quickly to catch me. Something flickers across his face then his gaze drops to my lips.
For one heart-stopping moment, I think he’s going to kiss me and I’m pretty sure that would be the most amazing thing to ever happen to me. I’ve never been kissed.
“Pancakes!” I exclaim, in answer to his earlier question about what I’m burning. Great timing as always.
Ryan blinks and the spell he was under is broken.
“Letting go.” His words are deep as he loosens his hold on my hips.
My body slides slowly down his, and I feel his arousal against my stomach through the thin material of his track pants.
There’s an answering rush of wet heat in my panties even as I know that his excitement can’t possibly be my fault. He must have been having a sexy dream.
“Do you want some?” I ask, trying to get back on familiar ground with Ryan. I blush as soon as I realize it sounded like I just propositioned him. “I meant, pancakes. Would you like some pancakes?”
Ryan shakes his head as if he’s clearing the cobwebs from it. “You gave up carbs last week.”
He was on a trip to Egypt for the company where he and I both work, Alpha Defense Industries. It’s some type of government defense contractor and Ryan heads the legal team.
I’m just a gopher there, someone who runs errands and does menial tasks. My brother got me the job. Still, the pay is decent, even if it’s not enough to cover my tuition at the fancy art school. But it’s OK. Girls like me don’t get to dream. I learned that one a long time ago.