Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
My heart stopped. “Oh.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes, I was just—”
But that’s all I got out, because suddenly Joe’s lips were on mine. A surprised sigh escaped my throat, and my eyes fluttered closed. It was exactly the kind of alpha move I always wanted a guy to make, not at all diminished by the asking first. His fingers kneaded the back of my neck, and I put my hands on his chest. Warmth from his skin seeped through his dress shirt, and I imagined the bare skin beneath the fabric. It sent little bolts of lightning shooting through me.
As his mouth opened wider, my heart thundered like the storm building above us. He slid his other arm around my waist and pulled me closer. Raindrops fell faster and harder, running in rivulets down our faces, mingling between our mouths. But he kissed me slowly and deeply, like nothing else mattered—not time, not the weather, not anyone who might see us. He slanted his head a little more, stroking my lips with his tongue. I tasted lemon and whiskey and rain and champagne, and it seemed like the most delicious combination of flavors in existence.
His hand slid into my hair and tilted my head, exposing my neck. He moved his lips and tongue across my jaw and down my throat with that same insistent but unhurried pace, like he was going to have what he wanted, everything else be damned. If he was a vampire, I thought, I’d let him sink his teeth into me right here and now. I’d welcome death. That’s how good this kiss was.
My entire body shivered, although I wasn’t cold.
He brought his lips back to mine, his tongue teasing its way inside my mouth in a suggestive manner that set off a flutter between my legs. I wound my arms around his neck and pressed my body against his, melting into him. I put my hands in his thick dark hair. Desire filled me from the soles of my feet to the tips of my fingers, simmering beneath my skin.
Lightning split the sky with a terrifying crack, startling us both. Our lips parted, but he kept his arm locked tight around my back, his other hand still in my hair. Thunder boomed, shaking the boards under our feet.
He rested his forehead on mine. “What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know,” I said breathlessly. “What do you want to do?”
“Do you want the honest answer?”
“Yes.”
He tightened the hand in my hair into a fist, moving his lips to my ear. “I want to take you up to my room, line up the shot, and put the puck in the net—deep.”
I shivered again. “What if I said yes?”
“Then I’d say let’s go.” He loosened his grip in my hair and leaned back slightly, looking down at me so he could meet my eyes. “But just so we understand each other, it would be all in fun, right?”
I knew what he meant, and it was fine with me. “Right. Like one of those games that isn’t official.”
He laughed. “A scrimmage?”
“Yes. A scrimmage.”
“So is that a yes?” he drawled in my ear. “I need to hear you say it.”
“Yes,” I said, every nerve ending in my body tingling with anticipation. “Yes.”
With one final clap of thunder, the skies opened.
SIX
mabel
“My God, what happened to you?” Ari looked up at me from her seat at the table.
“I got caught in the storm,” I said, my hair dripping onto my dress. “But listen.” I dropped into the chair next to her. “I don’t need a ride home.”
“Oh?” One eyebrow cocked above an imperious gaze. “And why might that be?”
“That might be because I got invited up to Joe Lupo’s room for a scrimmage.”
“A what?”
I laughed. “A night of this-means-nothing fun and games so I can cross a few things off that bucket list. He seems very confident he can go where no man has gone before.”
“Eeeep!” She clapped her hands. “This is amazing!”
“I know, but—God, Ari.” I watched as Joe entered the ballroom—a minute behind me, as planned—and went directly to the bride and groom to say good night. “He’s so hot. I’m scared I won’t know what to do with a guy that hot.”
“The same thing you do with any other guy.” She stirred a hand in the air. “They all have the same parts.”
“I know, but his parts are like . . . supreme parts. Highly sought-after, well-muscled, expensive, luxury parts.”
She rolled her eyes. “Mabel, he’s got a dick in his pants, not a Ferrari.”
“You know what I mean! What if I panic and do the wrong thing? Or start panic-babbling? You know how I can’t shut up when I get nervous. What if I get the hiccups? I’ve got bangxiety!”
“Listen to me.” Ari shifted on her chair to face me, grimacing for a moment and placing a hand on her belly.