Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
“More than the box of condoms you mentioned?” I’m going through a pile she set aside while sitting on Mont’s bed when she comes to sit beside me after she cleaned herself up. Her wet hair is falling down to her waist, and she’s in another tank, an oversized zip up hoodie on top, and a pair of shorts.
“Ick. I still can’t think about that, but yeah. I found these.” I drop the football I was holding in my hand, the one he kept from our football playing days. A lump forms in the back of my throat, and I’m unable to speak a single word. No wonder she tied one on last night then slept an ungodly amount. This has been sitting heavily on her mind the entire time. “I know my brother, always prepared for the worst, anal in his organization of any and all paperwork. Yesterday, I wasn’t prepared to open my letter. Today, it seems a little bit easier.” My hand goes to hers. I’m still at a loss for words, need her touch to settle the ache building in my chest that her brother, my best friend, would go to the trouble of leaving us each a note. And what are the odds we’re finding them ten years later?
“Yeah.” My response comes in the form of a croak. Why wouldn’t he leave these with Flay? Damn Montgomery for this. Just when a door closes on losing him, another is flung wide open.
“Do you, um, want some time alone to digest this?” Christ, she should still hate me for pushing her away, inadvertently keeping her away from her home for far longer than I ever thought she would. That’s a lie. I knew her stubbornness the moment she made that call telling me the words that sliced my heart open, aware of the fact she was angry, hurt, upset. Experiencing so much tragedy in her young life will do that to a person. Clearly, things have changed between us, for the better.
“No, butterfly, I’d prefer you here.” I lie back. Tulsa moves with me. My arm wraps around her shoulder, tucking her in closer to me. The letters she is holding are now on my chest, lying beneath her hand, damn near on my heart. “Give me a minute. We’ll read them together?”
“Yeah, that might be better than doing it alone.” She tips her head up toward mine. My lips graze hers, needing her like I never have before. At a small nip of her bottom lip, a sigh leaves her, allowing me to deepen the kiss. My tongue slides inside, and hers wraps around mine. Anytime I’m with her like this, everything else fades away. I need more. I maneuver us until she’s flat on her back. My hands cup her cheeks, not wanting to lose this moment where I finally have Tulsa beneath me, my mouth consuming hers. The noise that swirls inside my head quiets. There’s no work, no letter to think about, and Tulsa doesn’t hate me for pushing her away, trying to do the right thing not only for herself but also because it’s what Montgomery would have wanted. There’s none of that. It’s her hands on my lower stomach, beneath my shirt, moving dangerously close to the edge of my jeans. My hand moves slowly down the length of her body until I reach her leg and hitch it over my hip, causing my body to sink into hers further, my cock pressing into her center. Soon, really fucking soon, there won’t be a damn thing in between us. The tips of her fingers slide lower. “Butterfly, you keep touching me like that, and you’re going to get more than you’re ready for.” I pull away. We’re both trying to catch our breath. Her eyes are hooded, lips wet from our kiss, and her cheeks are flush with color.
“Ledger, it’s you who needs to realize that I’m ready. I have been long before I came home to Orange Blossom.” She brings her other leg up and hooks her ankles around one another, pressing her center against my cock yet again. I’m not sure how much longer I can hold back.
“Fuck, you’re making it hard for me to be a gentleman. One thing’s for sure. When I take you, it won’t be in your brother’s bed.” Her nose scrunches up, she drops her legs, and the desire that was thrumming through her body slowly fizzles out.
“Ick. Way to be a lady boner killer, Ledger Sinclair.” She makes the noise to go along with the word. “Probably good we stopped anyways. We need to read these letters, or at least I need to. It’s the final door of closure that I had no idea was necessary for me, one final piece of my brother.”