Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 117201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
“You’ll see me later,” he said, brushing his knuckles against her cheekbone.
After a beat, she nodded. “You’ll see me, too.”
“Good.”
She blinked, as if suddenly remembering something. “Burgess.”
“Yeah.”
A beat passed. “I think it might be a good idea to talk to Lissa soon. Not about us,” she rushed to qualify. “Not yet. I mean, maybe not ever. This could be a fling or temporary insanity—”
“You’re just asking to be panty fucked again, Tallulah.”
“I’m not. I mean . . . I wouldn’t turn it down. But what I’m trying to tell you is . . .” She wet her lips and propped herself up on one elbow. “Last night, she was talking again about you and Ashleigh getting back together. And I’m worried she’s getting her hopes up so high, the disappointment could hurt. A lot. That is, if what she wants isn’t going to happen—”
“It’s not.”
She studied his likely thunderous expression for a moment. “I know.”
“Good. I’m glad you know.” He stroked a thumb down the crease in the middle of her bottom lip. “I’ll talk to Lissa about it.”
“Okay.” She yawned, flopping back down again and curling her arm around the wadded-up sweatshirt. “See you later.”
Getting dressed and leaving Tallulah there, soft and a little bewildered looking in his bed, wasn’t an easy task. But he left the apartment with a smile on his face.
Because he had a date tonight with the woman he’d fallen in love with.
Chapter Twenty-One
Tallulah walked into a dream.
She’d been to the New England Aquarium on a few occasions, and it never failed to stupefy her with its high ceilings and underwater atmosphere. Most of the time, there were crowds blocking the glass or field trip leaders shouting at their charges to stop running, but at nine o’clock at night, there was no one home.
Apart from the nightguard who’d let them in, there wasn’t a single other soul at the aquarium. Only Tallulah and Burgess. Free to roam anywhere without so much as a ticket.
“How did you do this?” she breathed, walking through the cavernous space, turning in a slow, awestruck circle to take it all in. It was so quiet, she could hear their footsteps, the sound of the filters running in the giant tanks full of colorful fish, the ripple of water.
“I don’t use my name to pull favors very often in Boston, but . . .” He walked along behind her, hands shoved into the pockets of his pants. “Found the most worthy reason.”
Tallulah pressed her hands to the sides of her face and squeezed until it kind of hurt. “I can’t believe you did this. I can’t believe it. I don’t even know where to start.” Spinning around like a kid in a candy store, Tallulah stopped when her attention landed on Burgess and she realized she knew exactly where to begin. Without second-guessing the impulse, she took three big steps and launched herself at him, his now familiar grunt bringing a dreamy smile to her face, especially when those big arms picked her up off the ground, his nose inhaling the scent of her unbound hair. “Thank you, Burgess. We just got here and I already know I’ll never forget this.”
He kissed her temple. “Take your time, Tallulah. Enjoy it.”
Oh boy. What was the intense pressure behind her eyes all about? Was it the fact that this man had thought about what mattered to her and delivered? Or was it the insufferable, cardiovascular tug that was becoming the norm around Burgess? Could she reasonably pretend anymore that she didn’t want to be with him? It was too much to think about right now when her emotions were spiking out of pure ecstasy. “You’re going to enjoy it with me, because I’m going to show you everything!” She wiggled out of his hold until her feet touched the ground, then grabbed his hand and started pulling him along. “Pretend I’m your tour guide.”
He made a low sound in his throat and she could feel his gaze lingering on the backs of her thighs, left exposed by the purple mini dress she’d worn tonight. “Guide me anywhere you want, gorgeous. I can keep up.”
Sensitivity crept up her arms, spreading to her breasts and the slopes of her shoulders. She didn’t need to turn around to remember how good he looked tonight—the image of him walking into the living room in a black button-down shirt, gray dress pants, and a belt was going to be engraved on her brain for as long as she lived. His hand was large and reassuring around hers, their fingers weaving together naturally. So natural. Just like being around him with her guard down felt now. Perfect. Easy. Like breathing.
“We can’t go see the penguins first, because I’ll never be able to move on to anything else,” she said, not surprised to find her voice sort of feathery. “Let’s start with the green sea turtle. Last time I was here, Myrtle was under the weather. I hope she’s back—” Tallulah gasped as they turned the corner and the majestic creature came into view, paddling happily through her sizeable habitat. “There she is!”