Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“What?” Taylor asks, confused.
“Kinsley doesn’t understand or appreciate my fixation with Sour Patch Kids,” Shane explains, his eyes never leaving mine.
He might not be touching me anymore, but with the way he looks at me, it feels like he’s reaching inside of me and caressing my soul.
“But like I told her,” he says to Taylor, his eyes still locked on mine, “there’s just something about getting through the sour to get to the sweet that makes it worth it.”
“I would rather just buy something sweet instead of dealing with the sour,” I volley, even though I already know nothing I say will sway Shane from the way he feels.
The man is nothing if not determined.
“I was always told hard work makes you appreciate what you have that much more.” He smirks. “Besides, who said I didn’t like the sour?” He raises a brow. “I enjoy every … single … part of my Sour Patch.”
And just like that, I’m left speechless … and turned on.
Fuck.
“Okay, we’ve got the popcorn and drinks and candy.” Taylor points to each item, checking it off her list. “I think we’re good to go.”
She drops onto the couch and pats the seat next to her. “Come on, Kinsley. Sit next to me.”
Without thought, I sit next to her on the middle cushion, but the second I do, I realize what she’s done because the only spot left is the one next to me—unless Shane were to sit on the love seat, but that doesn’t have a good view of the TV, which means …
Shane steps into the room, takes in the situation, chuckles, knowing exactly what his daughter has done, and then sits next to me, so damn close that his scent envelops me while his thigh rubs up against my own.
“Oh! I forgot the chips and salsa!” Taylor exclaims, jumping up from her seat and making a beeline for the kitchen.
“Sorry about her,” Shane says, not at all sounding sorry. “She’s clearly read too many romance books.”
“I get it,” I tell him. “Before my husband died, I believed in happily ever afters. She wants her dad to find love. She’s just picked the wrong person for her dad.”
“Or the right one,” he argues, tilting his head slightly to the side so his eyes meet mine.
This close, I can make out the flecks of gold in his brown eyes and the stubble on his face and the cut jawline that slightly takes away from the baby face he has. Everything about this man is beautiful, and if things were different, I have no doubt I could let myself fall for him.
“Okay, here we go,” Taylor says, rushing back in.
She sets the tray of food on the coffee table, turns off the lights, and sits back down, clicking play on the movie. Since it’s a romance—and a spicy one at that—it doesn’t take long before the couple is getting hot and heavy. Taylor is enraptured by the movie, but I can’t help glancing at Shane, who I’ve caught looking my way several times.
The couple is at a club, dancing just like Shane and I were, and as the guy’s mouth connects with the woman’s, my mind goes to the night I kissed Shane at The Black Cat. The way his mouth devoured mine while his hands roamed my body.
Things between the couple heat up as the guy pushes her against the wall and then lifts her into his arms, similar to the way Shane picked me up like I weighed nothing and brought us to the darkened corner and then deepened the kiss.
The guy on the screen finds an empty room and drops her onto the desk, and without my consent, my thoughts go to Shane and me at the bar.
Me not stopping the kiss.
Him carrying me to the back office.
The two of us ripping each other’s clothes off.
Our mouths consuming one another.
Him spreading my legs and filling me.
My lady parts tingle, and I clench my thighs in an attempt to tamp down how turned on I am. But it’s too late. The fantasy feels too real, and when I shift slightly, I can feel the wetness between my legs.
“I need to use the bathroom,” I say, quickly jumping up without waiting for Taylor to pause the movie.
I take my time going pee and washing my hands, willing my body to calm the fuck down. But of course, when I step into the hallway, I find Shane leaning against the wall with a knowing smirk on his face.
“What?” I snap, my body filled with pent-up sexual tension and no way to release it.
“I saw the way your legs were clenching,” he says, stepping into my space. “The way your eyes went glossy at the couple on-screen.”
“It was an intimate scene.” I shrug, trying and failing to appear unfazed. “It would turn anyone on.”