Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 153946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 770(@200wpm)___ 616(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 153946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 770(@200wpm)___ 616(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
I swallowed, forcing my words past a tight throat while staring at his hands. “I did say that, but it wasn’t a good idea to admit it out loud. Especially now, since the computer stuff is a favor for Phoebe, but if I work at the icehouse and get tips, it would make this an actual job that you’d be in charge of. You’d be your landlady’s boss.”
He freed one of his hands to lift my chin. “We’ve known each other too long for that, August. But if you want to role-play a few forbidden fantasies, we’ve got a lot to work with. Boss. Landlady. Sister’s best friend. Babysitter.”
I muffled a gasp of interest and arousal. Not only was he thinking along the same lines I’d been, but he’d added a few illicit options to the pot. He actually had been my babysitter more than once over the years.
That was not going in my book. But I’d still be thinking about it later tonight. When I was alone.
“Do you keep a secret stash of dirty romance books hidden under your science fiction collection or something? Because in one sentence, you’ve covered most of the best plot lines.”
His smile was hot enough to make me squirm a little. “I’ve spent years saving up enough ideas of my own. Good, bad and downright filthy. We can take them out to play whenever you like, but play is all it would be. There’s too much history between us for any temporary living or working arrangement to get in the way of what we want.”
Now I wondered if he’d snuck onto my laptop and read my work in progress, or if I was dreaming, because I’d never heard Wade talk like that before. But the fictional Cade certainly had.
He would never do something like that.
I knew it. Which made this that much harder to believe.
“And what do you want, Wade? You made me admit it. It’s your turn now. Or is that what you had to consider?”
“I’ve known what I wanted for a while.” His eyes were a rich brown with flashes of gold and green. As mesmerizing as his voice. “I held back because you might not be ready for what that is.”
“I’m ready,” I assured him, hoping I didn’t sound as needy as I felt.
He moved closer, and my thighs widened to make room for his hips. The move sent his other hand skimming higher along my thigh. “You still sure you don’t need romance?”
“We’ve covered me already. Orgasms and comfy shoes.” I released my grip on the stool and snagged my fingers through his belt loops. “Now what do you need?”
I emphasized my words with an impatient tug.
“So fucking cute,” he murmured, his finger tracing the edge of my panties and making me shiver. Thank the gods of Victoria’s Secret I’d decided to wear my good underwear.
“I’d rather be satisfied than cute.” I was apparently brazen now, but I meant what I said. “Give me a hint, Wade, because I don’t want to get our wires crossed. What are we doing here? Harmless flirting? One night of middle-aged madness we never speak about again?”
What do you want?
He pressed his forehead against mine, his grin tender with an edge of wicked. “No filter at all anymore, is that right?”
“At this age, who has the time?”
“I’d like us to,” he answered my rhetorical question. “I learned more about you the other night than I had in decades, but it wasn’t enough. I think we should start there. I want to spend time with you, August. Days. Weeks. More if you’re willing. And not only working on the house or seeing you at the office. I’d like to take my time getting to know all the things you like. Give you the attention you deserve instead of rushing into anything. But like I said, I’m not sure we’re there yet.”
We were. I was. I couldn’t remember being more there, even in my twenties but… “Again, so we’re on the same page…you are talking about having sex with me, right? Because spending time and taking time and giving me attention could all be euphem—”
He cut me off with a kiss.
If my mind needed a moment to adjust because Wade Hudson was kissing me, my body was already turned up to eleven, stuck in fast forward and on fire.
His mouth was firm and commanding, and the fingers on my chin spread to cup my jaw, holding me where he wanted me and parting my lips for his invasion. His tongue sought mine, drawing me into a dance of barely leashed hunger that made me whimper.
Was this the elusive chemistry I’d always read about? The kind I’d never experienced with my ex, who’d perfected his technical kissing skills for the camera but never lost himself in the moment? The volatile, incendiary kind of connection I never imagined I’d be exploring for the first time in my forties, in broad daylight, with half the neighborhood right across the street?