Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
I reached for him, kissing him through the last of it; desperate kisses that turned languid and luxurious as our orgasms eased.
Finally, Reid lifted his head to cup my face in his hands. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
I grinned and agreed, “Yeah.”
“It’s not enough,” he breathed, peppering sweet kisses down my chin and throat. “I need you again.”
As much as I didn’t want to remind him, I whispered, “I have to get back to the grotto.”
With a heavy sigh, Reid nodded and reluctantly eased out of me.
I winced a little.
“You okay?” he frowned.
“More than,” I promised him.
His eyes roamed over my face. “No regrets?”
“No regrets.”
“You’re not leaving me.”
I grinned. “Was that a question or a demand?”
He scowled, but his tone didn’t match his expression. “Evan … please don’t leave me.”
Tenderness flooded me. “What about Patrick?”
Reid sighed again. “If he cares about us, he won’t stand in our way.”
“I don’t want to cause problems between you. I know how much his friendship means to you and vice versa.”
“It does.” He slid his hands beneath my skirt again, causing goosebumps to chase his touch. “But I told you, I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. If I let you walk away, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
His words caused me to smile so big, I probably looked like a moron.
Reid didn’t seem to think so, though. He smiled, squeezing my thighs. “Happy?”
I nodded. “Extremely.”
“Good.” He leaned his forehead against mine. “Because it’s my new mission in life to make you happy. So happy you’ll never want to leave me.”
“I approve of this mission,” I teased, pressing kisses to his bristly cheek until I reached his ear. And then I took a plunge of faith and confessed, “I love you, Reid.”
He jerked back from me, making my heart sputter with fear.
But then he demanded, “Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”
Trying to quell my smile, I replied, “I mean it. No way has ever made me feel the way you do.”
Confusion flooded me as he reached past me for his wallet. At the same time, he kicked off his shoes and the trousers that had fallen to his ankles.
“What …”
He was pulling out another condom. “Take off the dress. You’re going to be late.”
“Reid?”
“You just told me you love me. I want to say it to you while you’re naked and on your back and I’m buried deep inside you.”
I’d never taken off a dress so fast in my life.
Minutes later, I was sprawled across the couch in Reid’s office. We were both gloriously naked.
And he made love to me as he murmured how much he loved me over and over again.
Neither of us cared how loud we were or if anyone heard us.
All we saw was each other, all we felt was one another and all we heard were those three little words whispered between us as we connected in every way two people could.
Evan
Christmas Morning
My heart lurched when the doorbell rang. My palms sweated when Mum called out as she passed the living room from the kitchen, “That will be Annie and Reid. I’ll get it.”
I heard their loud greetings of ‘Happy Christmas’ to one another, Reid’s voice more of a rumbling murmur in amongst our mums’ higher pitched tones. The sensation in my stomach was familiar. I’d felt that deep, nauseating dive that time my high school bestie convinced me to jump from the top diving board at the swim center.
Suffice it to say, my anxiety was through the roof.
After two weeks of keeping our relationship a secret, Reid and I had decided to tell our family on Christmas morning. It was a gamble and possibly selfish if we ended up spoiling everyone’s day. However, it was the one time our families would be together and in a guaranteed good mood. And we lived on the hope that this news would be a gift to our parents.
Reid had wanted to tell Patrick on his own, but I didn’t think that was fair. It wasn’t all on Reid.
Mum ushered Annie into the sitting room first and Reid’s mum came straight to me. I stood up on trembling knees to embrace her and accept her soft kiss on my cheek. “Happy Christmas, Annie.”
“You too, sweetheart.” She clasped my face in her hand, her dark eyes filled with tenderness. “You look beautiful. And happy. My son’s treating you right at that office, then?”
As hard as I tried I couldn’t fight the blush that heated my cheeks. “Of course.”
The corner of her lips turned up in a knowing smirk and suspicion rippled through me.
Did she already know?
My eyes flew past her to Reid.
Happiness engulfed me at the mere sight of him. The man made me giddy. Every morning I went to work, excited to be there, to see him, to steal secret kisses in his office. To leave before him, but then meet him by his car and drive to his apartment for dinner. Afterward, we made love. And then we’d lie in bed, talking about everything and nothing. Laughing. Cuddling.