Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 118780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
“I should change,” she whispers timidly.
“Taught myself discipline. The Corps honed in on that, sharpening my control. Been in a lot of situations that required focus and didn’t flinch.”
She stops mid-step, searching my face. “Of course you didn’t. You’re a trained military powerhouse. It’s what made you a decorated Marine and now an amazing police officer. There is no weakness.”
I grip my shirt between my shoulder blades, ripping it over my head and stepping into her space. Her eyes graze over my chest, landing on the scar. It hasn’t escaped me the way her gaze always passes over the spot this last week. I take her hand and place it on my side. “I have a weakness, Rowan.”
Her breath hitches, her fingers scaling over the slightly raised skin.
“I asked you to trust me, but I lied to you.”
Her blue eyes well with emotions, her fingers stopping. I hate the trepidation filling her face.
“I wasn’t doing my job when I got stabbed.”
The emotions shift as she resumes running her thumb over the scar.
“Nothing about that mission was a job. Getting knifed was a stupid mistake, but I deserved it.”
“You didn’t deserve it.”
“I did because in that split second Johns got to me, I was distracted. A fury I’d never known was searing through my system like poison. The fucker was outnumbered and already beat, but I wanted to kill him. Snap his neck, shoot him point blank, blunt force to the head… All the ways were mingling in my brain. He had a weapon, we already had him on all the charges, and he was going down. But it wasn’t good enough for me. That’s when he got me.”
“Ford…” My name comes out in a rasp, her arms linking around my waist. “You could have gotten in trouble, lost your job.”
“I had my brothers at my back; no one would have blinked an eye.”
“He’s not worth it.”
“No, but you are. You’re worth everything, Rowan.”
“I’m not sure that’s true.”
“Then it’s my mission to prove it to you. Even if it takes all this lifetime, you will never doubt yourself with me.”
Realization of what I’ve said and my intentions sink in. “Harley and Ace, Major and Jewls…” she trails off.
“And now, you and me. You with me?”
She blinks a few times, nodding slowly. “I’m with you, Ford.” Then she smiles so bright my chest seizes. “I’m really, really with you.”
“Pleased to hear that.”
She tips up and freezes when the towel unbinds and slips between us, dropping to the floor. “Oops.”
I almost come out of my skin when she presses her body to me. Her nipples graze against my chest, and my dick turns to steel. “Fuck, baby.”
“I’m very impressed with your reliance on self-control. But I think you’ve gone slow enough.”
“You ready for that?”
“I’m ready for you.”
I grip her hips, hoisting her into my arms. Her legs lock around me. My cock skims along her center, the thin material of my shorts torturing me with the friction.
“Anytime you need me to stop, say the word.”
“I won’t.”
Planting one knee on my bed, I ease her down, urging her to release her hold. My eyes roam over her slowly. Nothing prepared me for seeing her fully for the first time.
Her blonde hair fanned out, tanned skin slightly flushed from the heat of the shower, her petite frame such a contrast to my body looming over her.
“Absolute fucking perfection.”
Her fingertips skim over the ink on my chest, tracing the shape of the Celtic cross. “I’ve wanted to do this since the first time I saw it.”
“Baby, you have any open invitation to touch me anytime.”
“It seemed so intimate.”
Her hand comes to my cheek, her eyes filled with nervousness. “I’ve always been careful, even with… him. After what happened, I was tested several times. I’m clean and protected.”
“You saying you okay with no condom?”
“Only if you are.”
My heart threatens to beat out of my chest as the statement settles deep inside. It’s a sign of her ultimate trust.
She takes my silence the wrong way. “I understand if—”
“You’ll be my first, baby. Never in my life been skin on skin.”
The look of delight on her face is another strike to the soul. “Your last first?”
“No lie, Rowan. When I sink into you, that’s it.”
She leans up, placing her lips on mine. Her palm skims down my chest to the waistband of my shorts. The instant her fingers graze over my cock, her breath hitches. She rolls the barbell, pulling lightly, causing my dick to lurch.
“You ever been with a man with a piercing before?”
“I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve ever been with a man at all since meeting you.”
Adrenaline surges through me and I knife up, ripping my shorts off and kneeling between her knees. My mouth moves over her neck, the scent of her citrus soap filling my senses.