Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
I nibble my bottom lip, thinking, when he adds, "There's a hot tub on the terrace."
Oh. Oh, that does sound nice.
Nodding, I mumble, "The hot tub sounds good."
Brian scoops me right up into his arms, carrying me like a bride over his threshold out onto the penthouse terrace. Even though it's chilly and the terrace is bare save for the bubbling hot tub and some towels sitting beside it, I don't feel a shiver. Because this is so secluded.
I'm safe. I'm out of the cold. I'm in Brian's arms, where no one else could ever touch me.
"Obviously, I don't have a suit," I tell him, cheeks burning.
"I wouldn't let you wear it anyway," he rumbles, already stripping out of his own clothes. "Don't worry. I'll be just as bare as you, baby."
It's dark, and I can barely see his body, but the fact that he really is going to be naked makes me break out in a cold sweat. I want this man. I have ever since the very moment I laid eyes on him, and it's finally starting to be impossible to stop my longing when I watch him shrug his pajama pants off.
Brian cuts such a handsome silhouette even in the dark when I can't see him clearly.
He’s already seen me naked, so it shouldn’t matter if he sees some shadowed version of me here on the terrace, but it does. This is all so new to me, and it gets to me so strongly that I can hear my pulse pounding in my ears as I slip everything off, piece by piece.
He holds his hand out to me, helping me step into the steaming tub. The jets are on, and I groan as I let the warm water heat me through, right down to the core.
What I don't see is Brian grabbing one of the handheld jets, adjusting the setting, and sticking it in the back of the tub so it massages my back. And god, it feels so good that I actually moan. He lowers himself into the tub, keeping his distance at first.
"So are you going to tell me what was going on out there or are you going to wait until tomorrow?"
It comes out naturally, not harshly or in anger. Because I am so tired, both emotionally and physically, the truth of it all just spills out of me. Maybe I should have just told Brian about the email first thing instead of trying to handle it myself.
"I'm scared, Brian. Something is going on. Something is wrong."
“Tell me what’s going on, Blair. Leave nothing out.”
Beside me, the man who I'm trying so hard to resist reaches under the water to lay one hand on my knee in comfort, humming low in his throat. It makes a pleasant thrill run down my spine, and somehow, even such an innocent touch from him is attractive. It makes the need to feel his hand in other places all the stronger.
But… I need to focus on what he’s asking me. "It started with this weird email I got earlier today. I think it’s all connected.”
“Have you been harassed, Blair?" Brian shifts in the tub, and I swear I can hear the cogs in his brain turn as he tries to piece it together himself. Brian barely knows me, but I can already tell that he’s possessive.
"Yes. I think whoever it is must be at work. This person… they know that I've been involved with you, and that I...um...dated Tanner before. They threatened to make it public knowledge. I don't even know who it is either. The address was just a string of numbers."
Brian sits up in the tub, running his hands through his hair. "If you can send that information to me, I can start analyzing it to determine what information is being collected. I have plenty of information analysts on staff."
And just like that, he has a plan in place. I stare at him, chewing my lip. Maybe it's the steam in the air or the hot water around me, but his words send a thrill through me. Maybe...
Maybe Brian Beckett isn't just turned on by me. Maybe he cares for me. Deeply cares for me.
He isn't the only one. I care for him too, especially after he just rescued me without a second thought. This is not some small fling. My heart does double time inside of me. What I wouldn't give to have his arms around me, holding me tight. God, my chest aches for this man’s touch.
"You're quiet," he says, brushing my quickly dampening hair over my shoulder. "Why don't you come here and let me hold you?"
Yes. Yes, I want that more than anything right now.
A few drops of water slide from my neck, tracing a path right down my breasts to where they meet the bubbling water, and I want him. There's no use trying to fight it. I know it with every aching inch of my body. This man already has me.