Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 112133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 561(@200wpm)___ 449(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 561(@200wpm)___ 449(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
“Thank you,” he murmured, releasing a deep sigh of satisfaction.
She cradled his head, kissed his ear.
“Was it—?”
“Perfect,” she assured him. “In every way.” He rolled to the side, and she teased a fingertip along the whiskered edge of his jaw. Arching an eyebrow saucily, she asked, “So … every day? Truly?”
“Twice. For the first year, twice a day. At least.”
She bit her lip and gave him a pensive look.
“What is it?” he asked, reaching out to playfully muss her hair.
“I’m just wondering whether that includes today. And if so …” She rose up on her elbow and peered at the clock. “How much time is left before midnight?”
The bed shook with his laughter. His arm shot out, flattening her to the mattress. With a flex of his biceps, he rolled her in close, nestling her snug against him. “Time enough, Merry. Don’t you worry.” His big hand stroked through her hair. “We have all the time in the world.”
For the first time, she wished blind faith came so easily to her.
With a sudden burst of energy, she climbed atop him, stretching her body out over his. With her arms stacked on his chest, her toes hit him just about mid-shin. The hair on his legs tickled the arches of her feet. “I’ve just realized something.”
“What’s that?”
“I’ve spent a shockingly inadequate amount of time tasting the area between here”—she stroked a finger over his Adam’s apple—“and here.” She traced a line to the soft spot just below his ear. “Unless you have a complaint, I plan to remedy that immediately.”
He grinned. “No complaint.”
“Very good.” She bent her head to his throat and touched her tongue to the underside of his jaw. The beginning of what would be, if she had her way, a sleepless night spent exploring every inch of his body.
They might not have all the time in the world, but they definitely had tonight. And she was going to make the most of every second.
Chapter Seventeen
Awareness filtered in some time well after dawn. When she woke to bright sunlight leaking through her eyelashes, Meredith kissed the forearm wrapped protectively about her chest. It was worth the lost time, just to wake up in his arms. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d slept through a sunrise. This was a luxury indeed. One to which she could too easily become accustomed. Rhys stirred, nuzzling her hair. They lay on their sides, nestled like spoons in a drawer. At least one part of him was awake and ready to greet the day. The hard ridge of his arousal prodded her hip.
She wriggled her bottom just a little, teasing him. From the way his breath caught in his throat, she suspected he was awake. For all she knew, he might have been lying awake that way for hours, hard and patiently aching for her.
And in that case, he could wait a few minutes more. Keeping her eyes shut tight to feign sleep, she casually stretched and nestled deeper into the hard contours of his body. He dropped a kiss against the back of her neck, as if to test her wakefulness. Remaining immobile was a struggle, but she managed it. His hand came to life where it lay draped casually over her breast. He drew a lazy circle around her nipple, then tweaked it with a pinch. She couldn’t help but moan.
He knew she was awake. She knew he was, too. But they kept up the little game they were playing. Somehow they’d tacitly agreed on the rules. Eyes closed. No words. Just touch and a steady, inexorable progress toward joining. It was a game they would both win.
She parted her legs a few degrees, and his erection slid between her thighs. The two of them lay that way for a moment, savoring that last bit of anticipation. She was wet for him, and he was impressively hard. A little tilt of her pelvis was all it took. He glided into her slippery cleft in one smooth thrust.
Though her breathing came fast, Meredith forced herself to be boneless. As passive as possible. She hoped the mounting tension of their game would drive him past the point of tenderness. All night long, they’d guided one another through an exploration of different positions, taken thorough tours of each other’s anatomy. He’d loved her with a sweet, earnest purpose that touched her heart. But this morning, she wanted him to be the aggressor. She needed to feel all the strength and power in that big, hard body. She wanted to be overwhelmed.
When the wait became unbearable, she broke the rules and whispered, “Take me.”
His teeth scraped her shoulder. With a low growl, he flipped her onto her stomach, wedging her legs apart with his thighs. He gave her just what she wanted, driving into her hard. So hard, she grabbed the pillow to muffle her cry. The bed creaked and rattled with each stroke.