Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
I swipe through pictures first. His face is always stoic, his suits perfectly pressed, and not a hair out of place. I wonder if it gets exhausting to appear that way or if it’s simply his nature.
There are a lot of articles on him, but they are all about his work and a few about charities he donates to. I keep going through them and stop when I find one that gives a few details about his past. My heart aches when I read about him growing up in foster care. That links with the different charities he gives to. All have been centered around children.
My brothers drive me crazy, but I love them, and they love me. Kellan can be cold and harsh, but that’s what life has given him. Aurora and Kellan only have each other. When he lost his brother, he lost half of his family. I swipe at the tears that fall down my cheeks.
An urge to draw closer to him fills me, and it’s not just physically. I want to touch the colder part of him and show him and Aurora the warmth and love that a family can have. It’s the one thing you can’t buy or force to work. Not if you want it to be real.
Turning off the lamp next to my bed, I roll on my side and keep reading anything I can find about Kellan. The man is brilliant and very driven. If he puts his mind to anything, he makes it happen. I shamelessly keep trying to find something about his romantic life, but I don't think he'd share that. The more I think about it, he's really not romantic at all.
Like a naïve dummy, it hits me. This isn't romantic. All the things he said in his office come flooding back to me, and now they all have a different meaning. This is his sexual release.
I sit up in the bed, turning the lamp back on, and glance around this room. Is this the room he keeps his women in? Is this what he uses it for? My stomach tightens. That’s terrible, but Kellan didn’t make me any promises. In his office, it was clear that this was a job that included taking care of his needs. He implied that he’d pay me for those under the table, and clearly it has nothing to do with cleaning or running errands for him.
I won't lie to myself and say I didn't enjoy it. It was thrilling, and I experienced a sexual awakening within me that I didn't know existed. What I need to do is pull my feelings out of it. This isn't romantic, and I need to put those thoughts and possibilities away and shut them down completely.
I'm here to take care of Aurora and now Kellan, too. I can do that. I can learn about sex with Kellan. This is my chance to do that without fumbling around with a random man.
This can totally work for all of us.
At least, that’s what I’m going to tell myself.
Chapter Ten
KELLAN
It’s still dark outside, but the first light of morning is close. The curtains are open, and soon enough the sun will wake Nova. I press my nose against her hair and inhale the sweet scent of her shampoo. Being next to her all night was a test in my control, but the benefit of getting to touch her, smell her, was worth the sleepless night.
Because I left work early yesterday, I had to make some calls in my office before bed. It was late by the time I got off the phone, and I checked in on Aurora. She was sleeping soundly with a stack of books beside the bed. It made me wonder if she read alone or if she and Nova read together.
By the time I made it to my and Nova’s room, she was already asleep with her phone still in her hand. When I plugged it into the charger on her bedside table, I could see she had googled me. The sight of it gave me pleasure as I stripped down and got in the bed with her. She must have been exhausted because she didn’t wake. The only thing she did was hum with contentment when I pulled her against me and wrapped my arms around her. All night I held her against me, and eventually she ended up half on top of me as she rolled in her sleep.
Now that I need to get up and start my day, I can’t think of anything I’d like to do less. When was the last time I didn’t want to go to work? When was the last time I didn’t want to get out of bed? Her soft thighs spread as I climb on top of her sleeping body, and I ache for release.