Page 33 of The Billionaire and the Runaway

Shaking my head, I open the book again but glance over at her before starting. “Are you going to tell me whatsnerdleis, or will I have to guess?”

“Oh, right, it’s this,” she says motioning between us as if the answer is obvious.

“Uh…huh?”

She rolls her eyes. “It’s lying in bed, under the covers, reading a book, and generally doing nothing all day,” she explains.

“Oh…alrighty then,” I reply as I look down at the page and begin to read. I want to sigh with relief when I realize this isn’t a steamy part of the book. I read for the next hour. Ariana curls up on her side and rests her head on her hand as she watches me. It feels…natural and normal as if we do this all the time.

I pause at the end of a chapter and she smiles sleepily up at me. “I like your voice,” she says with a yawn.

“I think you should take a nap,” I state as I snap the book shut.

She pushes the tray down to the chest at the end of the bed and then repositions herself closer to me. “Keep reading, please,” she pleads.

I can’t say no to her, or maybe I don’t want to. “Fine, but just for a little while longer,” I reply, opening it again. She smiles and snuggles closer to me, her knees touching the side of my thigh. I feel like I’m on fire where our bodies are touching. I keep reading, mostly to distract myself.

Eventually, I hear her breathing slow, and when her hand reaches out and curls around my arm. I glance over to find her eyes closed. She moves in her sleep, her arms coming over my waist, her head resting on my lap. I can’t help myself, I reach out and stroke her long, curly hair. It’s so soft and silky. I continue to run my fingers through it and she gives the smallest almost imperceptible moan in her sleep. My dick jumps to attention.

“Eric,” she whispers.

“Yes?” I ask.

“Eric,” she mumbles again and I realize she’s dreaming about me. She whispers something else that I can’t make out and then she presses her body against mine. Holy shit, does she not have a bra on? I can feel her hard nipples through the fabric of her top. My fingers itch to feel them, to pinch them between my thumb and forefinger.

I slowly set the book down on the nightstand and then attempt to pry Ariana from my side. I get her lying on her back. I hover over her for a long moment, brushing the hair off her face with one finger. She’s gorgeous. Her beauty is so immense it’s almost painful to watch her and not be able to touch her.

I’m about to move away when her big, blue eyes open. She blinks twice and smiles.

“Hi,” she says.

“Hi,” I reply as I look into those baby blues, memorizing each fleck of dark blue and green.

“Eric?” she asks. I watch her neck constrict as she swallows.

“Yes?”

“I want…” She blushes.

“What?” I ask as I keep my gaze locked on her eyes. “What do you want, Ari?” I say, giving her another nickname.

She licks her lips. She’s quiet for a few seconds and I don’t know what to do. My body and mind are at war and I’m not sure which will win, but my head keeps leaning closer to hers as if her lips have some kind of magnetic pull.

“Kiss me, please,” she whispers. It’s the please that does it for me. She’s not just asking, she’s pleading, and that protective instinct I have had when it comes to her takes over. I have to kiss her now because she’s begging me to.

I don’t speak as I close the last few inches between us. Our eyes stay open as I softly press my lips to hers. I tilt my head a little, deepening our kiss with a long stroke of my tongue along her lips. She moans and her eyelids flutter closed.

Her tongue darts out to meet mine and I stroke mine along hers. She tastes like coffee and toast. The sweetness of the honey I put on that toast coats my tongue and I want more. I want to taste her everywhere.

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

Ariana

Eric kisses how I imagined I’d be kissed, how men in films kiss, how men in romance books kiss. Not that I’m some great expert, but the handful of times I’ve been kissed before are nothing in comparison to this one.

His hands caress my body through the cotton material of my clothing. I feel like I’m on fire. I want more, so much more. A nagging thought begins to surface in the recesses of my mind as his hands skim along the exposed skin of my abdomen. I’m a virgin. He has no idea. Will he not want to do this with me? Shit. I should say something, but I don’t want him to stop.

My thoughts temporarily stop as his finger trails up under my top and traces the underside of my right breast. I let out a moan when he palms my entire breast in his hand.

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