Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 102903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“You were incredible,” he corrects me and presses a soft kiss to my lips.
“I only managed four seconds.” I roll my eyes. “Pretty sure that’s not incredible in the world of bulls.”
“You’re a badass, Hannah.” He kisses me again. “But now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go be slightly more badass.” He winks then, squeezing my butt cheeks mischievously as he does, and I swat a hand against his chest on a laugh.
“I’m worried that bull isn’t going to be strong enough to hold that big ego of yours, cowboy.”
As he laughs, my heart does a little flip. The way Dom looks at me, like I’m the only woman in the world, makes me feel things I’ve never let myself feel before. He makes me want more—of him, of life, of everything I’ve denied myself for so long.
Clearly, it’s time to stop denying it. It’s time to give in. It’s time to enjoy. It’s time to live.
Yeah. It is.
Dom heads straight for the bull, and I find a safe spot behind the gate to watch.
He hops up on the monstrosity like it’s no big thing and proceeds to grip the leather strap with one of his hands. Beard doesn’t spend nearly as much time with him as he did with me, and I silently wonder how many times Dominic Dunn has ridden this bull.
With a thumbs-up to Beard, Dom lifts his free hand in the air, and just before the bull starts to move, he flashes a smile and a wink in my direction.
I feel it all the way to my freaking toes.
The bull starts to move, but Dom doesn’t startle like I did. Nope. He’s cool, calm, and collected—the sexy bastard—and his body appears at ease, as though he knows exactly what to do.
At four seconds in, he’s still on the bull, and the way the thing is whipping up and down and side to side makes me realize Beard went easy on me.
At six seconds in, Dom takes his cowboy hat off his head and starts waving it around in the air with his free hand.
At seven seconds in, he’s still on the damn bull and a crowd of people has formed around the gate to watch.
And once the clock hits eight seconds, cheers and hoots and hollers erupt around the bar, and Dom hops off the bull with the kind of confident, cocky-as-hell smile that only he could pull off without looking like a dick.
A few men try to high-five him from behind the gate and a few eager women try to get his attention with whistles, but the man’s eyes are locked on mine as he strides straight over to where I stand behind the gate.
With practiced ease, he hops to the other side. And between one breath and the next, he’s pulling me into his arms and pressing a deep, hot, mind-blowing kind of kiss to my lips. More cheers and whistles fill my ears, but my mind is too busy savoring how good he feels to comprehend them.
By the time he leans back, I’m panting. And horny.
“Eight seconds, baby.” He puts his cowboy hat on my head. “I think we can both agree, I lived up to the challenge.”
“You definitely lived up to it,” I say, my voice softer now, but I feel a heat in my gaze. It’s not just about the bull ride—it’s about Dom himself and the things he makes me feel. “But that wasn’t the only challenge of the night.” I lean forward to press my lips to his ear. “Though you’re going to have to take me home tonight to see if you can live up to the final one.”
In a matter of seconds, my feet go from the floor to up in the air as Dom lifts me and wraps my legs around his waist.
“You want to spend the night with me?” he asks, his eyes flitting between my gaze and my mouth. “Lovie is staying all night with your mom?”
“I do.” I brush my nose against his. “And she is.”
As I say the words, there’s no hesitation. For the first time in what feels like forever, I’m doing something purely for myself. I want this—I want him—and I’m ready to stop holding back.
For the first time in what feels like my whole life, I’m actually living my life.
And I have Dom to thank for that.
“Hannah May.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard my name sound as good as when it’s coming off his tongue. “I think I’m falling for you.”
“I think I’m falling for you, too, cowboy.”
33
Hannah
11:30 p.m.
Dom’s place is located across the street from West End Park, and the instant I set foot in the lobby of his building, I know his apartment isn’t going to be your typical bachelor pad.
In fact, because of all the real estate knowledge I soaked up like a sponge from my dad when I was a little girl, I would venture to guess if I checked his large, loft-style apartment’s value, it’d come in at seven figures.