Page 9 of The Last Love Story (Baker Girls #3)

“Oh, darlin’, I am just like every other voracious reader out there. A good hook will get me. I believe it was the one about Lizzie, with her walking into the apartment after her prodigal mother returned, only to find her ex-fiancé Alex standing there… yeah. I had to know all the drama.”

“I laughed so hard writing that scene. Lizzie is so done with everything, and she just grabs a bottle of wine, lets her siblings in, and walks away, leaving Alex to the wolves.”

“I love their story, though. Earning back trust. Exploring what unconditional love truly means. It was beautifully done.”

She lets out a little huff. “I feel like all you’ve done tonight is compliment me.”

“Because you’re brilliant, and you should know that.”

Leaning in, I press a gentle kiss to her cheek, and her sharp inhale goes straight to my dick.

I need to calm down.

As fun as it would be to take Jade upstairs and keep her in my bed all night, I really like her. I want more than one night, which means taking it slowly.

“Well, if you’re still open to assisting me on Saturday, you’ve officially passed all my vibe checks.”

I bite back a smile. “Good to know. And I’d love to help you and convince everyone to buy your books. Need any help setting up tomorrow?”

“That would actually be great. I’m not supposed to lift much. ”

“How are you going to sign?—”

“I have a stamp and already warned my readers that if they didn’t pre-order, I would only have stamped books for the signing, nothing personalized. I hate it, but it’s the best I can do.”

“It’s more than enough. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You need to take care of yourself, so you can keep writing books for us to love.”

She looks up at me for a moment, but doesn’t say anything. As we continue on our walk, though, she gives my hand the slightest squeeze, causing heat to burn in my gut all over again.

After walking through the courtyard and back through the hotel, we’re standing outside Jade’s hotel room, tension swamping the air around us.

“I had fun tonight. Thank you for… everything.”

“It was my pleasure, darlin’.” Her breath hitches at the word, and I tuck that information away. She likes it.

My hands are wrapped around hers as she gazes up at me.

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” I rumble. Because apparently I rumble things now .

“Me too.”

She stares at me for a beat longer, then her grip on one of my hands tightens as her other hand snakes up my arm and she leans up on her toes, pressing her soft lips into my cheek.

Warmth erupts in my gut, and it takes everything in me not to pin her to the wall and feel her lips against mine, swallow her sinful moans, and let her feel every inch of me.

But we’re not there yet. So, I savor every second of her lips touching my skin until she pulls away, landing back on flat feet.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow. ”

She locks eyes with me one last time, her hand still wrapped around my arm, then she turns toward the door, her fingers leaving a trail of sparks on my skin as she slowly lets me go and walks inside.

I stare at her closed door for too long before I finally force my feet to move. Elevator. Up two floors. Then I’m back in my room.

I collapse on my bed, completely overwhelmed. Everything I felt about Jade while we were texting was the tip of the iceberg.

I imagined hooking up, maybe even a date. I didn’t imagine my heart leaping out of my chest like it was trying to get to hers.

It takes all my effort to undress and get ready for bed, but the second I’m there, my mind is back on Jade.

She looked effortlessly beautiful tonight, and the chemistry between us was palpable.

I thought I felt sparks when her hand was in mine, but then she kissed my cheek, and I’ve never known desire like that before.

My cock thickens, and even though I shouldn’t, I’m shameless as I slip my hand in my boxers and stroke my length, imagining Jade’s silky lips on my cheek, my lips, my chest. Wrapped around my cock.

Just the thought makes me shudder with desperation.

Working myself from base to tip, I swipe my thumb across, smearing the pre-cum. The fantasy is too easy to get lost in. Her soft curves under my hard body. My fingers digging into her full hips as she rides me. The way her shimmering maple eyes would roll back as she came.

“Fuck,” I grunt.

I stroke myself harder until my spine tingles and my balls tighten.

My release coats my hand as I come to the thought of Jade naked, covered in my cum. Mine .

I am so screwed.

As I come down, my mind clears, and after cleaning up, I’m fixated on what Jade said tonight about her insurance.

A little too wired, I grab my phone and start researching. There has to be another option. She shouldn’t have to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket when she has insurance. But the deeper I dig, the less useful information I find.

It’s not until I’m settled in bed, almost asleep, that the perfect solution filters into my brain. So perfect I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before. I’ll have to do a little more research tomorrow, but if I’m right, I might’ve found the solution to Jade’s problems.