by Blake, Remy
My hands grip her hips, holding her in place. “You can spend every night in my bed. I’d like nothing more. Then I can have you in the middle of the night when I wake up and want you again.” I wiggle my eyebrows and dig my fingers into her hips. She laughs and squirms so much my dick turns to steel and the joke backfires on me.
Tank wanders over and gets comfortable on his large dog bed beside the couch. “And as far as knowing if I’m a cuddler or not, you’d have to ask Tank. No one else has slept in my bed.”
“Really?” She arches a brow.
“Absolutely. I haven’t met anyone I’d want to be with past a hook up until you.”
“That’s oddly romantic.”
“Speaking of romantic, if it’s cool enough, there’s a huge fireplace we can cuddle in front of.”
“I’ve never lived in a house with a fireplace. But I’ve always wanted one.” She rubs her palms over my chest and up to my shoulders.
My hands glide up her back to play with the ends of her hair. “The house also has a library.”
“What? Are you teasing me? Who has a library in their house?”
“I promise you there’s a sizeable library and one of the most comfortable chairs you’ll ever sit in.”
“Damn. Once you get me there, I may never want to leave.”
“I still need to tell you the most important reason why I want you there.” She nods to let me know she’s listening intently. “St. Michael’s is one of my favorite places in the world and I want to share it with you.” I caress the back of my fingers down her cheek.
“Aww, that’s really sweet. How can I say no to all those reasons? Okay, you’ve convinced me.” Her arms wrap around my neck and her fingertips massage the back of my head.
“I knew you’d cave once you heard all the positives. You’re going to love it and I can’t wait to experience with you.” I touch the tip of my finger to her nose. “In a way it will be like my first time going there all over again.”
“How long has it been since you spent time there?”
“I went for a week last summer, but I’ve never brought anyone there. Well, not a girl, anyway. You’re my first.” I try to play it down. I don’t want to scare her off. We’re still in that place where we don’t label what we are. Not because I’m afraid to, but because she seems like she is.
“When are we leaving?”
“Wednesday morning at ten. It will take us about ninety minutes to get there, maybe a little more. And we might hit traffic since it’s the day before Thanksgiving.”
“What kind of clothes should I pack?”
“We’ll have to check the weather report, but most likely jeans, sneakers, and hoodies. Those are my staples when I go there this time of year. You might want to bring a windbreaker because it’s on the water. It can be breezy and damp if it’s an overcast day. Sometimes those are my favorite kinds of days because the beach is deserted and I can be the only one there. And when it’s sunny, it’s the most beautiful place in the world.”
“It sounds wonderful. I’m already excited about going.”
Not as excited as I am about having you there.
* * *
“That’s the house?” Harper has her face plastered to the passenger window as I guide my Jeep into the driveway.
“Yep, that’s the one. What do you think?” I stare up at the sprawling white Colonial style house and try to see it through her eyes. It is larger than most would expect.
She turns to look at me. “Are you messing with me? What do you think I think?”
I laugh. “This is getting confusing. I think you like the house and I’m glad. My most happy childhood memories are all wrapped up in this place. I used to spend most of my summer here with my grandparents and I loved it. For two whole months each year I could pretend I was like all the other kids with two parents who loved them.” Her hand reaches out to rub my thigh. “This place was all about hanging with my summer friends and playing outside from sunup to sundown. I’d only return home to eat lunch and dinner. When it was time to sleep, I’d fall onto my bed and be out in two seconds flat from all the exercise I was getting.”
“It sounds like a magical place.”
“It was. It is.” My eyes connect with her and I smile. “I’m really glad you’re here with me.”
She smiles sweetly. “Me too.”
I grab our bags and lead her to the front door. “The keys are in my pants pocket, right side.” I grin.
She wiggles her eyebrows up and down and slides her hand down into my jeans. There’s some extra fumbling around before she tugs them free.
“The blue key is the one,” I inform and jut my chin to let her know she can do the honors.
She unlocks the deadbolt and then turns the handle. “You’re sure it’s okay for us to be here?”
I laugh. “Yes, of course. Do you think I’d bring you here without telling my grandparents that I’d be using it? They had their caretaker come and get everything ready.”
She pushes the door open and we step inside.
“Wow,” she says, her mouth hanging slack. “This is beautiful.” Glancing around, she takes in all the details of the elegant foyer. The large crystal chandelier hanging above our heads reflects prisms of light all around when it’s nighttime. There’s a grand staircase, wide and centrally situated in front of us, that I direct her up.
“Come on. I’ll show you to our room.” We walk up the stairs side by side and I lead her down the right hallway until we come to the last door on the left side. “Want to open that for me, please.”
“Sure.” She grips the knob, opening the door to reveal the space where I’ve slept since I was a young kid. We progress inside and Harper’s eyes bounce around the room, taking in all the details.
“Is this your room?” she questions.
“Yep. I’ve spent a lot of time here over the years as you can probably tell.” I gesture to the shelves on the side wall. There are stuffed animals, race cars, dinosaurs, and books all on display. A little bit of memorabilia from each decade I’ve been here. I place both our bags on top of the queen-sized bed. “Do you want to unpack first, or do you want to look around?”
“Who needs to unpack? Let’s look around.”
I smile at her eagerness. I can already tell she loves it here. It’s hard not to. Everything is so picturesque and relaxed. And it’s amazing to be able to spend time with her and not worry about who might notice. I grab her hand. “Come on, I want to show you one of my favorite parts of this house.” I lead her over to the back wall and open the French door that leads out to our deck. We step outside onto the enormous wooden structure that runs the width of the back of the house.
Harper gasps. “Wow. Look at that view.” Her eyes drink in the large grass covered backyard that slopes downward, leading to the Chesapeake Bay.
“Every bedroom exits out here. I love to sit in that rocking chair and listen to music at night. Or sometimes, I take a nap on that lounger.” I point to both pieces of furniture.
Her head swivels from side to side checking out the surrounding area. “No close neighbors, just like you said. We can have some fun on that lounger, I bet.”
I edge forward and wrap my arms around her. “I like how you think, bombón.”
“That’s not all you like about me, though, is it?”
“I might be able to come up with a few things. Oh yeah, I like your mouth, hands, and pussy. That’s a few.”
She playfully slaps my arm. “I should’ve known you’d say that.”
“Well, it’s not a lie. I do like those things. But I also like your sense of humor. You make me laugh and there’s never been a girl who could do that as much as you can.”
“Have you ever been in a serious relationship?”
“I guess it depends on your definition of serious. I had a high school girlfriend for a couple of years. But we went to different colleges, so it didn’t work out. As far as college goes, nope. I’ve done a little dating here and
there.”
“And by dating you mean hooking up?”
“Possibly,” I reply. I don’t want her getting upset about my past.
“You can admit it. I’m not going to get jealous of something that’s a normal part of college life.”
“What about you? Any serious boyfriends?”
She frowns and then masks it behind a small smile. “I haven’t had the colorful past that you have, I’m sure. I’m boring. I had a boyfriend in California for quite some time, but it didn’t work out.”
“I’m not going to say I’m sorry it didn’t work out. You’re here with me, where I want you. Where I’m grateful to have you.” And I don’t plan to let you go.
19
Harper
He’s so sweet with me. This big, macho guy who can rock the heavy bag at the gym like it’s a feather, treats me like I’m something precious. Hearing he’s grateful to have me here, I almost begged him to hold on to me. Not to let me go. I’m not ready to lose what we have.
Rising up on my toes, I press on the back of his neck, urging him to meet my lips with his. Softly, they brush over mine once, and then once again. His hand slides up the back of my head to grip my ponytail and hold me in position for his mouth to ravage. Our tongues boldly explore, twisting and tangling until I’m ready to beg him for more.
He draws back with a chuckle. “There’s plenty of time for that later.”
“There’s plenty of time now too,” I retort.
“We have some exploring to do. I want to show you everything: all of my favorite places.”
“I want to see them all and picture Connor Jr. as a small boy. Were you always tall for your age or did you spring up in high school?”
“I grew a lot in eighth grade and then the rest happened over the course of my high school years.” He takes my hand and leads me along the deck to the set of stairs. We descend to a first-floor deck. This one is even larger than the one above it and stretches out into the backyard.
“Wow. This is gorgeous.”
“Thanks. Gramps and Gram eat dinner out here every night in the summers. It’s probably too cold at night for us to do that, but we can have lunch out here sometime.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a deck this large before.”
“It’s epic and one of my favorite things. Come with me, so I can show you something else.” We descend the four stairs that lead down to the grass. Connor guides us straight back across the yard, toward the water. We come to a dock. “This is another one of my favorite things. I love this view. In the summer we have a boat docked here, but it’s already been put away until spring.”
I want him to offer to take me out on it some other time. But who am I kidding? He’s twenty-two and I’m thirty-two. We’re at different points in our lives. Being with someone for a few weeks like we have, probably seems like forever to him. He’s probably getting sick of me by now. I’m sure he’s not thinking months ahead. Day by day seems more like his speed.
“Check this out.” Still holding my hand, he leads me back to the grass. We walk parallel to the shoreline until we come to a large tree. There’s a swing hanging from one of the branches. “Get on and I’ll push you.”
I grin. “Okay.” I love anything that gets my adrenaline going. That sick stomach feeling that fast rides give you; I live for that. Maybe that’s why being with Connor is so exhilarating. I slide onto the wooden seat and grab the two ropes. Connor holds the ropes below my hands, drawing me backward as far as he can before letting me go. I giggle as I swing out over the water. Pumping my legs, I lift myself higher. He gives me an occasional push between the shoulder blades to help me out.
“If it was summer, I’d tell you to let go and fly into the water.”
“Is that what you do?” I ask.
“Hell yeah.”
“I wish I could see you do that.”
“Me too.”
I keep swinging and he sits down on the grass, staring out at the rippling water. “What are your plans after you graduate? Will you go to work for your father?”
“I’ll probably work for him during the summer, but I need to knock out law school before I can work there full-time.” He pulls a few pieces of grass from the ground.
“What law school are you going to?”
“I’ll most likely stay at King.”
“Don’t you ever wish you went somewhere farther away? Then you could get away from your parents.”
“Sometimes. But there’s really no escaping them, no matter where I go. My father is footing the bill for school. Besides, I love the area I live in and King is a great school. What made you decide to move here?”
“I wanted a change, so I applied and luckily got the job.”
“There’s no luck about it. King is pretty strict about their faculty. And to be Head of Languages at such a young age is impressive and a credit to you.”
“That’s nice of you to say. Personally, I think Dean Billings just likes my boobs.”
“What?” he bites out.
“I’m joking. Kind of. Dean Billings likes to stare at my chest. It’s like he’s never seen boobs before.”
“He probably hasn’t seen tits like yours. They’re perfect. High and round, just thinking about them makes my mouth water. Look.” He gestures to his lap. “I’m getting hard just from thinking about them.”
“It doesn’t take much to excite you,” I tease. “You’re always raring to go.”
“You’d be surprised. I’m only like that with you.”
I want to ask him why. What does he mean? How is he different with me than with other women? But I promised myself I wouldn’t become an insecure, clingy girl. And I aim to keep that promise.
* * *
“The steaks should be ready in a few minutes. How’s the salad coming?” Connor eases up behind me, placing a hand on the counter on either side of me, caging me in. He presses a kiss to the back of my neck and another on the side. A shiver ripples up my spine and he chuckles.
Turning my head, I peer up over my shoulder at him. “The salad is done.” I shake some croutons over the top and stick utensils in either side of the large bowl. “I made potato salad too. I hope you like that.”
“Are you kidding? I love all the foods you eat at a cookout. I’m glad I dragged the grill out of the garage. Speaking of, I’m going to head out before I ruin our steaks. I’ll be back inside in about five.” He hurries off and I smile. This feels a little like playing house and I’m enjoying it more than I assumed I would. And more than I should. It’s a temporary state and I can’t let myself get caught up in it. The sobering thoughts put a damper on my good mood. Needing a distraction, I search the cabinets for plates and silverware and set the kitchen table. I place the salad and potato salad down in the center and grab two bottles of water to wash the food down with.
When Connor comes back, I’m munching on a crouton.
“Thank God. I’m starving and a crouton just isn’t cutting it.”
He sets the plate with the steak tips down and eases into the seat across from me. We pass the bowls of salad around and then the meat. The steak is so tender I could cut it with a butter knife. My mouth is salivating waiting for the first bite.
“Mmm, how did you get so good at grilling?” I imagine his parents have someone do the cooking for them.
“Gramps taught me. He said every man should know how to cook on the grill.”
“He’s right. I find a man who cooks very sexy, but there’s something so manly about one who grills out.”
He grins. “Next time you should come sit on the deck and watch me. It might get you all hot and bothered.”
“It might.” Then again, when am I not hot and bothered around him? His body is hard and chiseled and he moves with the grace of an athlete. “Did you play sports in high school?”
“I played football and basketball. I was a decent player, but not good enough to bust my balls at it in college. It wasn’t like I dreamed of playing profess
ionally. What about you? Did you play any sports?”
“I was pretty good at soccer.”
He nods as he chews a bite of steak. “I can see that. You have strong, sexy legs like you did a lot of running.”
“I used to run on the beach before I moved here. I need to get back into it. I’ve always enjoyed physical activity.”
“You don’t need the gym. We make up for your lack of exercise with all the fucking we do.” He winks. He’s not wrong. Sometimes it feels like I’ve run a few miles by the time we’re done. His brand of exercise is definitely more enjoyable than going to the gym.
After dinner, he grabs a blanket and takes me by the hand, leading me outside to the double chaise. He settles onto the thick cushion and pulls me down, so I’m situated between his muscular legs. My head is cushioned by his chest. He spreads the blanket over the two of us. The lower deck is wider than the top one, so we have an unobstructed view of the stars from where we are.
“When I was a kid, I went through a period where I wanted to be an astronomer.”
“Really? Tell me which constellations we’re looking at.” I’ve always found the stars fascinating, but I’ve never learned about them.
“The Big Dipper is the most famous grouping of stars in the sky. You must know how to find that one right?”
“Nope. I have no idea.”
“Okay then, I’ll tell you a little about it. It’s part of a larger constellation called Ursa Major. Finding it can help you navigate and even tell time. And it’s pretty easy to spot if you know what you’re looking for. You need to look into the northern sky.” He points, showing me which direction. “In the fall, the Big Dipper will rest on the horizon; and in the winter, the handle looks like it’s dangling from the bowl. We’re kind of at the tail end of fall and approaching winter, so look closer to the horizon. Do you see it?”