He was cradling her heart again, knowing exactly what she needed and making sure she got it.
“I love making you feel good,” he whispered. His warm lips touched hers again in a kiss so sweet, she wanted to disappear into it. “Get some rest, Sleeping Beauty. I’ll text you tomorrow.”
Chapter Nine
HARPER AWOKE TO a knock on her door Thursday morning before dawn. She reached blindly for her phone as she sat up and saw she’d missed a call from Gavin. Goose bumps rose on her flesh as she bolted to her feet. She’d thought about him all night! How could he possibly have known?
Gavin’s sweatshirt tumbled down her thighs as she ran to the door and pulled it open. A rush of brisk air stung her skin, but the sight of Gavin standing on the porch, looking gorgeous in a dark hoodie and jeans, soothed the sting.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
“Hi.” She couldn’t stop smiling and she didn’t even know why he was there. It was that good to see him. His gaze moved slowly down her body, heating her up from the inside out.
“I couldn’t go to work knowing I left you in an orgasm coma last night.” He stepped closer, blocking the cool air as he pressed his warm lips to hers. “I have the perfect remedy. Breakfast on the beach as we watch the sunrise. I’ve got everything we need in the car.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “I might need to have an orgasm coma every night.”
“That can be arranged.”
Her nipples pebbled at the thought. “Come in. I just need to get dressed.”
She brushed her teeth and hair as quickly as she could, shimmied into her jeans, and slipped on a pair of sandals. She found Gavin leafing through the book she was reading for the book club.
“Seems pretty dirty,” he said flirtatiously.
“Incredibly. I love it, and I have to finish reading it by tomorrow night for the meeting. Hey, would you mind if I read on your dock? It’s quieter than going to the beach or the pier.” Her heart raced as she searched for her keys.
“Not at all. My dock is your dock. What are you looking for?”
“My keys. I thought I left them on my desk.”
He swept his arm around her waist, drawing her into his arms. “I already grabbed your keys, sweetheart. What else do you need?”
“Just a proper ‘good morning.’” She went up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. He deepened the kiss, sending rivers of heat washing through her. She sighed as their lips parted. “Best morning ever.”
They drove to Newcomb Hollow Beach and left their shoes in the car. Harper’s feet sank into the cold sand as they carried blankets and breakfast down the long path from the dunes to the beach. They laid out a blanket and settled in to watch the sunrise with to-go cups of coffee Gavin had bought on his way over. He opened the bag from Dunkin’ Donuts and handed her a banana-chocolate muffin.
“I hope they’re still your favorite,” he said as he unwrapped his muffin.
“You really do remember everything.”
He pressed his lips to hers and said, “Every kiss, every touch, every ‘Oh, Gavin, yes!’”
She buried her face in his chest, laughing. When she lifted her face, he kissed her again and said, “Best memory ever.”
They ate their muffins, listening to the ebb and flow of the tide. There was nothing quite as beautiful as the dawn of a new day on Cape Cod. The brisk morning air kissed her cheeks, but Harper was warm tucked against Gavin’s side as rolling waves crashed into the shore.
“Hear that?” Gavin said, holding her tighter against him as they sipped their coffee. “The waves remind me of you, calmly building momentum, waiting for the right moment before you give it your all.”
“Does that mean I’m a tease?”
He kissed her temple, a small smile on his lips. “No, sweetheart. The ocean doesn’t tease. It’s one of Mother Nature’s powerful gifts. Stronger than almost anything can resist and gentle enough to radiate beauty and give a sense of calm. It deserves respect and admiration.”
“That’s a really nice thing to say.”
“It’s true. If you think about how you were on that plane ride home, feeling like your world was out of control.”
“I think the guy who sat next to me would attest to the fact that I was more like a wicked hurricane.”
“You weren’t the hurricane, Harp. You were the thrashing waves caused by the violent winds of the hurricane. Once the storm cleared and you could see past the dark clouds, you settled back into the sweet, focused woman you’ve always been.”
The sun crept over the horizon like fire easing into the sky. Harper felt like she was experiencing it for the first time, and she knew it was because she was sharing it with Gavin.
“If I’m the sea, what are you?”
He picked up a piece of his muffin and offered it to her as he said, “You tell me.”
She opened her mouth, and after he put the treat on her tongue, she kissed his fingertips, thinking about his analogy. “I think you’re the wind.”
“The cause of the storm? I’m not sure that’s good.”
“It is, because the wind calms and enlivens the sea. It pushes it in different directions, reaching outside its normal comfort zones, urging it to take over new ground and then easing. Leaving it to find its own way.”
“And that is why you’re the writer. How’s your writing coming along?”
“Incredibly well. I’m excited with the new direction. Looking at my experiences from a different perspective has changed the way I write. I feel reborn in a way. I didn’t expect it, but I think it’s funnier. You were right to suggest that I take the hopes of Hollywood off the table and just focus on writing something good. Thank you for that.”
“Sometimes it takes a fresh outlook to change a stifling situation.”
As they finished eating, her thoughts returned to last night and all that Gavin had told her about his experience with Corinne. She dug her toes in the sand by the edge of the blanket and said, “You mentioned that what you went through with Corinne had stolen your dreams for a long time but that you got them back. What dreams are you working on now?”
His eyes warmed, moving slowly from her eyes to her mouth. His hand brushed along her cheek to the base of her neck, drawing her closer. His lips grazed hers ever so lightly as he said, “Do you want to hear my dreams or my fantasies?”
The hard press of his lips brought her arms around his neck, and as she leaned into him, he lowered her to the blanket, deepening the kiss. The sounds of the ocean coalesced with the lust rushing through her veins, and she pushed her hands into his hair, holding his mouth to hers. He made her want and need. He made her crave things she’d only ever wanted with him. His hand moved down her side and he gripped her hip, holding tight. His efforts went from rough and demanding to soft and alluring, like the tide, making her head swim and her heart soar.
When he drew back, kissing the edges of her lips, her cheeks, and then her lips again, she said, “I want to hear your dreams.”
He gazed down at her and said, “Finding my forever.”
Her heart fluttered, and she gathered the courage to say, “And your fantasies?”
His eyes heated even more, turning her flutters into a frenzy. He covered her mouth with his in the same dizzying rhythm as before. She rose when he eased his efforts, trying to take more of him, landing hard beneath the press of his chest when he gave her what she wanted. She felt weightless, the world felt timeless, and when their lips parted, he left her breathless.
“You’re my fantasy, sweetheart,” he said in a voice laden with emotions. “You have been since the day I met you.”
Chapter Ten
HARPER WAS NO longer tiptoeing into his heart. She’d invaded it. The night of the band concert had opened some sort of sexual and emotional vortex. When Harper had given more of herself to him yesterday morning at the beach, he’d been right there with her, falling harder, wanting to be a bigger part of her world. They’d become ravenous for each other
, but he’d handed Harper the reins, letting her set their sexual pace as best he could. It was killing him to hold back, and he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Even as he watched his buddies shoot pool at Common Grounds, his mind kept drifting back to Harper. She’d texted earlier and said her boss was so impressed with the article she’d written he’d assigned her three more. She was on fire, professionally and emotionally.
“Gavin, are you riding with us tomorrow?” Dwayne asked.
Justin’s cousin Dwayne was a stocky ex-Marine and a member of the Dark Knights. He gave off an I-don’t-give-a-shit attitude, but his eyes told a different story, revealing the grief he carried from the loss of his younger sister to suicide several years earlier.
“Probably not,” Gavin said. He leaned against the wall, watching Cory take his shot.
“Pussy whipped?” Dwayne glanced at Justin, who shrugged. “You missed last weekend, too.”
“Sorry, dude. My girl is way hotter than you guys.” Gavin smirked.
“True that,” Justin said as he walked around the pool table assessing his next shot.
Gavin pushed from the wall and patted Dwayne’s shoulder. “This weekend is all hers.”
“He’s just jealous,” Cory said. “Dwayne’s going through a dry spell.”
Dwayne scoffed. “Dry spell my ass. I get more action than you could ever dream of.”
As the guys gave each other hell, Gavin’s mind reeled back to the prior afternoon, when he’d arrived home from work and found Harper swimming in the pond. The book she was reading for the book club lay on the dock beside her clothes, laptop, and a towel. She’d climbed up the ladder wearing a skimpy aqua bikini and a wanton look in her eyes. His sweet Harper had strutted determinedly toward him, hips swaying seductively, taut nipples pressing against the thin material of her bikini top. She’d crushed her mouth to his, devouring him like she’d been waiting all day to do it. She’d mumbled something about him reminding her of the hero in the book she was reading as she made quick work of opening his slacks. She’d dropped to her knees right there on the dock and taken his cock in her hands. Her gorgeous baby blues locked on his face as she teased the head of his shaft with her tongue. When she’d taken him to the back of her throat, the erotic sight of her loving him had nearly made him come. But he’d held out, enjoying every magnificent stroke, suck, and slick of her tongue. When she cupped his balls, giving them one perfect tug, he’d finally let go, and she’d swallowed everything he had to give. He’d swept her into his arms and carried her up to a lounge chair on the patio, where he’d stripped off her sexy little bikini bottoms and feasted on her until she’d come so many times, she’d fallen asleep in his arms.
Cory nudged Gavin. “Dude, Justin asked you a question.”
Gavin shook his head to try to clear his thoughts and said, “Shit, sorry, man. I must have zoned out.” His cock was at half-mast. He took a swig of his drink, forcing himself to think about algebra.
“I said, I picked up that client you referred me to. The Cachelles? They hired me to do the stonework for their guesthouse.” Justin’s lips curved up. “You didn’t tell me the woman was horny as a dog in heat.”
“Married?” Dwayne asked.
Justin nodded. “And hot.”
“Let me guess, you gave her what she wanted,” Cory said as he leaned over the pool table, lining up his shot. With a quick flick of his chin, his shaggy brown hair moved from in front of his eyes as he took the shot, knocking a ball into the side pocket.
“Think I’m an asshole?” Justin scoffed. “Let me rephrase that. I am an asshole, but not that big of an asshole.” He looked at Gavin and said, “A little warning would have been nice.”
“Hey, no one warned me,” Gavin said. “Serena has a field day reliving the way that woman hit on me.” The only woman he wanted to hit on him was out at Red River Beach, talking about the erotic novel he’d skimmed the other night when they were at her place. “Anyone feel like hitting Red River Beach?”
“Steph is at Red River tonight for a book club meeting,” Elliott Appleton said as he picked up Gavin’s and Cory’s empty glasses. Elliott had longish sandy-blond hair, wore wire-framed glasses, and knew every customer by name. He also had Down syndrome. He pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose and said, “They read dirty books. Steph and Gabe blush when they read them.” Elliott’s older sister, Gabe, a vivacious, curvy redhead, owned Common Grounds.
They all laughed.
“Is Gabe in the book club?” Justin lifted his pool cue to line up his shot.
“No. She says she works too much,” Elliott said. “Are you in the book club, Gavin?”
“No. I think it’s only for chicks,” Gavin said.
Elliott said, “Then why do you want to go there? It’s too dark to swim.”
“Because his woman is there,” Dwayne explained.
Elliott nodded. “If I had a woman I’d go where she was instead of hanging out with these slackers, too.” He walked away chuckling.
Justin squinted as he took his shot and said, “Is Chloe in the book club?”
Gavin nodded. “Chloe, Daphne, Steph…”
“I’m in,” Dwayne said.
“I’m game,” Justin said with a devious grin.
“We’re in the middle of a game,” Cory complained.
“You can stay here and play with your balls,” Justin said. “We’ve got better things to do.”
“Stay here my ass.” Cory set his pool cue in the holder.
“Hey,” Gabe said as they plowed toward the front door. “Where are you guys hurrying off to?”
“Red River Beach,” Gavin said. “Crashing the book club meeting.”
“That’s very brave of you fools. Good luck with that,” she called after them.
THE BOOK CLUB meeting was even more fun than Harper had imagined. Harper sat on a blanket with Chloe, Daphne, and her new friend, Steph, a brown-eyed poet and herbal shop owner with red and purple streaks in her long dark hair. They’d cooked burgers on a portable grill and had eaten dinner as their long-distance members introduced themselves over Skype. Dixie, a gorgeous tattooed redhead, and her friend Izzy, a sassy brunette, from Maryland, and Paige, a pretty brunette with a sweet demeanor, from Upstate New York. Harper was surprised to find out that the club had hundreds of members across the United States, but many of them preferred the club’s online forums to in-person or video meetings.
They’d been chatting for quite a while, discussing the book and their lives in equal measure. Harper pulled her sweater tighter around her as a breeze swept up the beach.
“I’d love to know why you chose this book,” Paige said. “I hot pinked nearly half the book.”
“Hot pinked?” Daphne looked around the group. “Is that a sex term I don’t know about?”
Paige laughed. “No. I highlight typos and grammatical errors in hot pink on my ereader app.”
“What are you, the grammar police?” Dixie asked.
“I am. It’s a curse,” Paige said.
“It did have a lot of typos,” Steph agreed. “I should have paid more attention to the sample before choosing it. But it had more than seven hundred reviews the first week of release and I’d never even heard of the author. I figured it had to be good.”
Paige said, “I hadn’t heard of the author either. The author must have an amazing marketing team to get that many reviews that fast. Personally, I thought the hero was a little too demanding. He’s not my type of five-star hero.”
“Really? I loved that side of him,” Chloe said. “I wasn’t sure at first, because he was a bit of an asshole, but then I warmed to his ways. Did anyone else dislike him?”
Harper listened as the girls shared their thoughts, holding hers close to her chest. She liked when Gavin got demanding, but he did it in a much more gentlemanly way than the hero in the book had. Gavin’s demands came out charming and laden with desire, whereas the hero in the book was crass. But the pleasure he took when he allowed his heroi
ne to take control? That was hot.
“And I have no issue with some types of bondage,” Dixie said, “but if any man ever asked me to strip down and then left me there for twenty minutes while he took a phone call, I’d be done with him right then and there.”
Izzy nodded, her straight dark hair brushing her shoulders. “I agree. Get your ass in here and fuck me or I’ll walk out that door.”
“I don’t know,” Daphne said. “I’m on the fence about him. I read chapter seventeen, about his past and what he was thinking four times, and I still can’t decide if he’s a jerk or just misunderstood. The phone call thing might piss me off, and he had some weird habits, but something about his raw emotions after everything he’d been through spoke to me.”
Harper agreed. “I’m with you. He was overly demanding—not just sexually, but he was also possessive, in good ways and bad. I hated that he needed to know where she was all the time and who she was calling. That would drive me insane. But there’s something romantic about how in love with the heroine he was, right? Or am I crazy?”
Everyone talked at once, agreeing about the romantic side of the hero. Harper didn’t think a fictional hero could ever come close to her and Gavin’s first date or the afternoon they’d spent in Provincetown. She smiled inwardly thinking about his offering up an orgasm-coma remedy. That was about the cutest, most romantic thing she’d ever experienced.
“Would you ever date someone like that?” Steph asked.
“No,” Harper and Daphne said in unison.
“With all the action I’m not getting these days, if he has a heartbeat and looks hot, I’ll date him.” Chloe laughed.
“I hear ya,” Steph said.
“I would date a guy like that. He’s got an edge to him, and I love that—but he’d have to play by my rules!” Izzy said.
“The guy threatened to kill his own brother, Iz,” Dixie pointed out. “I’m not sure he’d play by anyone else’s rules. By the way, I totally want to read his brother’s book. He was hot.”
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