“You can breathe, baby, and you don’t need to think. You know I’ll take care of you.”
Need stacked up inside her as he licked and sucked. His finger pushed into her bottom as he fucked her with his tongue, and the world spun away.
When she collapsed to the mattress, he shifted again. Cooler air brought rise to goose bumps, and then his body heat warmed her as he came down over her and took her in a rough, impassioned kiss. He tasted of her, but she didn’t care. It made her want him even more. She felt his thick cock resting on her skin. The weight of his body was exquisite. He threaded his fingers into her hair, holding tight, as he deepened the kiss.
He untied the blindfold and brushed his nose tenderly over hers. “I love your mouth,” he whispered hungrily, and then he recaptured her mouth, kissing her so thoroughly, heat seared between her legs and she almost came again.
She reached between them, and he lifted up enough for her to wrap her hand around his shaft. He groaned and thrust his hips, fucking her hand.
“I need your mouth.” His mouth came down over hers, and his tongue thrust to the same rhythm as his hips.
She loved when he got like this, so overcome with desire he had to have all of her. He continued his luxurious devouring, until her entire body was throbbing, begging to be fucked.
He reached for a condom.
“Hurry,” she said as he went up on his knees and sheathed himself.
He came down over her with that sexy grin she loved and a wicked look in his eyes. “You want me to hurry, huh?” He aligned their bodies and slid just the tip of his cock in, hissing at the tight fit.
“Gavin,” she pleaded, pushing down on his hips while rising up beneath him.
He pulsed his hips, taking her an inch at a time, then withdrawing painfully slowly and going in deeper. She pulled his mouth to hers, sucking hard, and dug her fingernails into the back of his neck the way she knew drove him mad. His hips pistoned hard, burying him to the hilt.
“Fuuck,” he growled.
She grinned up at him and slapped his ass. “You’ve had your fun driving me crazy. Now it’s my turn…”
Chapter Twenty-Five
THE NEXT MORNING Harper cuddled closer to Gavin beneath the blanket on the lounge chair as the sun rose higher into the sky. They’d woken up before everyone else and had come outside to watch the sunrise. Harper had fallen asleep within minutes of coming outside, and it reminded him of the night of their first date.
He heard the front door close and kissed Harper’s cheek. “I think my parents are up. That’s probably my dad grabbing the newspaper.”
“Mm.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, snuggling against him. “I really like your parents. I’ll be sad when they leave.”
“Me too. Thank you for arranging their trip and the party. And, sweetheart, thank you for coming back, for trusting me. I’m sorry for hurting you.”
She pressed her lips to his, silencing his heartache, and then her lips curved up. “That’s in the past, and I’m looking forward to our future.”
“Me too,” he said. “Everyone’s going out on Rick and Drake’s boat today.”
“I know. Desiree told me. Do you want to go?”
“If you do. I think my parents would enjoy it.”
“Let me think about that. Spend the day lying in the sun with my girlfriends while my boyfriend and his wonderful family enjoy themselves? Or…”
He nuzzled against her cheek. “Or?”
“There is no or. There’s only us. It sounds perfect.”
The patio door opened, and his mother peered out. “Oh,” she said with surprise. “Good morning. I didn’t know you two were up. I was just going to let some fresh air in.”
Harper and Gavin climbed from the lounger, the scent of bacon making him hungry.
“It’s okay, Mom. We were just about to head inside.” He draped the blanket around Harper, who looked adorable in cute cotton sleeping shorts and one of his sweatshirts.
“Your father is scouring the paper for Harper’s latest article.” She looked thoughtfully at them and said, “I’m glad you two talked things out.”
As they went inside, Harper said, “I’m sorry for leaving last night. That was rude, and I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“No need to apologize, honey,” his mother said.
His father manned the stove in a pair of jeans and a button-down, watching over bacon, eggs, and pancakes as they cooked, which brought fond memories of his dad cooking breakfasts on the weekends when he was a kid.
“Last night was quite a blow for all of us, Gavin included. But Lord knows life isn’t always easy.” His mother reached for his father’s hand and said, “I know a little something about needing space from a Wheeler man.”
“That goes both ways, darlin’,” his father said as he transferred a pile of bacon to a plate. “My mother always said marriages that float away with water as it passes under the bridge are marriages that were never meant to be. People aren’t perfect, and true love takes strong, forgiving hearts.” He looked at Harper and Gavin and said, “Sometimes you have to swim against the tide to make it to calmer waters. But it’s those tougher times that make relationships stronger. Now, who’s brave enough to wake Beckett?”
“Not me,” his mother said. “That boy’s a grump in the morning.”
Gavin held his hands up in surrender and said, “Count me out.”
His father arched a brow in Harper’s direction. “Feeling brave?”
“No, she’s not.” Gavin pulled Harper into his arms. “Dad, Beckett sleeps commando.”
His father snickered.
Beckett’s bedroom door opened, and he shuffled out wearing only a pair of jeans. His hair was sticking up all over. He stretched and said, “I smell bacon.”
They all laughed.
Beckett put a hand on his father’s shoulder as he stole a piece of bacon.
His father shook his head. “Take the plate to the table, son, and try to leave some for the rest of us.”
Harper folded the blanket and set it on the couch, and they all helped bring breakfast to the table and settled in to eat.
“Now that Mom showed Harper how to cook your favorite dinner, you can keep her barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen,” Beckett teased.
“I have a much better room for Harper to excel in.” Gavin squeezed Harper’s leg.
“Gavin!” she chided him as Beckett laughed loudly.
“I meant the office,” Gavin said with a wink and a chuckle. “Although I would have said the bedroom if we weren’t in the company of my parents.”
Harper covered her face. “Ohmygod!”
Beckett snickered again.
“It’s okay, honey,” his mother said. “We know that everything Gavin says comes from his heart.”
“You keep believing that, Mom,” Beckett said under his breath.
Gavin punched him in the arm.
His father pointed his fork at Beckett and said, “If you ever slow down long enough to hear your heart, you’ll lead with yours, too. It’s who you are, Beckett. Don’t fool yourself into thinking all that other nonsense is anything more than a distraction. A precursor to the real thing.”
“We can always hope,” his mother said.
“Dude, trust me on this,” Gavin said. “When that particular organ speaks, you won’t be able to ignore it.” He hugged Harper against his side and kissed her temple. “True love is the most powerful thing on earth.”
Harper mouthed, I love you.
Beckett scoffed, grumbling as he grabbed the last of the bacon. “I’m pretty sure my stomach and my”—he glanced at his parents—“other hungry body part are loud enough to drown out anything else.”
They talked and joked, finishing breakfast in great moods. Gavin counted himself lucky to have such a wonderful family, and even luckier to have found a woman who seemed to enjoy them as much as he did.
As they cleared the table, Gavin said, “Rick and Drake are taking thei
r boat out to do some fishing today with a bunch of our friends. What do you think? Want to join them?”
“Better ask your mother,” his father said. “Fishing sounds great, and we really enjoyed getting to know your friends, but we don’t want to miss our flight.”
“We’ve got plenty of time,” Beckett said. “Right, Mom?”
“We do,” she said. “We don’t leave until six.”
“Then we’d better get this stuff cleaned up and head out so we don’t miss them.” Gavin started collecting dishes.
Harper touched his hand and said, “First I’d like to give you your birthday present.”
He leaned down and whispered, “I thought you gave it to me last night.”
Crimson spread over her cheeks.
“Whatever you just said was potent, dude,” Beckett said as Harper buried her face in Gavin’s chest.
Harper tipped her chin up and said, “That wasn’t your present. That was just love.”
She sauntered over to the record player, and a few seconds later the sounds of “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon filled the air. It was the song Inferno had been playing when they’d danced their first dance together at the festival. She lip-synched as she took his hand and twirled into his arms.
“Do you remember dancing to this?” Harper asked.
He gazed into her beautiful eyes and said, “I remember every single thing about the day I met the love of my life.”
His mother’s hand covered her heart. His father drew his wife into his arms and began dancing. Beckett glided into the room singing at the top of his lungs and dancing horrendously.
With his soul mate in his arms, surrounded by the people he loved most, Gavin fell head over heels in love with Harper all over again.
Epilogue
AS GAVIN AND Harper pushed through the doors of the cute pizzeria where they’d just finished dinner, the blustery evening air stung their cheeks. They were in Romance, Virginia, and despite the unusually frigid temperatures, the charming small town was even more romantic the second time around. They’d enjoyed a pre-Thanksgiving dinner with Harper’s family, and then they’d gone to Oak Falls to spend Thanksgiving with Gavin’s family. During their visit, Harper had met Nana and all of Gavin’s friends. They’d even attended one of the Jerichos’ famous jam sessions, which was just as fabulous as Gavin had described. They’d had a wonderful visit, and Harper was eager to come back and see everyone again. She and Gavin had planned to return to the Cape yesterday, but Gavin had surprised her with a weekend at the Wysteria Inn, the quaint bed-and-breakfast where they’d first come together. He’d even arranged for them to stay in the same room.
It was the perfect end to a fantastic week.
Harper turned into Gavin’s warm body and grabbed the lapels of his heavy winter coat. He wanted to make wishes in the fountain like they had last summer, and so did she, except the temperature had dropped ten degrees since the sun had gone down, and Harper was freezing.
She gazed up at the romantic man she adored, her teeth chattering, and said, “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather cozy up in our bedroom at the inn and make our wishes in the light of day, when it’s a little warmer? There won’t even be water in the fountain.”
“The last time I made a wish in the fountain it came true. I’m not missing out on my next wish coming true.”
He put his arm around her waist as they headed for the crosswalk, passing cute old-fashioned shops with faded awnings and big picture windows lining the main road. Gone were the flower boxes and planters of summer, replaced with holiday lights and decorations. The dogwoods’ bare branches stretched over the sidewalks and street like tentacles, adorned with tiny white lights. The streetlights boasted wreaths with red ribbons, and the front windows and doors of the grand old inn were outlined in sparkling colored lights.
Harper sighed. “It’s every bit as beautiful in the winter as it is in the summer.”
Gavin pressed his lips to hers and said, “So are you.” He guided her across the street toward the fountain.
“You know what? I love your cheesy lines.” She pressed her body tighter against him, stealing his warmth.
The moon shone brightly against the winter-gray sky, illuminating the town square. A statue of a man and a woman dancing stood sentinel in the middle of the fountain. The woman was sculpted midtwirl, her dress lifting at the hem, and the man was gazing happily into her eyes. Someone had wrapped red and green scarves around their necks and put matching hats and mittens on them. Against the backdrop of brick and stone buildings with elaborate decorative elements carved into the stone, the square looked like it belonged in a Norman Rockwell painting.
“The statue reminds me of us. The day we met we were dancing at the festival, and now here we are again, all bundled up for winter, just like the statue.”
“It’s a sign.” Gavin pressed a kiss to her temple and said, “We should come back every season and make new wishes.”
“I’d love that. Can we see your parents each time? And stop in to see Nana?” Nana was the most beloved, energetic grandmother in Oak Falls, and Harper had loved meeting her and her family. “We probably have to come more than four times a year, though, because I promised your mom we’d come for all your family’s birthdays. And Beckett will never forgive you if you skip next year’s Turkey Trot 5K run.” They’d feigned exhaustion and stayed in their room, being very thankful for each other—in honor of Thanksgiving, of course—while everyone else went to the festivities.
Gavin hugged her tight. “You have no idea how happy I am that you like my hometown and my friends.”
“Oak Falls is charming. It’s not gray and gloomy like the Cape can be in the winter, and your friends are down-to-earth and easygoing. What’s not to like?”
“They’re real, babe, just like you, only not nearly as sexy.” He kissed her and said, “Or as delicious.” He rubbed his nose over hers and added, “Let’s make our wishes before you turn into an icicle.”
Harper stepped into the fountain and began twirling around, her breath fogging in the air. She struck a dancing pose and said, “What do you think? Would I make a good statue?”
He laughed and helped her out of the fountain. “You’d make a good anything. Take your gloves off, babe. It’s wish time.”
They pulled off their gloves and shoved them in their pockets. Cold or not, Harper was excited to be there.
Gavin handed her a quarter, keeping one for himself. “Do you know what you’re going to wish for?”
“Of course!” she said, even though she was still trying to figure it out.
Wishing for more felt gluttonous because she had so many things to be thankful for. Gavin was at the top of that list, followed by their families and friends, and her new endeavors. She’d submitted the movie script to Trey and had received an option agreement last month. The money from that would fund her theatrical endeavor. They’d agreed to table his partnership offer and visit it sometime down the line. Harper was midway through the third episode of her newest script for the theater. Tegan had called last week and said she definitely wanted to move forward and work together. Jana was also on board, and Jock had even offered to consult and help guide them as best as he was able while traveling. They’d already begun making plans. Harper was still enjoying writing for the newspaper and thought she might even continue in the spring. She already had more than she ever imagined. What else could she possibly want besides the obvious—forever with Gavin?
“Do you know what you’re going to wish for?” she asked.
“Oh yeah,” he said coyly. “I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”
“If it’s that Pink Floyd album, Drake and I looked everywhere before your birthday, and we couldn’t find it.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “That’s okay. I have a backup wish that’s just as good. You sure you’re ready?”
“Yes!” She fisted her hand around the quarter.
He gazed into her eyes with a serious expressi
on. “My God you’re beautiful.”
Her stomach tumbled. She’d never tire of the intensity of his love. “You say that like you’re just seeing me for the first time.”
He slipped one hand to the nape of her neck, drawing her closer, and said, “That’s because you get more beautiful every time I see you.” He kissed her tenderly, warming her from the inside out. “I love you, sweetheart. Wish well.”
She faced the fountain with the quarter in one hand. Gavin took her other hand and said, “Okay, beautiful, close your eyes.”
GAVIN WATCHED HARPER close her eyes, just as he had the first time they’d cast their wishes into the fountain. She was smiling hard, her cheeks and the tip of her nose red with cold. He loved watching her throw her hopes out for the universe to hold dear, and he’d never tire of trying to catch those hopes and make all of her dreams come true.
He made a quick wish and tossed his quarter into the fountain at the same time she did.
She squealed when their quarters clinked against the concrete and turned gleefully toward him, bouncing on her toes in her fur-lined boots. “Did you make a wish?”
“I sure did.”
“Do you think it’ll come true again?”
“We’ll know soon enough.” He dropped to one knee, his heart thundering as he met her surprised eyes.
“Gavin? What are you doing?”
“Hoping my wish comes true.” He took her hand and said, “Harper, my love, from the very moment we met, I knew my life would never be the same. We both took a chance that night, and I didn’t think anything could beat those hours we spent together. But the past several months have shown me that not only do we belong together, we get better, closer, and fall deeper in love with every passing day. You are my best friend, my lover, and you are the magic in my dreams.”
Tears streaked her cheek. “Gavin…” she said breathlessly.
“I love you, Harp, and I want to be the man who makes you laugh, who loves you so completely, you never feel second best. I will be there for you to lean on, and I will be your biggest fan, celebrating your successes and helping you if you lose your way.”
Bayside Romance (Bayside Summers) Page 28