She Loves Me

by Foster, Melissa

  She fisted her hands in his hair. “Harley.” She lifted her hips off the seat. “Please!”

  He hooked his fingers in the strings of her thong, sliding it down her legs. She was shaved bare, save for a neat strip of blond curls. He was dying to unlatch his jeans and bury himself to the hilt. But that would have to wait if he wanted Piper to desire him for the man he was, not just for his willing cock.

  “Touch yourself,” he said, and she put her hands on her breasts again, eyes on him, dark and seductive.

  “Down here, beautiful.” He guided one of her hands between her legs.

  Her eyes were dark and libidinous as he slicked his tongue along her glistening sex. Her essence spread over his tongue like sweet honey, and he thought he’d died and gone to heaven. He pushed his hands under her ass, lifting and angling so he could feast on her. He used his teeth and tongue, holding nothing back. Her hand moved faster over her clit, and she spread her legs wider, hooking one over his shoulder. He dragged his tongue over her fingers, taking them into his mouth, and held her wrist, slowly drawing her fingers in and out of his lips. Their eyes connected with the heat of a thousand suns. Her hips began moving to the same rhythm as her fingers in his mouth, and he moved his other hand between her legs. She moaned, holding his gaze, moving sensually against his thumb as her fingers moved in and out of his mouth, giving all his senses a feast of pleasure.

  He drew her fingers out of his mouth, kissed her fingertips, and guided her hand to her chest.

  “Touch your breast” came out as a guttural, greedy demand.

  Her eyes flamed, then narrowed, and she moved her hand between her legs. Then she reached down with her other hand and brought his hand to her breast.

  “You are a little vixen, aren’t you? You want to play dirty?”

  She arched a brow and said, “Is there any other way?”

  “Not in my book.”

  He held her gaze, making her wait as she teased her sex, and he caressed her breast, rolling her nipple between his finger and thumb. He kissed her inner thigh, and she rocked up beneath him. He glided his tongue along the length of her finger as she teased her clit, and she whimpered. He did it again, and she closed her eyes, moaning as she arched up and brought her other hand between her legs, dipping her fingers inside her. Seeing her take her pleasure into her own hands was too much. He lowered his mouth to her center and pressed his wet thumb against her other entrance. She moved her hand to her breast, keeping the other between her legs. He quickened his pace, stroking faster, fucking her with his tongue. He squeezed her nipple, and her legs went rigid. In the next breath, she cried out, loud and unabashedly. Her body bucked and her sex pulsed as her climax tore through her. She dug her nails into his shoulders, and he stayed with her, teasing and devouring, taking his fill. As she came down from the peak, he pushed two fingers inside her and took her clit between his teeth, sending her spiraling over the edge again.

  He rose, put his arm around her, and brought her up to a sitting position, facing him on the seat, her knees wide open. She reached for the button on his jeans, but he moved her hand away.

  “No,” he ground out, and captured her mouth in a penetrating kiss.

  She didn’t flinch at the taste of her own arousal, and it nearly pulled him over the edge. With one arm around her, his hand fisted in her hair, he kissed her rough and possessive, pushing two fingers of his other hand into her velvety heat and teasing her most sensitive nerves with his thumb. He fucked her hard and fast with his fingers, kissing her deep and rough. She came hard, and he swallowed her moans and whimpers.

  When she went silent and soft against him, he lifted her onto his lap, cradling her in his arms, kissing her lips, her cheeks, her chin. He settled her head on his shoulder, and he knew in his heart this was new for her, allowing a man to hold her like this. Her breath was warm on his neck, her body jerking with aftershocks. He rubbed his hand along her thigh, up her hip, and around her back, memorizing the feel of her, the sound of her sated breaths, the scent of her arousal, her sweetness lingering on his tongue.

  He held her for a long time, their heavy breathing the only noise cutting through the silence.

  “All these years I had to listen to you give my dates shit, when you could have put that mouth of yours to much better use.”

  She sounded so peaceful, he could almost hear her walls chipping away. He bit back the reminder that she’d laughed off all of his advances. When she lifted her head and gazed into his eyes, the trust in hers nearly did him in.

  “Don’t get all weird on me,” she said softly.

  “I wouldn’t dare.” Patience, he reminded himself. He needed a boatload of it.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “WHAT DO YOU think about moving the toilet and sink to this area and using this side for the shower?” It was Monday afternoon, and Piper was in her father’s home office, going over the plans for Harley’s bathroom with him.

  Her father studied the plans, his dark brows furrowed in concentration. Dan Dalton was a tall, slim, serious man with close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair and sharp dark eyes. He’d retired from his position as a college professor to follow his dream of becoming a custom builder. He and Piper made a perfect team. She loved managing the jobs and doing hands-on work, and he enjoyed running the business and working on-site as time allowed. She hoped he’d never slow down. She couldn’t imagine ever partnering with anyone else.

  “I wouldn’t change it. I like the way you’ve laid it out here, with the shower in the nook. It’s a large shower, but you said he wants two showerheads, and this will accommodate that. How did this job come about? I saw Harley by the marina two weeks ago. He didn’t mention anything about renovating his bathroom.”

  As she rolled up the plans, she said, “He hit his head in the shower while trying to pick something up and forgot he had a sprained ankle. He lost his balance, grabbed the shower curtain, and ripped the rod right out of the wall on his way down. The shower’s only thirty-two by thirty-two. I wasn’t about to let him continue showering in that. I’m still trying to work out how he ended up on his ass in that tight of a space.”

  Her father winced. “How is his ankle doing? Any better?”

  “It’s a little less swollen. He’s back to work for a few hours each day.”

  “Good. He’s getting around okay on crutches? Or do they have him in one of those boots?”

  “Crutches. He’s good with them.” Too good. He’d gotten so adept with them, he chased her around, cornering her to steal kisses and gropes when the girls weren’t looking.

  She gazed out the window, thinking about yesterday afternoon. After picking up the girls from their sleepovers, they’d taken them fishing off Harley’s dock. Jolie couldn’t stop talking about the fun she’d had with her friends, and Sophie told them every detail about her time with Bea. It was nice to see them so happy. As the afternoon progressed, Piper was sure the girls would notice how much things had changed between her and Harley, because she felt it in every word they spoke, every furtive glance, and every hungry touch. But the girls didn’t seem to notice. They’d enjoyed a fun afternoon, and they’d all begged her to stay for dinner. But after Saturday night, when Harley had blown her mind, anticipating everything she’d wanted, touching her so perfectly, erotically, and making her feel things she’d never felt before—things she didn’t know what to do with—she’d had to escape the perfectness of it all. Being with Harley was too good. He made it easy to forget her emotional boundaries.

  Her mother touched her arm, startling Piper from her thoughts. She hadn’t heard her come into the office.

  “Are you okay, honey?”

  “Mm-hm. I was just thinking about the bathroom renovation for Harley,” Piper said, putting on a smile for her always bubbly mother. Roxie was free-spirited and laid-back, with a mass of blond curls and a flair for bohemian fashion.

  “I see,” her mother said. “The bathroom renovation. That Harley is a smart man. He knows something special
when he sees it.”

  “Mom,” Piper warned. Her mother was always trying to matchmake.

  “What? He knows you’re good with your hands.”

  “Mom!” Her comment sent Piper’s mind to Harley’s hands. Hot dogs, hockey, and Harley were the perfect combination for an epic night out. She still couldn’t believe he’d gotten tickets to the playoff game.

  “Oh, honey, all I meant was that you’re the best there is, and he knows it. Debra said the girls are doing well, and they really seem to have taken to you.”

  Piper looked at her father, sitting at his desk studying something on his computer and pretending not to listen, and said, “I took them to the Mad House after their visit with Delaney last Friday.”

  Her father looked over. “Did it do the trick?”

  “Yes, at least for now.” Both girls were in good moods this morning when she’d taken them to school, and Harley was in an especially good mood—as was she, which she was still trying to wrap her head around. Her pulse quickened every time he texted. It had been so long since she’d texted with a man, she’d actually felt her cheeks burning as she’d read his text late last night after she’d gone home. My truck feels left out. I think we need to christen it. She’d responded with, I’m not buying the truck-envy angle. Her phone had vibrated a minute later with the message, How about bed envy? My bed is jealous of yours because you’re in it. They’d gone back and forth with silly jokes that turned dirty. Her blush had quickly faded, and she’d gotten lost in their sexting. He was as demanding over text as he had been in the truck, telling her where and how to touch herself.

  The man had serious game.

  Her mother’s phone chimed, bringing Piper’s head down from the clouds.

  As her mother read the message, her hand moved over her heart and her face lit up. “Oh, goodness. Look at little Emma Lou. I can’t believe she’s a year old already. She’s got such pretty dark hair, just like her daddy, and those blue eyes are going to bring Brindle a lot of heartache in a few years.” Emily Louise, “Emma Lou,” was Piper’s cousin Brindle’s baby with her husband, Trace. They lived in Oak Falls, Virginia, near five of Brindle’s six siblings. Her rock-star brother, Axsel, was always on the road. Brindle’s mother was Piper’s aunt Marilynn Montgomery, Roxie’s sister.

  “Brindle would give you the evil eye for calling her Emma Lou and not Emily or Emmie. Let me see.” Brindle thought Emma Lou was too country for her daughter, but her cowboy husband refused to call her anything else. Piper took her mother’s phone, and her insides turned to mush at the sight of the precious little girl wearing tiny cowgirl boots and a pretty blue dress.

  “She is too cute for words,” Piper said as another message bubble popped up from Marilynn. “Mom, what does Aunt Marilynn mean by Send the usual plus a little extra F?”

  Her mother took the phone from her, looking guilty. “Nothing.”

  Piper crossed her arms. “What kind of shenanigans are you up to?”

  She heard her father chuckle.

  “It’s nothing. Aunt Marilynn is mad that I have more grandbabies than she does.”

  Piper spun around and said, “Dad? What’s she not telling me?”

  “Oh no, don’t pull me into your argument.” He hated conflict as much as Piper thrived on it.

  “It’s nothing,” her mother insisted. “I send her lotions and body washes for the girls and soaps for Axsel each month. She wants something with a little fertility boost, that’s all.”

  “Mom, seriously? That stuff doesn’t really work. It’s just timing, that’s all.”

  “How can you say that? Look at you and Harley.”

  “What? How do you know about us?” Piper snapped. “We just started seeing each other!”

  Her mother’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “I didn’t. But now I do. I need to tell Debra! It must be the combination of potions and matchmaking.”

  “Ugh! Matchmaking?”

  Her mother pretended to zip her lips and throw away the key.

  “You are shameless! This is unbelievab—wait. I threw out his body wash. See? Your potions had nothing to do with us getting together.” She refused to believe her mother’s famous concoctions had magical powers, even if just about everyone else in town believed in them.

  “If you say so,” her mother said lightly. “But you did use Bridgette’s body balm over the winter.”

  “She said she got that online!”

  “Really?” Her mother’s eyes widened. “That was clever of her. In any case, Harley’s been using the body wash for a few years.”

  Piper gave her an incredulous look, and her conversation with Harley came rushing back. She’d asked him what had gotten into him, and he’d said, You have, Pipe. For three years I’ve been trying to get you to go out with me. Her knees weakened, and she grabbed the edge of her father’s desk.

  Her mother looked amused as she said, “Oh, baby girl. You don’t have to believe for love to work its magic.”

  “I’m not in love with Harley Dutch!” But she could hardly breathe as the emotions of the last few days rained down on her. She needed an umbrella made of steel to fend them off. “I have to go get the girls from school.” She started to walk out of the office, but turned back, pointing her finger at her mother. “Stay away from Harley!”

  Her mother lifted her hands, palms up, and said, “What’s done is done, baby. Once love makes its mark, there’s no going back.”

  “Love has not made its mark on me or Harley!” she seethed. “This is lust, Mother. Pure, unadulterated lust. Nothing more. You’re fooling yourself if you think your potions are controlling us. I’ll be over him as soon as he no longer needs my help with the girls.”

  “Sounds like I’m not the only one fooling myself,” her mother said.

  Piper stormed out of the room, trying to outrun the sound of truth ringing in her ears.

  Harley followed the girls into his bedroom Monday evening, where Piper had been working since she’d gotten home with the girls after school. She worked tirelessly, without complaint, and seemed genuinely excited about the work she was doing in his bathroom. He’d cleared out his closet so Piper could tear down walls to allow the plumber to reroute pipes for the new shower, and based on the number of trips she’d made carrying drywall out to her truck, she must be making progress. He couldn’t wait until his damn ankle was better. He hated not being able to help her, and he’d like to take some of the pressure off from helping with the girls and driving him to and from work. Although selfishly, he knew that once his ankle was better, Piper would have no reason to come by every morning and afternoon, and he hated that. If he had it his way, they’d be together more often, not less.

  Piper was bent over, using a Shop-Vac to clean the bathroom floor, giving Harley a brief but glorious view of her ass before she turned off the vacuum and picked up a bucket of drywall mud. Their eyes met, and heat zinged through him. Her white tank top clung to her body, speckled with dirt and drywall dust, as were her arms and her right cheek, and she still looked like a million beautiful bucks. He’d come upstairs to sneak a few kisses when the girls were eating dinner, and they’d gotten so carried away, they hadn’t heard the girls coming upstairs and had almost been caught with his hand down her pants. Luckily Jiggs had come into the room a few seconds before the kids, giving Harley and Piper time to fix their clothes and their expressions. Thank God for long T-shirts, because it had taken quite a while for his erection to deflate. And now the look in Piper’s eyes told him she wasn’t done with him yet. Man, he loved that look. She already had him half-hard again.

  “Oh my gosh! Look, Uncle Harley!” Sophie exclaimed, pointing to the missing wall between his closet and the bathroom.

  Piper flashed a killer smile and said, “It’s getting there. It won’t be too long before your uncle has a nice big bathroom, with real doors on his man-sized shower.”

  “Will it be done before we go back home?” Jolie asked.

  They were going back to D
elaney’s Friday after school. He would miss having the girls staying with him, but he was definitely looking forward to having some alone time with Piper. Sneaking around was exciting at first, but now it was damn frustrating not to be able to put his hands on her whenever he wanted.

  “It probably won’t be done by then because I’m only working on it in the evenings,” Piper said. “But it shouldn’t take long. I’m sure your uncle won’t mind if you come by to see it after it’s done.”

  The girls grinned.

  “By the way,” Piper said to Harley, “the plumber should be here tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Perfect. The girls wanted to say good night before they brushed their teeth.”

  “Are you going to work all night?” Sophie asked.

  Harley wasn’t about to let her work any later than when the girls went to bed. He needed his Piper time. Their sexting sessions had been a first for him, and while it had filled a gap at a time when he desperately wished she’d stayed over, nothing could replace the feel of his girl in his arms.

  Piper shook her head. “No. I’m cleaning up for the night.”

  Jolie put her hand on her hip and said, “You should just stay here since you come back in the morning anyway. Uncle Harley can sleep on the couch.”

  “Now, there’s a fantastic idea,” Harley said.

  “Yes!” Sophie said, bouncing on her toes.

  “I can’t,” Piper said, giving him a stern look. “Look how dirty I am. I don’t have clothes or anything here. Besides, I have things to do at my house.”

  “Like what?” Sophie asked.

  “Well, um . . .” Piper stammered.

  “Do you have a dog who needs to be walked?” Sophie asked.