Before the very last word fell fully from his lips, she said, “Let’s go, Harley.”
He gazed into her eyes, and she swore she saw right into his soul. Her heart thundered, nervous energy and anticipation swirling inside her as they made their way back to the table to say goodbye to everyone.
“Want to stay at your place tonight?” Harley asked.
“Piper’s place?” Willow said. “You’re staying at Piper’s place?”
Piper felt Willow’s eyes boring into her before she’d even turned her head to meet her gaze.
“I thought you had a no-men-allowed rule,” Remi said.
The night had been so perfect, Piper didn’t want to admit to her rule and ruin it. Her rule just proved how weird she was compared to other women, and that would just screw up all of the amazing energy between her and Harley. She had to get out of there before the girls said anything more.
“We’re going to Harley’s.” She heard the urgency in her voice. “It was good seeing everyone. See you at the bakery, or on Mother’s Day, or sometime. Let’s go, Harley.”
She ushered him toward the door, silently chastising herself for rambling. Mother’s Day wasn’t for another two weeks. Her heart was racing as they pushed through the doors and the cool night air hit her warm skin.
Harley stopped on the steps, gazing at her with a serious expression, sending her nerves into overdrive. Anticipating an accusatory question, she felt her walls stacking up again. No! Please don’t!
But then his lips curved up and he said, “First triple date, first Dutch’s kiss, and first boyfriend in forever? I don’t think I’ll ever forget those words. I am, without a doubt, the luckiest man on the planet.”
Piper knew he could find a warmer, sweeter, marriage-seeking girlfriend in a heartbeat. But he wanted her, and because of that she knew he had been wrong. He wasn’t the luckiest person on the planet. She was.
“I think it’s the other way around,” she said softly.
He leaned in and kissed her just as he had a hundred times tonight, and the worries gnawing at her disappeared as quickly as they’d come. He hadn’t accused, hadn’t looked at her any differently than he had when they were on the dance floor, and that made her want him even more. It also made her feel grateful, which was another new feeling toward a man. He’d been her friend, her sidekick, the man she could be herself with, for so long, hope fluttered in her chest that maybe they’d last for a while.
Or maybe you’ll never ask me to change.
She was far too smart to pull the wool over her own eyes. She kicked that hope to the side, but it still fluttered in the periphery of her being like a butterfly unable to take flight and unwilling to give up.
They hobbled and kissed their way to the truck.
The drive home was slow but titillating thanks to Harley, who leaned across the seat, driving her out of her mind with his mouth on her neck and shoulders and his greedy hands on her inner thigh. By the time they made their way into his house, Piper was wet, wild, and unable to think straight. He dropped his crutches the second they stepped inside and backed her up against the door, grinding and kissing her so forcefully she was sure they’d break the door off the hinges and they’d go flying onto the porch.
But they were still upright when it slammed closed and Jiggs pushed his nose between them. Piper was too lost to slow down as Harley’s rough hands pushed under her sweater and he cupped her bare breast. A rumbling groan vibrated from his lungs to hers, setting her entire being aflame. Jiggs jumped beside them, whining too loudly to be ignored.
Harley tore his mouth away and said, “Dude! You’re the worst.” But even as he said it, he reached down with one hand, loving up his beloved buddy. “There’s got to be wingdog training classes somewhere on this fucking earth.”
Piper buried her head in his chest, laughing. He was so . . . Harley. She looked up at his strained expression, the air between them crackling with sexual tension. She didn’t want to move, but one glance at Jiggs’s pleading eyes brought a wave of empathy, and she said, “It’ll take you longer than me to get up the stairs, so why don’t you hobble up, and I’ll take Jiggs out really quick.”
“Hear that, Jiggsy? I knew she loved us.” He pressed his lips to Piper’s, and then he glowered at Jiggs and said, “No messing around, you hear me? You go out, do your thing, and come right back in.”
Jiggs must have listened well to his handsome daddy, because they took their fastest walk yet. When they got back inside, Piper pulled off her boots and socks by the front door before heading upstairs. She heard soft music coming from the bedroom, setting those fluttery wings into motion again. Jiggs walked beside her down the hall, slowing when she did as she stripped off her sweater and skirt. Piper left on the lace panties she’d picked out just for Harley. She’d changed her clothes a million times before leaving the house this evening, but in the end, she’d wanted to throw Harley a well-deserved bone. She wasn’t great with words, but she hoped he’d realized how special he was to her by her choice of clothing.
She stood one step away from his bedroom door, her nerves rattling. She drew in a breath and blew it out slowly, wondering what the heck was going on. Sex had never made her nervous. Granted, she hadn’t had it in forever, and her best male friend was waiting in that room. The man who made her feel things she’d never expected, who brought tears to her eyes because she’d thought she might lose him.
Oh my God . . .
This isn’t going to be just sex.
She backed against the wall, palms flat, heart thundering. What had he done to her? She’d never been with a man when it wasn’t just sex. What if it felt wrong? What if she froze? What if they didn’t click in the bedroom after all?
Holy shit.
She couldn’t breathe.
Her hand covered her racing heart, and she told herself to calm down. Yeah, right. How did people do this? Feelings changed everything.
She looked past Jiggs, who was standing between her and the doorway, watching her expectantly. Give me a second!
She eyed her clothes on the floor, and then she glanced at the stairs, the thought of bolting clawing at her. But she didn’t want to bolt. She just didn’t want to be nervous with Harley of all people. She closed her eyes, giving herself a pep talk. Suck it up, buttercup. He likes who you are. Just go in there and take control. All these confusing feelings will disappear the minute he touches you.
She was the queen of taking control.
I’ve got this.
She opened her eyes, feeling better, and pushed from the wall. She straightened her spine and strode into the bedroom with all the confidence of a woman on a mission. But the second she saw Harley, her knees weakened and her heart stumbled. Candles danced in the darkness, casting a romantic glow on him as he sat on the edge of the mattress, shirtless and beautiful in his dark boxer briefs. His jeans were off one leg, bunched above his sore ankle on the other. She’d forgotten he’d been wearing shorts lately because his ankle was still swollen and sore, which made it hard to take off his jeans without causing pain.
He lifted his face, meeting her gaze, and all of the emotions she thought she could escape came rushing forward in an unstoppable wave. She didn’t try to dodge them, didn’t want to escape the impact. She wanted to get swept up in them—in him—and experience the power and the grace of this magical thing between them.
She didn’t know if she was even capable of letting go like that, which made her even more nervous. Harley’s gaze slid appreciatively down her body, igniting the inferno that had been simmering inside her all evening.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he said in a husky voice that drew her to him.
She wanted to tell him that he was even more beautiful than she was, but her voice was lost to her racing heart as she knelt by his feet and carefully guided his jeans over his sore ankle. She was too overwhelmed to think clearly, but the desire to show him just how special he was took over. She lifted his sore ankle and pressed a
kiss just above the bandage. He caressed her cheek, bringing her eyes to his, and cradled her face, looking at her like he couldn’t believe she was there. She came forward, running her hands up his calves and kissing his knee, his thigh. He gently lifted her face, guiding it closer, and pressed his lips to hers in a warm and wonderful kiss. She didn’t know what to do with warm or wonderful, but as it turned out, she didn’t need to, because Harley gripped her rib cage with two hands, lifting her up, and laid her on the bed. He moved over her.
“Your ankle,” she whispered.
“I’m on my knee. I’m good.”
His eyes drilled into her, a predator salivating over his prey, as he drew her wrists over her head, trapping them there with one strong hand. His other hand skimmed down her torso, lighting flames beneath her skin. He gripped her hip so hard she knew it might bruise. And she welcomed it.
She wanted everything he had to give, including the rush at seeing his marks on her body the next day.
“Fucking hell, Piper. You’re finally in my bed.” The dirty fantasies Harley had mentally prepared to live out with Piper got lost between the lust in her eyes, the wicked grin on her lips, and the feel of her near nakedness beneath him. Thank God they had their underwear on, because if his cock touched her hot skin, he’d drive into her so deep they’d both lose their minds, and he’d waited too long to rush through this.
Jiggs put his chin on the bed beside them, and Harley growled, “Go lie down, boy.”
Jiggs slinked away.
Harley set his eyes on Piper again. The air between them pulsed with lust and greed, but there was something much more powerful winding around them, binding them together. Piper arched beneath him, straining against his grip on her wrists and his weight pressing down on her. She craned her neck to reach his mouth, breathing his name in a desperate plea.
“Harley . . .”
Fuuck.
Even her voice did him in, but he forced himself to go slow, determined to love her better than anyone ever had, and he was in no mood to rush.
He raked his eyes over her gorgeous face, contemplating her luscious, welcoming mouth. She licked her lips, and his cock twitched in his briefs. His gaze slid down to her breasts, and her breath hitched. Oh yeah, that’s where he was starting.
“You have so many perfect parts,” he said hungrily. “I’m going to love every damn one of them until you come, until you’re so hot, when I finally get my cock inside you, you’ll explode around me.”
Her eyes flamed. “Yes—”
He dipped his head, slicking his tongue along the underside of her breasts, feeling her breath quicken. He licked between them, over her creamy globes and around her nipples without touching them. She writhed against him, making one needy sound after another as he tasted and teased, loving every second of her gasps and whimpers.
“Touch me,” she pleaded.
“No” came out harsher than he’d intended, but the smoldering flames in her eyes told him she craved his gruffness. His entire being burned with the need to see that look in her eyes grow even hotter. He grazed his teeth over the swell of one breast, earning a sharp inhalation. “I’m going to make you come with only my mouth on your breasts.”
“I can’t. I’ve never . . .”
“Oh, but you will,” he promised.
He lowered his mouth over the side of her breast, sucking hard enough to brand her, and she cried out. Fearing he’d hurt her, he released her sensitive skin, his gaze darting to hers, but in her eyes he found only approval.
“Again,” she panted out.
He held her gaze as he did it again, sucking longer, knowing he was leaving a mark. She moaned, making his entire body throb. He dragged his tongue over the dark spot he’d caused and kissed his way up to the taut peak.
“Suck it,” she begged.
He grinned, but he wanted to draw out her pleasure, and he didn’t obey her request. He tightened his hold on her wrists and hip as he moved to her other breast, loving it thoroughly, making her pant and beg and suck in quick, sharp breaths. When he finally lowered his mouth over the hard peak, he felt her wrist muscles flexing and knew she was fisting her hands. Her legs tensed beneath him, and her eyes slammed shut. He eased his efforts, licking and blowing cool air over the wetness he’d left, earning one mewling sound after another. The needy sounds spurred him on. He feasted on her breast, sucking and licking, grazing and nipping, before lavishing her other breast with the same attention. Her heels dug into the mattress, and her muscles corded tight, on the cusp of release. He held her there, worshipping her body until it vibrated like a string strung too tight, and then he quickened his efforts and she lost control, bucking and crying out with pleasure.
He released her hands and hip and claimed her mouth, capturing those sexy-as-fuck sounds. She wrapped her arms around him, holding tight as she pushed his hands beneath her ass, angling her hips so he could grind his erection against her center and draw out her climax. Even through the thin sheen of their underwear he felt her sex pulsing, sending fire through his loins. She scratched and clawed at his head and shoulders as her orgasm tore through her. It was the most exquisite pain he’d ever felt. When she went soft beneath him, he cradled her head in his hands, kissing her tenderly. He reveled in this softer side of her, soaking in her sweetness.
He pressed several kisses to the edges of her mouth. Then he touched his cheek to hers, breathing her in as she caught her breath.
“Harley,” she whispered.
“Hm?”
Her hands moved down his back, and she grabbed his ass. He felt himself smiling.
“Can we do that again?”
His heart turned over in his chest at the softness of her voice and the emotions it carried. He was happy to comply, but they didn’t stop there.
As she came down from the crest of another climax, he kissed a path down the center of her body. She watched as he slipped off the pretty lace panties that had caused his thoughts to fracture when he’d first seen her looking vulnerable, eager, and mind-blowingly beautiful.
He dangled her panties from his fingers and said, “Piper Dalton in lace has just become my favorite thing.”
She bit her lower lip, desire swimming in her eyes as he tossed her panties aside. He lowered his mouth between her legs, determined to keep his promise, and proceeded to devour all her perfect parts until they were both on the verge of madness.
The candles cast dancing shadows over the dips and curves of her body as he retrieved a condom. She lay with her fair hair fanning over his pillow and her green eyes conveying the same depth of emotions he felt. He’d waited so long for this moment, his emotions hung on the tip of his tongue, threatening to leap out. He went up on his knees and tore open the condom wrapper, trying to rein in the words that he knew would scare her.
Piper rose with him, holding his gaze without a hint of challenge, snark, or rebellion. Trust was the overriding emotion hanging between them as she took the condom from his hands and set the wrapper on the nightstand. She held his gaze as she sheathed his erection. Her fingers played over his pecs, and she pressed her lips to the center of his chest, holding them there. He stroked her hair as her eyes met his in such an overwhelmingly intimate moment, he sensed that everything was changing for her, too, but knew better than to say it aloud.
They lay down, and he kissed her sensually as he aligned their bodies. His heart hammered, and he felt hers beating wildly, too. He had to draw back to see her beautiful face. He’d thought the first time they made love would be wild and reckless, but as he held her in his arms, gazing deeply into her eyes as their bodies came together, there was nothing reckless about it. He didn’t want to miss a single hitch in her breath or the flicker of surprise in her eyes as her body stretched to accommodate his girth. He reveled in the feel of her clinging to him like she needed to remain grounded to combat the intensity of their connection. He was right there with her, adrenaline coursing through his veins, his thoughts whirling as he pushed in deeper
, taking her slowly.
“God,” she said in one long breath as he buried himself to the hilt.
He filled her so completely, her body squeezed around him like a vise. His head dipped beside hers, and for a moment he could do nothing more than be part of her.
She was so feminine and small, and he was so big all over, he worried he’d hurt her, and lifted up.
“Don’t.” She clung to him, unwilling to allow any space between them. “Kiss me. I want all of you.”
She couldn’t possibly know how much that meant to him. He lowered his mouth to hers, and as they began to find their rhythm, he knew they were made for each other. They moved slowly at first, giving her body a chance to get used to him, but they quickly got lost in each other, grinding and thrusting, groping and caressing. Every move, every touch, kiss, and sound, strengthened their connection. He made love to her mouth, his tongue sweeping forcefully over hers as he cradled her head with one hand. He pushed his other hand beneath her ass, angling her hips so he could take her deeper. He wanted to possess all of her, to take away all of the hurt she’d ever felt, to make her feel safe. To make her his in every sense—heart, body, and soul. She wound her legs around his, her heels digging into the backs of his thighs. He quickened his efforts, pressure mounting inside him like a storm building power with every thrust.
He tore his mouth away and said, “Squeeze me tight.”
Her legs clamped tighter around him, sending bolts of heat to his cock. He pounded into her faster, but it wasn’t rough and dirty; it was intense and miraculous. Sexy sounds escaped her lips with every thrust.
She shifted her legs higher, near his hips, and he drove in deeper. She cried out, “Yes! Right there, don’t stop.”
She Loves Me Page 20