That’s it, baby. Let go.
The pleasure was so immense, he gritted his teeth to stave off his own release. Her thighs squeezed him so tight, he knew she was hanging on by a thread. He moved his hand between the globes of her ass, teasing over the entrance he had yet to breach. She was so wet, his fingers quickly became coated with her arousal.
“Don’t stop,” she panted out, and pushed against his fingers, allowing them to breach that entrance. “Oh God, Har-ley! Yes!”
He reclaimed her mouth, swallowing her erotic sounds, his senses reeling. Her body pulsed, hot and perfect, around his hard length. She broke their kiss and sank her teeth into his neck. Pure, explosive pleasure raced down his spine, and he lost all control, driving into her as he ground out her name, his climax tearing through him with the force of a hurricane. She clung to him, lifting off the mattress with his every thrust. Sounds of flesh against flesh and their cries of passion created a chorus of lust and greed and unspoken emotions. Their pleasure went on and on, carrying them up to the clouds.
When their muscles went slack, the room spun. Harley felt himself drifting, unaware of time, space, or anything other than the woman in his arms as their mouths came together, their slick bodies tangled like a braided plait. He’d never felt anything like this. He couldn’t even name the whirlwind of emotions coursing through him. Was he alone in them? He tried not to wonder as their breathing calmed, and he rolled them onto their sides, kissing her adoringly. He didn’t want to leave her to take care of the condom. What he felt was too big to deny. He was afraid those all-consuming emotions might scare her, and if he went into the bathroom she might not be there when he came out.
He pressed his lips to hers, and her eyes fluttered open. He tried to read her expression, but it was one he’d never seen before, and he was afraid to believe it meant what he thought it did. She sighed, snuggling into the curve of his body, and then she closed her eyes, burying her face in his chest.
“What was that?” she whispered, a little panicky.
“Mind-blowing sex?”
She shook her head. “No. I mean, yes, it was, but it was . . .” She looked up at him, her cheeks pink and her eyes wide. “I have no idea what that was. I’ve never felt anything like it.”
God he loved the panicked honesty she was sharing with him. She was probably terrified, but she was looking out over her own walls, and instead of scrambling back to safety, she was trying to understand what she saw.
He kissed her lips and said, “Don’t be scared, Pipe.”
“Too late. How can I not be terrified? You’ve done something to me with your magic blissmaker, and I don’t know what to make of it or how to handle it.”
He chuckled, stuck on magic blissmaker. “Just don’t freak out on me and disappear.”
“You think you know me,” she said sassily, reverting to her safe place.
“I wish I could say I didn’t.” That was a lie. What he really wished for was that she wanted this as much as he did.
“No you don’t,” she challenged. “You like knowing me better than any other man ever has. You get off on it, and don’t try to deny it.”
“Can’t get anything past you, can I?”
“Do you really want to?”
She was doling out one challenge after another. He rolled her beneath him and gazed down at her smiling face. “What I want to know is if I go into that bathroom, will you still be here when I get back?”
Hurt washed over her face. “You think I’d leave like that? After everything . . . Wait. Ohmygod. No wonder women lose their minds after sex. Does it feel like that all the time with you and other women?”
She wiggled, trying to get out of his arms, and he realized she truly had no clue how much this meant to him. How much she meant to him.
“Harley! Let me go. I just realized how much of a freak I a—”
He pressed his lips to hers, silencing her insecurities. At least verbally. He kissed her until she went soft beneath him again, and then he kissed her longer, hoping to buy himself a long enough period once they stopped kissing to explain what he’d meant before her brain started playing tricks on her again.
When their lips parted, he said, “If you call my girlfriend a freak again, I’ll have to spank you.”
“Stop,” she snapped. “I feel ridiculous and stupid for not realizing—”
“Whoa, slow down, Trig. It’s never been like this for me, either.” He stroked his fingers down her cheek as his words sank in and said, “I always knew we would be good together, but I never imagined this.” He saw disbelief rising in her eyes. “It’s true, Pipe. I’d never lie to you, especially about this. You’ve always gotten to me, but making love to you? Babe, we rocked my world, too.”
Trepidation and happiness battled in her eyes, and he waited her out, praying she wouldn’t want to run. He brushed his nose along her cheek and whispered reassuringly, “You’re not alone in these new feelings.” He was thankful that he wasn’t alone in them, either. “Just go with it, Piper. I’m right here.”
She looked a little frightened, but then the edges of her lips twitched up, and she said, “I sure hope there’s a twelve-step program for this, because damn, Dutch, this could be addicting.”
There’s my take-charge girl. “Hell yes, it not only could, but it is. Does this mean you’ll consider spending the night?”
“No.”
His heart sank. He really thought they’d crossed another bridge.
“But I’m pretty sure the overnight bag in my truck does,” she said softly.
His head fell between his shoulders. She was going to be the death of him. “You were planning on staying?”
“I knew how much it meant to you.” She trailed her fingers down his arms. “But beware, I’m not used to sharing my bed. I toss and turn all night. You probably won’t get any sleep.”
“I think I can handle it.” He kissed her, and as he sat up, he said, “Thank you for staying over.”
She rolled onto her stomach and crossed her arms under her head, gazing up at him with a telling smirk. “Thank you for the orgasms.”
He chuckled as he grabbed the crutches and headed to the bathroom.
After taking care of the condom, he brushed his teeth and caught sight of the scratches and bite marks on his shoulders and neck. A thrill rushed through him.
He snagged the crutches and opened the bathroom door, surprised to see Piper lying beside Jiggs on the bed, one arm around his furry pup, the other tucked beneath her pillow, tripping up his heart even more. His sneaky dog wasn’t allowed to sleep on his bed.
Harley made his way across the room, and Jiggs opened his eyes, gave Harley a once-over, and then closed them again. “Come on, Jiggsy,” Harley whispered. When Jiggs opened his eyes, Harley pointed to the floor.
Jiggs crawled to the edge of the bed on his belly, his big brown eyes pleading with Harley. Harley shook his head. “Sorry, buddy, but I’ve waited too long to share this night with you.”
Jiggs jumped woefully off the bed and skulked away.
Harley climbed into bed, and Piper snuggled against him, nestling into the curve of his hips, her back against his chest. He pulled up the blanket and wrapped his arm around her. She sighed and drifted off to sleep.
He lay awake for a long while with Piper safely tucked within the confines of his body, sound asleep. Holding her like this was better than sex, better than anything he’d ever known. He’d thought she’d already wrecked him in all the best ways, but now he knew she hadn’t wrecked him at all. She made him whole.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
PIPER WAS WRAPPED in the warm cocoon of Harley’s body when the morning light trickled over her closed eyelids. She moved her hand, grazing his arm, which was belted around her. He felt amazing, and she felt different. Good and happy, which sent her mind in another direction. She was always happy, wasn’t she? She loved her job, her family, her life. Yes, she was definitely a happy person. She sighed with relief not to have di
scovered a life-shattering revelation about herself. But could this be another level of happiness? Could there have been more to happiness than what she’d always accepted? That was too deep to ponder this early in the morning. She pushed those thoughts away for now, focusing on how else she felt. Weird, definitely weird. She was lying naked in Harley Dutch’s arms. If that shouldn’t make her feel weird, she didn’t know what should.
Harley tugged her closer. He was so warm, like a big, cuddly bear. A cuddly bear with a fully erect blissmaker pressed against my ass. She took stock of her emotions.
Weird, happy, and cuddling? Okay, I think I can deal with this.
Cuddling is so girlie.
God, I’m a mess. What woman doesn’t like to cuddle?
Harley kissed her shoulder. “You must have liked sleeping with me,” he said in a gravelly voice that sent heat down her spine. “You didn’t move all night.”
Her eyes flew open, and she sat up, her heart racing.
She hadn’t moved all night? What did that mean? She was a wild sleeper, tossing and turning all night. Sometimes she awoke tangled up in her sheets, or with the sheets and blankets on the floor. She looked down at her nakedness and snagged the blanket from around her legs, pulling it over her chest.
Jiggs lifted his head from the dog bed in the corner of the room. He looked at Harley, and then he lay back down and closed his eyes.
Seriously? He taught you to sleep in on weekends?
Harley’s arms circled her from behind and he kissed her back. “I thought I might get a few more minutes before you freaked out.”
“Harley, you just said that I didn’t move all night. I have no idea what that means. Isn’t this weird to you? You, me, naked? It’s Saturday morning, and it’s—” She glanced at the clock on his nightstand. “Seven o’clock?” She never slept this late! “This is crazy. I’m crazy. You’ve made me crazy.”
She moved to get off the bed, and Harley dragged her down to the mattress on her back, grinning at her. “Why are you looking at me like that?” And why, after all these years, did she suddenly see how gorgeous he was every damn time she looked at him? Had she really never noticed that his eyes weren’t just blue, but they were rich and delicious. They were blueberry blue. And for the love of God, why did that make her all tingly?
“I just can’t believe how beautiful you are when you freak out.” Harley pressed his lips to hers.
She rolled her eyes. “Harley . . .”
“You asked if this was weird. It’s not weird. It’s perfect to me, Trig.”
“Of course it is,” she said sarcastically. “Well, it’s weird to me. I’m weird to me right now.”
His brows slanted. “You mean you want to bolt?”
“No. I don’t want to.”
“But . . . ?”
“I don’t know, okay?”
“Did you hate waking up with me that much? Or is it because you’re not in your own bed? We can try this at your place tonight.”
“No, I don’t hate this. That’s why it’s so weird. And we are not staying at my house. I just need a second. I thought I felt weird when I saw my pictures on your refrigerator, but this tops it. It’s like . . . weird on steroids. I know people do this all the time, but I don’t. This is the first time I have ever woken up in a man’s bed. Ever, Harley. I need time to wrap my head around it.”
“Okay.” He shifted over her and kissed her cheek. “How about if I remind you why you decided to spend the night? Maybe then you’ll feel less weird.”
He slid his tongue along the shell of her ear and bit into the lobe, sending white-hot lust darting through her. He lowered his mouth to her neck, sucking and licking. She felt herself go damp and squeezed her thighs together.
His gaze darkened. He laced their fingers together and pressed her hands into the mattress beside her head as he nudged her legs open with his knees. The broad crown of his erection pressed temptingly against her center, causing her sex to clench.
He brushed his lips over hers and said, “It feels to me like you want to be reminded.”
Did she ever . . .
He lowered his mouth to hers, taunting her with his cock, rubbing it along her wetness. She lifted her hips, wanting him so badly she was shaking. He sucked her tongue into his mouth, and she swore she felt it between her legs.
“Tell me you want me,” he said heatedly.
“As if you don’t already know.” Her words dripped with sarcasm.
An arrogant grin slid across his face. “Oh, I know, Trig. I’ve always known. But I want to hear it.”
How did he know exactly what she liked? “Fine. I want you, Dutch. I want your big blissmaker inside me, and I want you to fuck me hard.”
“I like that dirty mouth of yours, and I’ll fuck you, but then I’m going to take you so slow and make you feel so good, you’ll want me to cherish you forever.”
She swallowed hard, anxious to feel as close as they had last night. He reached into the nightstand and grabbed two condoms, tossing one to the other side of the mattress.
As he went up on his knees to sheath himself, she said, “After this we’re going to the building-supply center to get the fixtures and tile for your bathroom. I need to get into my own headspace.”
“It’s a date,” he said, coming down over her, nestling the head of his shaft against her center.
Her pulse spiked. “Do you have to feel so good? We’ll never get out of this bedroom.”
He chuckled and drove into her, burying himself to the root in one thrust.
“Holy Harley! Don’t move,” she said urgently, pressing down on his ass, as if she needed to hold him in place. “You feel so . . .”
“Incredible?”
“Uh-huh,” she said breathlessly. “We’re stopping at the bakery first. I’m gonna need sugar. Truckloads of it.”
They walked into the bakery almost two hours later, and Piper was still blissed out. Willow looked up from behind the register where she was ringing up a customer. By the look of approval on her emotionally savvy sister’s face, Willow had her all figured out.
The swelling and pain in Harley’s ankle had eased, and he was regaining his range of motion. Piper had convinced him to try the walking boot. This was the first time since they’d come together as a couple that he’d stood beside her without assistance, and it brought a new thrill of awareness. He seemed even bigger and broader than usual, as if she’d gone through life wearing hot-Harley blinders.
He draped an arm over her shoulder and whispered, “Carb-loading is a good idea, since I’m going to convince you to spend the night again.”
“Feeling a little overly confident?” she asked as she contemplated the treats in the display cabinet.
“Three orgasms and one ‘I’ve missed three years of this?’ gave me all the confidence I need.”
She glowered at him and lowered her voice to a whisper. “You can’t hold things I say in the bedroom over my head.” If he could, she was in big trouble, because Harley had kissed and loved all of the marks he’d left on her body, and she’d said wicked things.
“I’m not holding them over your head.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek as Willow finished with her customer and said, “I’m just taking stock.”
Willow sauntered over from behind the counter, her thick blond hair framing her face. “I guess that well-loved look in my sister’s eyes is the reason she didn’t come hang out with us this morning.”
Piper rolled her eyes.
“Damn right,” Harley said.
Piper glowered at him, shaking her head.
He pressed a kiss to her temple and said, “Why hide the truth?”
“Because I don’t need my sexual trysts burning up the Sweetwater grapevine.” Anxious to change the subject, Piper said, “I’ll take one Boston cream doughnut and a Loverboy. The kind that doesn’t talk back.”
Willow laughed as she grabbed a bakery box. “I think I need to give you a few tips on how not to scare a man off.”
Willow glanced at Piper, brows raised.
“Don’t get too excited, Will. He’s vying for nooky points.” Piper pointed at the brownies and said, “Can you throw in that big one, too?”
“And a couple of scones.” Harley leaned over the display and said, “We’re carb-loading for later.” He winked.
Piper swatted him and said, “Didn’t I just say I don’t want to be the center of town gossip?”
Bridgette walked through the archway that connected the bakery to her flower shop and said, “Oh, it’s too late for that. Heaven just called in an order to send her mom flowers for Mother’s Day, and she said everyone’s talking about you two. She and her siblings are making bets on wedding dates.”
Piper tried to ignore the streak of jealousy slicing through her at the mention of their friend Heaven Love. She had planned on taking Harley to Heaven’s father’s furniture shop later to find a vanity for his bathroom. John Love was the most talented furniture maker around, and she knew Harley would appreciate his well-crafted, nature-inspired woodwork. Piper used his products in all of her custom homes. But now she was plagued by images of Harley and Heaven making out. It didn’t matter that as far as she knew they’d hooked up only once, and it was when Heaven was a senior in high school. She hated the idea of any other woman’s hands on him.
“Then Heaven and her wagering siblings are all going to lose their money.” Piper planted a hand on her hip and said, “As you know, marriage is not in my future.”
Willow’s eyes darted to Harley as she put the scones in the box and set it on the counter.
“Don’t look so worried, Willow. I know exactly how your sister feels about marriage.” Harley pulled out his wallet and said, “How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing. It’s on the house.” Willow sounded as though she were apologizing for Piper’s disinterest in holy matrimony.
Piper grabbed the box and said, “It’s always on the house. Thanks, Willow.” She headed for the door, trying to escape the pressure of her sister’s comment and the niggle of guilt from what she knew might send Harley running for the hills. “Keep up, Dutch, or I might eat your scones.”
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