by Brooks, Abby
“Yep. And I’d advise you to do the same.” He smiled at her shoes. “As sexy as those things are, sand is unforgiving.”
Willow slipped off her shoes and took the glasses from his hand with a wink. “All set.”
Harry was right, the stars were absolutely amazing, although as they got further from the house and the lighting grew more dim, Willow got a little concerned about not being able to see where she put her feet.
“I’d hate to roll an ankle,” she said, putting a hand on his arm. “Would you mind if we just made camp here?”
Harry laughed. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but I’m more in the mood for the sitting, talking, and getting a little drunk idea than I am to go stumbling along a moonlit beach.”
“Well, why didn’t you say something?”
“Because what really matters to me is making you happy. If you wanted a walk, then I’d give you a walk.”
Willow was thankful for the darkness because it covered up the totally ridiculous look smeared across her face. To have someone put her needs, no her wants, in front of his? That was an amazing feeling.
She closed her eyes and squealed to herself.
That man.
That one man was the most amazing human being she had ever met in her entire life.
Harry dug a little hole in the sand and put the wine bottle down before spreading out the blanket and having a seat. “Did I see Juliet drop you off?” he asked as she joined him on the blanket.
“Yep.”
“Didn’t she trust you with the car?”
Willow laughed. “Not even a little. And I fully support that decision.”
“Okay, I’ll bite.” Harry leaned back on an elbow and the moonlight illuminated his face. “Why not?”
“I don’t know how to drive.”
“You’re kidding me. You never learned?” He sat up and crossed his legs, clearly unable to process an adult who didn’t know how to operate a vehicle.
“I moved to New York when I was sixteen, remember? There are subways and taxis and all manner of ways to get around. Plus, who was going to teach me, in the city like that? My parents were still in Pittsburgh. And then there’s the cost of storing the car.” Willow flared her hands. “I just never had a reason to learn.” Harry’s look of utter astonishment was kind of adorable.
“I don’t know what to say. One of the great joys on this earth is driving down the road on a sunny day with the wind in your hair and the radio on as loud as you can handle.”
Willow shrugged. “I’ll have to take your word for it, I guess.”
“Nope. That simply won’t do. I’ll teach you tomorrow and you can drive around the rest of the week, free as a bird.”
Now that sounded exciting. Willow loved learning new skills. “Really? Would you do that for me?”
“I don’t think there’s anything in this world I wouldn’t do for you.”
She dug her wineglass into the sand and took his, placing it next to hers before she climbed into his lap and wrapped her legs around him. “Anything?” she asked, her face inches from his.
“Anything.”
“Would you kiss me right here?” She touched a finger to her cheek.
“Of course.” He grazed her skin with his lips, just a whisper of contact.
“And here?” She tilted her head and ran her hands down her throat and along her collarbone.
“Gladly,” he growled, tracing the line she drew with his mouth, sucking lightly at her neck.
“What else would you do for me?” she asked, her chest heaving.
Harry slid his hands underneath her hips and lifted her just enough to unfold his legs and lay her down on the blanket. “I’ll make you feel like a princess. I’ll cherish you. Meet your every need and desire. Lift you up and make you feel strong.” He kissed her lips, then trailed kisses down her body while sliding his hands underneath her dress. “Damn your legs are amazing.”
He skated his fingers along the edges of her panties. Desperate for him to slip those fingers under the fabric, to feel his skin against hers, Willow arched her back. He slid her dress up, exposing her bare stomach and the sheer lace of her underwear.
“Holy hell, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Harry nuzzled her abdomen, then left a line of kisses down to the apex of her thighs.
Willow’s chest heaved as her breath sped through her lungs. There she was, stretched out on a blanket on the beach, exposed and aching to be filled. The rush of the ocean joined with the thrum of blood in her veins and never once in all her life had she been so lost in the moment that she didn’t care who might see or what might happen. Need flared to life and lust ignited her senses.
All she knew was that she needed him. She wanted him. That everything in that one moment—that one delightful moment—hinged on Harrison Moore.
He rubbed a thumb across her clit and she practically detonated, moaning loudly, so lost in sensation that she didn’t even consider trying to be quiet.
“Does that feel good?” he asked.
She managed to answer with the quietest of affirmative sounds and Harry slid a finger inside her panties to caress her slit.
“I like making you feel good.” His finger moved deeper and she combusted. Set ablaze by desire. She wanted more. Holy shit, did she ever want more.
And then Harry froze. He sat back and pulled his buzzing phone out of his back pocket. “Sorry,” he said. “Forgot I brought it with me.” He threw it onto the blanket without looking at it and leaned over her, reigniting her with a lingering kiss. “Now, where were we?”
He crept between her legs and brought his face to her panties, sucking on her clit through the lace while she arched her back and gripped at the blanket underneath. Just as he moved to slide her underwear down her legs, his phone buzzed again.
“Shit. Let me turn that off.” He picked up the phone, and then cursed again. “Well, in case you weren’t sure you wanted to learn to drive, this should do it for you.”
“What do you mean?” Willow was too consumed with lust and need to make a whole hell of a lot of sense out of his statement.
He flashed her the phone. “Juliet’s here. Now. In the driveway, ready to take you home.”
Chapter Nineteen
Willow
The ride home with Juliet reminded Willow of the time her dad caught her smoking a cigarette when she was fifteen. While he found it hilarious, she was mortified to have been caught doing something wrong. He fought back laughter and looked stern while she tried to hold it together long enough not to cry in front of him.
As Julz chuckled beside her, Willow didn’t feel like crying, but she sure was embarrassed. Thankfully, the distance from the house and the dark of the evening blocked Juliet’s view of the beach and what had been happening on it, but there was no way for Willow to hide her mussed hair and flushed cheeks. The sand clinging to her back and the heated eye contact after a long and sensual kiss goodbye from Harry.
“Have a good time?” Juliet finally asked after a few awkward seconds of silence. Even in the darkened cab, Willow could see the look of utter delight in her friend’s eyes.
“I most certainly did. Although I could have used another half hour or so.”
“Half an hour?” Juliet quirked a brow. “You think Harry has that kind of stamina in him?”
“I don’t know, but I’d love the chance to find out.”
“Ohhhh…” Julz laughed in understanding. “You were still…err…getting started.”
“Yep. So, thank you for ensuring that I spend the rest of the night hot, bothered, and completely unsatisfied.”
“Hey. You’re the one who lost track of time.” Laughter filled the cab. “You knew when I was coming back to pick you up. You could have called if you wanted to ask for an overnight.”
Willow shook her head as they pulled into the driveway. “I was so wrapped up in him that I forgot time was even a thing.”
The look on Juliet’s face was priceles
s. “Oh, Willie. I’m so happy for you. I know exactly what you mean because I’ve been there too. I feel it all the time when I’m with Ian.”
“Harry’s so sweet. So gentle. So tasteful. But, he’s actually a man, you know? With his gruff voice and rough hands and love of cars. He’s this awesome blend of two things that typically cancel each other out.”
“Believe me, I know,” Juliet said, beaming at Willow as she shifted the truck into park.
“And we start talking and I lose all track of everything but him. What he’s saying. The thoughts behind our conversation. The way his voice sounds. The feel of his skin. The smell of him…” Willow trailed off and closed her eyes. “And as if that wasn’t enough, I haven’t even started to tell you about the signs!”
Juliet turned the key in the ignition and killed the engine. “Oh no.” She swung open the truck door. “Here we go.”
“Even you will think these are worth paying attention to.” Willow held up her index finger. “First there’s his name, which isn’t a big deal, but it’s the first sign I got.” She was talking fast, but she was too excited to slow herself down.
Juliet led Willow to the front door and pushed it open as she called out to Ian to let him know they were home. “Harry sharing a name with the actor in Temple of Doom is kind of a stretch, don’t you think?” She paused as Ian appeared at the top of the stairs in a pair of PJ bottoms and nothing else. “I’ll be right up, I just need to get the play by play first.”
“Oh good, more girl talk.” He ambled off toward the bedroom, his bare feet slapping the hardwood floor.
Juliet led Willow into the living room and offered her a glass of wine. Politely shaking her head to decline, Willow curled into the corner of the couch. “Okay,” she said, holding up her hands. “Even I can admit the name thing is a little far-fetched. But just wait. It gets better.”
She explained the coincidence with their birthdays. The fact that he loved Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet as much as she did. “And Julz, he’s never seen the ballet, but I swear to God he kissed me right at the very moment Romeo is supposed to kiss Juliet in the balcony scene.”
Juliet sighed and flared her hands. “So the birthday thing is pretty strange. I’ll give you that. What are the chances that he shares a birthday with your grandpa and you share a birthday with your grandma? That’s a hefty coincidence.”
“Oh, come on. That’s it? The whole sharing a love for the same piece of music thing is nothing to you? His kiss coming right at the perfect time? I mean the exact time the kiss is supposed to happen in the ballet?” Willow punctuated her words by stabbing the air with her pointer finger. How could Juliet not understand?
“I don’t know, sweets. A lot of people like the same songs. I think it’s just more proof that you guys are good together.”
“It’s deeper than that.” Willow shook her head and clutched a throw pillow to her belly.
“Well, then I’m about to blow your mind. Have you realized that his last name is an anagram for Romeo? If you rearrange the letters in Moore, you get Romeo.” Juliet raised her eyebrows as she waited for that bomb to hit the mark.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Willow tossed the pillow at Juliet. “How could you not tell me this? This is big! Huge, even.” She was off the couch and pacing before she had time to fully process what she was even thinking. “What’s it mean?” she asked the air. “I’ll tell you what it means. It means this is worth cultivating. That even though it seems absolutely impossible for two people married to our jobs who live a thousand miles apart to create a relationship, it means that we have to do it.”
“And the chemistry and attraction, the fact that you have similar interests and personalities, that means nothing?”
“All of that is just the mundane stuff. The rest, that’s powerful. The universe is talking to me and when the universe speaks, even a little, you gotta listen. And this, with Harry? The universe isn’t just talking, it’s screaming, Julz.”
Chapter Twenty
Willow
Willow’s phone buzzed on her bedside table and pulled her from sleep. Light poured through her windows, forcing her eyes closed while she took a deep breath in through her nose and let it out through her mouth. When she was done, she cracked one eye open as she reached for her phone, only to blink them both open wide and bite her lip in excitement when she saw she had a text from Harry.
Harry: We never actually talked about that party I want to throw for J&I. I couldn’t think about anything but you last night. Still can’t.
Willow rolled onto her back and grinned at the ceiling.
Me: You’re making me smile.
Harry: It’s your turn to make me smile, then. Let me cook you breakfast.
Still grinning, she tapped out her reply.
Me: I’m still in bed.
Harry: All the better. I like the thought of being the first part of your day.
Me: Still making me smile.
Harry: Good, then come downstairs and let me in.
Willow shot upright, adrenaline lighting up her system. He was there? Right then? Before she’d brushed her hair or her teeth? And there she was wearing a goofy pair of shorts and a ratty ACB T-shirt. Her phone buzzed in her hand again.
Harry: Please? I can’t survive another minute without you. Plus, all this food is getting heavy.
Willow took a moment and rinsed her mouth, pulled her hair into a messy bun and made sure she didn’t have any leftover mascara giving her raccoon eyes. She looked decent, but she was far from looking good. Her fair hair meant she had really light eyebrows and eyelashes which made her look strange without makeup. Her makeup artists loved it because it was so easy to transform her face, but for everyday? Her fair hair was way more curse than blessing.
But Harry was there and she couldn’t keep him waiting. If he was turned off by her so-blonde-they-were-clear eyebrows and eyelashes, then he really wasn't the guy she thought he was. She bounded down the stairs, clutching her phone to her chest, and threw open the door to find Harry standing in a pool of sunlight. As if all the other signs hadn’t been enough, the heavens decided he deserved a spotlight.
“Hey,” she said, breathless at the sight of him.
“Wow. You’re even beautiful first thing in the morning.” His gaze swept across her face and she felt herself blush under the scrutiny.
“Liar.”
Harry looked stern. “I don’t lie. You look amazing.”
“Well, thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.” She eyed the food-laden bags in his arms and stepped aside to let him in. “That looks like a lot of food. What are you making?”
“It’s not as much as you would think. I just wasn’t sure what Ian had in his kitchen, so, I brought everything I thought I might end up needing, just in case.”
“What in the world are you doing here?” Ian’s groggy voice came from behind Willow as he lumbered, bleary-eyed, down the stairs. “Didn’t you get enough of each other last night?”
Not even close, Willow thought and saw the sentiment echoed in Harry’s eyes as he shook his head.
“Grumpy doesn’t suit you, big brother. Go put on some coffee and sit down. I’ll make you a breakfast that’ll have you thanking me for being here.”
Within half an hour, Harry proved true to his word. He crafted a delicious meal that the four of them enjoyed between laughter and conversation. Willow couldn’t think of a better way to start the day. There she was, surrounded by people who made her happy, eating good food, drinking warm coffee, watching the sun sparkle across the water and the palm trees sway in the breeze.
“Okay,” Harry said as Willow took her last bite and sat back in her chair, patting her belly. “You go on upstairs and get dressed. We’ve got big things to do today.”
Beside her, Juliet stifled a giggle and elbowed her under the table. I know what big thing you’ll be doing today, said her sideways glance.
Shut the hell up, said Willow’s sharp elbow digging into Julie
t’s side.
“Oh yeah?” Willow asked, ignoring her friend as best she could. “Care to share these big things with the rest of us?”
Juliet choked on her coffee and Willow wished she’d chosen her words more carefully.
“Nope,” said Harry. “Just you.”
That was all Juliet could take. She dissolved into laughter. “Thank goodness,” she said in between hitching breaths and laughed even harder at Harry’s confusion.
“Oh hell,” he said as he finally understood what had her laughing so hard. “You and your dirty mind.” He turned his attention back to Willow. “Go on and get dressed so we can get outta here.”
Laughing, Willow stood and did just that.
Chapter Twenty-One
Harry
Harry was fairly damn sure he deserved a gold medal in self-restraint for making it through breakfast with Willow’s pert nipples poking through that thin T-shirt and not being caught with the near constant erection he’d fought the entire morning. When she disappeared upstairs to get dressed, he finally had more room in the crotch of his pants. Which was good, since he needed to start cleaning up the kitchen.
“Sit down,” Juliet insisted as Harry pushed his chair back from the table. “You cooked. The very least I can do is clean.”
She padded around the kitchen in her bare feet, pausing to run a hand up Ian’s arm as she collected his plate, or to trail a finger across his shoulders as she bent to grab another dirty dish. Ordinarily, Harry would roll his eyes at their very overt way of loving each other, but since knowing Willow, and discovering what it meant to always want to be in contact with her, he didn’t find it quite as eye-rollable.
In fact, it only made him want to run upstairs and be with her while she dressed. Maybe offer a little input on what panties she should put on. The white lace ones from last night looked so good on her tight little body, it made him wonder what other bits of lingerie she had and what other colors would look good on her.