Harkham's Choice (Harkham's Series Book 2)

by Chanse Lowell

  Katie excused herself and went to check on Shawn.

  “Mari? Hold me?” Adam whimpered.

  “I need that, too,” she replied.

  They both tripped on each other’s feet since it was complicated to walk when their arms were tangled around each other.

  “Let’s go to one of the bedrooms,” Mari suggested. “Katie trusts me. She knows I won’t do anything too disgusting back there.”

  She took him to what he assumed was Katie’s bedroom, because it had a lot of purple and lime green in it—very girlie.

  Mari told him to go sit on the bed, and she locked the door.

  He slid his wings off. Right now all he wanted to do was lie down with Mari draped over him like a safe, warm blanket. His whole body sagged forward.

  “I shouldn’t have done that, huh? You’re scared of me now because I’m vicious.” His insides felt made of stone like his costume was supposed to be.

  She walked slowly over to him, pulled her wings off and lay them on the bed on top of his, then straddled his lap.

  “Why would I be scared? I would’ve done it if you hadn’t.” She cupped his face and tilted his head back so he was looking straight into her big, gray eyes.

  Even with the gray makeup around them, he could see only goodness and love.

  “Do your knuckles hurt?” He pulled both of her hands up to his mouth, cupped them with his hands and kissed them better.

  “A little, but it was worth it.”

  “Do you like Rory at all?”

  She shook her head and frowned. “Not even a smidge.”

  “But he’s had his dick inside you, and I haven’t. That seems wrong.” The bridge of his nose felt tight as it furrowed. The makeup was drying, and it felt like it really was a thin layer of cement, cracking under the strain of his facial expression.

  “It was so incredibly wrong.” She brushed the back of her knuckles across his wrinkly forehead and watched her own hand as it continued down to his temple. “I didn’t like it, and I barely remember it. I wouldn’t ever want that for you.”

  He frowned. “You didn’t like it?”

  She nodded. “Wanna know why?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. His face felt saggy.

  “I love how vulnerable you are with me.” She kissed the corner of his mouth. “I won’t hurt you. I promise it’s a good reason, and you’ll like why I can’t remember much.”

  “Okay, you can tell me if you promise it’s good,” he said softly.

  Her hands were like feathers on his face, touching his eyebrows, the arch of his cheekbone and then along his jaw she’d shaved really well for him so there’d be no stubble at all, helping the makeup stay on better.

  “It’s because I’ve blocked it out. I don’t want that memory. I only kept the facts so I could keep from repeating them.” She rubbed her nose against his lightly. “But with you . . . I won’t ever forget any detail. I’ll remember it all, because when you’re finally inside me . . . it’ll be the first time I ever make love. And with a real man this time.”

  He smiled, and it was light and airy like her kisses that she was now spreading carefully all along his face.

  His hands went to her hips, and that slit in her robe gaped.

  “Go ahead, touch me, love. I know you want to, and I want it, too.” She smiled and kind of tried to sit up higher so she was taller than him in this position. He liked where it placed her breasts.

  His hands slipped inside the fabric, found their way inside her shirt and he moaned as loud as he had that day he took a shower with her and nobody was around.

  “Is it always this soft? Your skin? It’s like a . . . I don’t know, but I like how it’s always so smooth. I never want to forget either how creamy they feel in my palms every time.” His palms moved over her ribs, his fingertips slipping under her bra and then up the fabric until he had her tits fully in his hands.

  “I don’t know. It’s not like I pay attention to that stuff,” she said.

  He rolled her over so she was on the bed, right next to the wings.

  “Well, I’ll start keeping track, because I don’t wanna forget each time I touch you, either.” He hunched his neck down and used his teeth to open the upper part of her robe.

  “Uuuuuuuummmmmrrrn,” she groaned with a husky sound, and one of her legs rolled open.

  He pushed the other one open wider with his other leg and then tugged at his robe’s opening.

  Mari let him get between her legs and move however big or small he wanted with his hips.

  “I only want to feel how wet you are, okay?” he whispered into her neck, groaning a little as he rolled her nipples in his fingertips.

  “Okay.”

  Instead of using his fingers to discover how moist she was between her thighs, he deftly uncovered his dick, and placed it right at the opening.

  “Oh my God—you’re wetter than ever.” He grunted and moved up and down, his shaft rubbing between her pussy lips.

  They were so full and open and inviting.

  “You want me in there, don’t you?” He whimpered.

  “Adam, we can’t.” But she spread her legs wider and wrapped her legs around his hips, interlocking her ankles.

  “Just tell me you want me there, so I can know.” He nipped at her neck, then pushed up with a feral thrust, hitting what he hoped was her clitoris with the tip of his dick.

  “Oh God!” she cried out, arching her back on impact.

  “I like this spot, too, but I like another one better.” He moved back down her body and placed the head of his cock right there. At that spot where it was wettest. At that spot where it was warmest. At that spot where she was needy and he was dying to be.

  “I only need to hear you want me inside you,” he said, inserting the tip and moaning as he gave a tiny thrust—about an inch inside.

  If he could just push in a little farther, he’d at least have all of the head surrounded by her lush, sweet flesh.

  “I can’t say that,” she said with a husky whisper.

  “I want it—I want to know,” he insisted, pulling back and doing it again.

  Christ, this was pure heaven and hell—kind of like Halloween was for him in general.

  All that sweet, delicious candy he couldn’t have right at his fingertips.

  “You’re my sweetheart, and I love you. At least tell me I’m doing something right and that you want my hard dick inside your tight little hole. Please, Mari. I don’t know why, but I need to hear it.” In rapid successions, his tip was rocking in and out, quickly, but just barely. Not enough to really get inside—only teasing at the entrance.

  He knew in his mind that she could get pregnant simply from this small amount of contact. It was stupid to think he didn’t have any precome leaking out of him and possibly drifting inside her.

  That thought made his balls tighten. Mari pregnant—why did that sound so appealing?

  Something inside him took hold, and he gripped her by the hips.

  “If I don’t hear it, I might cry and I might just forget why I have to wait. I want you bad. Right now, I can’t think of anything else other than making love to you in this very room, on a bed that isn’t our own.” He exhaled and it hit her neck, then bounced back and wafted over his chin.

  “You know I want you—desperately. But this isn’t how I want your virginity taken, sweetie.” She pushed right at his pubic bone to get him to back off. “We need to go. We’re too tempted back here when we’re all alone and there’s nothing to stop us.”

  He huffed and rolled off her.

  “Okay. You’re right—I just . . . Sometimes I really, really need to fuck you—you know?”

  “I do, Adam. Believe me. I know.” She made a grating sound when she sighed and got up. Her face was crestfallen and her eyes heavy with regret. She kept moving, though, and straightened out her costume, then helped with his.

  Most of their makeup was smeared or missing.

  Oh well. It was worth it, to
get a little bit closer to being inside his darling girl.

  Before they exited the room, she turned to him and gave him a hug. “I’ll never want for anything other than you because you’re the only one that I love this fiercely. Just know that—okay?”

  He nodded, inhaled deeply and was filled with warm, buzzing sensations.

  It still wasn’t sex tonight, but, boy, did he ever leave with a huge smile and feeling well taken care of in every way.

  Mari loved him. She didn’t even like Rory a smidge, and nobody interrupted them just now while he did things that made him nothing more than a man, alone with the beautiful woman he loved.

  Halloween was more than just about sugary candy. It was about feeling right at Mari’s side, in a “dress” as Rory called it, and wings. He truly felt like he could fly better—and higher than any angel ever had, because she was his.

  Chapter 5

  Halloween had been more than interesting, and now Mari was facing another holiday with Adam. She felt out of place already, but she managed to finish making the dressing, since that was the only thing Samara would allow her to make for their Thanksgiving dinner.

  Everything today elicited a guilty feeling inside her over not being with her mom on this holiday, or her dad for that matter as well.

  Even though the last few weeks had been stressful, she couldn’t deny she’d also been happier than she could ever remember simply by being around Adam, and that only served to make her feel worse about her own familial relationships.

  What she wouldn’t have given to have had one nice meal with her mother—even if it wasn’t holiday related. But that was never to be.

  She gazed at the food around the kitchen. There was tons of it, and it smelled incredible.

  She wasn’t helping much with the meal, no matter how much she asked to be involved.

  Samara simply wouldn’t let Mari in that kitchen for any extended period of time without getting really snippy with her.

  So, Mari stayed out of the way and kept leaving the kitchen, going back to working on her computer project.

  Adam was busy in his room, searching for his mother on his laptop. Zach was out playing football with some friends from school.

  Their dad was actually outside, detailing the yard like crazy. She’d never seen him worry so much about the lawn before, but for some reason today he was really finicky about every weed he came across. He pulled each one by hand and gave it a dirty look before stuffing it in the garbage bag.

  Mari sighed and took a seat at the computer desk in the living room. She pulled the program and her project back up, then tried on a few embellishments. “This looks terrible,” she told herself.

  She removed that one and put another one in. It wasn’t much better.

  Next, she pulled up one of her favorite pictures she had of her and Adam, smiling and snuggled up together with a tree at their backs. Zach had taken it at school. They both looked giddy, and she actually didn’t look too fat, so it was good enough for her.

  Setting the picture over to the right, she wrote the words to the invitation on the left.

  Your presence is requested for the marriage of Adam Latham and Marissa Cole.

  She blinked. My God. She was really doing this.

  Obviously, she’d accepted they were going to marry, or she wouldn’t have bought this program to make her own wedding invites.

  She added a few more written details for the date, and without Adam’s agreement, she added at the bottom—gifts are optional.

  The idea of people throwing gifts at her when Adam was the most amazing gift ever in her life seemed absurd and very selfish.

  She sighed. “Married. Jesus Christ—what am I thinking?” But when she honestly did consider going through with it—her heart enlarged and so did her lungs. It took her breath away to think of being married to him.

  “Something smells fucking ahhhh-mayyy-zing!” Zach called out when he threw open the front door. He had grass all over his shirt and in his hair. Sweat was dripping down his face, and most of his shirt was soaked.

  “Hey. How was the game?” Mari quickly tried to save her project and shut it down before he saw it.

  “Hiding things already? Wow. You don’t waste time,” he teased, stepping up behind her.

  She covered the screen with her hand. Why in the world did she think she would be able to keep it to herself while she worked on this in the living room?

  “Oh, girl! Making your own porn? Is that it?” He chuckled and pulled her hand down.

  “Zach! No! Don’t tell anyone.” She craned her head over her shoulder and gave him a pleading look. “Please!”

  “Calm down, little sis. I won’t spill your dirty secrets.” He smirked as he read her announcement to himself. “Whoa. This is some serious shit. So Adam doesn’t know you’re creating this?”

  “No,” she whispered in a hiss. “I don’t want him to get all worked up and excited about it, in case anything changes. He’s saying he wants to get married pretty much right after we graduate. I’m not sure that’s practical, but if he won’t take no for an answer, then I need to be prepared.” She pointed at the screen. “This is the best I can do. I can’t afford to make fancy invitations from some bridal place.”

  “My dad would pay for it, silly.” Zach pushed her out of the seat.

  “Oooof!” She grunted as she was displaced. “Excuse me? Was I sitting in your spot?”

  She shoved him, chuckling.

  “Yes, you horny woman. I know you can’t wait to get laid by my brother. And while that’s cool and all that you’re a slutty mess for him, I want to make sure this announcement isn’t too ridiculous, since I’ll have to be there most likely in some tooly suit and tie.” He grinned.

  “I thought you said your dad would pay for it—so if that’s the case, why check it?”

  He barked a deep, booming laugh. “I’m dumb, but I’m not that dumb. I was only messin’ with you. I know you would never allow him to pay for that. You look like he stole your kidney each time he pays for any of the food you don’t ask for, but that he knows you eat. Like the other day—when he came back with some cottage cheese and grapes, you went all rigid the minute they came out of the grocery bag. He watches you. He knows what you enjoy eating. He’s going to buy you your favorite food the exact same way he buys mine or Sam’s or Adam’s. There’s no way you’d let him pay for anything you think you could make or pay for yourself when you two finally do get married.”

  She wiped a few loose hairs off her forehead that were tickling her eyelashes. “God—am I that horrible with my poker face?”

  “Yeah—pretty much.” He gave her the cross-eyes.

  “At least I’m not sweating all over his nice furniture.” She pretended to be grossed out by him.

  “No, just leaving puddles of your female come all over the place because Adam’s always got his hands on you, getting you off.”

  She laughed. “Does not!” Another shove.

  “I’m dumb, but I’m not deaf.”

  She leaned into the desk. “Why do you think you’re dumb? I don’t think that about you.” Her heart sunk.

  “Compared to the rest of my family, I should be in experiments for inexplicable loss of brain cells.”

  “That’s called focused on girls. There’s nothing wrong with that. Adam’s right—if you applied yourself, you could do a lot better in school.”

  He sighed. “Yeah, I know, but I’m not even sure I know what I want to do once I graduate. College is fine for most people, but I’m not sure what my focus would even be.”

  “I know that feeling. I’m kind of there myself.” Being a teacher was out of the question.

  “Well, fuck—don’t tell my dad. He’ll give you a lecture until you fall asleep on how you do know. He thinks deep down everyone knows what they should do for a living. As if we’re born and predispositioned to be in a certain line of work.” He clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes.

  “Tell him your dream is to
be the ultimate garbage man since you’re constantly dealing with Sam’s messes she creates in Adam’s life,” she said, grinning.

  “Right. That’ll go over well.” He chuckled and then went about rewording a few things on her announcement. “What d’you think? Better?”

  She read it and smiled, her heart feeling full, yet light. “Yeah, it is. Thanks. Look at you.” She set a hand on his shoulder. “Using big words like ‘predispositioned’ and fixing unpolished, less-than-classy wedding invites. So smart.”

  “Smarter than a garbage man?” He snorted a laugh.

  “Obviously.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Much smarter.”

  “Hey, now. That’s overstepping the lines of propriety and all that.” He scrubbed her kiss away, laughing like a dork.

  “I’m sure it is, but you deserved it.” She stepped back, took another look at the invitation and said, “Feel free to fix more of it if you want to. I’m gonna go shower. Just shut this down when you’re done so Adam doesn’t see it, okay?”

  “Of course. Get out of here, stinky.” He fanned in front of his nose like she reeked.

  “Such a dork.” She shoved the back of his head and ran off.

  * * *

  Mari took a seat next to Adam for dinner, and Zach slid in on the other side of her. He elbowed her. “It’s beyond cool now. You’ll see,” he whispered. “I fixed it for you.”

  She gave him the shush signal by placing her index finger over her lips and making sure Adam wouldn’t see or hear. She wasn’t ready to talk about the invitation with Adam.

  “I love turkey,” Adam said with a happy sigh.

  “Who doesn’t? It’s the best.” Zach plated some without permission.

  Their dad took a seat at the head of the table.

  Mari had no idea what to expect. She’d never actually been at a Thanksgiving dinner. So, she followed their lead.

  “So, what’s your mom doing today for the holiday?” his dad asked her.

  “I don’t know. She usually just orders pizza and then gets on Facebook so she can bug her friends.” Mari shrugged.