“Christ, you’re cute when you’re pissed on my behalf.” He grins, and I continue to glare. Then he laughs hard, so hard his body shakes, and even though I love hearing it and feeling it, I’m still pissed.
“This isn’t funny, Harlen. This is serious,” I say, and he laughs harder, tucking his face into my neck and continuing to laugh there. “I’m serious.”
“I see that, Angel,” he tells me through his laughter, and I growl.
“It’s not funny! He shouldn’t have done that. He shouldn’t have done it the first time, and he really shouldn’t have tried it again.”
“You’re right. It’s not funny.” He sobers, pulling back to look at me, and I brace when I see the look in his eyes. “It’s not okay for your dad to try to scare me off, but if we have girls one day, I’ll end up doing the same shit. So like I said, it’s all good.”
Holy shit. He said we. Oh God, I can’t breathe.
“Fuck,” he mutters, giving me a squeeze. “Do not even start overthinking that shit.”
“I’m not.” I wheeze out my lie, and he shakes his head.
“What the fuck am I going to do with you?” he asks with a soft look in his eyes, and I shift on his lap. “Let’s focus on the good shit before we start worrying about weddings and kids,” he says, and my eyes widen on the word weddings then my breath leaves on the word kids. “Fuck.” He smiles, and I close my eyes, deep breathing. “Guess that’s one way to get you to be quiet.”
“Shut up,” I whisper, and he laughs.
“Eat your food.”
“Don’t boss me around.”
“I see you’re in the mood to argue,” he mutters, looking at the ceiling and letting out a heavy, exaggerated sigh.
“Shut up.” I fight back a smile then let out a shriek of laughter as he tosses me off him, putting my back on the couch and coming down over me.
“If you’re not hungry, I have plenty of other ways to keep your mouth busy,” he tells me, dropping his mouth to my neck and touching his tongue against the skin there, making me shiver.
“I don’t think I’m hungry anymore,” I whisper, locking my fingers into his hair, and I feel him smile against my skin before he nips my neck. Pulling back, his eyes search mine. “What?”
“Nothing.” He shakes his head then I lose his eyes when his head dips and his lips touch mine. As I open my mouth, his tongue slides in and I whimper, tasting him and the beer he was drinking. Shifting, I wrap one leg over the back of his thigh and tighten my hold on his hair.
His hand cups my breast through my tank and my back arches off the couch into his touch. Then he pulls down the cotton material and his fingers pull my nipple, sending a jolt of electricity through me, forcing me to rip my mouth from his so I can moan, “Harlen.”
“Right here.” He dips his head then his lips close around my nipple, that warm, wet heat making me gasp and grind my hips into his. “Fuck.” His mouth leaves me and his hand locks around my hip so he can hold me down. My eyes spring open and I stare at him, panting. “Angel.” I see the heat in his eyes and I lick my bottom lip, watching his eyes drop there.
“Take me to bed, Harlen,” I whisper, and lucky me, I don’t have to ask twice.
He grabs both my ankles and pulls my legs around his waist, ordering “Lock them, baby.” I do, then his hand slides under my back and he stands, taking me with him.
The second we’re up, I drop my mouth to his as he walks us back to the bedroom. Feeling his hardness through his jeans and my sleep shorts, I nip his lip then moan when his hand smacks my ass hard, so hard I gasp as my clit vibrates and my core clenches. I don’t see it when we enter my room, but I know when he puts his knees in the bed with me still wrapped around him. My back hits the bed and his weight settles on top of me, and then we lose each other as I force his shirt up over his head and he does the same with my sweater and tank top. His chest drops back down to mine and the hair covering his torso scrapes across my nipples, making me realize the reality of him is way better than anything I could have imagined in my head.
I lift my head to get to his mouth, but he pulls back. “Get out of your shorts, Angel.”
Quickly, I shove my thumbs into the waistband of my shorts and tug them down, kicking them off. Still sitting back on his calves in his jeans, his eyes wander over me lazily. “Christ, where the fuck do I start?” he asks roughly as his large, rough hands slide up my smooth skin from my ankles to my thighs where he pulls my knees apart. Leaning forward, his beard scrapes across my skin before his lips touch my belly at the same time as his fingers slide down my inner thighs.
My lungs burn with anticipation, knowing what’s coming, and I fight myself to keep still, to wait for his touch, when all I want to do is lift my hips and beg. “Harlen,” I pant when his fingers part my slick folds, and his eyes come to me through his thick, dark lashes as his mouth dips between my legs. “Oh God.” The first touch of his tongue against my clit makes my hands and toes curl into the bedding under me. I lose his stare completely when I dig my head into the pillow behind my head and lift my hips into his talented mouth as he goes from tasting me to eating me like a man starved, nipping and licking every part of me spread open to him. When his thumb slides inside me, I lose hold on my sanity and come hard, so hard that I scream as my body convulses and I see bright lights. Breathing heavy, I lift my head and watch him pull out a condom from his wallet and kick off his jeans. Sitting up as best as I can, I start to wrap my hand around his thick length, but he stops me grabbing my wrist.
“You touch me, I won’t last,” he growls, ripping open the condom with his teeth. He drops the wrapper to the bed then slides the condom down his length. He’s big. Long and thick. Perfect.
“I feel like this is when I should ask if it’s going to fit,” I whisper, and his eyes meet mine then he grins at me.
“It will fit.” He leans over me, forcing me back down onto the bed and kissing me again. He thrusts his tongue into my mouth while he slides his cock up and down through my wetness. Squirming under him, I gasp into his mouth when he fills me up in one deep stroke. “You okay?”
“Yes,” I exhale, circling his hips with my legs, and he slides out then back in, slow at first before picking up speed. Capturing both my wrists, he pulls them up above my head and pounds into me while taking my mouth in another deep kiss. I try to move with him, but it seems all I can do is hang on for the ride. Just when I’m getting close, he lets my hands go, flips me to my belly, pulls up my hips, and slides back in. My neck arches and my hair flies, whipping against my back as he wraps one hand around my hip and the other cups my breast.
“Touch yourself. Help me get you there.” He nips my shoulder, and I moan, pulling one hand from the bed and bringing it between my legs. Circling my clit, his fingers join mine between my legs and I hear him groan as I start to come around his length while he fucks me. God! My forehead drops down to the mattress and both my hands slide out in front of me as he fucks me through my orgasm, never letting up on my clit, even when he pulls me up so I’m sitting on his thighs and impaled on his cock.
“Harlen,” I moan as he thrusts into me hard, rolling my clit and sending me over the edge once more before my last orgasm has even washed away. Feeling his teeth sink into my shoulder, I listen to him groan as his hips jerk and he comes. I close my eyes and let my head fall back to his shoulder, spent, out of breath, and exhausted.
Feeling his lips kiss my shoulder where he bit me, I open my eyes and turn my head to look at him. “You’re gonna have a mark.” He touches the spot gently with his lips and I shake my head.
“I don’t care,” I reply, and he smiles then slides his hand up to circle my neck. He brings my face closer to his for a soft, intimate kiss that ends when he slides out of me and I mewl from the loss of him.
“Be right back.” He kisses my shoulder before letting me go. I fall down onto the bed and feel my stomach melt when he pulls the blanket out from under my hip to toss it over me. Watching him walk nak
ed to the bathroom, I close my eyes and curl myself around my pillow, needing to rest for just a minute.
***
“What the fuck?” I hear Harlen growl, then I feel the bed move. Opening one eye then the other, I see that the room is filled with light—not light from the overhead light, but sunlight.
Shit, I must’ve passed out last night. I don’t even remember falling asleep. “What’s going on?” I put my elbow in the bed, and Harlen turns to look at me over his naked shoulder from the doorway. Watching his eyes wander over me and get soft, I feel my belly get warm.
Before he can answer my question, I hear the doorbell go off and watch the softness slide out of his eyes and aggravation slide in. “Someone’s at the door.”
“Crap, it’s probably my mom.” I hop out of the bed and look down at myself. I’m still very much naked. I never sleep naked. I’ve tried but always found I couldn’t do it; I just wasn’t ever comfortable enough to get to sleep and stay that way. Then again, I had never had two orgasms in a row before trying.
“I’ll answer the door. You get dressed,” he says, bringing me out of my thoughts, and my head flies up.
“But—” I don’t have a chance to tell him he should put on his shirt before he’s gone, disappearing out of sight. Running naked to my bathroom, I take care of business quickly then go to my closet, grab a pair of sweats and a tank top, and put both on before running out of the room. When I make it to the kitchen, I find out I was right. My mom is sitting at the island with a smile on her face, and Harlen is filling the coffee pot, shirtless, giving my mom a reason to smile.
“Mom,” I say, probably a little too loudly, and her head spins in my direction then her eyes do a mom sweep.
“Hey, honey.” She does another sweep then gives me a knowing smile.
“Uh… hey.” I go to her, kissing her cheek. “I was going to call you when I got up today.”
“I was in town, figured I’d stop by to check on you,” she explains, and then her eyes go to Harlen before coming back to me. “I see you’re okay.”
“Ugh… Yeah.” I bite my lip, not sure what to say to her. I know she and my dad heard what happened the other night… but still.
“You want coffee, Mrs. Mayson?” Harlen asks, and my mom turns to look at him.
“Call me Sophie, Harlen, and yes, I’d love a cup,” she replies, smiling at him.
“Right,” he mutters, looking at her before his eyes come to me. “Angel?”
“Yes, please.” I take a seat on the stool next to my mom and watch his back muscles flex as he pulls down three mugs from the cupboard above the coffee pot.
Feeling my mom nudge my shoulder, I pull my eyes from Harlen’s shirtless back to look at her. “Friends, huh?”
“It just happened, Mom. I was going to tell you about it, but yesterday got away from me, and then you showed up today before I could call you.”
“I’m not upset,” she says quietly, and then adds, “Your dad might take some convincing.”
“Coffee,” Harlen interjects, setting down two full cups on the island. “I’ll be back, gonna go put on a shirt,” he mutters, and I nod then hold in a sigh when he comes around the island, stopping to give the side of my head a kiss.
I wait until he’s gone to look at my mom. “Dad’s going to have to get over it. I’m mad at him,” I whisper.
“You’re mad at him?” she repeats, studying me like I’ve grown a third head. I don’t think I’ve ever been mad at my dad. Even growing up, I don’t remember ever being mad at him.
“Yes, I’m mad at him. He told Harlen to back off. That is not okay,” I gripe, and her eyes narrow.
“He did that?”
“Yes.”
“He just cannot be believed,” she whispers, looking angry.
Shit.
“Mom.”
“I’ll talk to him,” she says, and I feel my eyes widen. Crap, Mom pissed at Dad is never a good thing.
“Let me handle it.”
“I told him to stay out of it, to let things play out,” she tells me with a jerk of her head. “And then he goes and does that.”
“Mom.” I grab her hand and force her to focus on me. “Let me deal with Dad.”
Studying me, she finally relents. “Fine.”
“Thank you.” I breathe out a sigh of relief then pick up my coffee and take a sip.
“I think he sees a lot of himself in Harlen, and that scares the bejesus out of him,” she admits after a moment, and I turn my head, meeting her gaze. “It will be okay.”
“I know it will,” I agree. It will be okay; it might take some time for my dad to come around, but I know he will eventually and if he doesn’t then… Well I hope I never have to think about that.
“So did he really toss you over his shoulder?” she asks dreamily, and I laugh so hard my body shakes.
“Yes, he really did.”
“Wow.” She grins, and I roll my eyes at her then watch Harlen come back out of the bedroom dressed.
“You gonna stay for breakfast, Sophie?” he asks, and she turns her smiling eyes to him.
“I’d love to.”
“Good,” he says softly, and then his eyes come to me. “Babe, you wanna feed Dizzy while I cook?”
“Sure.” I hop down off the stool, informing my mom, “Harlen bought the whole grocery store yesterday.”
“Did he?” she asks, looking between the two of us.
“Yeah, now I won’t be able to have takeout for at least a month, and I love takeout.”
“Worse things a man can do than keep your fridge stocked and your belly full,” Mom mummers, smiling into her coffee mug, and I feel Harlen’s fingers give my hip a squeeze, so I turn my attention to him.
“You gonna bitch about me, or are you gonna help me out by feeding your dog?”
“I’m going to help you out, and you shouldn’t curse in front of my mom,” I tell him, resting my hand on my hip, and his eyes drop there and I watch his lips twitch.
“Know your dad and your brothers, Angel. Doubt your mom hasn’t heard worse.”
“This is true,” she confirms.
“Whatever, still,” I huff.
His fingers dig into my hip then he lowers his head and kisses me hard and quick.
“Feed your dog,” he orders as he lets me go.
“Bossy,” I grumble under my breath, and I hear my mom laugh, which makes me smile. I look at her and see her eyes are soft, not on me but on Harlen. One down, one to go.
Chapter 6
Harmony
“SAID I’D GIVE HER YOUR message,” I hear Harlen clip angrily as I walk toward the kitchen, where I left him a little over fifteen minutes ago so I could go get changed for work. “Yeah, and I said I’d tell her,” he growls as I round the island. Sensing me like he always does, his head turns toward me and our eyes lock. “Yeah, later.” He pulls his cell phone from his ear and drops it to the top of the counter near his hip.
“Who was that?” I ask, seeing the pissed off look on his face and knowing the answer before he even opens his mouth to tell me who was on the phone.
“Your dad says you need to call him back, that if you don’t, you won’t like the consequences.”
“He said that?” I whisper, feeling annoyance turn my stomach, and his face softens.
“Babe, I get why you haven’t talked to him, but you need to speak to him.”
“I’m not ready to talk to him yet,” I say, tying my hair up into a ponytail, and he takes a step toward me, wrapping his hand around my hip and giving it a squeeze.
“It’s been a week, Angel,” he tells me, something I already know, since it’s the longest I’ve ever gone without talking to my dad. It’s been exactly seven days since my mom came over and stayed for an impromptu waffle breakfast cooked by Harlen. If he hadn’t already won my mom over, I know his waffles would have done the trick. They’re that good. My dad, however, is a whole other story. He’s called; I haven’t answered. He’s kept calling; I’ve k
ept ignoring him, which I know is pissing him off. But I need time to figure out how to deal with him without losing my mind and saying something I’ll regret. “Seriously, baby, it’s time,” he continues when I don’t reply.
“Whose side are you on?” I narrow my eyes on his and he grins, showing off his perfectly straight smile.
“Your side,” he says, pulling me against him. “That said, you still need to speak with your dad.”
“Fine,” I grumble. “I’ll tell him to meet me for coffee tomorrow.”
“Good.” He dips his head, brushing his mouth over mine. “You want me to go with you when you talk to him?”
“Will you beat him up if I ask you to?” I question, and he chuckles like I’m joking—which I’m not, since my dad might actually need some sense knocked into him.
“No.”
“Then no, since you’re going to be of no use to me,” I mutter, and he gathers me against him and shoves his face into my neck, laughing so hard my body shakes with the force of it. “It’s not really that funny.” I smile, and he gives me a squeeze and gets control of himself before pulling his face out of my neck to look at me, running his fingers along the apple of my cheek.
“Before you leave for work, pack a bag. We’re staying at my place tonight,” he orders, and I blink at him.
“Your place?”
“Yeah, the place I’m paying rent on, where I keep my clothes and get my mail. My place.”
“I forgot you don’t actually live with me,” I mumble, and his arms tighten around me. My eyes widen and I hurry out, “I mean, I know you don’t live with me, obviously, but—”
“Babe, shut up,” he cuts me off, smiling, and I glare at him.
“Don’t tell me to shut up, Harlen,” I snap, and he smiles.
“You okay with staying at my place?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?” He brushes his nose across mine. Gah! I really hate when he’s annoying and sweet.
“Can Dizzy come?” I keep my tone snippy to cover up how much I love him being sweet, and his smile turns into a grin.
“Yeah.”
“Then yes,” I agree.
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