by Cat Schield
Since returning to Royal, she’d had to face the reality that keeping Daniel a secret from Grant had been a mistake she could never fix. She hadn’t known enough about him when they first met to know if he was interested in being a father. Although, to be fair, she wondered if Grant had any sense that having a son would change his life for the better.
He cocked his head and regarded her solemnly. “What are you saying?”
“All I needed was for you to hit me with a sentimental plea about how Daniel deserves to know you’re his dad and how committed you are to being a father.”
“So why have you been putting off telling him who I am?”
“When it comes right down to it, I’m selfish and a bit insecure.” Noting Grant’s surprise at her admission, she shrugged. “For the last four years, I’ve been the most important person in Daniel’s life. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to share him with anyone. Even when I know that he needs his father in his life. As for the money you offered, I can’t accept.”
“Why not?”
Harley glanced toward Daniel. “Neither my son nor I are for sale.”
“I’m sorry.” He reached out and took her hand in his.
The argument with Grant had chilled her, but with the hot August afternoon sun beating down, combined with the warmth of his skin against hers, Harley noticed a distinct uptick in her temperature. It took all her willpower to pull her hand free.
She smiled to cover her reluctance. “When it comes to Daniel, I only want what’s best for him. That’s why I told you he’s your son. If I didn’t want you in his life, I could’ve kept quiet.”
“You’re right.” The regret on his face was a stark contrast to his earlier antagonism. “I could’ve handled that better.”
With his apology, Harley understood that anxiety had caused him to overplay his hand. Her situation would be a lot less complicated if he’d declined to exercise his paternal rights, but she also realized that part of her was elated at the idea that Grant wanted a relationship with Daniel. After their conversation a few days earlier, she’d hoped he’d want a relationship with her, as well. He’d been clear it wouldn’t be a romantic one, but sex and friendship were a tempting combination.
“But my offer to fund Zest still stands.”
Harley considered this for a moment before offering him a small smile. “Thank you. I may take you up on that in the future, but right now, I have some leads I’m hoping will pan out.” Her chest ached as she drew breath and called to Daniel. He raced over and she wrapped his wet body in a towel. Sitting him on the lounge beside her, facing Grant, Harley rallied her courage. “Daniel, Dr. Everett and I have something to tell you.”
Pool water spiked the long black lashes framing her son’s green eyes as he fixed his gaze on her. “What?”
“You remember how we went to his office so he could collect some cells from your cheek? Well, that was so he could run a test to prove that he’s your father.”
Daniel shifted his attention to the somber man across from him. “You’re my dad?”
“I am,” Grant intoned, leaning forward.
“Cool.” Daniel jumped to his feet. “Can I have a snack? I’m starving.”
Harley smothered a grin at Grant’s surprise over his son’s easy acceptance of his new role in the boy’s life. Welcome to parenthood, she thought, where there’s a surprise around every corner.
Seven
Snuggled on the couch in Grant’s family room, Harley pondered how many hours she’d spent here over the last week, watching kids shows and movies with Daniel tucked between her and Grant. In addition to such quiet activities, the trio had gone horseback riding, visited a local petting zoo, eaten a dozen meals together and logged tons of hours escaping the August heat wave in Grant’s pool.
Initially, she’d assumed that only Grant and Daniel would participate in these father-son bonding activities, but Daniel had insisted she join them and Grant hadn’t appeared to mind. Being included in their outings gave her precious time with her son and allowed her to watch the connection strengthen between Grant and Daniel. Realizing that Daniel’s capacity to love knew no limits, she’d stopped fussing about sharing her son with Grant and let herself enjoy the sense of belonging their little “family” brought her.
“I should probably get going,” Harley said when the movie ended, reluctance shading every syllable.
Although he’d napped several times in the bedroom Grant had designed for him, this was the first time Daniel was spending the night and Harley didn’t want to interfere with Grant establishing a bedtime routine.
“Don’t leave, Mommy,” Daniel demanded, throwing himself into her lap and wrapping his arms tight around her neck in an uncharacteristic display of neediness. “Sleep here.”
“I need to sleep in my own bed, just like you do.” Harley hugged him, but kept her voice firm. “Remember, you said you wanted to spend the night with your dad, and then go fishing with him in the morning.”
Daniel’s expression brightened as he sat back and looked up at Grant. “Can Mommy come fishing?”
“Mommy doesn’t like fishing,” Harley said, making a big show of wrinkling her nose so that Daniel laughed. “I’ll see you after lunch and you can tell me how many fish you caught then. Now, off to bed.”
She eased her son into a standing position and her heart ached as his gaze clung to her. They’d already discussed that Grant would be the one to walk him through the bedtime ritual, but Daniel wasn’t completely ready to give up his reliance on his mother.
“Will you stay until I fall asleep?”
“Of course.”
Harley kept a reassuring smile on her face as Grant scooped up Daniel and carried him off to bed. To keep herself busy until his return, Harley moved the empty popcorn bowl and glasses to the kitchen. She handwashed everything, returned each item to its proper place and wiped down the already pristine countertops. Half an hour later, Grant found her perched on the stool in the dimly lit kitchen, her purse over her shoulder, keys in her hand, all too aware that if she didn’t make a hasty exit, she ran the risk of doing something she might regret.
“How’d it go?” she asked, slipping off the stool as Grant drew near. “Did he give you any trouble?”
“Not a bit. In fact, he was asleep when I left.”
“I’m glad.” Her heart began to pound at the intent look on Grant’s face. “I guess I’d better get going, then.”
“Or you could stay a while and keep me company.”
“I’m sure you have things to do.” She considered protesting as he stripped her of purse and keys, but then he ran his knuckles over her cheek and the soft caress set her hormones to humming.
“So, that convincing we talked about last week,” Grant murmured. “I’m ready to get started.”
She sucked in a sharp breath, determined to utter something sensible and levelheaded that would stop them both cold, but then she made the mistake of meeting his gaze. One glimpse of his ravenous need and her mind froze.
In the split-second window between one heartbeat and another, something hot and raw exploded in her. Harley snatched a handful of his shirt, ready to tear the damned thing off him if necessary.
“I really don’t need any convincing,” she whispered, driven by fear and wanton hunger. “I need you. Don’t make me beg.”
While it would’ve been easier for her to step into his space and press herself against him, with her blood running hot and wild, she yanked him toward her. Their bodies collided with incendiary results.
“Harley,” Grant groaned, his husky voice driving her pulse to reckless speeds. He tangled one hand in her hair and searched her expression with feverish intensity. “I’ve been dying to do this all week.”
An instant later, he slid his hand to the small of her back and pulled her hips tight against his. His mouth landed on hers in a frenzy of ha
rd ardent kisses that set fire to her dignity. Propriety be damned. She didn’t care what he thought of her in this moment or how he might spin this later. His lips were on hers and the most important thing in this moment was the rightness of his tongue sweeping around hers in a sexy dance of desire.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and tunneled her fingers into his hair, pressing her breasts against his strong, solid chest. Everywhere they touched, she burned, but she craved the mesmerizing friction of his skin against hers. The smooth and rough texture of his naked thigh as she slid her legs around him. The satiny glide of his abs against her belly as he thrust into her.
The pleasure washing through her swept away old heartbreak. She snatched a fistful of his shirt again and yanked until the hem cleared the waistband of his pants. A purr rumbled in her throat as her hand slid into the gap between the fabrics and encountered his hot skin. She swept her palm over his side, fingertips riding the waves of his ribs to the hard lines of his chest. Beneath her questing caress, his nipple hardened and both of them groaned in appreciation.
Grant tugged at her hair, coaxing her to change the angle of her head. His lips skimmed along her neck, trailing fiery kisses. She quaked at the nip of his even white teeth, her hips bucking into his. He lightly palmed her breast through her thin blouse, finger tracing the top edge of her lace bra through the material. His teasing provoked a husky protest from her throat, but then her complaint turned to encouragement as he applied more pressure. Her nipples contracted as pleasure washed through her and she arched her back to drive her hips into the hard ridge below his belt. The ache thrumming between her thighs grew more impatient with each passing second. And as the primal need to meld with him dominated her, she was moments away from wrestling him to the floor and mounting him.
Harley gasped as he sucked on the place where her shoulder met her neck. Her breath caught one second, and gusted it out in the next as he rolled her nipple between his fingertips and pinched lightly. His mouth settled back on hers again as every nerve in her body screamed in ever-escalating delight.
They made their way down the hall, Grant walking backward, his fingers hooked over her hip while she made short work of his shirt buttons. By the time they reached the open door of the master bedroom, she was ready to slide the shirt off his shoulders and spread her hands over his gorgeous rock-hard abs. Determined not to be interrupted, she snagged her foot around the door and nudged it shut.
As the latch engaged, Grant stepped forward and backed her against the panel. From the fierce expression on his face, she expected his demanding, urgent kisses to begin again. Instead, he set one hand above her shoulder and grazed his knuckles across her cheek, plumbing her expression like a man desperate for answers.
No other man had ever been able to melt her with just one look. She ran the tips of her fingers down his chest, exploring the dips and ridges of solid muscle. His nostrils flared as he held himself still beneath her touch, but his breath grew more ragged as her investigation took her lower. Nevertheless, he remained immobile while she settled her lips into the hollow of his throat, flicking her tongue over his hot skin. The scent of him intoxicated her. She grazed her nail over one tight nipple and a harsh sound broke from his chest.
Knowing exactly what she wanted, Harley found the buckle of his belt and began fumbling to unfasten it. Before she finished, Grant slid his hands to the back of her thighs behind her knees and lifted her off her feet. She wrapped her legs around him, moaning as the hard swell of his erection pressed between her thighs.
She wriggled her hips in an effort to intensify the contact, craving the all-consuming bliss of being possessed by him, the delicious fullness as he slid inside her. With her clinging to him, Grant pushed away from the door and walked her to his bed. Their kiss broke as he bent and laid her down. As much as she wanted to shed their clothes, part of her was fearful of what would happen if he escaped her arms and so she maintained her tight grip. Grant lowered his weight onto her, pressing her into the mattress. Her hips rocked, frustration and pleasure building at the warm, wet skate of his mouth over her collarbone and down between her breasts.
Half a decade had passed since the two days and nights they’d spent together, but their bodies were as attuned in this moment as if they had spent the last five years in the same passionate dance.
His fingers slipped beneath the hem of her top, shifting the fabric upward, baring her lacy bra to his gaze. Eager for what was to come, Harley shimmied beneath him. Desire flared hot, and then hotter still. Her skin flushed and dampened until she was uncomfortable within the confines of her clothes.
Pinned as she was beneath his hard body, she lacked the leverage to strip away the clothing that prevented their skin from making contact. She dove questing fingers beneath his shirt to the warm silk of his skin. Powerful muscle shifted beneath her palm as she pressed him closer. She savored the crush of his hard body as he shifted her bra and released her tight nipple. He murmured something unintelligible before sucking the tender bud between his lips. The tug of his mouth on her breast sent a shot of pure lust straight to her groin. Heat pooled in her belly and she rubbed her thighs together as an insistent ache built to the point of pain.
Recognizing her sharp need, he sent his hand riding along her thigh, spreading her wide and trailing his fingers between her legs. She cursed the fabric barrier that blocked him from touching her bare flesh even as her lips parted to beg him to stop the torment. But the glide of his mouth over sensitive spots on her throat and beneath her ear left her little breath for words.
In the end, it was Grant who stripped them both bare. First her with gentle, trembling fingers that tugged and slid and, in the case of her underwear, tore everything off her before shedding his own clothes, fetching a condom out of the nightstand, and then with an obvious effort of will, stood beside the bed and let his gaze trail over her naked form.
She let him drink his fill for the span of time it took to devour his broad shoulders, sculpted chest, washboard abs, narrow hips and powerful thighs all breathtakingly defined by ropy muscle beneath bronze skin. Harley lifted her foot and trailed it up the side of his thigh. A dusting of fine black hair tickled her skin, making her smile. She held her arms out to him, coaxing him to her with a welcoming smile.
“I’ve waited five years for this,” she said, seeing the way his eyes flared at the raw need clawing her voice. “Don’t make me wait a second more.”
* * *
Grant sent his gaze roaming over her naked form, his body hardening as he appreciated her lean perfection. She was slender with small breasts, a tiny waist and narrow hips. Her dusky pink nipples caught his eye and he couldn’t wait to swirl his tongue around the sweet, tight buds before devouring them. She shifted under his gaze, her breath hitching.
With a sigh of surrender, he joined her on the mattress. More often than he liked, he’d looked back on the weekend they spent together, recalling how she’d gone from sweet and shy, every inch of her skin impossibly sensitive, to a temptress who’d mastered the power at her disposal and made him lose control.
She sent her fingers tunneling into his hair as he pressed down on her and offered him a poignant smile. “Despite everything that’s happened, there’s no one like you.”
He should’ve stopped to assess her statement. The deep, insightful truth of her heart awaited him within her words, but at the moment his palms were skimming over her ribs and trailing across the trembling muscles of her stomach, pausing at the edge of the perfectly manicured strip of hair that covered her mound.
“You are so damned beautiful.” His voice rasped over the compliment and she smiled at him from beneath her long lashes.
“I’ve missed this.”
“So have I,” he admitted, surrendering to the flames licking through him.
Her grip tightened fiercely, nails digging into his skin, as his lips followed the path his fingers had taken momen
ts before. Only this time, he didn’t pause his downward track, but followed the seam where her legs connected to her body. His tongue tantalized her, wrenching a cry of frustration from her throat. Grinning at her impatience, he kissed his way along her inner thigh to her core, drawing her aroused scent deep into his lungs.
“I need more,” she declared, rotating her hips in search of satisfaction.
Knowing what she wanted, he gave her more. Settling his shoulders between her thighs, spreading her knees far apart, opening her to him, he delicately parted the folds that kept her delicious core hidden. Bare to his sight, touch and taste, her head thrashed against the mattress as her anticipation grew. A moment later, her whole body went rigid as he flicked his tongue around her clit.
Her back arched and a hoarse moan broke from her throat as he dragged his thumb through the wetness gathering between her thighs. She flung her arms wide and grabbed handfuls of the coverlet as if only by hanging on for dear life could she survive the blissful sensations tearing at her.
Grant lost himself in the sounds, smells and tastes of her, plying her with his tongue and lips as one wrenching cry after another escaped her. Past and present collided as he drove her toward her orgasm. Time hadn’t dimmed his memories of their days together. He recalled every caress, knew exactly what to do to make her wild and recognized the significance of her restless, shifting hips. The tension in her muscles rose to bowstring tautness until she thrashed against his mouth.
“You know what I love.” The words poured from her lips as her body began to shake with tremors of pleasure. “Oh, yes. Like that...”
A curse slipped from her lips as her torso bucked. Determined to bring her to an acute state of rapture, Grant kept up his relentless pursuit of her pleasure, pushing her hard into her rising orgasm.
“I’m coming.”
Her chest worked like a bellows as her back arched. With his eyes closed, he relished the series of quakes that wracked her. He dug his fingers into her soft flesh, holding her tight against his mouth as the sounds emanating from her grew positively frantic. Not until he heard her weak chuckle followed by a satisfied purr did he ease away.