“You’ll like it, I promise.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know, Mason. I’m not like those other girl’s you’ve been with.”
“What girls?” he asks as his hands start roaming again.
“I’ve heard the rumors.”
Mason sits back a little. He looks at me and shakes his head. “Katelyn, I promise you, I’ve done nothing but kiss a few girls.”
“You’re not having sex?”
“No,” he laughs and leans forward placing his hands back on my hips. “Now let me kiss you good and proper.”
“What are you thinking about?” Mr. Powell shakes me from my daydream. I have to shake my head to clear out the cobwebs. So much has happened in this house, so many memories.
“Thinking about the day I met you, officially.”
“That was such a long time ago.” He pulls me into a hug. I want to remind him that it wasn’t really that long, that our connection was just taken from us far too soon.
We walk up the steps, his arm around me as he ushers the twins inside. Nothing has changed since the first time I was here, except for minor cosmetic things.
The girls run up the stairs and put their stuff in Mason’s old room. I haven’t been up there since before Mason died and have no intention on going up there now. There are far too many memories of the two of us in that room.
“Can we talk?” I motion for us to sit down. He follows, taking the cushion next to me. He’s my second father. I could tell him everything and not worry about him judging me, but now? Now I’m not so sure he won’t judge.
“What’s going on, Katie?”
I take a deep breath and close my eyes. When I open them, he’s not looking at me. His face is pensive. I know he’s missing Susan and Mason. “I’ve met someone.”
He bites his lip and looks even farther away from me. “Are you taking the girls away from me?”
“What? No! Why would you ask that?” I pull on his arm so he’ll look at me. When he does, my heart breaks for him. His eyes are glistening. I shake my head and fight back the tears. “I’d never take them from you, ever.”
“Who is it?”
I swallow hard. “Harrison James.”
“Liam’s friend?”
I nod, biting my finger. The pain it causes me is nothing compared to the pain in my heart.
“Are you ready?”
“I don’t know, but I’m willing to try.”
“It’s only been a year.”
I nod. “I know. Believe me, I know. But I’m not sure there’s a pre-determined time frame. We’ve been seeing Dr. Brooks and he thinks it’s okay to date and that’s all I’m doing, dating. Nothing more.”
“Do the girls like him?”
“They do, especially Elle. He’s very good with them. Peyton doesn’t like many people right now, except Noah and Liam, but she’s nice to Harrison and his son, Quinn.”
“He has a boy?”
“Yes, he’s just a few years older than the girls.”
“And they get along?”
“They do. They’re all in school together.”
“Can I meet him and his son?”
“Of course you can.” This elates me. If things were to work out between us, I’d want Mr. Powell to accept Harrison and Quinn.
“Can you do me a favor?”
“Whatever you want?”
“Can you please stop calling me Mr. Powell?”
“Never,” I say as I lean forward to kiss him on the cheek. He laughs, but knows I’ll never stop calling him Mr. Powell. I like it, and secretly, he does too. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun with the girls.” I get up off the couch and start toward the stairs.
“I will and Katelyn?” I stop and look at him. “Thank you,” he says. I smile at him and nod. I don’t know what he’s thanking me for, but I’m going to assume it’s because I’m here and so are the girls and that we aren’t going anywhere.
MY house is quiet. Too quiet for me, but the break is a relief. Everything in me is telling me to call Harrison, but I don’t want to interrupt his time with Quinn or make it seem like I need to see him, even though I do. It’s just hard to admit and take the step of picking up the phone.
I’m not there yet. I hope to be, someday. I’m just not sure how to get to that point, but I’m hoping Harrison is persistent and shows me the way to make it happen.
I walk around the house, picking up the girls’ toys and backpacks. We’re a month into school and so far so good. I’m concerned about Peyton, though and think that extra sessions with Dr. Brooks will be required. I feel like a failure of a parent. Both girls should’ve been the same. Once they gravitated toward one of us we allowed it to continue. Elle is too much like me and Peyton, she’s all Mason. Of course, neither of us thought we wouldn’t be here to watch the girls grow up. We were naïve, and now Peyton is struggling and I feel powerless to help her. I can’t keep pawning her off on Liam.
I’m pleasantly surprised when I walk into their room and find it clean. Yes, I’m that bored that I’d actually clean their room. I decide to call Josie or maybe Jenna. Wedding plans need to be discussed and I could use a bottle of wine.
The roar of an engine catches my attention. I walk faster than normal to get back to the living room. There’s a knock at my door before I can look out to see who it is. I swing the door open and am taken aback by the man standing at my door. The one I’ve been fighting my affections for, for so long. I smile as he opens the screen door and steps in. He’s dressed in his normal Harrison attire of cargo shorts and combat boots.
I want to reach up and kiss him, but I hold myself back. I’m not sure what I should be doing around him right now.
“Hi.” The way he says hi makes my knees weak. I can admit that now. “I was in the neighborhood,” he adds. I want to say thank God for that. Instead, I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from embarrassing myself.
“Come on in,” I say, stupidly. He’s already in the house. It’s not like I can kick him out now.
He sets his helmet down and takes off his sweatshirt. It doesn’t escape my notice that his hair is covered again. I want to rip the doo rag off his head and run my fingers through his hair.
“Where’s Quinn?”
“He’s at Liam’s for the night.”
I pretend like that doesn’t faze me, but it does. Not that I’m looking to spend the night with Harrison, but I wouldn’t mind a little more kissing.
“Where are the girls?”
“At their grandpa’s.”
Harrison steps toward me, placing his hands on my hips. His hand slides under my shirt. His fingers press into my skin as his lips come down on mine. There’s no urgency in his kiss, he’s taking his time.
“Can I take you somewhere?”
I can’t think enough to form a coherent thought, so I nod and realize I have no idea what I’ve just agreed to.
WHEN she tells me that she’s alone, it takes every fiber of my being to control the urge to pick her up and take her to her room. I can’t do that, not here. Not in the home she shared with her husband. I wouldn’t want to put her in a situation like that. If and when we are together in that way, it’ll be at my house where she’ll be comfortable.
I know one thing for sure, I can’t keep my hands off of her now that I know she’s willing to try. She’ll probably get sick of me with my need to touch her, but I have to feel her skin against mine, even if it’s just my hands. And my lips – they burn with desire to kiss her.
She nods when I ask if I can take her somewhere. I’ve been out riding all day and many times I wanted to just stop by and show up unannounced, but couldn’t bring myself to do it. Mowing her lawn is an excuse, but that’s not due until tomorrow.
I reluctantly remove my lips from hers and pull her hand into mine. I’m thankful that I have Quinn’s helmet with me and that it will fit her. Otherwise, my romantic side might not be able to shine. I lead her out of the front door, shutting it behind her. It dawns on me
that she might not have a key and that it would not be so unfortunate for me if she had to stay the night at my place.
When we get to my bike, I hand her the helmet. She holds it in her hands like she’s afraid of what it entails.
“Ever been on a motorcycle before?”
“Liam’s once and I used Josie’s helmet. Is this Quinn’s?” she looks up at me with a gleam in her eye. I hope she’s as excited as I am to have her legs wrapped around me. I was kidding when I asked her the first time if she wanted to ride.
“Yeah, it should fit you.” I can’t resist. I have to touch her. As much as I want to kiss her, I don’t want her neighbors thinking any less of her. I push her hair behind her ear and kiss her nose. I don’t think that’s too much. I take the helmet and place it on her head. I’m thankful it slides on easily. I buckle the chin-strap and open her visor so I can see her beautiful eyes. “Get on after me, okay?” She nods.
I climb on and reach for her hand and hold it until she settles around me. Her legs fit perfectly, like I knew they would, around my hips. I flip the switch and the engine comes to life. Her fingers dig into my waist, making me wish we were back inside the confines of her house. I need to get us out onto the open road and away from the stares of Beaumont.
I drive through the streets safely until the road I need is before me. Once I’m out of the city limits, I push the throttle a little, only to have Katelyn hang on tighter. I can feel her against my back, her fingers bent around the waistband of my shorts, dangerously close to the part of me that is aching to be near her. This spurs me to get to our destination.
We move together through the turns of the road. It makes me feel good that she’s so comfortable even though this is something new for her. One ride with Liam doesn’t count, this can be our thing. I hope this can be something we can do together, away from the lives we lead. If it allows us an escape from reality for a short period of time, I’m willing to make sure this can happen whenever conceivable.
I arrive at the lookout and pull over. The sun is going to set soon, and from this location we’ll be able to watch it go down. I turn off the bike and plant both my feet on the ground. I take off my helmet and let it dangle from the handlebar. I look over my shoulder just as Katelyn takes off her helmet.
“How was it?”
She lets out a happy sigh. “That was amazing.” She leans over, her hand hanging onto my arm as she sets the helmet on the ground.
“Yeah? You liked it?” I can’t help but smile.
“Yeah, I liked it a lot.” I’m taken aback when she leans forward and kisses me. She pulls back too soon, but that’s enough for me. The simple fact that she initiated it gives me so much hope.
“It’s gorgeous up here.”
I nod. “Have you been here before?”
“I don’t know, maybe when I was younger.” I won’t lie, I like that she hasn’t been here with Mason, yet another thing we can have together that’s just ours. Sitting like this isn’t working for me. I look at her as she watches the horizon and know that I need to be close to her.
I turn slightly and say, “Come here.” She looks at me, raising her eyebrow and moves into my extended arm. I pull her close and move her so she’s sitting in front of me. She wraps her legs around my waist, playing into my fantasy. God, what I wouldn’t give to be buried deep inside her while we’re sitting on my bike.
“Are you comfortable?” I ask, praying she says yes.
“I am,” she says. Her hand comes up and pulls off my doo rag. I run my hand through my hair, which I have no doubt is standing on end. She drops it on the ground and threads her fingers through my hair. I lean forward and close my eyes, relishing in the attention she’s giving me.
“I wish you wouldn’t wear a hat all the time.”
“Hmm, you don’t like hats?”
Katelyn shakes her head. “It’s not that, I just like seeing your hair. You’ve kept it hidden for so long and it’s beautiful.”
“Beautiful, huh?” I ask teasingly.
“What?” she asks. “Men can have beautiful hair.”
“All right, if you say so. I’ll try and not wear a hat so much, just for you.”
“Thank you.”
Being this close to her is something I’ve wanted for a long time. I can’t screw it up, and right now that’s my biggest fear. What if she decides this isn’t what she wants? There’s no way I can convince her otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair.
My eyes flash open briefly when I feel her lips on mine. I’m going to let her lead us because it will give me the reassurance I need right now. Her kiss is slow, tentative. She traces my lower lip with her tongue. My lips part giving her access to what she’s asking for. A feeling of calmness washes over me the moment her tongue touches mine. It doesn’t last before heat is surging through my body. I’m fighting the urge to pull her against me, to rock her body against mine. I can’t hold back any longer. I need to touch her. I slide my hand under her shirt and press my fingers into her back pulling her the tiniest bit closer.
Her hands fist at my shirt, pulling herself up higher onto my cock. “Oh, fuck,” I say, breaking away from her mouth. She’s grinding against me and I’m about to lose my mind. Her hand clutches at the back of my neck. She takes my earlobe into her mouth, biting softly. Katelyn moves to my neck, biting and licking her way back to my mouth. I can’t take it anymore.
My hand roams up her thigh, massaging as I go. It’s just my luck that she’s wearing a long skirt. I didn’t even suggest she change. I want her like this. I know I’m testing my resolve, but I’m going to test hers too. Does she want me the way I want her? My fingers linger at the hem of her panties.
My knuckle brushes against her. She jumps slightly and pulls away from me. I refuse to let go and continue to skim my knuckle against her again. Her eyes drop, she licks her lips and when she looks up, the wanton look in her eyes tells me enough. I keep my hand splayed against her back holding her to me. My fingers inch into her panties, my gaze never leaving hers. I’ll stop the second she tells me to. The moment I see fear in her eyes, I’ll pull away, but I won’t want to.
“Tell me to stop and I will,” I say the words to reassure myself that this is what she wants. She licks her lips, urging me on. I brush against her pussy. Her breathing hitches, her fingers grabbing onto my hair. I do it again, this time with more pressure. She pushes toward my hand as the pad of my thumb finds her clit. I capture her lips with mine, wanting to increase the sensation. I add more pressure the harder she pulls.
I moan loudly when I slip my finger in. “Oh, fuck,” I say, breaking away. I’ve wanted this for so long and now I’m here. I want to go slow and savor every fucking moment that I can, but she has other ideas. She rocks forward, setting a rhythm and creating the friction she needs. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to show me.
Her hands travel under my shirt and roam over my chest. When her fingers pull gently on my nipple ring, I hiss and rub harder on her swollen clit. Heat soars through my body, igniting fervency that I didn’t know existed. I add another and move with the motion she’s set. This is more than I’ve imagined and I want more. Katelyn keeps pace, rocking back and forth with her legs wrapped around me. The grinding is almost too much to bear. I want to rip her skirt off, drop my shorts and feel her wrapped around my shaft.
“Harrison,” her voice is raspy, out of breath.
“Yeah, baby?” I take her lips with mine, silencing her. She can’t tell me to stop now, there’s no way.
She bites down on my lip, her hand pulling on my nipple ring. I hiss and move faster, increasing the pressure. I’ve been waiting for this moment, the moment to feel her like this in the most sensual way. My lips move to her neck, biting gently as she clenches around my fingers. If this is any indication of what’s to come, I’m going to be a man on his knees begging her to let me worship her every chance that I can.
Katelyn slows as she comes down from her natural high. Her head rests on my chest, but sh
e continues to caress my ring. I want to show her what that does to me. I know she can feel it, but the exhilaration I feel… the sensation it sends – it’s something I can’t describe.
I kiss the top of her head and adjust so I can place my lips along her face, her eyes, cheeks, nose, and finally her lips. She closes her eyes and leans her head back, accepting the attention I’m giving her. I remove my hand gently. She sighs and that makes me feel fucking great. I gave her something that every woman needs.
“Harrison,” she whispers in between kisses. The way my name rolls off her lips sends chills down my spine. I’ve waited for this for such a long time. I don’t want the night to end.
“Yeah?” My voice is ragged. I kiss her full on the lips before pulling back so she can talk to me.
She threads her fingers though my hair. Had I known she liked to do this, I probably would’ve let her do it sooner.
“Do you need me to take care of you?” she asks in such a soft voice, I get the feeling that our little exhibitionist act is not up her alley. Not that it’s up mine, but there was no way I’d take back what we just did. She opened up to me in a very intimate way and shared something that I know she’s only let one other man do before.
I smile at her and kiss her forehead, letting my lips linger there as I hold her to me. “I’m good,” I tell her. “It’s nothing another cold shower won’t take care of later.”
“A cold shower, huh? Do you do that often?”
I shrug and look away. Do I admit that it’s an everyday occurrence for me?
“You can tell me,” she says as she places whispering kisses along my jaw. Fucking hell, this woman is going to be the death of me. How did we go from barely talking to this? I’m not complaining by any means, but I want her to be so god damn sure of herself because I’m not ready for any heartbreak.
“Something tells me that I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
Katelyn pulls back. Her finger tugs again at my nipple ring. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from moaning. I have no doubt that my eyes roll back into my head each time she does that. “Does this hurt?”
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