by A. M. Kusi
Harper clung to him, digging her nails into his flesh, frantic, needy, desperate. This was the best kind of torture.
“You’re so beautiful. I love it when you say my name.”
“Stop,” she said, breathless, clenching her muscles that were still pulsing around him.
Jax stopped immediately. “Are you okay?”
“I need to be on top,” she ordered.
Jax rolled over, holding onto her hips so that she went with him, not breaking their connection. He looked at her. She knew her face was flushed and her hair was already a mess that flowed down her naked shoulders. His eyes were almost black. Her lips tingled, swollen from urgent kisses. She wondered for a moment what he saw in her. How had she managed to get this god-like man to take a chance on her?
“The sight of you naked on top of me, riding me, is my sexiest forbidden fantasy come to life,” he said, sounding out of breath.
All insecurities were stripped as bare as she was. Destroyed by his words, and replaced with a sense of power.
She licked her lips before Jax grabbed her cheeks and pulled her down to him. Grasping his wrists, she held them above his head. Harper was now in charge, and from the sounds he was making, he certainly didn’t mind her being in control.
She moved slowly, teasing him. Pushing him further with each grinding thrust as she clenched her inner muscles around him. She sat up as his hands flew to her breasts possessively. His face so intensely beautiful. His hard features, normally guarded, lay exposed and vulnerable under her. She knew this was a gift, seeing a flash of fear and uncertainty tangled in his complicated gaze. Her hands roamed his body and gripped him tighter as she increased her pace. Heat pooled in her center as her wetness seeped onto him. The edge of the cliff was approaching, and all she could do was hope he would catch her when she fell.
“Harper…I’m going to…” His features contorted with his impending release.
“Look into my eyes,” she demanded, wanting to see the moment his soul was revealed, to understand every hidden part of him.
A flicker of hesitation flashed before his gaze met hers. He reached out his hand and drew circles on her glowing nub as he thrust inside her. His fingers dug into her hips in a blur of pain and pleasure, bringing her to orgasm at the same moment he tensed and pulsed, coming inside her. He strained his arms, gripping her closer to him. Hanging on to her as if he were afraid she might disappear and this was all just one explicit dream.
Harper’s muscles clenched around him as she kept her gaze locked to his, only making the orgasm that much stronger. They had connected with more than just their bodies. She could see through the cracks and splinters beginning to form in the walls around his heart; allowing flickering and flashing glimpses.
She was panting, her body still burning hot from their passionate lovemaking. Harper couldn’t help the smile on her face as she slid off him.
For the several minutes it took to come back down to earth and re-inhabit their bodies, they basked in the afterglow.
Jax got up and went into the bathroom to clean himself. He brought back a towel and knelt next to her.
She watched as he slid the warm cloth between her thighs, taking special care to gently clean her body. She loved seeing this side to him. The small things he did showed her he did care for her. After he was done, he disposed of the towel in the bathroom before he climbed back into bed, where he covered them in his black comforter and soft sheets. She laid naked and exposed against his warm chest. Home.
***
Jax was too tired to think about how that had been the best sexual experience of his life. Being inside Harper had not gotten her out of his system, but made an addict of him. He had never looked anyone in the eyes while he’d had sex with them, so that was a first for him. The way she knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to say it in bed only made her that much more tantalizing to him. Every touch, kiss, sigh—it was never going to be enough. He wanted more. Hell, he wanted everything. His forbidden fruit.
Harper Parker had just ruined him for all other women.
Chapter 17
Monday morning, Harper woke to the familiar scent of Jax. His warm body was wrapped against her and she smiled, memories of the night before playing in her mind. Her back was to him and his arousal was poking her backside.
He slid his hand around and cupped her breast while he spooned her.
She stirred. “Mmm… Jax.”
“Yes, goddess?”
“I want you inside me, right now.”
“Demanding in the morning, huh?” he teased.
“Don’t pretend you don’t like it.”
“Yes. I like a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to say it out loud.” He turned her to face him, leaning down for a kiss.
She stopped him. “I have morning breath, and I left my bag in my car. I want you to take me from behind,” she said, grinning mischievously.
“Your wish is my command,” he said, seeming overly eager to fulfill any desires she had. He flipped her back over and did exactly what she had wanted, until they both ended up satisfied in the hot shower. He took his time lathering soap over her breasts, ass, and between her thighs. Eventually she had to kick him out so that the rest of her could get clean too.
“You brought a bag?” he asked, hopping out.
“Yes, but I didn’t want to bring it in, just in case you didn’t want to…well…you know,” she said, shutting off the water before wrapping her hair in one of his towels.
“I’ll go get it for you. Parked out front?”
“Yeah, my keys are in my purse on the bar.”
Jax ran to get her things and she finished drying off.
When he returned, she dropped the towel and enjoyed the attention he gave her body as she got dressed, a reverse striptease.
“You’re killing me,” he groaned.
She smiled, “I’m starving. Let’s get some breakfast on the way since we are going to be late to the office anyways. A few more minutes won’t matter.”
That seemed to snap him back to reality. “I can’t be late. I’ll order something and have it delivered.”
“Oh, okay. Do you want to drive in together?”
“We need to make sure not to arrive at the same time, or together. Someone might see us.”
“Right,” she said, disappointed. This was just temporary.
He came up and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. His lips met hers and they kissed until his phone rang, interrupting them. Jax looked at the caller ID and then held up his hand to her, signaling for her to be quiet.
“Hey, man. Heading into work. What’s up?” He eyed Harper, momentary panic crossing his face. “Yeah, she’s been there like a month now. Yeah, I can do that. Sure. See you in a few.”
He hung up the phone before explaining, “River wanted to surprise you with a little ‘welcome to your own office’ party, complete with coffee and cake pops. So, make sure you’re surprised.”
She smiled. “Yay! Daddy said he had an office ready for me at dinner last night.”
“Looks like I’ll be late to work to pick up the supplies anyways. You should get going.” He kissed her goodbye and walked her out to her car before getting in his own.
***
When Jax arrived at the office, he greeted River and carried the drinks and cake pops he’d bought into Harper’s new office. She had a built-in bookshelf against the back wall and a simple modern desk with her laptop and printer setup. Harper was hanging a few pictures in her office while River leaned back in her chair.
“I see you’re letting her do all the work,” Jax joked as he set everything down on her desk.
River stood and pulled Jax into a hug, slapping his back. “Missed you, brother.”
“How was Vermont?”
River smiled; his hazel eyes had that
dreamy look to them. “Awesome. I can’t wait until you meet Ella.”
“She’s coming to visit? Is it serious?” Jax asked, wondering how River would keep the company a priority if he was distracted with a long-distance relationship.
“Yeah, in a couple weeks. Heard the last game went well from E.”
Jax nodded. “We won. It was a tough one though.”
“Yeah, I also heard you took care of my little sister,” River said, glancing at Harper, who made no move to face them.
He began to panic. Had River already found out about them? Had Harper ignored her promise to him and told River the first chance she’d got?
He kept his expression neutral until River continued, “Simon said she went to the game with you guys and got pretty wasted. Thanks for getting her home.”
A wave of relief flooded over his body. No doubt Simon had told River to make sure his name was cleared.
Harper interjected, “I am right here you know. You don’t have to talk about me like I am a child who needs a babysitter. I had a few drinks and can take care of myself, thank you very much.”
“Simon said you were sick. Why did you get so drunk while you were out with the team?”
“I was on a date. I wasn’t alone. I’m sorry, but who died and made you in charge of how much I drink? Next you will be going through my closet, telling me what I can’t wear,” Harper said, sounding annoyed. She looked pleadingly towards Jax, and he knew she wanted him to say something in her defense.
River sighed. “You can’t date someone who works for Dad, Harper.”
“Get out of my office,” she commanded.
“Harper—” River started to say, but she interrupted him.
“Until you can treat me like an equal, like a fellow colleague instead of a little sister you can boss around, you need to leave.”
River rubbed the back of his neck and started to walk out, taking a cup of coffee from the tray Jax had brought in.
“Leave the bag.” She motioned towards the paper bag that held the cake pops.
“Let’s go, Jax. Seems like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” River joked.
Jax looked at Harper, who was livid. He could understand why, but he couldn’t say something and betray their relationship, or the fact that he knew exactly what side of the bed Harper had woken up on.
Both men exited her office before she shut the door in both of their faces.
***
Harper huffed as she opened the bag of sweets. She was angry with her brother. She knew he meant well, wanting to keep her safe, but the way he went about it like she was a helpless damsel, infuriated her. Jax had stood there and let him say those things, and he’d even smiled.
She sat at her desk and ate her cake pop, sipping the coffee Jax had brought her. Her morning had started out amazing, and now she felt like she had been knocked down to her little sister peg once again in his eyes.
A few minutes later, she heard a knock at her door. Jax peeked his head through and smiled. A part of her wanted to knock the smile off his face for not staying something to River. The other part of her wanted to kiss him senseless.
“I left my coffee in here,” he said, louder than he needed to. It was obvious to her he was speaking for Dorothy the secretary outside to hear, rather than herself.
She said, “Shut the door.”
He did, walking over to her with his hands in the pockets of his navy dress pants that clung to him in all the right places.
“Lock it,” she commanded.
He hesitated, but did as she said. She knew this was new for him; usually, he was the one barking orders.
Harper stood up and walked around to the front of her nearly empty desk. Jax approached her and said, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t say anything or else he would’ve known.”
“I won’t lie to you and say it didn’t bother me, because it did. I hate that when he is around, I slip back into the ‘little sister’ role to you.”
Jax rubbed his thumb across her cheek. “After last night and this morning, I don’t think I will ever see you that way again. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Good. But now I need you to remind me.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and sat on the desk, cinching her legs around his waist.
***
“Harper, we can’t. Someone will hear us. We’ll get caught.”
“Are you afraid you’ll be too loud?” She teased.
Fuck, this woman had so much power over him already. The truth was, he wanted to give in, and the more forbidden and dangerous it was to be caught, the more turned on he got.
“Jax?” Harper whispered. “I’m not wearing any underwear.”
And it was over. He was gone. Done. That was the end and the beginning all at once.
This time, he took charge, bending her over the desk. Her arm swept over, sending the cup of pens crashing to the ground.
“Ssshhh,” he whispered.
He grabbed the bottom of her skirt, pulling it up over her lush curves as he dropped to his knees. He licked between her hot folds from behind, as she gasped. She was already wet and ready. His hands gripped her thighs, as his tongue got to work, licking, swirling, bringing her closer. Her legs started to shake. He stood up, smacking her ass before unbuttoning his pants.
“You should really be punished for what you do to me,” he said sliding the tip into her swollen wetness. He pumped slowly until he was all the way inside of her. She felt like heaven and hell all at once. Fire and ice. She moaned, and he put his hand over her mouth to silence her. He couldn’t have stopped moving inside her if her father himself had walked in, because she felt that good. This was the hottest, most risky thing he had ever done. Uncontrolled desire swirled through his body, battering at his ribs, trying to get out. He was falling apart, unable to resist the magnetic pull she had on him. He pulsed and throbbed inside her, his orgasm unstoppable.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” he growled in her ear, as he thrust harder, chasing the high. He could tell she was almost there. He moved one of his hands to her hair, taking a firm grip, as he pulled just enough. Her body clenched with her mostly silent orgasm, stifled by his other hand that was still over her mouth. His own ecstasy nearly made him black out as he relaxed on top of her.
Jax pulled out and took the wipes she handed him from her purse. She used one to clean herself up and adjusted her hair in a small compact mirror. He wondered what the hell else she carried in that thing. It was like a magical bottomless Mary Poppins bag.
“That was hot,” she said, standing and coming over to adjust his shirt and tie.
He buttoned his pants, not bothering to hide what he knew was a wide, satisfied grin on his own face. “You are a bad influence, Miss Parker.”
Harper looked at him knowingly. “You like it when I’m bad.”
“I need to get back to work before you get me in trouble with the boss for more reasons than I can count right now.” He kissed her and then grabbed his coffee. He winked at her before unlocking the door, and announced something about the data on a project he needed from her as he exited her office.
***
The rest of the week went by fast. They stole moments when they could, and spent each night making up for the lost time during the day at either his or her apartment. Some of the days, Harper had to work with River. He apologized for his comment and promised to do his best to keep the sibling relationship separate from their work relationship.
Natasha also spent two days with Harper, consulting with a local business. She saw the way Natasha looked at Jax, and wondered if there had ever been anything there. She was sure Natasha would jump at the chance to have a fling with him.
On the fourth of July, Harper and Jax went to Cape Cod to watch the fireworks, where they set a blanket on the beach and sipped on whiskey and ate
sandwiches.
The weekend went by, and she attended his soccer game, telling River she’d come to support him. It was only a half-lie, but Jax had seemed happier than she’d thought he would be to see her in the bleachers. His focus while he played was admirable. He had so much drive when he was trying to achieve a goal.
He didn’t like to share much about himself, and Harper didn’t mind, or press him. She was happy to fill their silences with food, sex, and playful stories. He would open up to her when he was ready.
The following week went by with secret moments at work, staying in to watch movies, and cook at their apartments. They ended each night wrapped in each other’s arms, and each morning they woke the same way.
Chapter 18
The following Saturday, Harper had dinner with her parents and River. Her mother and father liked to have family dinners to check in with their two grown children once a month or so. Harper loved them, and appreciated that they still tried to show her and River they were important to them.
David asked, “How do you like working for the company so far, Harper?”
“I’m really enjoying getting to know all the different facets. I like it. The role encompasses a lot of different components, so it doesn’t ever seem to get old.”
He nodded before asking, “Who has been the most efficient teacher of all my consultants?”
She didn’t want to give anything away, so she explained, “Jax and Natasha are my best teachers. I have learned a lot from them in my time with each of them.”
David seemed satisfied with her answer and moved on to asking River how he was doing and what his new girlfriend was like. Sandra looked overly interested in River’s responses, but then again, her parents did always seem to be more attentive to River than her.
“Ella is coming to visit me next week,” River said.
Sandra wiped her mouth with her napkin and suggested, “Oh, I would love to meet her. Let’s do dinner one night. We can meet her as a family.”