by Cathryn Fox
“I think I bruised my ass.”
His grin turns devilish, and my insides quiver. “Are you telling me to kiss your ass?”
I lift my chin slightly. “I’m not telling—”
He brushes his thumb over my lips. “Why don’t I start here?”
His mouth comes down over mine, and in that instant, the entire world closes in on me. His tongue slides in, and oh my God, the man can kiss. My hands curl around his back, touch him all over. Our mouths meld together, and we breathe each other in, neither one caring about the cold ground, or the dust settling on our clothes, as my nipples swell, press against his chest. He groans, and his hips roll as he pushes against me, his cock hard against my thigh. Heat flickers through me, and he traces my lips with his tongue before plunging back inside. Oh God, I want him. I feel his desire, need. It matches my own. But before we go any further, he needs to know the truth. He deserves that. But what is the truth?
“Will,” I say, and break the intimacy. “I’m not…I’m not.”
His eyes narrow, like he’s onto me, like he knows my secret. “You’re not what, Harper?”
“I’m not… We shouldn’t be doing this,” I say.
Chapter Four
Will
Son. Of. A. Bitch.
I pace inside my bedroom, going from the bed to the window and back again as the sweet taste of Harper still dances on my tongue. Fuck, I wanted her, but she broke the kiss, said we shouldn’t be doing it—that she was not supposed to be here. I can only imagine she meant she wasn’t supposed to be out alone in the orchard with me. Well, fuck, that’s enough for me to realize she’s committed to George. Maybe she’s not a gold digger after all, not out to take from my family. And maybe I just hoped she was, because there was a part of me that wanted her for myself.
Selfish prick that I am.
I need to back off—keep a measure of distance between us. I should fly back to the States and get out of George’s business is what I should do. The truth is I love the guy and would never do anything to hurt him or come between him and the girl he loves. Decision made, I rip off my dust-covered shirt and kick off my pants. Naked, I step up to the bathroom door to listen for signs that Harper is inside. When silence meets my ears, I step into the bathroom, only to find Harper turning on the shower, not a stitch of clothes on her beautiful body. The world closes in around me as lust and desire expand quickly.
She stands and turns quickly when a groan rumbles from the depths of my throat. With dust on her cheeks, her long hair a tangled mess, she looks so fucking adorable. Every coherent thought but one flies from my brain as I take her in.
Want.
Fuck…more like I need her.
Her eyes go wide at my surprise invasion. I try to force my legs to move, to go back to my room, but when her gaze drops and takes in my rock-hard cock, it cuts the leash holding me back.
“Will,” she whispers.
I rake my hands through my hair. “Yeah?” Fuck, is that my voice?
“I’m not—”
“It’s okay, don’t worry.” I hold my hands up, palms out. “I’m not about to touch you again.”
She hesitates for a long moment, then whispers, “I’m not who you think I am.”
My head rears back. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be here or not. George and I, we’ve never met in person. There was this pact, and well…”
“But you met online, right?”
She gives a slow shake of her head, and with hope surging inside me—hope that she’s not George’s—I move toward her instead of away, the traitorous missile between my legs now calling the shots. Crazy, really, because I don’t normally give myself over to impulse, and while I should be wondering who texted her when we were riding, and what she’s doing here if she’s never met George, online or in person, I can’t seem to think about that right now. Selfish bastard that I am, all I can think about is touching her, kissing her, guiding her thighs apart so I can bury my face between her legs and camp out there for the rest of the day. As desire tumbles out of me in a ragged breath, I give in to baser needs and pull her soft, naked body to mine. She melds into me, and I breathe in her sweet peach scent.
“Will,” she says, and when I hear the want in her voice, the soft caress of her breath on my neck, it pushes all my buttons. “I want you.”
I have no idea who she is or what’s really going on, but with my brain shutting down, my body taking over, the discussion will have to wait. My lips crash down on hers. Motherfucker, it’s insane how much I want her. Terrifying, really. Our mouths fuse, and my tongue teases her lips open to slide inside for a deeper, more thorough taste. Steam from the running water fills the room as she moves restlessly, kissing me back with so much heat and desire, it nearly drives me to my knees.
I want her a million different ways. I try to fight off the sense of urgency as I slide my hands over her, grip the lush curve of her ass, and massage her gently with my palms. As electricity crackles between us, her beautiful, pebbled nipples press against my chest, and I break the kiss and inch back to give them the attention they deserve. I dip my head, pull one pretty pink nipple into my mouth, and slide my tongue over it. Harper’s soft moan curls around me, and a hot rush spreads through my body as it heads south. I can’t wait one more second to feel the heat between her legs.
I slide my hands over her curves, and she leans into my touch, her body surrendering to me as I take full possession of her. On some level I know this is fucked up, some working brain cell is shouting in warning, but the softness of her skin drowns out the jangling bells and shuts down my ability to think with clarity. As my cock hurts for her, my mouth finds the long, sexy column of her throat. Fuck, she smells so goddamn good, I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to.
And I don’t fucking want to.
She rubs against me like a kitten, her soft purr fueling the lust. A desperate sort of ache races through my blood. My knee slides between hers, and I widen her legs. I take a quick breath and release it slowly to keep it together. I jacked off to the image of this gorgeous woman last night, and I can hardly believe I’m here with her now. My cock thickens as I revel in the things I’m going to do to her, the ways I’m going to get her off. After that, I plan to fill her mouth and pussy with my cum.
Face flushed, she grips my shoulders to hang on, and her nails drag my skin as she rakes them over me. Her stiff nipple scrapes my chest, and a surge of pleasure shoots through me. Goddammit, I need my mouth between her legs, need to eat her pussy until she’s screaming my name.
She rocks into me when I slide my hand along her inner thighs, going higher and higher until I can feel her heat. She fucking wants me as much as I want her. That probably shouldn’t thrill me as much as it does. “Is this what you need?” I ask. I touch her sex, circle my finger around her hot clit.
“Yesss…”
“Last night I rubbed my cock and shot hot cum all over my stomach as I thought about tasting your cunt,” I admit freely.
“Oh God, Will,” she murmurs.
“Did you touch yourself, slide your finger into you wet pussy, wishing it was my big cock filling you instead?”
A moan catches in her throat, and I inch back to see her face. We’ve barely even started, but I find her eyes half lidded, her breath coming faster. Seeing her like this is…well, it’s the sexiest fucking thing ever.
“Tell me,” I demand.
“Yes,” she confesses. “After I saw you naked.” She gulps, unable to speak as I push one thick finger insider her. “I touched myself.”
“You wanted my cock?”
“Yes.”
I pump into her, wiggling my fingers and brushing my palm over her hard clit.
“Did you think about my face between your legs, eating you?”
“Will,” she murmurs, her cheeks a darker shade of pink.
I shove another finger into her, and small clenches suck me in deeper. My cock throbs, an
d I have to force myself to slow down, otherwise this will be over before it ever begins.
Pleasure races through me, every nerve ending in my body alive and on fire as I push my fingers deep and pull out again, repeating the motion until she’s grabbing at me. “Yeah, that’s it, Harper. Ride my fingers.”
Tension builds in her body, the rippling waves of an orgasm coming closer and closer. I fucking love it. Her erotic whimper fills the room and pulses down my body, settling deep between my legs.
“You like that, huh? You like when I fuck you with two fingers,” I whisper, dying to taste her, slide my cock all the way inside her until I’m balls fucking deep and she’s screaming my name.
She presses her lips to my shoulder, her mouth like fire on my skin as her hands race over me with aroused eagerness. “Yes,” she murmurs, her voice vibrating over my skin. I press my palm harder against her clit, applying pressure until a cry catches in her throat. I pull back a bit, easing the tension, wanting to do so many more things to her.
Greedy for pleasure, she moves against me, rocks into my fingers, and I’ve never seen anything hotter. I take deep choppy breaths as she rides me, takes what she needs, and I’m so fucking eager to see her face when she comes all over my hand, I stand there with my fingers inside her, pre-cum spurting from the slit in my crown.
With no hesitation, no uncertainty, a sexy woman who takes what she wants—a total fucking turn-on for me—she reaches down, captures my cock in her soft hand. A growl lodges in my throat.
“Fuck, Harper,” I say, the friction almost unbearable. “That…” With a desperate need about her, one that mirrors my own, she strokes me, runs her hands along my long length, and while I’d like nothing better than to bend her over the tub, some coherent part of me is aware that I don’t have a condom. My fingers delve deeper inside her hot core, increasing the contact and pressure, and her hips roll into me, both of us so fucking close to losing it, even though I want so much more than a quick, hurried orgasm. In fact, I’d love to carry her to my room, toss her on my bed, and fuck her for hours.
“Yes, yes, just like that. So good,” she says as she shivers.
Shameless need takes hold as her pussy muscles squeeze around my fingers. I slide an arm around her to hold her as her hot cum soaks my palm. I continue to finger-fuck her, consoling myself with the knowledge that next time I’ll get my mouth between her legs.
“Will,” she cries out my name, and my cock throbs as her pulses slow.
“Next time you’re going to be spread on my bed, and I’m going to eat you for hours,” I say, and another orgasm hits her, taking us both by surprise. I grin. She likes it when I talk dirty.
Fuck yeah.
When her body finally stops spasming, she rubs my cum over my cock, drops to her knees, and slides her other hand between my legs to cup my balls. The sight of her kneeling before me pretty much does me in.
I rock into her mouth, the rhythm and pressure of her hands on my dick building the need inside me. I fight the pull in my groin as desire zaps my balls, takes a firm hold. I don’t want to come just yet. I want to give her another orgasm, see the pleasure on her face as she rides out the waves.
But that will have to wait, because as her moan shudders through me, my cock pulses between her roaming fingers, a restless hunger I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to sate.
“Such a nice cock,” she says and angles her head until we’re eye to eye. She fucking likes what she’s doing, and it blows my mind. She takes me back into her mouth, worshiping my cock with her tongue. I grip my hair and fist it as she changes her pace, her hands working faster over my throbbing dick, and I know I’m losing the damn battle. My body convulses, and my muscles bunch. I clench my teeth, intensely aware how close I am to shooting off in her mouth. She slides her tongue over me, lighting up nerves I never knew existed. As her breath whispers across my thighs, I twist my fingers in her hair, forcing her mouth open so she can take more of me in. What the fuck is this woman doing to me? I’m seconds from losing it all together. While I want to come in her mouth, shoot my cum down her throat, I pull her off me, and pleasure spikes as she gazes up at me and licks her mouth. So fucking sexy.
“Fuck,” I say and adjust my dick so I spurt cum all over her bare breasts. She groans low in her throat as it drips off her nipples. I stand there for a long time, trying to breathe, speak, form a fucking coherent thought. “Come here,” I finally say and gently grip her shoulders to pull her to me. She stands, and I draw her closer, my hands spanning her waist as our bodies mesh. As her pulse pounds at the base of her neck, she gives me a soft, slow smile. Her hand slides down my arm, looking for mine. She gives a tug to guide me into the shower, to clean us both up. When she moves toward the running water, I step back and take pleasure in her sated look until reality inches its way back inside my brain.
Who is this woman, and why do I want her again so badly?
A hard knock sounds on my bedroom door, and I inch away, shattering the intimacy between us. I pull in a breath, trying to wrap my brain around what’s going on. She blinks at me, and her expression changes, uncertainty replacing satisfaction. My back hits the door to the bathroom with a hard thud, and I shake my head, my heartbeat thundering in my ears. We hadn’t even fucked, my goddamn cock wasn’t even inside her, yet this was earth-shattering sex, nonetheless—sex that never should have happened—considering I have no idea why she’s here. Judging by what she’d said, she doesn’t appear to, either.
The knock sounds on my bedroom door again. “Will, can you give me a hand in the shed,” Gramps asks.
“Be right there,” I shout to be heard over the pounding of my heart.
Harper reaches for me, but I step back. “We…shouldn’t have done this,” I say as my stomach plummets. Is she George’s or not? This family would open their arms to anyone, and for all we know about her, she could be some escaped lunatic.
“Will, it’s okay,” she says, her voice a strangled whisper.
“Be sure to wear something old,” Gramps says.
Harper takes a small step toward me, but I can’t let her touch me until I know who she is and what she wants. But right now, with Gramps waiting for me, it’s clear the conversation is going to have to wait.
Chapter Five
Harper
When it comes right down to it, we didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not George’s girl and can sleep with Will if I want. But what I don’t want to do is hurt anyone, and now Will looks spooked. Yeah, we want each other in a physical way, but he still has no idea who I am.
Could this get any worse?
I glance around my warm, cozy room. While I really like it here, I should go. I should pack my bag and get out of Dodge before this goes any further. Deciding to do just that—after I find Will and tell him who I am—I pull on a pair of jeans and a sweater, and I’m about to close my suitcase when a knock comes on my door. Not the adjoining bathroom door, but the one leading to the hall.
I open it and find Claire and Annabella standing there, huge smiles on their faces. Their arms are linked, and they are so warm and welcoming, my heart squeezes. This is the kind of family I wanted growing up, the kind of family I gave up hoping for.
But you don’t want that anymore, Harper.
Yeah, right.
“Breakfast is ready, and then we can hit the garden,” Claire says.
“We’re having blueberry pancakes. Mom is famous for them, too,” Annabella says, then she crinkles her nose. “Wait, do you like blueberries?”
I stare at the two and try to harden my heart, angry with myself for feeling emotional when I should be paying attention to lessons learned. I need to leave this place right now. I open my mouth to tell them that, but instead find myself saying, “Who doesn’t?”
What the hell, Harper?
Annabella weaves her arm through mine, extending the comforting touch to me, and leads me into the hall. She hurries me down the stairs, talking a million miles an hour, about everything
and nothing, and despite this situation, I can’t help but laugh. I always wanted a sister, and the way she’s taking me in, treating me like I’m already one of the family is…not good.
My throat tightens when I reach the kitchen and see everyone from last night gathered around the table. Their voices and laugher representing the type of camaraderie and love I’ve never known. It would be so easy to fall for them all, including Will.
Oh God, this is bad. So very, very bad.
“Everyone came back,” Claire said. She rolls her eyes, but I can tell she loves it. “It’s the pancakes.”
I rub my hands together. “Then I can’t wait to try them.”
As everyone ambushes me with a good morning greeting, I sit, and Claire slides a plate in front of me. My stomach rumbles, and everyone laughs.
“The horseback riding must have given you an appetite,” Annabella says and plunks herself down next to me.
It wasn’t the riding that gave me an appetite. Well, technically it was the riding, but it had nothing to do with Buttercup. “I think it’s all this fresh country air.” Wait! I stiffen. They knew I was out riding? How much did they see? “Oh, you knew I went out earlier?” I ask and try to pull off casual interest.
“I saw you and Will come back,” Annabella says. “I’m sure Buttercup loved it.”
“Will mentioned that you wouldn’t mind.”
“Of course not,” she says, and when she looks past my shoulder, I don’t need to turn to know Will just entered the room. I can feel him, feel the energy arcing between us. I glance around the table. Can the others feel it? I sure as hell hope not.
Claire sits in the chair on the other side of me, and I take that opportunity to pull myself together, my body still feeling the glorious effects of Will’s touch. “I’m glad he’s taken you under his wing. I would have cleared my schedule at the hospital, had I known George’s surprise was a beautiful woman from the States.”