Explosive Desire (Love With a Price Book 4)

by N. J. Young

  She met his kiss fiercely, a little moan escaping the back of her throat as her lips parted for his tongue. Her tongue timidly slid between his lips, and he groaned as it rubbed against his. He explored her mouth, letting his hands roam over her body.

  Tap, tap, tap.

  Harper yanked away from him with a little squeal.

  Tap, tap, tap.

  “Oh, for Christ’s sake.” He had to bite back a curse as he saw his sister, grinning and tapping incessantly on the passenger window with a perfectly manicured fingernail.

  Harper clutched a hand to her chest. “Sweet Jesus, that girl about scared me to death. Becca, stop that!” She cast a glance his direction, and he was pleased to see that she did not look happy to be sliding away from him. “I guess I need to go, honey. Don’t forget, you’re meeting me at the hospital.”

  He gave her hand one last squeeze. “Seven o’clock. Don’t worry, Pretty. I won’t forget.”

  She leaned across the seat to give him a quick kiss, and then she was sliding out of the truck, shutting the door. He watched as she walked into Becca’s Boutique with his sister, who was chattering away animatedly.

  He rubbed absently at his chest. It seemed there was a damn hole inside of him every time Harper left. He didn’t relish spending the next few hours without her. But he knew he needed to suck it up. He’d promised Dylan to help out with the big animal adoption clinic today. So his afternoon would be spent with puppies and kittens. That thought of course, spurred a dirty thought about the pussy he really wanted, but he pushed it aside, and put his truck in reverse. It was going to be a long afternoon.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “You are smoking crack if you think I’m wearing heels down that aisle.” Linzee’s voice came across loud and clear over FaceTime.

  Tori just chuckled. She had to be the most lax bride Harper had ever seen. Nothing seemed to really faze her.

  The girl tucked her brown hair behind one ear and turned to the phone, which Harper had aimed toward the shoe selection. “How about this, Linz? Everyone can choose whatever shoes they want. Just pick silver shoes. I really don’t care if they’re ballerina slippers or stilettos.” She cast a glare at Becca. “Although stilettos might not be the best choice for a wedding.”

  Luke’s sister blinked a few times, and Harper had to stifle a laugh when her mock outrage hit. “What is that supposed to mean? I know it’s a wedding and not a nightclub, Tori. Jeez. You should be more worried that I’m going to make gagging noises when you kiss my brother at the end of the ceremony.” As if to prove her point, Becca stuck her finger in her mouth and started to pretend-gag.

  Harper arched an eyebrow at Carly, who seemed to have a naughty glint in her eye.

  “You know, Bec, I just realized something,” Carly said innocently.

  “What’s that?” Becca turned to look in the big mirror, fluffing her hair, turning this way and that to study the newest bridesmaid dress selection.

  “Well, if you think about it, every woman in this room—virtually or otherwise—has fucked one of your brothers.”

  Becca’s eyes went so wide, Harper was afraid they were going to pop right out of her head. Linzee’s loud laugh echoed throughout the room, and Tori’s shoulders shook with mirth as she clasped a hand over her mouth.

  With a near panicked look, Becca turned around and regarded the other women. “Eww! Stop that, Carly. You know I hate it when you say shit like that!”

  The corners of Carly’s mouth turned up as she tried unsuccessfully to hide her smirk. She finger-combed her long dark hair over her shoulder as she gave Becca a mock innocent look. “Well, I’m just assuming. I haven’t really asked Harper about her sex life, but since she’s been at Luke’s every waking second over the past month, I’m guessing it’s a pretty safe bet.”

  Harper could feel the color rise in her cheeks. It’s not that she was a shy person. Far from it. But she wasn’t used to having anyone she could really talk to about her sex life. The only true friend she had was her mom, and … well, talk about super awkward. “I wish I could just lay it all out, but I don’t want to scar Becca for life.”

  Becca immediately clamped her hands over her ears. “Screw you guys. I’m going in the back to get the next set of dresses. You have five minutes to talk about sex.” As she walked off, she kept her hands clamped over her ears and started singing, “La la la.”

  Carly bounced down on the couch next to Harper in the dressing area of the boutique and erupted into a fit of giggles. “I know I shouldn’t do that, but it’s just so much fun.”

  “Let’s not waste our five minutes.” Tori snatched the phone from Harper’s hand and turned it around so she was face-to-face with Linzee. “I want to hear about Harper’s sex life.”

  “Now, girls,” Linzee said in her best mom voice. “Leave Harper alone. She might not want to talk about the fact that Luke makes her scream so loud you can hear it throughout the entire apartment complex.”

  Harper buried her face in her hands. “Oh, Lord.”

  “Oh no, you’re talking,” Tori said. “Come on, I am super curious to know about this whole dominant thing he has going on.”

  “Oh, I can tell you about that,” Carly said with a laugh, causing Harper’s head to snap up.

  An audible sigh came from the phone. “Can someone please turn me to face Carly so I can glare at her?” Linzee asked.

  “What do you mean you can tell us about Luke’s dominant side?” A burning erupted in Harper’s gut. If this was what jealousy felt like, she didn’t like it.

  Carly looked at the other women in surprise. “No, no, no. I just mean that I’ve seen him at the Calico a few times when Dylan’s taken me there. He can barely walk across the room, he has so many subs falling to their knees in front of him. The level of dominance he exudes without doing a thing is crazy.”

  Harper felt herself relax a bit.

  “So, is it? Crazy?” Tori grinned as she turned the phone back to face Harper.

  The three women eyeing her wanted info, and they wanted it bad. Harper took a shaky breath. “Okay, look. I’ve never had anyone to talk about sex with before. I didn’t really have girlfriends when I was younger.”

  “Then, no time like the present to rip off the Band-Aid,” Carly said.

  Harper smiled. “Well, I never thought I’d be into the whole Dominant/submissive thing. I mean I’ve read a few romance novels, and it’s super hot, but more in a fantasy kind of way, not really as a reality.”

  Linzee smiled knowingly. “But then Luke Price came along.”

  “Okay, so we only have two minutes,” Carly said looking at the time on the phone. “Tell us about this whole screaming thing that Linzee’s talking about.”

  Despite the fact that her face was flaming, Harper related Luke’s favorite form of punishment, which was to tie her down so well that she couldn’t move a muscle and then torture her with orgasms. He’d done that twice now in the last month, and both times, she thought she was going to pass out from the pleasure. She could feel herself getting wet just thinking about him saying, “Come one more time for me, Pretty.”

  After she finished talking, she noticed that Tori’s face was flushed. Carly was practically panting, and Linzee was fanning herself.

  “God sure did know what he was doing when he created the Price boys,” Linzee said.

  “And just think, you all are the lucky women who get to love them.” At Becca’s voice, all three women turned to see her standing in the doorway.

  The smile faded from Harper’s face as she noticed the sad look in Becca’s eyes. “Are you okay, sweetie?” She got up to put an arm around Becca.

  Becca gave her head a little shake and forced a smile that didn’t go anywhere near her eyes. “I’m fine. I just wonder if I’m ever going to find … well, forget it. We’re not here to talk about me.”

  Harper was really hoping something had worked out with Gray and Q, but from the look on Becca’s face, she was guessing it hadn’t.


  “Still no luck with your dynamic duo?” Carly asked.

  Becca shook her head sadly. “No, I’m pretty sure that ship has sailed.”

  “You know what, Bec?” Tori turned to her and moved the phone with her. “I think you’ve spent enough time pining for those two. It’s time you found someone who appreciated everything you have to offer.”

  “I know that tone,” Linzee said. “I’m betting Tori has something in mind.”

  A grin lit Tori’s face. “Have you met Chase? He runs the new winery south of town. He recently started supplying the wine to Price B&G.”

  Linzee looked as if she was bouncing. “Ooo, I know him. He’s gorgeous. Bec, he would be perfect for you.”

  “I don’t know.” Becca looked extremely unsure. “I’ll think about it.”

  Tori frowned at her friend. “Seriously, think about it. I don’t like seeing you unhappy, Bec.”

  “Well, let’s put a pin in that topic. Right now, we need Tori to decide on bridesmaids’ dresses for us all.” Becca unloaded the armful of dresses she’d carried into the room.

  Two hours later, the dresses had been chosen as well as the accessories. Harper waved at Tori as she left the boutique and turned back to Becca. “You about ready?”

  Becca glanced at the clock over the front counter. “Oh crap, I guess it is almost seven.”

  Harper hung up the last of the bridesmaid dresses. “Thanks for taking me to the hospital since my car is still there.”

  As the two women gathered their things, Becca started turning off the main lights. “No problem. Hey, you never mentioned if anything more happened with your stalker. I’m going to guess not since you haven’t said anything.”

  Harper felt a twinge of trepidation. “Nothing more has happened since my car was vandalized.”

  “That’s good, right?” Becca studied her face. “Why don’t you look like that’s a good thing?”

  “It is good,” Harper said, trying to convince herself. “It just bothers me that they never figured out who it was. But I’m guessing the guy probably sees that I’m with Luke now and gave up.”

  “I’m sure he’s given up,” Becca said reassuringly. “My brother can be pretty intimidating. Whoever it was probably doesn’t want to mess with him.”

  Harper smiled, trying to convince herself that Becca was right. “I hope so.”

  “Yeah, and speaking of intimidating,” Becca opened the front door and ushered Harper out, “my brother will kill me if I don’t deliver you to him on time. And those aren’t really the kind of fireworks I want tonight.”

  Harper laughed and followed Becca out the door. As much as she was looking forward to the party and the fireworks, she couldn’t stem the spark of unease she was feeling. And she didn’t know why.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “So no more incidents?” Gray asked as Luke looked out over the crowd in the hospital parking lot that was currently doubling as party central. Food trucks were parked along one side of the lot, and tables were scattered about, containing colorful centerpieces. A huge trellis with streamers and balloons stood at the entrance to the new wing of the hospital, with a big ribbon tied across the front.

  “Nope. Not since her car was vandalized. It’s been a month. Whoever it was had to have given up by now.”

  When Gray said nothing, Luke cast a side glance at his friend. He could see Gray’s jaw working as he looked out over the crowd. It was his cop look, his investigative look.

  Luke frowned. “What?”

  Gray flicked him a glance and then looked back out at the crowd. “Nothing. I’ve just seen quite a few stalker cases. I don’t ever remember having one where the perp just gave up.”

  “Don’t fucking tell me that, Gray.” Luke practically growled, turning to his friend.

  Grayson held his hands up in front of him, his usual gesture when trying to tame the beast, as he put it.

  “What’s going on?” Q asked as he walked up, handing each of them a bottle of water. “And why is there no beer here? It’s a Fourth of July celebration, and there’s no beer. That’s just wrong.”

  When neither Luke nor Gray said anything, Q sighed looking from one man to the other. “Really, I walk away for two minutes, and you two little bitches are sniping at each other?”

  Luke shoved a hand through his hair. “We’re not sniping.” Truth be told, he hadn’t stopped worrying about the damn stalker, not for a second. Even though it had been more than a month now with no activity, he was still uneasy, even more so, if that were possible. Hearing Gray voice what he was thinking didn’t help matters any.

  “Where is Harper anyway?” Gray asked, twisting the cap off his bottle of water.

  Luke looked at his watch. 7:30. “She’s with Becca. They were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago.” But he wasn’t calling. He wasn’t turning into an overprotective jackass. But that didn’t mean that Gray and Q weren’t.

  “They’re thirty minutes late?” Q’s eyes narrowed. “Well, where the hell are they? The town’s not that big. Even if they got side-tracked, it shouldn’t be for thirty minutes.”

  “Calm down, man.” But even as Gray spoke, he pulled out his smart phone and began tapping away. Luke watched him scroll along what looked like a map on the screen. Finally, Gray breathed a sigh of relief. “They’re almost here.”

  Luke’s brow furrowed. How did Gray know? “Dude, are you tracking my sister?”

  Gray quickly shoved his phone back in his pocket and glanced at Q. “Uh, it’s really not as creepy as it sounds.”

  Q just shrugged his shoulder. “Sure it is. But I don’t really care. We can keep an eye on her, and she doesn’t have to know it. No harm, no foul.” He shoved a finger in Luke’s face. “And don’t you say anything to her, motherfucker.”

  Luke just shook his head and grinned as he studied his friends. Maybe he didn’t agree with their actions, but he didn’t doubt that their hearts were in the right places. They cared about Becca. He had no doubt about that. Not anymore. He was beginning to wonder if he’d made a mistake by telling them to stay away from her. Yeah, they were a little old for her. And yeah, there were two of them. But Becca seemed miserable because they kept backing away from her. Luke’s whole point had been to protect his sister, not be the one who broke her heart.

  “Look, there’s something I really need to talk to you two about,” he began.

  “Luke!” Brandie came running toward him, her eyes wild. He was used to the nurse’s flirtation, but the look in her eyes was anything but. She looked downright panicked. “Luke, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

  Gray immediately went on alert next to him. “What is it, Brandie? Is something wrong?”

  “Oh, Detective. Yes, yes, something’s wrong. We just had our shift change, and there were about two minutes when all the nurses were in the locker room. When I came back out, I went to grab my purse from behind the desk, and that’s when I saw it.”

  “What?” Luke was trying to remain patient, but really wanted her to get to the point.

  “This.” She opened her big purse and drew out a blue envelope.

  Luke’s stomach dropped.

  “It’s addressed to Harper. It looks like the other ones.”

  Luke snatched it away from her before she’d finished talking.

  “Luke!” Gray barked at him. “Fingerprints.”

  “You have his fucking fingerprints already, and it hasn’t done you any good.” He yanked the letter from the envelope so hard, he nearly ripped it.

  “I’ve given you every opportunity, Harper. And now you’ve pushed me too far. I hope you enjoy fireworks. BOOM.”

  Gray and Q had crowded him to read over his shoulder. “What the fuck does that mean?” Q barked.

  “Brandie, did this come in the mail?” Gray asked.

  Her curls bounced as her head shook. “No, there’s no mail today because of the holiday. Someone left it. It was just lying on the counter when I came
out of the locker room.”

  Gray was on his phone immediately, barking orders at someone on the other end to pull the hospital security footage.

  “So whoever it is, he is here. Right now.” Luke began scanning the faces in the crowd, hoping that someone would stand out to him.

  “There you are!” Harper’s voice had him whipping his head in the direction of the side lot where everyone was parking for the day.

  Relief filled him as he watched her bound toward him, followed by Becca, who scowled when she saw his friends.

  Harper was holding her arms out to him as she walked up, but then she saw what he was holding, she came to a sudden halt. Her entire face paled, and she backed up a step. “What … where did you get that?”

  It was Brandie who answered. “Harper! This was just left for you. Someone dropped it off in person.”

  “In person?” Harper’s voice was barely a whisper. “He’s here?”

  “That’s it. We’re leaving.” Luke shoved the letter at Gray, and put his arm firmly around Harper.

  “What?” Harper’s brow furrowed. “Luke, you’re supposed to cut the ribbon with your mom.”

  “She’ll understand.” He was already directing her toward the parking lot.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Gray piped up, following them.

  Luke’s eyes flashed as he turned back around. “And why the hell not? I’m not just going to let her stay here and be a sitting duck.”

  “And if you leave, what do you think will happen? This guy wants to make a statement tonight. At least if Harper’s here, we know where he’s going to be, and we know she’ll be surrounded by people. If you leave, I’m guessing he’s not going to follow you. I have a feeling he’ll be upset that you left and try to get back at you for it. And you’ll be alone.”

  “I don’t care,” Luke said through clenched teeth. “Let him get back at me all he wants. I’m keeping her safe. Come on, Harper.” He ignored her protests and pulled her to him as he started to walk away.