by Lori Garrett
“You will never come up short for me, Gunner,” she whispers, her voice fierce. “Never. You hear me? I’ve had the biggest soft spot for you from the day you met. No matter what you do, not matter what mistakes you make, you can know that I’ll stand by your side. I’ll be there for you.”
No one—not a single person—has ever believed in me the way Harlow does. She should have left me for good a dozen times over things I screwed up just in the last few weeks. But she never does.
That’s a love that I need to earn, because it’s a love a man can’t live his life without.
But, right now, I just need to feel her, to be with her, to know without a doubt that I didn’t lose her. She’s said the words, but my body needs to know.
My blood surges and my mouth finds hers. I lick and suck and kiss like a man gone wild. My hands tug at her little dress until it puddles to the floor, I tear her panties down and sink to my knees, her legs spread in front of me. All she has on is her tiny bra, pink lace that lets her nipples poke through the fabric.
I push her against the wall and pry her legs open, licking at her with a few quick laps, loving the cries that burst from her lips. I dig my fingers into her hips, holding her steady while I feast on her. “I’ve missed the taste of this pussy. Open those legs wider.”
She does what I say and I suck and kiss until her knees wobble and her hands fist in my hair, partly from passion and partly because she’s going to fall over if she doesn’t hold tight. I knead one hand along her thigh and slide it up higher, until one finger sinks deep into her slickness. She gasps and I move it in rhythm with my tongue, quickening it until her cries crash together and she shakes hard, her hips pressing against me.
I pull back, sure I’m going to explode if I don’t get deep in her in a second. I start to stand, but Harlow puts her hands on my shoulders and shakes her head.
I follow her silent command, lying back on the hard floor as she straddles my hips. She presses my dick flat on my stomach and strokes it with soft, sweet fingers. She puts a hand down to her clit and rubs, sliding her finger between the lips of her pussy. She presses up and along the length of my dick, then pulls back, and I can’t imagine a more perfect torture.
She reaches a hand up to let her bra fall to the floor, and continues her slow, sweet slide back and forth, her blue eyes closed tight, her mouth hanging open just slightly. I’m so hard, I’m not sure I won’t burst.
“Baby, you’re so damn sexy,” I say, running my hands up that tight, gorgeous dancer’s body. “I love you, you know that?”
Like a switch got flipped, Harlow’s eyes pop open, and she lifts her hips, sliding over me with one hot, wet push. I’m deep in her, her body over mine, her hips jumping and thrusting in a crazy rhythm.
“Whoa, baby. Slow down. That’s it. That feels good, doesn’t it?” I ask, grabbing onto her hips and bracing them with my hands. We find a rhythm, and I lie on my back, appreciating the fact that all I have to do is hold on while the most beautiful girl in the damn world writhes and pumps on my dick, her gorgeous tits bobbing up and down, her light hair getting stuck to her neck from the sweat.
She speeds up suddenly, breaking away from the pressure of my hands, and her moans fill the entire house. She grabs her nipples and twists, runs her hands up her neck and into her hair, and jerks her entire body.
“Gunner! Damn it, Gunner! I’m coming!” She falls forward, her hands on my chest, and a few sweet whimpers escape her mouth.
I flip her under me, driving into her hard and quick.
“Deeper,” she moans.
“Can’t do that, kitten, unless you plan on doing some serious bending....holy hell, woman.” I keep pumping into her as Harlow pulls her legs back impossibly far, and I slide in right to the hilt, deeper than I imagined possible.
“I’m a dancer, Gunner. I’m super flexible,” she says, her sexy grin soon replaced by the perfect ‘o’ of her mouth. “Come for me, Gunner! I can’t take much more!”
“Let me come on your titties,” I gasp, watching them bounce up and down.
“Yes!”
I pull out and spill all over her body, catching myself on my arms over her before I collapse. I look down into her sleepy, satisfied face as I grab my t-shirt to clean her off. “You’ve got an angel’s face, but, damn, you’re kinky as hell, girl,” I say, lying close to her.
“It’s only with you. I want to do everything with you, Gunner, be everything you want.”
“Everything I want, huh?” I murmur kissing her neck. “Well, you don’t have to change a damn thing, then. Because everything I want is you.”
“Do you remember the first time we made love?” Harlow asks, curling against me.
I don’t even have to strain my brain to picture that night in the little cabin back in the woods. How I’d never been so damn scared before in my life. How slowly peeling Harlow’s clothes away from her body was the most sensual thing I’d ever done. “I want you,” she whispered. And I hoped to god she wasn’t going to change her mind about me.
“Are you kidding, Harlow? Of course I do. I remember every time since then, too.”
Harlow swats at me playfully. “You do not.”
“Like hell I don’t. You’re the first good thing in my life, Harlow. I remember every damn thing.”
A smile spreads across her face and she buries it in my bare chest. “I love you, Gunner.”
“Love you, too, baby,” I say. I’ve got this gorgeous girl that I love the hell out of, naked on my floor, and I’m about to ruin it. “As much as I want to stay right here, we’ve got a whole spread of food out there. Let’s go enjoy it.”
“I’d rather enjoy you. Again,” Harlow purrs.
I cup her perfect ass, and pull her in closer. “Plenty of time for that, kitten,” I say. I kiss her forehead. “Come on, let’s at least go try some of that Hummingbird Cake.”
“Fine.” She pushes herself off of me and reaches for her clothes on the floor. “Are you coming?”
“Yep,” I say, I can’t keep my eyes off of her, though. Part of me wonders if what I’m about to do will make this the last time I’ll see Harlow stripped bare.
Fuck.
No, it’s not going to be like that. This is for the best, it’s going to be good.
She pauses, holding her dress in her hands, ready to pull it over her head.
“Gunner, are we going to be okay?”
“Course, kitten,” I say. I hope to god with everything in me that it’s the truth.
CHAPTER 15
HARLOW
“That was incredible,” I say, licking the last bit of frosting from my fingers. “I’ve been so stressed the last few weeks, I don’t remember the last time I had a real meal. Thank you.”
“Good, I’m glad,” Gunner says. He leans back in his chair and pulls his eyebrows in. The two actions, one relaxed, one contemplative, are totally contradictory.
I get still suddenly, sensing something isn’t right. “What’s going on?”
“We need to talk, Harlow,” he says. He tips his chair back toward the table, the legs hitting the floor with a thud.
My palms start to sweat. “Talk? Talk about what?”
“Don’t look so scared, baby. It’s a good talk,” Gunner says. He flashes me what I think he hopes is a convincing smile. Too bad I know Gunner, inside and out, and that smile is forced. He sees my doubt, reaches across the table and clutches my hand. “I love you. You know that, right?”
“Of course. I love you, too, baby.” I pull my hands back and ball them under my chin. “Please don’t make me guess, cause I’m coming up with some scary stuff in my head right now. Gunner, what’s going on?”
Gunner sucks in a deep breath, then exhales slowly. Dragging out the seconds as long as possible. Torturing me.
“You know my brother, Greyson—”
“The asshole?”
Gunner lets out a low, sexy chuckle. “Kitten, my family is full of asshole dirtbags, and Greyson is no except
ion. But he was able to help me out with something pretty amazing.”
“Uh huh,” I say, cautiously.
“He used to date this girl, Cassie for a while. They were on-again-off-again—”
“Seems to be a trend with you Hunt boys,” I smirk.
“Ha ha. Anyway, she had major daddy issues, and Greyson has major issues not fucking around on his women, so they finally called it quits. But not before Cassie moved to Chicago and they did the long distance thing for a while—”
He never talks this much, and I hate to interrupt him. I usually love hearing even the smallest details about his life. But this is killing me. “Gunner, please, I’m begging you. Where are you going with this?”
“I’m getting there. It’s just a little backstory is going to help when I get to the point. On one of Greyson’s trips over there, he met Cassie’s new roommate, Kayla, who is a dancer,” Gunner says.
I raise an eyebrow.
“Not nearly as talented, or even close to as beautiful as you, though, kitten. Greyson is a sucker for a dancer's legs—that must run in the family, too.” Gunner smirks, and reaches under the table to pull one of my legs onto his lap. He runs his rough hand up the length of it, and I feel myself relax under his touch. “So, anyway, he started fooling around with Kayla.”
“How romantic.” I dip a finger in the last bit of Hummingbird Cake on my plate and love the way his eyes follow it to my mouth.
He swallows hard and shakes his head as I suck the frosting off slowly. “Only one dancer for me, baby. And even after he and Cassie ended things for good, he kept in touch with Kayla. Every time he’s back in Chicago, he spends time with her.”
“What exactly brings him to Chicago regularly?”
“His work,” Gunner says.
“On the rig?”
Gunner shakes his head. “His other job.”
“Which is?”
His hand creeps higher up my thigh. “It’s probably better you don’t know, kitten.”
I sigh. I’ll probably know more about the girls Gunner’s brothers have slept with and the guys they’ve fought than I’ll ever know about things like where they work or what they do with their spare time. “Fine. But wrap this story up, I’m ready for you to take me back to bed.”
“Kayla is a member of a touring Broadway company.”
“Wow, that’s impressive,” I say, trying to hide my snip of jealousy.
Gunner nods. “Not only that, she’s...friendly with the casting director. And she can’t guarantee you a spot, Harlow, but she arranged for you to audition for him.”
My jaw goes slack. I sit up straight in my chair, then sit back. Then I sit up again and grab Gunner’s hand, finally managing to scream in hope and confusion. “What? What are you talking about?”
“An audition in New York, Harlow. For a Broadway show. It won’t be a major role to start out with, but it’s a foot in, and it’s a thousand times better than working in Piedmont.” He leans in and holds my hands tight, linking our fingers. “And I truly believe you’ve got this in the bag, Harlow. No one dances like you do.”
“Holy fucking shit,” I mutter, my entire body shaking, my head spinning.
Gunner laughs and tugs on my hands. “Come here and kiss me with that dirty mouth.”
I jump out of the chair and throw myself on Gunner’s lap, squealing and kissing his neck. His hand creeps up the back of my shirt and presses me closer to him, and he laughs. Damn, his laugh is such a good sound.
But something occurs to me amid all the celebrating, and it stills my racing heart.
“Wait,” I say, pulling back from his mouth, searching his green eyes for any trace of evidence to support my suspicions. “Is that what this is about? Getting me out of Piedmont, away from you?”
Gunner pulls my hair back from my face and rubs a thumb over my cheekbone. “No,” he says, shaking his head. “Absolutely not. If I had it my way, you’d be a permanent fixture upstairs in that big ass bed, and I’d take care of you for the rest of your life. But I know that’s not what’s going to make you happy. And this opportunity, Harlow...it’s amazing.”
I trace my fingers along his jaw and my heart clenches. “You’re right. It is. But you didn’t just stumble onto this lead. You made it happen. Why? Why now?” I hold my breath, half afraid to hear the answer.
He swallows hard and his eyes shift away from me. “Since I met you, this is what your passion has been. And you can do it on your own, I know that. But if I’m gonna be the man who deserves to be with you, I need to show you how much I support you. You deserve this, Harlow. Not just the dancing, but the support. You deserve to be loved the way you give love.”
“Gunner.” I choke out his name as tears swarm my eyes. “Thank you.”
“Just make sure I have a front row ticket to your opening show,” he says with a shadowy smile.
I shake my head and snuggle close to him, the reality of this suddenly slamming into my brain. Sure, I’ve auditioned before, but never on this scale. Never with this kind of competition. My voice shakes when I ask the next question. “What if I don’t even get in? I mean, I’m good, but those girls in those shows? They’re professionals.”
Gunner pulls me from his chest and lifts my chin. “Hey, I believe in you. I’ve seen you dance, Harlow. There’s no question that you’re unbelievably talented. And if you don’t get in, I’ll be right here waiting for you. And we’ll come up with another plan.” He kisses my lips. “But I think you’ll get this. And, trust me, it’s not just me being blinded by your sexiness. The way you danced at the bar had everybody talking for days. I can’t tell you how many guys I resisted the urge to punch for discussing your...uh, moves.” His perfect mouth settles into a scowl.
“I’m very proud of you,” I say, rubbing my nose on his.
“Don’t be too proud. I overcharged them for drinks, then kicked them the hell out of the bar.”
I digest the idea of the audition slowly. It is the opportunity of a lifetime, no question. Girls don’t get breaks like this handed to them. Gunner must have really worked the charm to finagle this deal.
“So, what’d you have to do to get this girl to offer up this favor?”
Gunner doesn’t smile, or even entertain my joke. “Harlow, don’t you dare even think there was anything—”
I press my index finger to his mouth. “I know. I trust you. Wait...did you say you’ll be waiting here for me?” I bite down on my bottom lip, unable to hide my disappointment. It should be obvious. He owns a home and a business here in Piedmont.
“Baby girl, I don’t want you worrying about me, or where I’m going to end up. You go dance your ass off and we’ll go from there.”
“Okay.” I nod, still feeling a little worried and suddenly very small and insignificant.
Gunner brushes his thumb across my lower lip. “Don’t give me that ‘okay’ business. This is exciting news, Harlow. So damn exciting we should go celebrate.”
“I don’t feel like going out,” I say.
“Oh, I didn’t mean we were going out.” He scoops me up into his arms and starts up the stairs, two at a time.
“Wait! We didn’t even have any ice cream yet!” I say, giggling and loving the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around me.
“I’ll bring you some in bed,” he says, flopping me onto mattress, and raising a single eyebrow. “After you’ve earned it.”
CHAPTER 16
GUNNER
I load the last of the equipment onto the back of the truck and take the check from a man who thanks me quietly and pulls away. I head back to the porch, which is technically mine, but still feels like Daniels’. Maybe because he’s sitting there, a glass of hard iced tea in his hands.
“Thank you for helping with that, Gunner.” He’s got a shell-shocked look on his face that I hate.
“No worries. I’m glad I could help.”
I sit on the rocker next to him and look at the barn. From the outside, it looks exactly like it did
half an hour ago, but we both know it’s stripped empty inside. Daniels had left all the equipment in it, and I didn’t give a damn if he never moved it. Selling his livestock had been hard enough on him, and I figured he needed a breather before he got rid of the rest of the equipment that had defined his life for decades.
“I’m sorry you didn’t have a hankering to farm.” He takes a long sip of the cool drink, wincing over the kickback. “And not sorry. It’s a tough business these days. And your girl, she’s a beauty, but she’s headed for the big city, isn’t she? No farmer’s life for her.”
“No, sir.” I shake my head. “Harlow is going right to the top.” I down most of my drink in one long gulp. I’ve avoided out and out slovenly drunkenness while she’s been gone, but it hasn’t been easy. I miss her like my heart’s been cut out.
“And you? Are you still hell bent on staying at the bottom?” He turns to look at me, his old eyes bleary, and his voice hard as granite.
“No, sir.” I laugh and run a hand over my hair. “I’m slow, so you gotta forgive me that. I’m figuring it out though.”
“Let me tell you a story,” Daniels says. “My wife, good Lord, she was a looker. So beautiful. The first year we met, I took my damn time, cause I was a cocky fool just like you. Got to Valentine’s, and I didn’t do much planning. Well, she’d been working at a little shop in town, and a fella asked her to dinner. Now, she was my girl in my mind, but I’d never made it real official. So she calls me on the phone and says, ‘Monty, I’ve had a gentleman ask me on a date on Valentine’s. I expect you’d be taking me out, too. Would you like the lunch slot or the dinner slot? I’m asking you first out of courtesy.’”
I laugh because I’m trying to imagine Mrs. Daniels as a saucy young chick telling Mr. Daniels what was up.
“So what did you do?” I ask.
“Hell, what could I do? I wasn’t gonna let that sweet thing get swept up. I told her I wanted lunch, begged my mama to fix me a picnic basket, put on my best suit, and stopped at the jeweler’s with every cent I had saved. I got on one damn knee, she said yes, and I told her she’d best cancel her dinner date, seeing as she was an engaged woman.” He chuckles and sips his drink.