Discovering Harmony (Wishing Well, Texas #3)

by Melanie Shawn

  “You are not sloppy seconds,” he gritted out. “Don’t ever say that again.”

  My core clenched at the power of emotion radiating off of him. I knew it was wrong to be so turned on right now, but I couldn’t help it. For years, I’d tried and failed to get Hud’s attention. Now I had it, and it was a heady sensation.

  “Promise me you won’t ever say that again,” he commanded.

  I shuddered as the timbre of his voice vibrated through me.

  “On one condition,” I countered.

  “What?”

  “Tell me why you told your brother to call me.”

  He took a step back and dropped his gaze to the ground. I could see him starting to close off again and fisted my hands in his shirt, pulling him towards me once again. He still felt like the cereal box; so close yet just out of reach.

  My eyes started to tear and I could feel my lip tremble. “Don’t do that. Don’t shut me out. Why Hud? Why did you tell your brother to call me?”

  He closed his eyes and for a heartwrenching moment I thought he was going to pull away, instead he rested his forehead against mine. His lips hovered over mine, our labored breaths intertwined.

  “It just…it wouldn’t work, Harmony.” His voice was so raw, so convicted, it broke my heart.

  He truly believed what he was saying.

  But he was wrong.

  Lifting up on my toes, I brushed my lips against his as I whispered, “It is working.”

  For a moment he remained perfectly still. His only movement was the rise and fall of his chest.

  My lips touched his again as I said, “This works.”

  A deep, primal moan ripped from his chest and his hands framed my face as he covered his mouth with mine. Claiming me, owning me as he swept his tongue between my lips and kissed me with a desperation I felt all the way to my toes.

  This was right. This was how it was supposed to be.

  I started tugging at his shirt, trying with everything I had to get him out of it. I wanted to feel his skin against mine. I needed to feel his skin on mine. I needed to touch him, to know that he was really here, with me. It wasn’t until he broke the kiss that I realized Romeo was barking. Hud stepped away and ran his hands through his hair.

  “Hold that thought,” I instructed breathlessly as I rushed over and grabbed the treat that I’d brought for Romeo out of the basket. After tossing it out in the field, I shut the door and turned around hoping that the slight interruption hadn’t given Hud time to have second thoughts.

  One look at his jeans told me at least one part of his anatomy was on board. But I knew better. Hud wasn’t like most guys. Wanting me wasn’t enough.

  “You brought a bone for Romeo.” The corners of his lips twitched and I knew it was game on.

  “Yep.” And now the kill shot. Go big or go home right. “Oh, and I’m also not wearing any panties.”

  I started lifting the hem of my dress, but before I got it past mid-thigh Hud was in front of me, his body flush with mine, my hands pinned behind my back, the thick fingers of his right hand encircling my wrists, holding me in place.

  As turned on as I was, I was also really impressed. He must be really good at his job. “You’ve got to show me how you do that sometime.”

  He grinned as he used his free hand to trace the low-cut neckline of my sundress. Thanks to the position he’d captured me in, my chest was pushed up high and I was spilling out of my top. Watching his tanned, work-roughened fingers slowly run along the delicate edge of the flowery material combined with the sensation of the calloused pads of his fingertips grazing my skin caused my entire body to shake with arousal.

  When he slid his index finger beneath my strap, pulling it gingerly over my shoulder, every cell in my body was screaming for him to rip it off of me. But I didn’t. I let him set the pace and gave over to the sensual buzz that only he made me feel.

  He repeated his actions on the other strap and, when he did, it exposed my chest, the material of my dress bunched beneath my breasts. He made a male sound of appreciation as he lowered his mouth and captured one pebble-hard tip between his teeth. His hand cupped the flesh of my other mound, pinching its stiff peak between his finger and thumb.

  I cried out at the erotic sting of pleasure both his teeth and fingers were causing. Just when I thought it was too much, too intense, he sucked me into his mouth, enveloping my breast in hot, wet suction. As he rolled his tongue along my now ultra-sensitized nipple, it soothed the sting and the decadent pleasure electrified every one of my nerve endings. My legs buckled under the onslaught of bliss. Hud caught me and leaned back against a post for leverage. He pulled me up so I was straddling one strong thigh as he continued his sensual assault on my body.

  He moved from one breast to the other, sucking, biting, kneading, licking. Tension coiled low in my belly and my hips began rocking against the hardened muscle of his thigh. The cotton material of my dress might feel the same as underwear, but the harsh denim of his jeans did not. My core tingled with pulsing pleasure as I grinded against Hud’s leg.

  The combined effects of the sight of him devouring my breasts, the feeling of being held captive to his whims, and the sensation of my bare flesh rubbing along his muscled, denim-clad thigh was building the spine-tingling bliss rushing through me to a crescendo, heightening this experience to feverish levels.

  I wanted this feeling to last forever. I wanted to stay in this limbo between reality and ecstasy. I wanted our connection, this intimacy, to go on for infinity. But, much too soon, my body began trembling as I went up and over the edge of oblivion.

  Hud released my hands and I grasped his shoulders. I felt his large hand grip my hip while he wrapped an arm around my back, holding me securely. I rode out my release until the last delicious wave of completion rippled through me.

  When I opened my eyes to return to the present, I looked down and saw Hud was hugging me tightly to him, his cheek pressed against my chest, just below my neck. Lifting my hands, I ran my fingers along the sides of his head, raking my nails softly against his scalp. A low hum of approval vibrated through his chest, causing an aftershock to seize through me. His leg flexed, pressing into my center, and my body surged back to life.

  I rolled my hips as a sigh fell from my lips. “That was so…”

  “Hot,” Hud finished, his head still resting against my chest, rising and falling with my shallow breaths.

  “Yeah,” I agreed as I continued combing my fingers through the soft strands of his hair. “I can’t tell you how many fantasies I’ve had that starred you and me in this barn, but I never imagined that happening. It was better, sexier, naughtier than anything I could’ve ever dreamed up.”

  He lifted his head and his brown-gold irises locked with mine. My body shivered at the intensely possessive, alpha stare in them. His fingers dug into the flesh of my hip and my core clenched at the sensation. “What did you fantasize about?”

  “A lot,” I answered honestly. “But the most recurring one, the one that I would lay in bed at night and touch myself to, was you bending me over that hay stack and taking me from behind.”

  A puff of air escaped from his chest as he tightened his hold on me. I could feel his hard length jump against my stomach. “Fuck, Harmony.”

  I smiled, loving that I affected him. “Yes, please.”

  Chapter 23

  Hudson

  “A halo only needs to drop a few inches before it becomes a noose.”

  ~ Loretta Reed

  “Harmony.” I knew the warning tone in my voice did nothing to deter the girl straddling my leg.

  Why did doing the right thing feel like it was going to kill me?

  The girl of my dreams had just come apart in my arms and was asking, nicely, for me to bend her over the haystack and fuck her, because that was what she thought about while she made herself come to take the edge off at night.

  How in the hell was I supposed to walk away from that?

  Beads of sweat were r
olling down the back of my neck. My perspiration had nothing to do with the temperature outside, or physical labor and had everything to do with the heat that only Harmony ignited in me.

  I was trying to stay strong, but she wasn’t making it easy. It had taken every ounce of self-control I’d had to stay away from her these past few days. To not respond to her texts, or show up at her house. It had been an hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute, second-by-second struggle.

  More times than I could count, I came close to losing that battle. The only thing that had strengthened my resolve was the knowledge that if I did any of those things, I would only be prolonging the inevitable. Our lives were on different tracks. Just because they were crossing now didn’t negate the fact that they were headed in opposite directions. The end, just like winter, was coming. Spending more time together would only make that fate even more unbearable.

  Or worse, it would cause Harmony to stay. To settle for a life she didn’t want. At least, she wouldn’t want it, down the road. No matter what she might think she wanted now, her heart wasn’t here, in Wishing Well. There was no way in hell I was going to be the guy who kept her here. The guy she ended up resenting. I could never be that.

  Not that she’d even hinted at wanting to change her plans. As far as I knew this was just a casual affair to her. There was a very good possibility that all I was to her was a fun distraction, a way to pass the time, an itch that she finally got to scratch. Which was just another check in the, this-is-a-bad-idea column.

  “I don’t have protection.” It was the truth, even though as the words came out of my mouth, I knew I was taking the easy way out. No and we can’t were two very different answers, and the answer should be no.

  She didn’t miss a beat before responding, “My IUD is good for another three years.”

  My shaft throbbed painfully at the thought of being inside Harmony with no barriers. She was so damn tight, even with a condom I’d barely been able to last. I’d never been with a girl and not used a condom. A few had offered, but I’d always subscribed to the philosophy of being better safe than sorry. Even when I was in serious relationships, there hadn’t been the slightest temptation.

  It was one hell of a temptation now.

  “I’m clean, if that’s what you’re worried about,” she spoke softly.

  That’s when I saw it. The vulnerability. The fear that I would reject her. The uncertainty. The soft center under her hard shell.

  I may not know what I was doing, or how I was ever going to get over her, but I sure as hell knew there was no way I could ever let her think that I didn’t want her.

  She squealed as I lifted her up and headed towards the hay. Her legs wrapped around my waist as she buried her face in my neck and, just like at her house, started covering it in open-mouth kisses.

  “Wait.” She lifted her head, reaching out her hand towards the table saw behind me. “I brought a blanket.”

  Damn, she thought of everything.

  As if reading my mind she slapped my arm. “It was for the picnic.”

  “Says the girl who isn’t wearing any panties.”

  Her head fell back and she laughed a deep belly laugh. It was the sweetest sound in the world. The thought of some guy in New York, or wherever she ended up, making her laugh, kissing her, touching her, making her come apart in his arms made my chest constrict with pain I’d never felt before. It wasn’t as searing as the time my little brother Hayden accidently shot me with BB gun, or as sharp as when I broke my arm during the playoffs senior year. It was worse. It was a soul-deep, twisting, excruciating pain. Like someone had their hands around my heart and was ringing it like a dishrag.

  Harmony lifted her head just as I reached the blanket, and she must’ve sensed my shift in emotion because her brow furrowed and she cupped my face with her hand. “What’s wrong?”

  I wanted to tell her everything. That the thought of her being with someone else was more painful than getting shot or having a broken arm. I wanted to demand that she never let another man touch her. I wanted to tell her that I loved her. That she owned me. That she was mine.

  But the only thing I wanted more than any of that was for her to be happy and I knew being with me, staying here, wouldn’t make her happy—not in the long run.

  I may not have her future, but I had her present. She was in my arms right now. Knowing how fleeting that was, a primal need to possess her rushed through me. Instead of fighting it, I gave into it.

  “Nothing that being inside of you won’t fix.”

  Her mouth made an O shape as I crossed back to the haystack and set her on her feet. I started to spread the blanket out and noticed that she was pulling her dress off.

  “Don’t,” I barked harshly.

  She froze, her eyes wide as she stared up at me.

  “Leave it on.”

  “Okay.” With a pink stain spreading on her cheeks her wide eyes surrounded by thick dark lashes lifted to mine. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she said, “I love it when you get bossy. It makes me so wet.”

  Oh, fuck. This girl really was going to kill me. No one had ever been so unapologetically blunt in the bedroom as Harmony. Her bold words sent a surge of desire spiraling through me so strong it stole the air from my lungs.

  “Turn around,” I instructed calmly as I started pulling my shirt off.

  She stayed where she was, her eyes watching my every move.

  “Now.” This time my tone was harsher.

  After sucking a startled breath, she did as I asked.

  “Put your hands on the blanket.”

  I watched as she lifted her hands, which both trembled slightly, and set them on the blanket that covered the hay. After stripping off my shirt I unbuttoned my jeans.

  “Bend over.” My voice was growing rougher with each direction.

  Her breaths were coming in short pants as she lowered herself onto her forearms.

  Stepping forward I lifted her skirt, revealing the fact that she definitely was not wearing panties.

  “Damn.” I muttered as I caressed the rounded globes of her ass. “You look so fucking hot.”

  This was every man’s fantasy come to life, or at least mine. Harmony was only wearing cowboy boots and a dress that was bunched at her waist. Her bare breasts were hanging over the blanket and her backside was on erotic display.

  I’d never been so turned on in my life. My dick was throbbing heavily as my hands roamed over the curves of her hips. I knew that this wasn’t going to last long, especially since I wouldn’t even have a condom as a buffer.

  I needed her to be ready. More than ready.

  “Open your legs.” I bit out.

  She stepped her feet apart and I slid a hand between her thighs. My fingers were immediately coated in her slickness. I grew even harder knowing that I was going to feel that with no barrier.

  “You’re so wet.”

  She glanced over her shoulder. “Told you.”

  As she looked up at me, I began rolling her clit under my middle finger as my thumb massaged the base of her opening.

  “Oh,” she gasped, and her head fell forward.

  I freed myself from my pants as I readjusted my hand, wrapping it around her hip so I could touch her while I ran the head of my dick up and down her folds. The crown of my shaft slid easily along her seam, and the sensation from just my tip touching her had my balls clenching. Thankfully, I could feel and see that she was close, too.

  “Look at me.” I commanded. “Look at me while I make you come.”

  Her body immediately responded to my request. A rush of arousal coated me as her opening began contracting, trying to pull me into her body. It sent me into overdrive, as a wild rush of unrestrained pleasure surged through me. After several beats she turned her head, her lids at half-mast as she lifted her eyes to meet mine. She looked drunk from pleasure.

  “Do you want to come?” I asked.

  “Yes.” She nodded, never breaking eye contact. “Please.”

>   I increased the pressure and rhythm of my finger flicking her clit until I could feel her sex pulsing around my tip and her body shake. Then, with a swift movement, I drove into her with a powerful thrust, filling her completely. She called out my name as she enveloped me in tight, wet heat. Her body clamped down on me in an iron grid. The sensation was as foreign and intense as the first time I’d had sex.

  She let go, her body convulsing in uninhibited abandon as she went up and over her peak. I gripped her hips, surging in and out of her in deep, ruthless strokes. I lost myself in the feeling of her body around me, in the heat of her muscles milking me.

  A jarring climax crashed into me as I stiffened in release, letting out a harsh groan of satisfaction. A white-hot eruption of pleasure shot through me as my fingers dug into the flesh of Harmony’s hip. I held on, riding out the longest, hottest release of my life.

  When I finally opened my eyes, I saw Harmony had collapsed onto the blanket.

  Fear gripped my chest. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

  She lifted her thumb, pointing it up to the ceiling as she assured me, “Best. Orgasm. Ever.”

  I smiled and, as much as I didn’t want to, I slowly withdrew from her snug canal. When I did she sighed, “I miss you already.”

  Yeah, I knew the feeling.

  “Stay there.” I went to grab a clean towel and wet it so I could help her clean up.

  “Hey, for the record,” she called out, still not lifting her head. “Bossy only works when it’s sex related.”

  I smiled as I quickly prepared the cleanup towel. When I got back to her, she was in the same position I’d left her and, even though I’d just had a mind-blowing orgasm, the man downstairs was ready to go for round two.

  Knowing that wouldn’t help my situation, I pressed the warm damp cloth between her legs and she let out a soft sigh. It was the same one she’d let out every time I’d done this at her house. She told me that no guy had ever done that, and I was too good to be true. It made me feel like I was a knight in medieval times that had just slayed a dragon. That was how it was with Harmony; she made me feel like I was some kind of hero.