by Tess Summers
He picked up his phone and started dialing.
“Well played, Scout. Well played.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Ben
His phone was ringing. He could hear it and was wishing for it to stop—which it did, temporarily. Then it started in again. Instead of opening his eyes and answering it, he rolled over in the lounger.
Next thing he knew, Luke was shaking him awake.
“Hey lush, wake up. You need to get down to your shop on Seventh.”
“What shop? Colin Finch had me shut down.”
“Yeah, well, Harper Finch got you reopened.”
He sat up.
“Scout did? How?”
“I don’t know man, she just did. She’s been trying to reach you, and you didn’t answer so she called me. I got a hold of Frank, and he’s able to get to Miramar. He was able to call Chad, and he’s on his way back to Seventh Street, but you should get down there and schmooze your customers. I’ll drive you. Although,” he added, waving his hand in front of his face, “you probably should hop in the shower and brush your teeth.”
“I’m sober,” he growled as he started for the house. Luke followed him into his bedroom.
“So why the hell didn’t you answer Harper’s call?”
“It’s been a shit day. To be honest, I thought it was clients calling to ream my ass.”
“You might want to assign her a ringtone so you know it’s her, dumbass. Me too, while you’re at it, since you didn’t answer my calls either.”
That was a really good idea.
“Why the hostility?” he asked as he took off his shirt and pants and walked toward the bathroom in his boxer briefs.
“You had us worried. It’s not like you to ignore people’s calls—especially Harper’s.”
“I’m sorry. Like I said—it’s been a shit day.”
A day that his baby girl just made a million times better.
He was out of the shower and ready to go in less than six minutes. He had a business to save… and Scout to thank later.
Which got him thinking, what was with the gifts that were on the back patio?
****
It was close to eleven o’clock when he got home that night. He and his guys had worked late to catch up on the cars they’d been in the middle of repairing when OSHA had shown up and locked them out. That way they could hit the ground running tomorrow morning, with no backlog from today.
She’d left the kitchen lights on dim so he didn’t walk into a dark kitchen, and he smiled when he saw the flowers and pyramid of presents on the counter. Why had she gotten him gifts? Was it some holiday he didn’t know about? He did some quick calculations—it wasn’t their two-month anniversary… so why?
Then he remembered asking her on the patio about the presents, and her response—that they were to show him how much she loved him. Then she’d gone and saved his business.
He didn’t know how she did it—but the OSHA reps had stayed and talked to every client who had been impacted that day; explaining there had been a paperwork mix-up, and his shops were actually supposed to be receiving a commendation for their excellent safety record.
Ben knew it was complete bullshit, but he didn’t care.
Harper had fought for him, just like she said she would.
He stood in the doorway of their bedroom and watched her sleeping. She was so fucking beautiful it made his teeth hurt. Then he realized he was clenching them because there was nothing he wanted more than to wake her up and make love to her all night long.
It’d have to wait until tomorrow night—she needed her rest, and he had a feeling he had a long day ahead of him tomorrow. Twitter had been abuzz with what had happened at McCallister Motors today.
Still, he couldn’t resist holding her close all night long, and thanking God and the universe for bringing her into his life.
****
He woke in the middle of the night to Harper rustling around under the covers. At first, he thought she was just getting comfortable—then he felt her lips on his chest and her bare nipples grazing his ribs, and moaned softly to let her know he was awake.
“Hey baby girl,” he murmured as he gently combed her hair with his fingers, ready to have a conversation about the day.
Apparently, that was not what she had in mind.
Looking up at him and smiling, she began to kiss down his core until she reached his waistband. He was expecting her to lower his underwear and pull them off, but instead she continued moving her lips over the material and took his cock in her mouth, along with the fabric. Her hot breath was a sexy tease that left him aching to bare himself. When she mouthed his balls over the cloth, he let out a long groan and dropped his head onto the pillow—eyes closed.
Finally, she tugged on his underwear with two hands, and his cock bounced free.
He felt her tongue swirl around his helmet, then delicately engulf his entire length, careful not to touch his shaft with her lips. When his cock bobbed against her throat, she closed her lips around him, running her tongue along his skin.
“Oh fuck!”
Ben could feel her smile as she began to slurp up and down his length, her hand stroking from the base as she pushed her tongue along his veins. Her rhythm was perfect. Then she moaned around his cock.
“Oh my god,” he groaned.
He wanted her to stop—it felt so damn good, he wasn’t going to last much longer if she didn’t. But, at the same time, he didn’t want her to stop, because… fuck!
Oh, the dilemma.
He tugged on her hair slightly.
“Baby girl. You need to stop.”
And Harper promptly… ignored him, instead ramping up her efforts.
She looked up at him as she purposely deep-throated his cock, and that was his point of no return.
“Oh, fuck yes,” he gasped as she bobbed her head up and down double-time while jerking his shaft in tempo. He began to grunt and fisted the sheets to keep from grabbing her hair and taking control.
She moaned again around his cock, and the vibrations made him erupt in her mouth. She didn’t let up until he finished, taking every drop he had to give her, until finally she swirled her tongue around his tip and released his cock with a smug smile.
“I was planning on doing that earlier tonight, but we had some setbacks.”
He stroked her cheek and smiled. “It was worth the wait.”
As she moved up to nestle against him, he began to caress her inner thigh.
“I know you’re all about reciprocation—your alpha-ness practically demands it—but is it okay if we just go to sleep, and you owe me?”
“If you’re tired, Scout, why did you do that?”
“Because I’ve been wanting to do it since noon yesterday, and I couldn’t wait any longer.”
That made him chuckle.
“I would never want to deprive you, baby girl.”
“Good,” she said, burrowing in closer with her eyes closed. “Now, don’t deprive me of my sleep, and stop talking.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he murmured with amusement as he kissed her hair.
One thing was for certain—Harper Finch was a force to be reckoned with.
Chapter Forty-Five
Harper
She was in the closet deciding what she was going to wear today when he slumped against the door jamb, already dressed for his day. For the most part, he left her alone while she was getting ready in the morning, which she appreciated. She had a routine, and if she deviated from it, inevitably she forgot something. This morning had been unusual, since they had been catching up on yesterday’s events.
“Got time for lunch today?”
“I think so. Can I let you know for sure when I get to the office?”
“As long as you wear a dress,” he said with a wink.
“There will be no hanky-panky at lunch, mister.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“I mean it.”
Pursing his lips and rolling his e
yes, he pushed off the frame and crowded her in the closet, tugging the towel off her and demonstratively dropping it at her feet so she was standing naked before him.
“Now, then.”
He bent and kissed her collar bone as he reached between her legs to stroke the length of her slit. Her arms went around his shoulder to steady herself as she closed her eyes.
His fingers expertly explored her folds, plunging his middle finger into her pussy while his thumb began massaging her clit. His other arm came around her middle to hold her upright as her legs began to tremble while she clung to his back.
At first, his pressure and pace were slow and steady. Perfect. As she got closer to falling off the cliff, he increased the tempo, and with his arm still wrapped around her middle, used his other hand to pull the hood of her clit back.
Mother of pearl.
“Yes, oh god, yes. Just like that,” she gasped, clinging to the back of his shirt.
As if unsatisfied with this position, he hoisted her on top of her dresser, spread her legs wide, and began to polish her clit while continuing to finger-fuck her. Her palms pushed into the polished wooden top, seeking purchase as her climax began to creep up from her toes.
“Yes, yes, yes,” she began to chant. “Oh god…”
With a final plunge of his fingers inside her, she went over the edge. Her limbs shook as Ben continued playing with her pussy, pulling every ounce of orgasm from her until she was pushing his hands away.
With her back against the wall, legs still spread wide and eyes closed, she leaned her head back and gulped for air.
“I wish I could take a picture of you. You have no idea how fucking sexy you look right now.”
Harper opened one eye at him and smiled.
“Now I just want to go back to bed.”
That got his attention, and he stood up straighter.
“You want to? We could call in sick and spend the whole day in bed.”
She sighed and sat up.
“Of course I want to, but I have a meeting with a new client that Travis gave me personally. I can’t cancel on them.”
He nodded in understanding while she hopped down off the dresser and picked up her towel, rubbing his hard shaft through his pants as she stood up.
“But I think I can come home early…”
“Name the time—I’ll be here,” he replied with an eager grin.
“If I work through lunch, I should be able to leave around one thirty. But I’ll have to do some work this weekend.”
His tone was suspicious. “How much work?”
“Just a couple of hours.”
“It’s up to you, baby girl. I would love to play hooky with you this afternoon, but if you’d rather stay and not have to work this weekend…”
“No, I want to be naked with you by no later than two.”
“I like the way you think,” he said with a smirk.
“I like the way you do a lot of things,” she purred in return.
****
Ben
She was lying with her head on his shoulder after round two that Friday afternoon, gently stroking his chest hair, like she was lost in thought. He’d found if he stayed quiet, she would eventually voice her thoughts.
“How important is a traditional wedding to you?”
He thought about it for a second before answering.
“It’s important in that I’m proud to be marrying you, and I want the world to know it.”
“What if we got married now instead of waiting?”
“You mean like Vegas?”
“Yes, exactly like Vegas.”
“I think our family and friends would kill us. What’s this all about?”
“This thing with my daddy… it scared me. I don’t want anything to be able to come between us.”
“We could get married at Luke and Cassie’s, while it’s still warm out.”
“I think if we’re going to get married at someone’s house, it should probably be Nana and Pop’s.”
“Are they on the beach?”
“Not exactly. More like on a cliff overlooking the ocean.”
Of course that’s where they live.
“Do you want to have brunch this Sunday and ask them?”
“Um, I kind of already did.” She raised her head to look at him and quickly blurted out, “Not like anything definitive, because I still wasn’t sure what your thoughts were about everything, and I would never go behind your back about something like that. It was more in-passing when I followed up with him today about daddy’s stunt.”
He knew she thought he’d be upset—he was just the opposite. He’d been wanting to marry her since Vegas.
“So what’d he say?”
“He said he was sure Nana would love that, and to let them know the second we decide on a date.”
“How much time do we need to get everything planned?”
She shrugged. “I think if we delegated, two weeks.”
“I know my family would love to help, and so would Cassie. Actually—we should get with her, because she planned a surprise wedding for Luke in less than a week.”
Harper smiled. “I can totally see Cassie doing something like that.” She looked at him and bit her bottom lip. “So….two weeks from tomorrow… do you want to officially become my husband?”
He rolled her onto her back and crawled on top of her, framing her body with his.
“I would love to become your husband in two weeks,” he said softly as he looked into her eyes, then dipped his mouth to capture her lips with his.
Round three.
Chapter Forty-Six
Harper
She smiled as she watched Lauren wrap her arms around Tristan’s neck as he held her close on the dance floor.
“What can I say? You inspired me to take his call,” her friend had said with a shrug when Harper raised her eyebrows at her maid of honor, who had walked in to the rehearsal dinner with Harper’s boss as her date.
“I think you’re perfect together,” she said, giving her friend a hug, followed by one for Tristan.
“It’s thanks to you,” the older man said with a smile.
“Me?”
“Whether you realized it or not, you encouraged me not to give up.”
Lauren squeezed her hand and winked, mouthing, “Thanks,” with a smile before finding her and Tristan’s seats.
Pop and Nana came in next, and her granddad handed Ben an envelope.
“What’s this?” her fiancé asked.
“A little insurance policy,” Pop said with a wink. “Don’t take less than five million for it,” he said, then walked away with Nana on his arm.
They opened the envelope and found that Mark Dufresne had signed over the Greystone property to Ben.
“I can’t believe he did that,” Ben whispered humbly.
“I can. He loves you. He loves that we’re together. And, I think he’s enjoyed how much we’ve included him and Nana in the wedding.”
“Are you kidding? After everything they’ve done for us, of course we’re going to include them.” He tapped the envelope against his palm. “But this… this is too much.”
She shook her head. “Mark Dufresne doesn’t do things impetuously. Trust me, he’s thought this through. He wants you to have leverage when it comes to my father.”
Harper heard Pop whisper, “Just take good care of my granddaughter; that’s all the thanks I need,” when Ben approached him later.
“You don’t have to worry about that, sir.”
She couldn’t help but smile. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind.
****
Ben
He wasn’t even the slightest bit nervous as he waited at the end of a white linen runner in her grandparents’ backyard.
Their family, friends, and colleagues were there. Everyone who was important in their lives had managed to make it even though they weren’t given much notice. But no one who knew them and their story was surprised at the impromptu celebr
ation. Working together, Cassie and Ben’s mom even convinced Harper to let them throw a wedding shower; her only caveat was that she refused to open any gifts in front of people.
It was probably a good thing, because their friends collectively were dirty fuckers, and Harper would have been beet red the entire time. Ben, however, enjoyed the private opening of shower presents immensely.
Cassie had insisted that Ben stay at her and Luke’s house the Thursday and Friday night before the wedding—the longest they’d been apart since they had met. It had been fucking torture not being able to hold her, and he couldn’t wait to be back in her bed. But more importantly, he couldn’t wait to make her his wife.
She appeared at the end of the aisle, and everyone stood while Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” played.
One lone tear escaped the corner of his eye as she made the walk toward him, beaming the entire time on Pop’s arm, never losing eye contact with Ben. Her joy was contagious, and everyone in the audience was smiling broadly as she passed by, wearing a strapless white dress that looked like something Cinderella would have worn to the ball.
Her hair was down but curled and styled, and she was wearing a diamond choker her mother had given her in an attempt to make amends for her father’s behavior.
Shannon Finch was in attendance—but her husband, Colin, was notably not. Guests were told that he was out of town and couldn’t make other arrangements on such short notice, but it was mutually agreed that, given everything that had transpired recently, it was too soon for him to make an appearance at their special event. Maybe by the time they had their first child’s christening, wounds would be healed enough.
Ben watched her approach and felt like he was going to burst if he didn’t touch her soon. Pop gave him her hand, and he felt the calm wash over him as they turned to face the pastor together.
She was about to become his wife. To have and to hold forever. In sickness and in health. Harper Jean Louise McCallister was his.
Epilogue
Harper—five years later