Be My Valentine

by R. J. Groves

  Wasn’t it?

  He surprised her by giving her a quick kiss that still left her toes curling and her nerves alive, despite the shortness of it.

  ‘No, I don’t think so,’ he said, pulling her to her feet. ‘We’ll pay at the front. Come on, beautiful.’

  She slung her bag over her shoulder as he gathered up his things and led her to the front to pay, her hand in his. Her heart was still racing from his words, the way he’d called her beautiful. She planted it firmly in her mind, intending to remember it forever. Even if this—whatever this is—only lasted a short time.

  ***

  Harley laughed as Joey led her quickly out of the restaurant and out to the street—a laugh that rippled through him and made it harder and harder to control himself. Since he’d kissed her in her kitchen, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her luscious lips on his, her body pressing against him. How much he wanted to kiss her more, and never stop kissing her, and how he wanted to show her how truly beautiful she was.

  He’d been impressed when she ordered the steak instead of conforming to what seemed to be a first-date norm among women of eating light—or barely anything. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if she had done that, but he probably would have tried his best to get her to have a decent feed. But he did know he wouldn’t have felt right eating that steak without knowing she could enjoy it, too. He loved that she wasn’t ashamed of enjoying a meal. That she was confident enough to actually order what she wanted to eat, rather than what she thought he’d want her to eat.

  And then, when he’d tried to tell her that he loved that about her, the blasted words had come out wrong. Again. And he’d seen another side of her. A vulnerable, self-conscious side of Harley Smith. And it made his heart ache. How could she not tell that she was the most incredible, beautiful woman he’d ever met? Harley should never feel self-conscious with him—not if he had any say in the matter.

  They stumbled to a stop on the street, just up a little from the restaurant door, and he turned her to face him, wrapping his arms around her waist.

  ‘All right, beautiful fiancée of mine,’ he started, his heart flipping in his chest when she smiled wholeheartedly, biting into her bottom lip. ‘What do you want to do now?’

  Her eyebrow shot up before she brought it back to its neutral position and clasped her hands around the back of his neck. It felt so natural, so right, and yet, he still couldn’t shake that self-conscious look she’d had in the restaurant from his mind.

  ‘Hey, you asked me on the date, remember? Didn’t you have it all planned out?’ she teased, her eyes shining with mischief.

  His lips quirked to one side. It really was no wonder he hadn’t been able to get her out of his head while he was away. She wasn’t just beautiful, but she made him smile like no one else had. She made him feel like he could be himself, and not have to make up stories and talk shit just to sound interesting. She brought out the Joey in him he’d been afraid to let anyone see.

  The Joey who appreciated and looked after a woman in the way a gentleman should. The Joey who was a romantic and a fool for the right woman. The Joey who struggled to find the right words and things to say when she looked at him like that. The Joey who dreamed of seeing her smile again, knowing that he was the one who put that smile there. Who believed love still existed, even if he’d been hurt before.

  Hell, he’d fallen for Harley more than he’d realised.

  ‘Honestly, I didn’t have anything planned,’ he admitted.

  Her smile softened, her fingertips teasing his hair at the back of his head. ‘How come?’

  She’d said it so softly he knew she wasn’t annoyed that he’d taken her out without really planning anything. It was as though she sensed his hesitation. That he’d only thought to take this thing one step at a time, with the ultimate aim of winning her heart at the end of it.

  ‘Well, I—I wasn’t sure if you were going to agree to go out with me.’

  She lifted her chin, pushing herself further onto her tiptoes—which wasn’t much, since her heels had already given her an extra few inches. She still had to look up at him, but he didn’t care. She was the perfect height for him as is.

  ‘And why wouldn’t I?’ She moved closer to him, or maybe he moved closer to her. Either way, their lips were only inches apart.

  ‘I didn’t know if you’d moved on.’

  She pulled back slightly, giving him a puzzled look, and he couldn’t help but notice the disappointment settling in at the extra inches she’d put between them. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean, I know nothing was said when I left and we were sort of just friends, but—’ He broke off, searching her eyes for any indication. Had he read too far into things when he’d left? Was this just a fling to her that only started a few hours before their date?

  ‘But what?’ she whispered, prompting him to continue.

  His hands tightened around her waist. ‘I’ve spent every day since going back to work wishing I’d said something before leaving. Knowing how I felt about you, and not knowing if you felt the same way. Not knowing if you’d find someone else.’

  ‘I did—I do,’ she corrected, looking up at him with her gorgeous hazel eyes, ‘feel the same way. I think.’

  ‘Oh yeah?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  Her voice was breathless, and he noticed the faster rise and fall of her chest against his. Her fingers flexed against the back of his neck and her tongue darted out to lick her lips. He closed the distance between them, his lips firm against hers. Her arms tightened around his neck, her body pressing against him. Her lips parted against his and, if he wasn’t already addicted to her before, he certainly was now. She let him in, and he searched her mouth, memorising every little bit of her he could. The feel of her in his arms, her body pressing against him. The way her lips moved against his. Her taste. Her alluring scent. He couldn’t help the groan that came when she pulled away, the look in her eyes saying what he felt inside. Her eyes fluttered as she looked up at him, a smile playing at her slightly swollen lips.

  ‘My place or yours?’

  It took a second for her words to catch up to him, but when they did, his jeans grew achingly tight. He let out a puff of air. ‘Well, I’m staying with Andie so …’

  ‘So mine it is, then.’ She pulled away from him, her hand slipping into his as she led him back to her car. He couldn’t help but feel that her hand belonged in his, that they were a perfect fit. When she tossed him the car keys and slid into the passenger seat, he had no hesitation in taking the shortest route possible back to her place.

  Chapter 6

  The heat was building in Harley’s core the closer they got to her place. She’d throw glances towards Joey at the same time as he’d glance at her, flashing that lopsided smile of his that sent her insides tingling and her toes curling. It only stoked the fire even more. By the time they’d climbed the steps to her first-floor unit and she’d fumbled her keys into the lock and swung the door open, her body was only all too aware of his warm, masculine presence behind her.

  She stepped into her unit, dropped her bag on the floor, and heard the door click behind them. Nerves fluttered in her belly, and her heart was racing. She swallowed. She’d been the one to initiate this. She’d wanted nothing more than to be with him as much as a woman could be with a man when he’d kissed her like that. So why was she nervous now?

  She hadn’t slept with anyone since, well, Angelo. And that had ended badly, especially when she’d discovered he hadn’t been as exclusive as she’d thought they were. How was it possible to live next door to someone and not know he was seeing other women? Thank God he’d moved away months ago. She’d been naive and stupid then. But surely she wasn’t so naive now, right?

  Joey was different. He’d already said he wasn’t seeing anyone else, and he’d made sure to clarify that she wasn’t either. And what he’d said about wishing he’d said something before leaving …

  She hadn’t imagin
ed that something was there then, and she wasn’t imagining it now. But there was that small hitch of them being friends. What if they took things further and it didn’t work out? Could she stand to not have him in her life at all? The last few months of not hearing from him had been miserable—and that was just based on a friendship. At some stage, he’d have to go back out on the water and she’d be left behind, waiting for the next chance they’d get to talk or see each other, not knowing when that would be.

  She felt, rather than heard, him closing the distance between them. ‘Do you want a drink?’ she managed, hoping it didn’t sound as shaky as it felt.

  ‘Maybe later.’

  He sounded a whole lot closer than she thought he was. His hands landed softly on her bare shoulders, moving down her arms slowly, his fingers teasing her sensitive inner arms. Her lips parted as a puff of air escaped and her eyes fluttered closed as she felt herself press back against his chest, his breath warm on the nape of her neck, a tingle spreading slowly through her body.

  Then there was this. The way his fingers lit a fire everywhere he touched that travelled straight to her core, leaving her wanting more. The way he touched her so gently, so reverently, as though she was a treasure. The way he made her feel treasured, full stop. And beautiful. She knew she wasn’t much to look at. She didn’t have long thin legs—or a thin anything, for that matter. She was shorter than average. She had freckles and blemishes and imperfections and couldn’t get her hair to truly behave no matter what she did to it.

  But Joey, he … it’s like he didn’t see any of that. He saw her—Harley—the person inside. He knew how to make her smile and laugh and feel good about herself. And she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to find another man who could make her feel the way Joey did. Surely that meant she’d be a fool to push him away now, to deny something good from potentially blossoming because she was scared of the alternative.

  He turned her slowly in his arms, his dark eyes searching hers, filled with desire. It banished any doubt that had the indecency to hang around.

  ‘Unless, of course, you want a drink?’ he said, his voice asking one question, his eyes another.

  She swallowed, leaning her body harder against his, his true question pressing firmly against her belly. ‘I think you know what I want.’

  His chocolate eyes seemed to darken even more, and she could have sworn she saw a muscle twitch in his jaw. His hand lowered to cup her bottom and he pulled her closer again. Her hands instinctively went to his chest, his muscles hard beneath her palms, her knees already feeling weak from the chemistry passing between them.

  ‘Tell me.’

  A delicious shiver ran down her spine as his voice reverberated through her. Deep, commanding, but so, so sweet. ‘I want you.’

  She’d barely managed to get the words completely out before his lips were on hers, kissing her more deeply and urgently than before. All thought slipped her mind—any hint of doubt, any what-ifs, gone. All she could think about was how this man made her feel right now, and how she’d like to feel that way every day of her life.

  With a flurry of hands, both of their shoes and his shirt were ditched near the door and he lifted her effortlessly, her legs wrapped around his waist, her breasts threatening to spill from her low neckline. Their kisses grew in intensity as he carried her to her bedroom and lowered her gently on the edge of her bed.

  He pulled away, slowing down, cupping her face between both of his hands. ‘Have I told you how beautiful you are?’

  She was speechless, her lips parting to speak, but no words forming. There was something in the way he looked at her—with such warmth and wonder—and the way he caressed her cheeks with his thumbs that brought on the realisation that maybe Joey was the thing she’d been missing the whole time.

  He kissed her gently then, taking his time to explore her mouth, his hands moving from her face, caressing the natural curves of her body as they roamed over her shoulders, down her back, her sides. He circled his thumbs over her breasts, her peaks hardening beneath the thin fabric of her dress that suddenly seemed like too much to have between them. As if reading her mind, he moved lower until he reached the hem of her dress. Sliding his hands underneath, he shimmied the dress up and over her head, only breaking the kiss to move the fabric between them.

  She might have been self-conscious had she not come face-to-face with a decent set of washboard abs. Her mouth went dry as her eyes followed the little trail of dark hairs leading lower. She forced herself to lift her gaze and found her hands resting on his abs, her fingers tracing every line as they moved higher. She touched her fingertips to the larger tattoo on the left side of his chest—an anchor layered over the markings of an old-fashioned compass. Every bit the man and sailor he was.

  His hand lifted to cup her chin, bringing her gaze to meet his again. ‘Are you sure, Harley?’

  She swallowed again, trying to make her mouth not feel so dry. How could a man as handsome and kind as Joey want her? She couldn’t understand it. But the way he traced his thumb over the freckles on her nose and cheeks and ran his hands through her hair …

  And how he let his eyes roam over her, her body burning under his gaze, feeling more alive than she’d ever felt before …

  How could she feel anything but love for the man before her?

  Eventually she managed to nod, his gaze darkening further as he lowered her on the bed. ‘There’s only you,’ she whispered.

  Her eyes fluttered shut as he kissed her slowly, deeply, and moved his kisses over her neck, her collarbone, sucking her peaks into his mouth, teasing her with his tongue, and then moved lower again, doing things to her with his mouth that no man had ever done before. When her body clenched and it felt like she was literally going to explode, only then did he relent, the cool air washing over her as he moved away. And then the warmth and weight of his body was on her as he settled between her thighs, her legs wrapping around him.

  ‘Harley, look at me.’ She did as he said, his voice flowing over her as much as the tension was building inside her again. ‘There’s only you.’

  And on those words, he entered her, filling her until she swore she couldn’t have possibly taken any more, his body moving with hers as one. With each thrust and touch and kiss, she felt herself moving closer and closer to the edge until she felt herself going over, riding the waves of sweet bliss with him. And as she finally grew more aware of her surroundings and found herself curled up against Joey’s side, their bodies still heaving and sweaty, her thought from before caught up to her again.

  How could she feel anything but love for the man before her?

  He kissed her softly, their breaths growing steady, his touch so gentle, and she knew in her heart that there was no other way to say it—no other way to describe the intensity of her feelings for this incredible man.

  She was in love with Joey.

  ***

  Something changed in the way she looked at him. No, it changed well before that. He’d seen the look in her eyes, the softness of her expression, the longing when he’d said her own words back to her.

  There’s only you.

  Joey couldn’t even begin to describe the way he felt when she’d said those words. Three simple words. Words that could mean so little, yet they’d meant so much. He wasn’t sure he’d heard it the way she’d meant it, but he sure as hell knew what he meant when he said it. There’s only you. No one else. Ever. No one else filling his dreams, his arms, his bed. No one else stealing his heart and his every waking thought. No one else he could ever love.

  There might have been a time when he didn’t think falling in love could happen so quickly. But the reality of it was he’d known Harley for months already. There was no one else—and he doubted there’d ever be another—he’d ever thought about as much as he’d thought of her in those months they were apart. And the moment he’d entered her and felt how right it was, how perfectly their bodies fit together like two pieces of a puzzle, he realised he didn’t j
ust like Harley all this time. He was head over heels.

  She propped her chin on his chest and looked at him with those rich hazel eyes, the blue a little more prominent than before, and smiled. ‘Hey,’ she said.

  He leaned a little closer, meeting her lips with his. He’d never get enough of kissing her. Never get enough of feeling her in his arms, her naked body against his. ‘Hey, beautiful.’

  Her cheeks flushed a deeper pink and he felt that tug in his chest. How could she still not think she was beautiful? How could she not see what he saw? Her fingertips traced along the tattoo on his chest. He’d seen how she’d looked at it before, yet she hadn’t said anything about it. She still didn’t now. Instead, she patted her hand against his chest and propped herself on her elbow.

  ‘So that was … um … something.’

  He held back a scoff. Something was an understatement. ‘Disappointed?’

  Her eyes went wide. ‘No, of course not. I just—I wasn’t expecting … this.’

  ‘And what might that be?’ He knew what she meant. Or at least, he thought he did. Truth be told, he hadn’t quite expected this either—how intense it was, to be more specific.

  ‘This. Us. You.’ She worried her lower lip with her teeth, and he resisted the urge to kiss her again for fear of distracting her. She let out a long breath. ‘I woke up this morning feeling miserable and hungover and now …’ Her fingers started tracing the tattoo again as she gathered her thoughts. He waited. ‘I wasn’t sure I’d see you again. And today, of all days.’ Her brow creased, a slight smile playing at the corners of her lips. ‘You remembered my birthday.’

  He cupped her cheek in his hand, brushing his thumb over those sweet freckles. ‘How could I forget?’

  ‘I thought you had. Forgotten me, that is.’

  He couldn’t resist kissing her again—soft, slow, deliberate. When he broke away, he rested his forehead against hers. ‘You’re too good to forget.’ Her smile was genuine, but she was still holding something back. He frowned, pulling himself up so he was resting against the bedhead. ‘What’s on your mind?’