“Me too,” Chloe and Steph agreed.
“Well, I could never date a guy like that.” Paige shook her head. “My brothers Knox and Landon wouldn’t let a guy like that near me. Besides, I don’t think I could give up control and let a man tie me up. I like to read about it, but actually doing it would scare me.”
Harper pressed her lips together in an effort to remain straight-faced. She had let Gavin bind her wrists in Virginia, which she’d never imagined letting anyone do before meeting him. Then again, he’d let her bind his, too, and she’d never imagined enjoying doing that. But the control it had given her had been beyond thrilling.
“Not even if you loved him?” Dixie asked.
Paige shrugged, discomfort written all over her face. “I’ve never been in love, but my gut says no.”
“Well, you’d be missing out. Not that I’m into BDSM or anything,” Izzy said. “But I can definitely get into a little silk-tie action. I think it can bring you closer.”
“Speaking of closer,” Harper said, needing to change the subject before she accidentally revealed something she shouldn’t. “How hot was chapter twenty?”
She fanned her face as the girls chimed in about the erotic scene in which the heroine marched into her hero’s office, locked his door, and proceeded to give him the best blow job of his life. She’d been so turned on by the idea of taking control like that and making Gavin moan with appreciation, she’d had to dive into the pond to try to cool down. It hadn’t worked. When Gavin had appeared on the dock, looking like sex on legs in his dress pants and button-down shirt, she’d thrown caution to the wind and taken exactly what she’d wanted. She hadn’t even had an excuse for her inner hussy coming out other than imagining Gavin as the hero in the scene in the book, and she didn’t care. She’d gone for it, just as eagerly as she had in Virginia.
And she frigging loved it!
Her pulse quickened just thinking about how Gavin had growled and hissed with appreciation and tangled his hands in her hair. She could still feel his thick shaft thrusting in and out of her mouth—
“Oh my God, seriously?” Chloe said loudly, jerking Harper from her thoughts.
She took a big drink of her iced tea, following Chloe’s gaze to the four men strutting down the beach carrying motorcycle helmets. She’d recognize Gavin’s sexy stride anywhere. Lust swirled inside her as he came into focus, his eyes riveted on her.
“Ladies,” Justin said as he flopped down beside Chloe. His friends sat between Daphne and Steph.
“What are you doing here?” Chloe demanded.
Gavin sat behind Harper, his long legs stretched out on either side of her as he pulled her back against his chest, kissed her cheek, and said, “Hello, beautiful.”
Her stomach flip-flopped. “Hi.”
“Checking out the hot-chick book club.” Justin waved toward the iPad and said, “Hey, cuz.”
Dixie rolled her eyes.
“You’re cousins?” Paige asked.
“Yup,” Justin said. “My mom is Dixie’s father’s sister.”
Harper was happy to see Gavin even though she knew he shouldn’t have crashed their meeting. She hoped the other girls weren’t too annoyed. She pointed to the two guys she didn’t recognize and said, “Who are those guys?”
“Dwayne is Justin’s cousin. He’s the one with the short hair. The longer-haired guy is Cory. I met them through Violet last fall. I see you met Steph. She’s known these guys forever.” He kissed her cheek and said, “Miss me?”
Miss you? Well, let’s see…I was just fantasizing about doing dirty things to you with my mouth. Does that count? She leaned back, snuggling closer, and said, “More than you can imagine.”
“I have a pretty vivid imagination,” he said in a husky voice.
“Hey, Harper!” Izzy hollered. “Don’t get too cozy over there.” She looked at Justin and said, “Sorry, hot tattooed cousin of Dixie’s, but y’all need to take your sexy asses away from here.”
Justin scoffed. “Why? Maybe we read the book.”
“Do you even know how to read?” Chloe asked.
“Want to find out just how much I know about erotic romance?” Justin asked with a sly grin. “I bet I could put that book to shame.”
As Chloe and Justin tried to one-up each other, Dixie and Izzy joined in. Paige and Daphne remained completely silent.
“You shouldn’t have come,” Steph said to Dwayne. “Why are you always causing trouble?”
“A little trouble can be a whole lot of fun,” Cory said, making Daphne blush.
“I’d like to get into trouble with you,” Gavin whispered in Harper’s ear.
He pressed a kiss beside her ear, and Harper closed her eyes, reveling in him.
Dwayne leaned closer to Steph and said, “Just because you’ve known me since I was a kid doesn’t mean you can boss me around.”
Steph narrowed her eyes. “Wanna bet?”
Gavin pressed his lips to Harper’s cheek again, drawing her attention. “Are you having a good time with the girls?”
“Yes. It’s really fun.”
He slipped his hand beneath her shirt and sweater, brushing his thumb over her flesh. “It’s crazy, but I miss you already. Are we still on for a date to the flea market tomorrow after you have breakfast with your family?”
“Mm-hm.” She glanced over her shoulder and said, “Will you be home?”
He kissed her neck. “Waiting for you.”
“Daph, where’s my favorite little girl tonight?” Justin asked.
“Hadley? She’s freaking adorable,” Cory said. “Then again, she’s Daph’s daughter, so…”
Daphne blushed again. “Hadley’s with my sister. Mama needed a girls’ night out.”
“I think she’s coming around to me. I almost got a smile out of her when I ran into you guys at PJ’s.” Justin looked at Chloe and said, “Ladies of all ages love me.”
“I hear ya, cuz.” Dwayne and Justin bumped fists.
Chloe rolled her eyes. “More like some ladies love you. Some of us think you’re full of yourself.”
“Is that jealousy I hear?” Justin cocked a brow. “You could be full of me, too. All you have to do is say the word.”
“I can tell he’s your cousin, Dix,” Izzy said. “He’s as cocky as your brothers.”
Chloe glowered at Justin. “Isn’t it time for y’all to go back to whatever it is you do on Friday nights? How would you like it if we crashed one of your Dark Knight meetings?”
“Christ, you’re a buzzkill.” Justin pushed to his feet. “Let’s blow this hen party.”
Cory and Dwayne stood up.
Gavin hugged Harper from behind. “I’d better go.” He pushed to his feet, then crouched beside her and brought her hand to his lips, kissing the back of it. “Until tomorrow, sweetheart.”
He leaned in and kissed her.
“Maybe you two should get a room,” Justin said.
Gavin paid him no attention and continued holding Harper’s hand as he rose to his feet. He slid his hand along her palm to the very tips of her fingers. Then he blew her a kiss and mouthed, Tomorrow, before heading off with the guys.
Harper’s insides hummed with happiness as she watched him walk away. He glanced over his shoulder, and she wondered how it was possible to miss him thirty seconds after he’d left her.
When the guys were out of earshot, Paige said, “You’ve been holding out on us, Harper. Who was that gorgeous man?”
“That’s Gavin Wheeler,” Chloe said before she could respond. “Harper hooked up with him last summer at a music festival and apparently she snagged his heart, because he’s been gaga over her since she came back. Can you tell I’m jealous?”
Harper felt her cheeks burn.
“What music fest was that?” Izzy asked. “I might need to take a road trip.”
“It was the annual summer music festival in Romance, Virginia, and it was insane. People camped out for two days, and it rained on and off, so there was
mud everywhere. I went with my brother Colton as my last hurrah before heading out to LA. But Colton has the hots for the lead singer for Inferno, and he was there, so he took off.”
“Axsel’s hot,” Daphne exclaimed.
“I’d like to show him just how good women can be,” Izzy said.
“Sexuality doesn’t work like that,” Paige said. “But he is really cute.”
“I know, but it’d be fun to try.” Izzy waggled her brows, and they all cracked up. “So, Harper, Colton left you alone and Gavin found you?”
“Yes, actually. I was trying to figure out how to get to town, and I guess I looked lost, because he came up to me and said, ‘You’re looking in the wrong place, sweetheart. I’m right here.’ It was a cheesy line, but something in the way he said it didn’t feel cheesy. And you saw him. He was handsome, and funny, and he had this twinkle in his eyes.”
“It’s called being horny,” Dixie said.
“I’m sure it was,” she admitted. “But I think it was more than that. He wasn’t like the other guys who had made cheesy comments to me. Gavin was smart, and he didn’t talk about nonsense. We had such a great time together. Yes, he flirted, and yes, we ended up together for the night—”
“Oh, hot tent sex. I love that!” Izzy exclaimed.
Dixie looked at Izzy like she’d lost her mind. “When have you ever been camping?”
“I haven’t. I want to, though,” Izzy said. “And when I do, it’s definitely going to include hot tent sex.”
“Well, there was probably a lot of hot tent sex going on, but we went into town and stayed at the cutest B and B. The night was just as beautiful as he is.” Harper sighed with the memory of Gavin sweeping her into his arms and carrying her over the threshold of their room. Welcome to Heaven, Parker, he’d said as he lowered his mouth to hers. And then he’d proceeded to take her to paradise and back into the wee hours of the morning.
“That’s so romantic,” Paige said.
“Is he as good as he is handsome?” Izzy asked.
“Oh gosh.” Harper shifted her eyes away from the girls, who were looking at her expectantly. She had never been the type of person to share intimate details. She hadn’t even had sex with him again yet, but she wanted to. Oh, how she wanted to. Every day was a lesson in restraint. Gavin was waiting for her to open that door, and she wasn’t even sure why she was holding back anymore. She finally said, “Let’s just say there are certain benefits from being with Gavin. He leads with his heart, not his you know.”
“You are so lucky,” Daphne said. “I hope I find that someday, but the only romance I have time for is fictional. Thank God for book boyfriends.”
A gust of wind blew over the beach, and everyone made brr noises. Chloe zipped up her sweatshirt and said, “Well, Bob might not be romantic, but he’s loyal, and he doesn’t say stupid shit that makes me wonder why I like him.”
“I thought you weren’t having any luck with Match,” Harper said.
“You’re on Match?” Izzy asked. “Why?”
“Because good men are not a dime a dozen in this tourist town.” Amusement rose in Chloe’s eyes. “Bob isn’t from Match. He’s my battery-operated boyfriend.”
“There are many benefits to a boyfriend with an on/off button,” Dixie said.
They all laughed, but Harper noticed that Daphne and Paige were just as pink cheeked as she felt. Jana had always been verbal about her active and interesting sex life, which had left Harper feeling alone in the relatively vanilla sex life she’d had before she met Gavin. Until they’d come together, she’d never been with a man she wanted to get on her knees for, much less explore tying each other up or lying practically naked on a lounge chair while he did dirty things to her.
She was glad to see she probably wasn’t alone in waiting for the right man to come along. But even if she was, being alone on the journey that had led her to Gavin was worth every vanilla second, because Gavin was like the biggest, best mixed-flavored sundae with all the toppings.
Chapter Eleven
“IT’S ABOUT TIME I got a hug from you,” Brock said as he crushed Harper in his arms Saturday morning. At six foot four, he towered over Harper. “I’ve missed you, sis.”
“I missed you all so much,” Harper said, hugging Brock’s girlfriend, Cree Redmond.
At first glance Cree looked like the complete opposite of Harper’s clean-cut, rule-following brother, with her raven hair, head-to-toe black attire, colorful tattoos, and military-style boots. Cree was a tattoo artist and an incredible singer, as was Brock. In addition to being a champion boxer and owning a boxing club, Brock also sang in an a capella group with two of his friends. According to Brock, who had told Harper all about Cree while she was in LA, Cree’s sunny disposition and her love of singing were just two things they had in common, as evident by the adoration in Brock’s eyes.
Harper was passed from Jana’s embrace to Hunter’s, and finally, to Colton’s, before they settled in around a table at PB Boulangerie, a French bakery and bistro.
“Harper, can you believe Mr. Picky has finally handed over his heart?” Jana looked gorgeous in a pretty colorful sundress and strappy leather sandals, an outfit similar to the one Harper was wearing. Her gaze moved between Brock and Cree.
“There’s nothing wrong with picky,” Cree said.
Brock put his arm around her, pulling her into a kiss. He was a tough, serious guy, and it was nice to see this softer side of him.
“It only took you a few years of lusting after Cree to finally make your move.” Hunter put his arm around Jana and said, “I should have given you lessons in instant gratification.”
Hunter and Jana’s relationship had started with hookups, until they’d realized they were only hooking up with each other. It had taken Jana a while to admit she was in love with him, while Hunter was quicker to the admission. Harper had been floored when Jana and Hunter finally admitted to being a couple. She’d never imagined her rebellious younger sister would settle down before her. But she was happy for them then and even more so now that their relationship had stood the test of time.
“Brock and Harper were cut from different fabric than me and Jana were,” Colton teased. It was a running joke in their family. Brock and Harper were the careful ones, while there was very little Colton and Jana were afraid of.
Harper looked at Colton with his bleached-blond hair and blue tattoos on his arm, and she wondered if he’d ever end up with just one special guy, or if he’d always play the field.
“In my defense,” Brock said, “I thought Cree was taken, and I’m not an asshole.”
“The good thing about how long it took us to finally come together is that by the time we did, we knew we were it for each other.” Cree put her hand on Brock’s leg and said, “I think our timing was perfect.”
Brock leaned in for another kiss, and Harper’s heart squeezed. As excited as she was to be with her family, she missed Gavin. They’d texted last night until she could no longer keep her eyes open, only to have him appear in her dreams. Her naughtily scrumptious dreams.
“I sent you the video of Brock and Cree singing together the night they fell in love onstage, didn’t I, Harper?” Jana asked, pulling Harper from her thoughts. She had taken the video during an open-mic night at Colton’s bar, Undercover, when Brock had dragged Cree onstage for the very first time. Cree’s voice was raspy and eclectic, like a mix of Janis Joplin and Grace VanderWaal.
“Yes, and I loved it.” Harper paused as the waitress approached.
After the waitress took their orders and left to fill them, Harper said, “I wish I could have been there.”
“We have customers asking for Cree all the time.” Colton took a drink of water and said, “But she’s on her way to being a huge star.”
“Hardly,” Cree said shyly.
Brock squeezed Cree’s shoulder and said, “She’s being modest. Drake hooked us up with Boone Stryker, who passed along a demo of Cree’s songs to his agent. His agent is workin
g his magic to get her a music deal.” Boone was a major rock star whom Serena had arranged to have perform at the grand opening of one of Drake’s music stores.
“Are you kidding? That’s awesome!” Harper gushed. She thought Cree’s news might bring a pang of jealousy, since her big chance at stardom had fallen through the cracks. But she was in too good a place with Gavin and her writing to feel anything but joy for her. Gavin had been right to push her toward using her experiences for inspiration. Her writing was stronger than it had ever been.
“Don’t get too excited yet. It might not happen,” Cree said. “But your brother convinced me to put some of my music up online, and people seem to like it.”
Jana rolled her eyes. “Seem to like it is an understatement. She has thirty thousand followers on Instagram, most of which were added after she started publicizing her music.”
“And she’s had a few hundred thousand downloads of her music,” Brock bragged. “I’m so proud of her.”
Cree curled into Brock’s side and kissed his chin. “I owe it all to you.”
“We don’t owe. We help each other shine.” Brock touched his lips to hers.
Harper wished Gavin were there to share in the excitement.
“Damn, bro,” Colton said. “You’re so mushy right now, we’re going to need a mop to get you off the floor.”
Brock grinned and said, “Well, get the mop ready, because you’ll need it over the holidays.” He lifted Cree’s left hand from his leg, revealing a sparkling diamond ring on her finger. “We’re getting married!”
Jana and Harper squealed and jumped up to hug them.
“Congratulations!” Harper said as she hugged Brock.
“I want to be a bridesmaid!” Jana exclaimed, hugging Cree.
“Definitely. I need help planning the wedding, though,” Cree said as Harper hugged her and Jana hugged Brock.
Hunter lifted his glass and said, “Congratulations. To another happy marriage.”
The waitress brought their food. Harper was anxious to tell everyone about Gavin, but she didn’t want to overshadow Brock and Cree’s excitement as they talked about their wedding plans.
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