Chapter Fifteen
Levi
Harper and I trade takeout boxes of Chinese. I hand over the Kung Pao chicken and she gives me the sweet and sour shrimp. We’re kicking back on my bed, and I’m trying really hard not to stare at her tits while we eat. She’s not naked, she’s wearing one of my T-shirts, but her nipples are poking through. That I had my mouth on them an hour ago doesn’t help.
I left the house for twenty minutes to pick up food, but other than that, we’ve been in my bedroom for the past four hours doing everything we can think to do. I’ve given her several orgasms, and I’m not finished. My stamina has never been better.
She’s talked nonstop in between rounds of sex, leading discussions on food, movies, TV, bucket-list items, and superpowers. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out she’s doing it to avoid talking about what really brought her to my house. I don’t want to ruin this perfect afternoon, though, so I’m good with whatever she wants to discuss. Right now, with beams of early evening light slanting through my window casting her in a gorgeous glow, it’s pets.
“…two English bulldogs, an aquarium, and a Labrador Retriever,” she says, in between bites of food. The girl has an appetite that is refreshing.
“Labs love the water.”
“Exactly. What about you? What pets are you going to have?”
I switch my box of shrimp with the box of tangerine beef on the bed. “You already know English bulldogs are my favorite, too, so definitely a dog, but beyond that, I haven’t given it much thought.” I bring a bite of the beef to my mouth. “Okay, my turn. Would you rather swim with sharks or swim with crocodiles?”
“From dogs to deadly animals.” She gives a little shake of her head in amusement and thinks about it for a moment. “Sharks. Would you rather…eat cow brains or rabbit feet?”
“Is that a real thing people eat? Rabbit feet?”
She laughs and puts her food down. “I don’t know. It just came out of my mouth.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll go with cow brains since rabbits’ feet are supposed to be good luck, and I don’t want to jinx any good luck by eating it.”
“Good thinking,” she says, looking impressed with my answer. My chest involuntarily puffs out.
“Would you rather be covered with bees or covered with flies?” I ask.
Her shoulders wriggle. “I hate flies. Seriously hate. They gross me out. When I was thirteen, a raccoon or some other small animal died underneath our house, and when it decomposed, a million flies got into our kitchen and it was freakishly horrible. It was like a take-over mission by an army of flying, buzzing black insects, and I still sometimes have nightmares about it.”
“So, I guess that means you don’t want to watch The Fly later?” The movie stars Jeff Goldblum as a scientist who makes a teleportation device and tests it on himself only to realize later that a fly was in the machine, too, and the fly’s cells start to take over his body. It is fantastic.
“No! Don’t even joke about that.” She frowns and visibly shivers.
“Sorry. C’mere.” I help her crawl into my lap without knocking over the takeout boxes. Wrap my arms around her. She snuggles into me, and it’s fucking awesome.
I’d been miserable since my run-in with Kayla the other night, and today with Harper is exactly what I needed. I kept my distance from her yesterday, focusing on our shoot, and felt shitty about it. But with my headspace filled with bitterness, I didn’t want to let on that my ex still has the power to affect me.
“How about…would you rather have your back massaged, or your front massaged?” I ask. It’s probably clear where this is going.
“Hmm, that’s a tough one. I like to be massaged in both places.”
“You have to pick one.” I slowly pull out the chopstick helping to hold her hair in a messy bun on top of her head. Long, sweet-smelling strands tumble out. I comb my fingers through them.
“I haven’t had a back massage in a long time, so I’ll go with that. Would you rather kiss someone’s feet or kiss their ass?”
“How about I show you?” I pose it as a question, but it’s really not. I quickly gather our food and put it on the desk in the corner of my room. Harper sits on her knees in the middle of the bed, tracking me like I’m the most interesting thing she’s ever seen.
“Lift up your arms,” I tell her when I’m back within reach. She moves in slow motion as she complies, the stretch sultry and flirtatious.
I follow her lead and leisurely help remove the shirt from her beautiful body. She sucks in a breath. “Lie down on your stomach,” I instruct next.
She lies with her cheek on my pillow. The arm closest to me is at her side, and the other is bent at a ninety-degree angle with her hand under the pillow. Perfect. I gather her hair and brush it out of the way.
Starting at her shoulders, I rub the tension away. I press the pads of my fingers into the muscles between her shoulder blades, gently pushing her into the mattress. She sighs. Her eyes drift shut. I spend enough time there to work out the small knot on her right side. Then I slowly caress down to the middle of her back. Her skin is soft and warm, but I realize I’m missing something. “Be right back,” I whisper in her ear.
I hurry to Mateo’s room. He mentioned the other day that Teague left her lotion in his bathroom, and he jacked-off to the smell of it. (Yeah, I told him I didn’t need to know that, and now I doubt my logic here, but too late.) The pink bottle stands out amid the few manly products he’s got, and I grab it.
Back at Harper’s side, I rub some of the lotion into my hands. She startles at my touch. “You falling asleep on me?”
“No,” she murmurs. “Just really comfortable.” She opens one eye to peek at me. “Why does it smell like my best friend?”
“I’m using the lotion she left here. Thought it might help with the massage.” To prove my point, I stroke my palms over her back, gaining some extra glide with the moisturizer.
“Mmmmm…okay.”
I rub and knead, hand-over-hand, applying pressure that fans away from her delicate spine. Her back is small, so it doesn’t take much to span the length from waist to neck. I sink my thumbs into the sexy dimples just above the curve of her bottom. Her body melts into the comforter.
“That feels really good,” she croons.
I smile, even though she can’t see me. Having my hands on her silky skin is my pleasure, too. My cock is standing at attention to attest to it.
When I can’t take it anymore, and have to touch the exceptional globes of her ass, I rub my hands over one cheek, then the other. I massage with firm strokes out toward her hips. She breathes out loud into my pillow.
The tan line separating her back from her butt is insanely attractive. That she spends so much time in the sunshine in nothing but a bikini validates her easygoing style and dedication to swimming and water safety.
Harper is beyond beautiful, but her real beauty is in her presence. Watching her these past three weeks in the pool with kids, for kids, and about kids, has been amazing. She cares more deeply than anyone I’ve ever met. She’s also friendly, professional, and a hard worker. She isn’t afraid to ask questions or make fun of herself.
It’s only the times she thinks no one is looking that I notice sadness wrinkle the corners of her eyes. She’s keeping something buried deep—something that isn’t going to go away if she doesn’t talk about it. It’s the injuries you can’t see on someone that need the most care.
I soften my ministrations and slide a hand between her thighs, tracing small circles on the flesh there. She lazily spreads her legs wider. I drop a kiss on her ass then sit on the edge of the bed.
The smell of her arousal, not to mention the boner in my shorts, spurs me to speed things up. I slide my hand between the bed and her sex. She wiggles against my hand, before lifting her hips slightly to give me full access.
She’s wet, and seconds later swollen, as I rub her and gently pinch her clit. “More,” she moans, grinding into my palm.
Happy to oblige, I slide a finger inside her. There is nothing better than feeling her clench down on whatever body part I have inside her. She rocks her hips against my hand and lifts up the arm at her side so she’s digging both her elbows into the bed. Watching the sway in her body as she moves to my touch is hot as fuck. I take my free hand and slide it in my shorts and around my dick.
I add a second finger inside her, filling her more fully. She bucks against the added pressure. God, I love watching her get off. Her mouth opens slightly, and full-throated hums spill out. The sexy sounds reverberate down my spine.
Intimacy with Harper is unlike any closeness I’ve experienced before. My pulse is revving. My nerves are all firing. She does it for me in a big way.
A few more strokes from my busy fingers, and she comes. She doesn’t hold back. She’s loud, and shameless in the thrust of her hips until she’s completely spent and relaxes into the comforter. I free both my hands, hurriedly undress, and have a condom rolled on a few seconds later.
I raise Harper by the waist so she’s on her knees then position myself behind her. She lifts up onto her elbows and looks over her shoulder at me. Her cheeks are flush from her orgasm. There’s a twinkle in her eyes. A small but potent smile plays across her lips. She wants me inside her as badly as I want to be there.
Earlier, I took her from behind, but something about this moment feels different. I think it’s the way she’s gazing back at me. With more. More of everything.
I sink into her little by little until I’m balls deep.
“Levi,” she groans. She likes it hard and fast when she’s one orgasm up on me.
So I give her what she wants. I grip her waist, pull out, and thrust in. Harder. Faster. But I’m careful, too, deliberate in my movements so I’ll get her to the finish line one more time before me. I tilt her hips just so, angle my body against hers just right, and lean forward to suck on the nape of her neck. She’s got a spot behind her earlobe that drives her crazy when I put my mouth there.
She clutches the comforter. I use my tongue and teeth, whisper how sexy she is and how good she feels squeezing my cock. We keep this up for a while, and then she straightens, lifting her arms up and wrapping them around my neck. I reach around her to cup and play with her tits. My thrusts slow, but she doesn’t seem to mind.
I slide one hand down her stomach to rub the hard, swollen bundle of nerves in the small landing strip of dark curls between her legs. She turns her head to kiss me. It’s short, but hot, and then she’s back on her elbows.
My hold goes to her waist once again, fingers digging into her soft skin. I pound into her with more urgency. My vision starts to blur; white-hot heat burns through my veins. Then she’s yelling, “Yes, right there!” I keep up the pace until her tremors slow and I find my own release, the pleasure so intense I see stars.
I’m never in a rush to pull out of her, so I stay seated until she makes a move to roll onto her back. She’s spectacular lying against my white sheets with a thoroughly satiated look on her face. I bend over and kiss her. A slow, relaxed openmouthed kiss that leaves us both panting before I get up to dispose of the condom and wash my hands.
On the return, I grab the two fortune cookies from the takeout bag on my desk. Harper scoots up to sit against my headboard. I offer her first pick of the cookies and get comfortable beside her.
“Thanks.” She breaks her cookie in half and pulls out her fortune. “You will find a thing. It may be important.” She looks over at me, a huge smile tugging up the corners of her lips. “In bed.” She cracks ups. She can’t stop giggling. The beautiful, happy sound should be recorded and used for therapy.
I break my cookie and grin when I read the fortune. “There’s been a mix up.” I hand her my tiny slip of paper and take hers.
“A man with”—she glances at me—“brown eyes has a surprise for you.”
“In bed,” I add.
We both burst into a fit of laughter. I twirl several strands of hair hanging over her tit around my finger, brushing the ample skin with the back of my knuckle. She places her hand on my thigh.
After we quiet, she kicks down the covers and crawls underneath them. “I’m tired.”
“Okay.” I slip under, too, more than ready to fall asleep with her in my arms. It’s early, so this might not be an overnight thing, but I’ll take it for however long it lasts.
She cuddles right up against me with her head on my chest, a leg tangled with mine, and her palm over my heart. A few peaceful beats pass before she says, “I saved someone at my parents’ house this morning. He was choking.”
I’m not sure if she wants my praise or congratulations or something else, so I don’t say anything. I squeeze her closer, hoping to convey she’s truly amazing.
“It brought back a lot of uncomfortable memories for me. I was already out of sorts before it happened.”
I kiss the top of her head, silently telling her I’m here if she wants to share more. Keep going, Harper. Keep going.
“On my sixteenth birthday, my boyfriend, Joe, drowned.”
Fucking hell. On her birthday? Her boyfriend? Pain crowds my chest. My muscles clench. And I’m ashamed to admit jealousy stabs me. She loved Joe enough to carry this with her all these years.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
“I was so in love with him. He’d never learned to swim, and I was going to teach him.”
I shut my eyes and press my lips together. Her pain is my pain. I wish I could wipe the bad memories away for her.
Moisture coats the side of my chest.
Teardrops.
“Harper…” I try to draw her up, to look at her and comfort her and kiss her, make love to her, whatever it takes to ease the suffering I hear in her voice and feel in her quivers. But she one-arm hugs me to keep me in place. Shakes her head. She doesn’t want me to see her as she talks.
“He…he drowned in our swimming pool.”
Fuuuccck.
“It was my Sweet Sixteen and my parents threw me a huge party in the backyard. I remember it like it was yesterday—Joe and me dancing to “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars. It was our song, and even though he didn’t like to dance, he did with me. He put his hands on my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck and looked up into his gorgeous face. Everyone else around us disappeared, and then he gave me a quick kiss on the lips. He told me he loved my dress. That it was the prettiest he’d ever seen. Whenever he was close to me, I grinned like a fool. I couldn’t help it. He made me feel safe, womanly, loved.”
“Ham…” I say softly. Of course he loved her. I imagine a lot of guys did from afar.
“Colleen came up to us on the dance floor.”
“Your cousin Colleen?”
She nods. “She smuggled some alcohol into the party and wanted us to do shots with her. I knew she was bringing tequila, so it wasn’t a surprise, and she assured me a couple of shots would be fun and harmless. With my strict swimming regimen, I was always super careful about what I put in my body, but it was my birthday and I wanted to break the rules. Have some extra fun.
“The shots loosened us up and we danced and partied and drank more. By the time the cake rolled out, I was feeling lightheaded and happy. After I blew out the candles, Joe and I snuck out of the party tent to go up the stairs to the terrace where the pool was. We were going to have sex for the first time.” Her breath flutters against my side. A tear slides down my skin. “It was the perfect night. A full moon and hundreds of stars sparkled in the sky to make what we were about to do even more romantic. I’ll never forget the last words he said to me. He said, ‘You look more beautiful than anything I’ve ever seen,’ and even though the words were a little slurred, they were so sincere. I felt them. Then he told me he loved me. I told him I loved him, too. So much.
“We started undressing as we stumbled around the pool toward the cabana day bed where we planned for this to happen. But with all the drinking…we were too close to the edge of the pool. I lost my balance taking off my heels, and Joe tried to right me. Only he lost his balance, too, and teetered backward toward the pool. I panicked and reached out, thinking to grab his shirt, only he’d taken it off already so all I got was bare chest.”
She wipes at her cheek, and I am fucking dying here, at a loss for the right words to say to help her through this.
“I remember him mumbling, ‘It’s okay, I’ve got you,’ but he didn’t. I started to fall while trying to pull him back to me. My vision blurred and heat swamped me. Then Joe’s hands slipped off me, and mine off him. I fell and hit my head on a rock and blacked out. When I woke up, Joe was…” She muffles her whimpers with the back of her hand. “When I woke up, I found Joe facedown in the pool. I jumped in, frantic to save him, crying his name over and over again. My heart was pounding so hard, I could barely breathe, but I didn’t care. I just wanted him to be okay, but it was too late. He was already gone.”
I wrap both arms around her and hold tight. I can’t even imagine what that must have felt like. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper. There’s more I want to say, but I don’t think she intended for this to be a discussion. She simply wanted to get it off her chest.
There is nothing simple about this, Levi.
“Thank you for telling me what happened. I’m really glad you did.”
She sniffles and gives me a small nod. I don’t let go of her, not when her body relaxes and her breathing evens out. And not when she falls asleep. I keep her tucked against me and drift off to sleep, too.
When I wake up, she’s gone.