Harper’s hands shake as she pulls on her shorts and her head bent with her hair covering her beautiful face. Why won’t she look at me? I’m sitting on the bed with my briefs on and jeans in one hand, watching her and worried what we did was too much.

Harper spread out over the white sheets, hungry for more—it made me crazy. I became insatiable when she was riding me with a look of adoration. For a moment, all of her walls were down and I saw the fire and love that she gave me every day when we were kids in love. I’d fight any army of men for that woman.

My dick barely deflated after coming inside of her; we were both animals rolling around on the bed. There’s no mistaking what happened on that bed. If Rafael or any of his men snuck in here, they’d know what we did. It looks like we’ve been fucking for days.

After several rounds of mind-blowing sex, we crashed onto the bed tangled together. She leaned over to kiss me, stealing my breath with the look in her eyes, and then she completely shut down. She hasn’t said a word since she got up from the bed.

I watch her walk into the living area and take a seat on the couch as she waits for me to get ready.

Fuck this. She’s not going to do this. A plan forms in my mind as I pull on my clothes, not taking my eyes off of her. No more of this no feelings bullshit. I’m done playing it safe. It’s time to make her realize she’s mine. Always has been, always will be.

Purposefully striding toward her, I grab her hands and yank her off the couch into my chest, framing her gorgeous face. Her eyes round in surprise as a tiny gasp leaves her lips the second before I slam my lips down on her in a bruising kiss. Mine. My mind chants her name every blissful second our lips are locked together.

When I break the kiss, I’m still cupping her face in my hands and I demand one thing. If she gives this to me, I can make her see we belong together. I was a stupid kid when I let her go. As a man, I’d never make that mistake again.

“Give me tonight.”

Tension hangs in the air, neither of us breathing—only staring at each other. I don’t have to expand on what I mean. She gets it. She knows. My heart stalls waiting for her answer—each silent second that passes, lead starts to fill my gut. I’m worried I’ve lost before I’ve even begun to play.

With one word, she sets my world right.

“Okay.”

We’ve been attached at the hip since I rolled into town almost two months ago, but she needs to see me as her man. The only way I can think to do that is by taking her out on a real date. It will almost be our first real date. Dating as a teenager isn’t really dating. I’m going to get every detail about her I missed over the past ten years, and she’s going to learn that I’m not the boy who left her, who made the mistake of deciding her life path.

My head swivels back and forth, checking the hallway before I allow her to walk out. We take the stairs down to the parking garage, and I stop in my tracks, remembering the one thing that won’t make tonight perfect. “Fuck,” I mutter. I’m going to be taking my girl out in a minivan. A fucking minivan.

“Get in,” I say, opening the passenger door and ignoring Harper’s smirking face. “I’ll grab the bags.”

It takes me two trips to carry all of Harper’s things and load them in the back. When I get behind the wheel, Harper bursts out laughing. She’s folded over with her hands covering her face, laughing so hard, she’s on the verge of not breathing.

“Don’t get used to this. When we have kids, we are not getting a fucking minivan. Fucking Kiernan.”

Her laughter immediately stops as she looks at me, startled.

“You said you’d give me tonight. I’m not holding anything back today. If tonight is all I get, I’m leaving it all out on the table.”

Her neck moves as she swallows, watching me with wide eyes as I back the van out of its space. My grin is so wide, nothing could break it. Not even when she snaps a picture of me driving this monstrosity.

I continue to check the rearview mirror to make sure we aren’t being followed as I take a longer route than necessary heading toward Liam and Savannah’s house.

Liam and Savannah aren’t there when we arrive, but Harper has a spare key. Harper gives me a tour, showing me where to leave our bags. When we walk into the kitchen, she groans, picking up a card in front of a bottle of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries.

I read the card over her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Have I told you how much I like your friends?”

“They suck,” Harper says, taking a bite out a chocolate-covered strawberry and leaving a tiny smear of chocolate next to her lip. “They have good taste, though.” She picks up the champagne bottle and checks out the label.

I move closer to her, craning my neck to suck the space next to her lips and lick the chocolate off. She gasps, brings her hand down on the counter and curling it around the edge. Her head comes back, resting against my shoulder.

“Delicious,” I murmur against her skin before kissing her lips. I break the kiss, grabbing her hips until her ass meets the thick outline of my hard cock. “I can’t wait for tonight. Wear something that will blow me away.”

She stands there stunned when I walk away to find the office to set up my gear. My plan is to comb through every employee file I have on record and find one that links to Harper’s family.

Kiernan is planning to keep Dawson busy—so busy, that he won’t find it weird that he hasn’t met Harper. Until I can clear him, he’s isn’t going to be near her. Kiernan and I are forming our plan to eliminate each man from suspicion while Harper is at the store. James needs to meet Dawson; I trust his instincts. But tomorrow he’ll be with Harper while I’m with Dawson and Kiernan running through our clients.

* * *

Ice clinks in my glass as I swirl the whiskey. I’ve been sitting at the bar, staring at the bedroom for the last half hour, waiting for Harper to be ready. My body is humming with determination to make tonight go my way. She’s not going to know what hit her, and by the end of the night, she’ll be over this fling bullshit.

Texas. Tennessee. I don’t give a damn, as long as she’s there. If I can’t expand my company, I’ll sell it tomorrow and find something else to do. None of it matters without Harper. When I laid eyes on her again after all these years, I had the same reaction I did the first time. Complete and utter shock, loss of words, skipping heartbeat. Everything I am flipped on a dime because of her.

I couldn’t even see her face when I walked into her room two months ago, just a lump under the covers with blonde hair spilling on a pillow—and her sugary sweet scent ruined me for the second time in my life.

Now the door opens and she destroys me all over again. I clear my throat, trying to find my voice as she walks toward me. Fumbling like a teenager, I try to grab the flowers sitting behind me and hand them to her, but I fail. The whiskey glass is knocked to the floor and glass shatters. I don’t acknowledge it, don’t take my eyes off the woman standing in front me.

She sucks in a breath. “It broke. Be careful.”

Ignoring her warning, I walk toward her, the glass crunching under my shoes. “I’ll replace it.”

My eyes scan her from head to toe over and over, taking in every detail of the short red dress. The straps on her tan shoulders are so thin and delicate. The top cuts into a low v, exposing her ample cleavage, with a bow in the center. There’s a cutout beneath her breasts, showcasing her soft skin. And the skirt is so short, she’ll be teasing me all night.

“Does this untie?” My voice is thick with desire as I trail a finger down her breast to the bow between her cleavage. Her nipples pucker beneath the fabric, making me hard as steel.

“Yes,” she answers breathlessly. “Not out here, though. Liam and Savannah have cameras all over the house, except bedrooms and bathrooms.”

“I know. They’re not watching the footage, though.”

Harper raises an eyebrow and tugs on the string of the bow, revealing her breasts as the material falls to the side. She moans when I lick my lips and roll one stiff peak with my fingers. My mouth latches onto the other, tugging lightly with my teeth. “I’ll be thinking about this all night. I’m only allowing myself a small taste.”

She runs her fingers through my hair, keeping my mouth at her nipple. “Just a little taste,” she says, moving her hand down her body before it disappears beneath the skirt. I groan, tugging on her harder and relentlessly. Harper swipes a glistening finger over her nipple. “Just one little taste,” she says softly. I switch to her other nipple, licking her wetness from her skin. My dick is pulsing beneath my pants. I squeeze it hard before standing up and tying the bow for Harper again.

“I decided something,” she says, running her hands along my shoulders.

“What’s that, baby?”

“You said you aren’t holding back, neither am I. Everything I want to say or do, I’m going to. If we only have tonight, I’m leaving it on the table, too.”

My hand fists in her silky hair, bringing her mouth to mine. “This is the way it should have been every day for the past decade. I’ll spend the rest of my life atoning for my mistakes.”

She doesn’t respond, but her glassy eyes and fierce kiss tell me everything I need to know.