CHAPTER 22
Harper
A s soon as my feet touched the floor, he reached for the hem of his long sleeved t-shirt. With a teasing look gleaming in his eyes, he slowly and painstakingly pulled it over his head, revealing his chiseled abs. He grinned mischievously as he watched my eyes wander to the perfect V peeking out from the waistband of his jeans. He tossed his shirt to the floor, the smirk never leaving his lips as he lowered his hands to the button of his jeans. His eyes darkened with need as he watched my reactions. The heat and desire building within me were obvious, and he reveled in it. As I was his, he was mine—every glorious inch of him.
I watched eagerly as he freed himself from his jeans and boxers, letting them fall to his ankles before kicking them to the side. Unable to wait a moment longer, I quickly removed my sweater, throwing it aimlessly in the air, and with an eager smile, I unfastened my jeans. As I looked at him standing there watching me, I couldn’t imagine loving him more; but with every moment that passed, with every second, my love for him continued to grow. He was my everything, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life showing him just how much he meant to me.
His eyes zeroed in on my hands as they lowered my pants down my legs, leaving me standing before him in only my lace bra and panties. I stepped towards him, pressing my mouth against his. His lips were so soft, so warm, and as his tongue brushed against mine, a deep moan vibrated through his chest. Max’s hands were on my body; roaming, squeezing, and pulling me tightly against his muscular frame. The kiss quickly became hungry and demanding, and I felt myself being led backwards as his strong hands slid up my back, releasing the clasp of my bra. When my calves met the bed, he slowly lowered me down on the mattress and tossed my bra to the side. My breath became ragged as my body begged impatiently for his next touch.
Max looked down at me, smiling appraisingly as he watched my breasts rise and fall with each heaving breath. “You’re so damn beautiful.”
I gasped as his fingertips gripped my thighs and he parted my legs to sink between them. His soft lips hungrily dropped to my breast, raking his tongue across my nipple. I could hear my whimpers echoing through the room as his hand slowly slid between my legs. He took his time caressing me while his other hand cupped my breast, the rough, calloused pad of his finger stroking me. His mouth moved back to my breast, swirling my nipple with his tongue before taking it in his mouth and sucking hard. He alternated between them, repeating this pattern over and over, all while his hands began to deftly slide my panties down my thighs. He gently tugged them down with agonizingly slow movements, reveling in the impatience building within me. My hands wound in his hair as I pulled his mouth closer to me. “Yes!”
The storm of delicious sensations flooding through me was almost too much. I could feel the smooth fabric of the lace slipping over my skin as my panties finally reached my ankles. His warm breath caressed my skin as he began to shower my abdomen and thighs with tantalizing kisses. I closed my eyes and let the warmth of his touch wash over me, making the bitter cold cabin a distant memory. I smiled with satisfaction as he centered himself between my legs and the tip of his cock brushed against me. Max’s hot skin against mine sent lust-filled chills down my spine as I opened my legs wider, and he slowly slid inside me, filling me completely. My breath caught in my throat as he pulled back and entered me again, hard and steady. Instinctively, I arched into him as he drove deeper and gasped as his cock rubbed against my G-spot. Again, I couldn’t keep my nails from clawing into his back. His mouth found mine as he thrust forward over and over, claiming what was his.
Waves of ecstasy crashed over me as my body was flooded with the all-consuming rush of my climax. Max continued to drive into me, relentlessly, until he found his own release. His fingers dug into my hips as he held me in place with a long, sated groan. He collapsed next to me, pulling me to his side, and as I nestled myself in the crook of his arm, I whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you more.”
Remembering the panicked look on his face when he showed up at Oliver’s cabin, I whispered, “I’m sorry about tonight.”
“Nothing for you to be sorry about, Harper. None of it was your fault,” he assured me. “I’m just glad everything turned out okay.”
“Me, too.”
“Now, get some sleep.” He pulled the blanket over us and settled back on the pillow. “We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”
I knew he was tired, but I felt like there was something he was keeping from me. “We do?”
His eyes were closed as he nodded, “Um-hmm.”
“Why? What are we doing?”
“You need a list?” he asked with his eyes still closed. “For starters, we have to deal with your friend, Oliver. Then, we’ve gotta get this place cleaned up. I figure you need to get some work done. I’ve got to go have a talk with Nitro. And then, you and I are going to talk about some things.”
“Oh.” I had considered letting him go on to sleep, but when he mentioned that we had things to talk about, I quickly changed my mind. I was too curious to wait until morning, so I asked, “Do you think we could talk about some of those things now?”
“It’s been a long day. You’ve been through a lot. It might be best to—”
“I’m good. Really,” I pushed.
“Harper.” His eyes opened and he looked over to me and said, “I’ve got some things to tell you that you’re not going to like to hear, especially after everything you’ve been through tonight.”
Panic washed over me as I propped myself up on my elbow. “Oh, well, now that you’ve said all that, we’ve got to talk about it. Otherwise, I’m never gonna be able to sleep tonight.”
“I was afraid of that.” He let out a deep breath as he eased up on his pillow. “Remember how I told you that I worked for a guy name Nathan?”
“Yes.”
“Well, there’s something you should know about that.”
As I listened to Max explain everything that was involved in the trafficking of illegal weapons, my mind had a hard time believing what he was saying. When we were growing up, Max was the boy who always tried so hard to be good. He always put others first, and he never once stopped trying to make his father proud, even when he knew there was nothing he could do to please him. He was the same boy who decided to become a U.S. Marine, even when it had brought his father such misery, because he wanted to make a difference in the world. That was the boy who was now helping a man sell illegal guns to common criminals, and it was a hard pill for me to swallow. I looked at him, and I could see the anguish in his eyes as he told me about the first years after leaving the military. It was clearly a difficult time for him. I could understand that there was a level of camaraderie between the men he worked with, that they would work together and help keep each other safe, much like the men he served with in the military, but the level of destruction they could cause was unfathomable. I just couldn’t understand why he would risk his life for something that was so wrong.
He’d been vague about his career for a reason. If he was proud of what he was doing, he would’ve been upfront with me from the beginning. I had no doubt that he was worried how I might react. It would make sense for me to be mad or disappointed, and I was, to some degree. That didn’t mean I didn’t love him. I would always love him, but when he looked at me, waiting for my response, all I could say is, “I don’t know. This is a lot to take in.”
“I know it is.”
“So, why are you telling me all of this now?”
“It was something I thought you should know. I don’t want to keep things from you, Harper.”
“I’m glad you told me, but honestly … I just don’t know what to think. I don’t know how you could do this. This isn’t something I thought you could do.”
“Harper, you’ve got to remember, when I started this, I didn’t have anything to lose. I didn’t care if I lived or died because there was nothing in my life that I truly cared about. That’s changed now.”
“Okay, so what does that mean?”
“It means everything’s changed. I’ve got something to live for now. I’m walking away from the job, Harper. Because now, you’re my priority . It’s as simple as that.”
“So, you’re done?”
“I’m done. I done with all of it.”
“You’re sure about this?”
“No doubt in my mind.”
“Okay … then, what happens now?”
“I want us to find a place away from all of this—a place of our own.”
“Alright.” I smiled. “Do you have any ideas on where you want to get this place of our own’?”
“Nope. Doesn’t matter as long as I’m with you.” He leaned back against the mattress with his head against the pillow and eased me back over into my spot. As I curled up close to him, I thought about the things he told me, and while it concerned me, there was nothing I could do to change the past and neither could he. We could only move forward and try to be better, and that was exactly what Max was trying to do.
“Maybe we can find a place like this … a little spot by the water where our kids can play on the beach.”
“With a screened-in porch,” he added.
“And a swing.”
“And a dog.” Max chuckled.
“A dog?”
“Yep. A big one … like a Great Dane named Otis.”
We continued to share our hopes and dreams for our future life together, until we both dozed off. The next morning, I woke up to Max poking me in the side. When I finally rolled over, he reminded me that I needed to go over and say goodbye to Oliver. I pulled myself out of the warm, comfortable bed, and after we got dressed, we headed over to his cabin. When we explained that he would be riding to the border with Ryder, he didn’t complain. He was too excited about seeing his daughter to care. As we all started walking out to Ryder’s truck, Oliver came over to me with a mournful expression. He reached out and gave me a hug as he said, “I really am sorry about everything.”
Hugging him back, I told him, “I know, Oliver. It’s really okay. Just enjoy spending time with your daughter and focus on getting better. That’s the only thing that matters.”
He nodded as he took a step back. “Thank you for everything. I hope that I will hear from you. I really do want to read the ending of your book.”
“Absolutely. I’ll get it to you as soon as it’s done.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
I watched as he got into the truck and waved as they pulled away. Once they were gone, I followed Max back to the cabin. As I was taking off my coat and gloves, he looked around the cabin and chuckled under his breath. “You made a real mess of this place.”
“I know. Don’t rub it in.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you’ve got me to help.”
Once he took off his coat, he went into the living room and started pushing the cushions back into place on the sofa and putting things where they belonged. I focused on the kitchen, closing all the cabinets and drawers, and was about to fold up the empty grocery bags, when I spotted the small square package that was sitting on the front steps a few days earlier. With everything that had been going on, I’d forgotten all about it. Before I started to tear at the paper it was wrapped in, I picked it up and studied it for a moment, wondering if it was really from Claudia. Once I had it unwrapped, I lifted the small white lid and found a handwritten note tucked inside.
Harper,
I found this almost a year ago. It was right after you’d lost it. I know I should’ve given it back to you then, but I just couldn’t make myself do it. I thought if it stayed lost, you might eventually forget about it and in turn, you might forget about him. After seeing you today and hearing the way you talked about him, I realized that’s never going to happen. He is the man you love. I just hate that it wasn’t me.
I wish you the best. Now and always.
Love,
Daniel
Under the note, I found the promise ring Max had given me, and it was still attached to the silver chain that I’d worn around my neck. I thought I’d lost it down the bathroom drain, and seeing it again, brought tears to my eyes. As I lifted it out of the box and held it in my hand, it seemed strange that a little piece of metal could mean so much to me.
I was thinking back on the day Max had given it to me when he came up next to me and asked, “What is it this time? A crocheted hat?”
I held out my palm, showing him the ring, and watched as his eyes filled with sentiment as I handed him the note. “It’s from Daniel.”
After he read it, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his set of keys. As he showed me his promise ring, which was connected to his keychain, he said, “I’ve kept mine right here, so I’d always have a piece of you with me wherever I went.”
“Oh my God! I can’t believe you’ve kept it after all this time.”
“Of course I kept it, but I gotta say.” He took a step towards me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me over to him. “I think it’s probably time we get some new ones.”
“You do?”
“Definitely. When I gave that promise ring to you, I know I said it was just so you’d always have a piece of my heart with you, but I always hoped I’d be able to replace it with the real thing sooner or later. You’re it for me, Harper Campbell. I knew it then, and I know it now.”
I knew he meant every word, but I couldn’t stop myself from teasing him. “Okay, but what if I get fat?”
“Just more of you to love.”
“What if I’m a bad cook?”
“Then I’ll cook or we’ll order out.”
“What if I get stressed with work and all the deadlines?”
He waggled his eyebrows and replied, “Hmm … I know some pretty good ways to relieve stress, if you know what I mean .”
“What if I leave the dishes in the sink?”
“Then, I’ll wash ’em.”
“Okay, well … what if I snore in my sleep?”
A wicked smile spread across his face as he answered, “You already snore, babe.”
“What? I do not!”
He laughed deep in his chest as he nodded. “Oh yeah! You definitely snore, but it’s cute. It’s kind of like a puppy’s snore … soft and muffled.”
“You can stop,” I huffed. “What if—”
He cut me off by saying, “Harper, there’s nothing in this world that’s going to change how I feel about you. I know I’ve got a good thing, and I’m not letting you go.”
“Well, that’s good, because I feel the same way about you,” I told him as I snaked my arms around his neck. “Even though you’re totally wrong about the whole snoring thing.”