Chapter Fourteen
Harlow
“Uhhhh,” he said awkwardly, unsure of what else to say, fumbling for the right words.
Harlow felt a little bad for him. He’d been doing so good, saying all the right things, making real progress. Until now.
“Without any income, I’m toast. The banks won’t lend me any more money. I already owe too much to them.” She shrugged. “I’ll probably have to sell the company to someone.”
Vanek shook his head. “No. That’s not going to happen. We’re going to find a way out of this that doesn’t result in you selling your company. Not yet.”
Her head came up to stare at him. “We?” she asked skeptically.
“Yes. We. This is my fault. I screwed this up. I’m going to fix it. Can you give me a bit more time?”
She thought about it. “Yeah, I can do that. Because truthfully, I probably wasn’t going to get that contract anyway. They’d already given me all the signs of rejection, without actually saying so before you came in anyway.”
Vanek didn’t accept that. “Doesn’t matter. It’s still my actions that sealed the deal.”
“Maybe,” she agreed. “But don’t forget you were only there because of what I did. I think we can both share the blame, if that makes us both happy.”
“Works for me,” he said with a wry smile.
“Good. You just have to promise not to run away. To abandon me.” The words were said lightly, but neither party took them as such.
Vanek gathered her up into his arms once more, their faces now inches apart as he let her look deep into his soul through his eyes while he spoke.
“I won’t,” he promised. “I’ll be there for you.”
Harlow’s lower lip quivered slightly at the profound sanctity of his statement. It wasn’t the words themselves, but the way in which they were delivered, the utter commitment she sensed within them, as if were making a vow to a higher power. It was…intoxicating to be on the receiving end of it. Her lip stopped quivering though her mouth remained open slightly as she breathed slowly.
“Vanek,” she said softly. “I…”
“Shhh,” he said, lifting one hand from the small of her back and pressing it gently against her lips, hushing her. “It’s okay.”
“Why are you so amazing?” she asked through his finger.
“Because you’re worth it.”
It wasn’t a response she’d been expecting. Her blood started flowing rapidly as their eyes remained locked together, neither party speaking. Harlow could sense the sudden rise of tension, and she debated what to do. Vanek’s finger was still pressed to her lips, and suddenly she opened her mouth and sucked on it, gently wrapping her lips around the tip and sliding them down, her tongue swirling against and around it as she took more of it into her mouth.
Heat burst from Vanek in an expanding cloud of warmth, his skin growing almost hot to the touch in an instant. The sudden heatwave made her slightly lightheaded, but Harlow knew what she was doing. Hopefully.
Vanek’s other hand slid around her back and hoisted her up and around, until she was suddenly straddling him. Her palms pressed against his cheeks and she pulled herself into him, kissing furiously as they both let themselves go at last around each other.
The workbench groaned as he sank back under her onslaught of desire. Harlow gasped as he wrapped both hands around her curvaceous posterior, and, holding tight, lifted them clear of it. The walls were too far away, but it didn’t matter. The massive dragon held her tight, his arms not even trembling the slightest. Harlow realized she enjoyed feeling slightly taller, her legs wrapped firmly around his waist.
His breath was hot and his tongue soft as it rolled over hers, his every movement adding to the rush of the moment. Without thinking, she reached down and pulled the billowy blue top she was wearing up and over her head. Vanek buried his face in the swells of her breasts, lavishing her with kisses and the odd bite that made her gasp with barely restrained delight.
For a moment she considered how things had changed in the span of an hour. When she’d first come to the warehouse Harlow had been ready to pack up and leave Barton City and Vanek behind forever. To keep hopping from one city to the next, never settling down, never doing anything without an eye to when she could leave next. Now, as Vanek’s fingers deftly unclasped her bra, sending it falling to the floor as well, she realized that perhaps there was a reason for her to stick around a little longer.
He sucked on her nipples, her hands laced around the back of his head, pulling him in tight as tiny little pulses of pleasure filled her center.
Vanek was as unusual as they come, but for whatever reason that didn’t seem to deter her. She wasn’t thrown off by his slightly eccentric actions or vocabulary, or even the old-school way he seemed to view how a man should treat a woman. Who was she to complain about being spoiled, anyway? It felt nice to be cared for, and right now it felt even better to be wanted.
He’d made his stand, coming after her and proving that he wasn’t willing to back down, that she wasn’t going to just run away without facing him. Vanek had made one thing very, very clear. He wanted her.
Her.
“Oh Vanek,” she moaned as his mouth found the veins in her neck, alternating between kissing and gently nipping on them, driving her wild with anticipation.
Her fingers slipped through his long black hair, playing with it while he explored her uncovered upper body, alternating between both hands or just one single hand holding her in the air. His strength was incredible, and the more she thought about just how powerful he was, the more she arched into him.
A low, primal growl ripped from his throat as he strode forward and laid her back onto the exposed hood of the float. Cool metal touched her back, providing a stark contrast to the press of his exposed chest, and in seconds she was too wrapped up in him to think of anything else. The smell of freshly cut wood and the leather of his belt filled the air, clouding her senses.
Slipping a hand between her legs, she at last was able to start returning the pleasure. Her fingers deftly circled around the bulge in his pants, teasing it up and down in long, slowly strokes that left Vanek nearly panting.
Clothes flew everywhere as he undressed both her and himself at the same time. Harlow bit her lip so hard she thought she was going to start bleeding as he stood before her completely bare, his body like the statue to some sort of god carved from stone in utter perfection.
A small patch of hair in the center of his chest that she’d somehow failed to notice before ran down the center of his abs and then disappeared at his waist, completely cleanshaven from there down, much to the delight of her eyes.
“And you’re sure you want me?” she asked, a sudden moment of self-doubt entering her mind. She was comparing her body to his, looking at his trim lines and her numerous curves, wondering just what it was the insanely fit Vanek saw in her.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” he assured her firmly, leaning over her until he could kiss her, letting the desire in his mouth do the rest of his talking.
Harlow tried to argue some more, but the words trailed off as he left a trail of fire with his lips from her jaw down to her waist and then moved between her thighs. He was soft and warm, taking his time to explore her body thoroughly. She bit her lip as massive hands wrapped around the outside of her legs and held her close.
The cool metal of the hood of the float was suddenly a godsend as her entire body filled with warmth, the stark contrast making Vanek’s touch even hotter. Time lost all sense of meaning as she lay back and allowed herself to enjoy the moment. He was groaning and making aroused noises as he pleased her, that alone bringing Harlow to a new level of heat.
Her hands spread wide, grasping onto the nearby metal bars as Vanek slipped a finger inside of her. The combination of that and his tongue as it played across her clit was too much. Knuckles turned white as muscles across her body locked up, unwilling to respond, every nerve on fire.
A cry ripped from her throat as the pressure in between her thighs became unbearable, and a heartbeat later it exploded outward, crashing over her body like waves pounding the surf. Her body twitched and jerked as muscles acted out of concert with each other, everything in her body overwhelmed by the sensations filling it. The warehouse walls echoed her cries back to them as she writhed for several seconds until she finally collapsed back onto the float, eyes wide.
Words failed her for seconds to come, but Vanek didn’t give her the chance to recover. He stood up, one hand firmly grasped around the firm shaft of his manhood, rubbing it slowly over her opening. Unable to speak, she looked up at him wide-eyed and nodded. She was ready.
He pushed inside of her, releasing himself and sliding both hands up the inside of her legs, drawing her attention elsewhere for a brief second until more of him filled her.
“Yes,” she gasped. “Please. I want it. Need it.”
Vanek’s body seemed to swell with her words, his muscles gorging themselves on blood, though it did nothing to diminish his size she noted, feeling the girth slowly spread his walls. Harlow wanted it all, wanted to feel him pushed deep inside of her, but she knew they had to move slow. It had been too long and he was…too long.
It caught her by surprise when it all fit.
He thrust against her, provoking a gasp as powerful strokes brought her to new heights. Harlow tried desperately to keep her eyes open, but she couldn’t deny the sensations filling her body. Back arched and head thrown back, she cried out for Vanek.
They pushed against each other, alternating staring into one another’s eyes and watching as he slid in and out of her. The scene was passionate and erotic all spiraled together as her thoughts fragmented and broke apart, the pleasure of his sex overwhelming her senses.
Lifting her at the waist until only her shoulders rested on the float, he sped up, his hips moving faster and harder all at once, the need for release consuming both of them as they rushed toward it like an out-of-control locomotive. Harlow knew neither of them would be able to last for much longer.
Without warning Vanek lifted her entirely from the float, spun her around as if she were some sort of gymnast, and slowly lowered her onto her hands and knees, never once withdrawing from her. She wanted to ask him how the hell he’d done that, but as his hands grasped her hips and pulled them back against him she could no longer speak.
It was this way that they were going to climax she knew, and reaching one hand between her legs she started to touch herself while looking back, seeing the pleasure and strain of his effort on his face as he struggled not to let go.
“Do it,” she moaned. “I’m so close.”
He groaned loudly and she felt him swell inside of her, the moment taking on a new level of heat as her fingers moved back and forth swiftly, driving her over the edge moments later. She tightened around him, draining his cock of everything as he pumped in and out of her without slowing, holding her own bucking hips firm in his grasp as her cries noisily echoed off the walls.
All at once he was spent and Vanek’s giant form draped over her, gasping for breath as he struggled to stay upright without pressing down on her too much. Harlow went limp, the uncomfortableness of the side of the float she was kneeling on forgotten in the moment as the warm glow of his body and the post-climax settled over her.
“We’re so not getting any work done today,” she told him after catching her breath.
Vanek laughed, the joyous sound setting her off, and they spent a solid minute laughing over everything that had happened up to this point between them.
He really was something else, she was forced to admit. The coming days and weeks were going to be lots of fun as she got to know him better.
It didn’t occur to her until later that she’d thought about sticking around with Vanek and not leaving town like normal.