HE’D MADE HARPER a deal, what more could he say that would convince her to trust him with the truth?
Nothing.
There was nothing left to say or do.
But he couldn’t leave without touching her.
No, it wasn’t about the sex, but if she wouldn’t offer her heart, he’d take what he could get.
He tumbled her to the bed and ripped her towel from her body. Her skin, rosy from the bath, tan from the sun, beckoned to his lips as he bent to press kisses along her tan lines.
Harper shivered, moaning as he slowly opened her legs, splaying those lovely stems so he could feast on the dewy center he craved so much.
Her pale folds, damp and plump, hid that sweet button that he wanted to suck into his mouth.
Harper’s scent drove him wild, urged him to bury his face between her thighs and suck and lick until she screamed his name.
Teagan lifted her hips and pulled her close, sinking his tongue deep, sliding and tasting, exploring. He listened for her subtle cues—a tiny gasp, a tight breath, a soft, helpless mewl—and adjusted his tempo, rhythm and pressure until he had her panting like a wild thing in his arms.
The thrill of pleasuring Harper was quickly becoming his favorite activity. She tasted like honey and lemon, pineapple and summer. He would gladly spend the rest of his days camped out, sucking on her swollen nub, listening to the music of her cries.
Teagan had always been a fan of a woman’s pussy, but his enjoyment of Harper took that appreciation to a new level.
Was this love?
Was it possible to fall as quickly as that?
Maybe Harper was right and this was just infatuation, or crazy-ass lust that would fade.
His gut called bullshit. This felt right on so many levels.
Why wouldn’t she admit the same?
Harper sucked in a tight breath and cried out as she came hard. He tasted her juices, felt her clit pulse with each contraction while her thighs quaked.
Groaning, she allowed him to roll her over to her belly. Her ass was near perfect. She had the trimmest waist that flared to gorgeous, womanly hips. She had a small mole on her right cheek that dared to blemish that soft skin.
His cock surged with need, hard as a manzanita branch. He guided his length to her entrance and slowly pushed inside, breaching her hot sheath. His eyes fluttered shut at the exquisite pleasure, savoring the close heat surrounding his shaft as he buried himself as far as he could possibly go.
“Harper,” he breathed in pleasurable agony. “God, girl...”
Still buried inside her, he lifted her onto her knees, pushing her head down to rest on the bedding. She was a carnal offering that he gladly accepted. The twin halves of her ass were perfect for his grip as he thrust against her.
She moaned and curled her fingers into the bedding. The sound of their breathing and their bodies filled the room.
Teagan increased his tempo, losing himself in the intense heat between them. He rocked against her and she pushed to meet him, impaling herself on his shaft, groaning with each thrust.
He gripped her hips harder as the telltale signs of his release began to build. Harper’s breathing rasped as she stiffened, keening as another climax found her. Teagan gratefully gave in to the urge to follow.
His thrusts slowed and he finally stopped, withdrawing to fall beside her on the bed, his hand flopping over his eyes.
Neither spoke.
The harsh breathing between them was a shared sound, each heartbeat racing.
“You should go,” Harper said, breaking the silence.
He collected her roughly and pulled her against him. “No.”
“You promised.”
“Go to sleep.”
Teagan heard the sadness in her voice, the obvious reluctance to push him out, so he took the burden from her shoulders by refusing.
She seemed relieved and cuddled up to him, falling asleep within moments.
How could someone fight so hard against something they really wanted?
Teagan saw through her motions, recognized the scent of fear in every decision to push him away.
He couldn’t force her to trust him.
Either she would come to that realization on her own or she wouldn’t.
Teagan had to get to the point where he could watch her walk away if it came to that.
* * *
HARPER WAS DREAMING.
She was eleven again in body but her mind was processing the scene as an adult.
The weak sunlight dusted the scarred kitchen table and dust motes danced.
Her mother’s tears splashed on the table as she stared at her bank statement.
“He took it all.”
The whispered words echoed in the small apartment.
Harper knew how this dream ended because it’d played out in real life.
The scene switched and her mom was on the floor, the strength in her legs giving out.
The scene switched three to four more times, each one filled with more evidence from her past that trusting a man was a lesson in foolishness.
Harper awoke, sweating, around midnight. Teagan was lightly snoring, his deep breathing more soothing than she wanted to admit.
She rolled onto her side and watched Teagan sleep.
Such a classically handsome profile.
If she were a different person, living a different life...yeah, Teagan would’ve been her first choice.
Funny, kind, sexy—what’s not to like?
But surely, that’s what her mother must’ve thought, too, when she met Rex.
Rex had pulled out all the stops to bag her mother.
He’d been a small-time crook but what he’d taken from them might as well have been a million dollars, for it was all they’d had.
At least she could say, the men she took from had plenty to spare.
Justifications, she thought with a derisive smile, is that what I’ve come to?
The thing was, the perfect life was an illusion.
Everyone used everyone else to some varying degree.
So why did she physically hurt at the thought of walking away from Teagan?
It felt perfectly natural to have Teagan in her bed, beside her, laughing with him.
Even arguing.
Harper had always managed to keep a part of herself distant from the men she dated but not with Teagan. It was as if he could psychically rip apart her walls and drag her straight to him.
It was scary and wonderful at the same time.
In the morning, she’d have to find the strength to stick to her guns. Teagan deserved better than she could give him.
Not that she was trying to paint herself as a martyr, but Teagan was a good man and she would ruin him.
In such a short amount of time, Teagan had managed to get under her skin and she hadn’t seen it coming.
Teagan stirred, prompting a warm smile on her part. He was so damn cute.
She slid her hand across his belly, intent to rest her head on his shoulder but her hand brushed against a rock-hard erection.
Teagan was fast asleep but his cock was ready to play.
If tonight was all they had left, Harper was going to enjoy every stolen moment.
Burrowing under the light covers, she slipped her mouth over the soft head of his cock, teasing the rim with her tongue.
Teagan groaned and his hips flexed, pushing his shaft deeper into her mouth. She accepted his length and cupped his testicles for a firm squeeze. He groaned more loudly and his hand found her hair, wrapping his strong fingers around her scalp as she worked his erection.
His ball sac tightened beneath her palm as he strained against her mouth. With a guttural cry, he came, flooding her throat with warm, salty fluid in jerking spurts.
She sucked him dry, wanting every drop.
Harper rarely allowed men to come in her mouth.
But she wanted this with Teagan. She wanted to know his taste as well as he knew hers.
With a final sweet lap, she curled her tongue around the fleshy head and he gasped sleepily as he awoke. She emerged from the blankets and he kissed her hard, his tongue swirling into her mouth so that he surely must’ve tasted himself on her lips.
It was as dirty and wildly arousing as when she’d tasted herself on his mouth, and she was ready to go another round.
She whispered in his ear, “I need you now, Teagan,” and he rolled onto his back, taking her with him. Lifting her easily, he helped settle her over his cock, rubbing against the semisoft length, encouraging it to plump back to life.
Teagan was a beast. His stamina was unlike any she’d ever encountered, which worked for her.
This was pure, primal attraction at its wildest form and they were helpless to stop what was building between them.
She winced briefly as she stretched to accommodate his length again but as soon as she sank onto his cock, the tiny annoyance faded and she was left with soul-shivering pleasure.
He held her hips and thrust up into her, jarring her with delicious force.
She groaned his name, rolling her head back, her breasts jutting forward as she rocked on his shaft, working her own magic. His cock rubbed against her G-spot perfectly, the girth of his shaft making it a tight fit inside her.
Teagan slipped his finger between her slippery folds and gently teased her clit. The fluttering touches became maddeningly intense but her orgasm kept skittering out of reach.
Harper growled and pushed back, edging herself a little farther down so that his cock pressed harder against her. Ohh, that’s the spot, her mouth fell slack as she shuddered with pleasure. “T-Teagan,” she gasped, coming hard in giant waves. Her core clenched like a fist, her internal muscles clamping down on his cock, squeezing out his orgasm as he cried out her name.
They climaxed together, their desperate breaths matching each other’s as Harper fell forward against his chest, his cock still buried in her pulsing sheath.
“Why are you so good?” she mumbled, still buffeted by pleasure as her release receded. “Damn you, Teagan. You’re a hard habit to quit.”
He pressed a kiss to her damp crown and they fell asleep like babies after a long car ride.
Her last thought...
The morning would come too soon.