A hearty laugh pops out of Griffin. “That boy is going to lose all sensation in his cock before he loses his virginity.”
“Yeah,” I say softly.
“Hey.” Griffin turns me toward him with a hand to my shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
Feeling like an idiot, I press my hand against my forehead. “Harper wants to meet up tonight at the manor, after our graduation parties.” Griffin is the only one who knows about our secret hangout. He’s a loyal older brother, though, and hasn’t said a word.
“Okay . . . ,” Griffin draws out.
“I think she wants to, you know . . . have sex for the first time.”
A slow grin spreads across his face. “And you’re nervous.”
“Fuck . . . yes, I’m nervous. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t already made her come. I swear every time we’re together now, we’re at each other, doing pretty much everything besides . . . you know . . .”
“But you have a feeling tonight is the night?”
I slowly nod and lean against the wall I painted Superman blue so many years ago. “I’ve waited; Harper is going to let me know when she’s ready, and now that I think she is, I’m kind of getting cold feet. What if I suck?”
Griffin chuckles again. “There’s no doubt in my mind that you’re going to suck.”
“Gee, thanks, dude.”
“Every guy does their first time. But as long as you try to make it as enjoyable as possible for the girl, that’s all that matters. Focus on her pleasure, use all the foreplay you’ve been doing for the past year tonight. Make out with her while your hands slowly run over her body. Don’t just play with her tits, but worship them. Suck on them, pinch them . . . hell, bite them. Claire loves that.”
“Really?” I’ve played with Harper’s tits before, but I’ve never sucked on them or bitten them. “They’re not too sensitive?”
“They are, but you’ll be able to tell the difference in what’s pleasurable and what hurts. It’s all in the gasps and moans. Pay attention. And for the love of God, go down on her before you even think about pulling your dick out of your pants. You’ve done that, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’ve made her come doing that?”
I smile inwardly, remembering the other night when she was coming on my tongue, my name ripping from her throat. “Yeah, I have.”
“Good. Fuck her with your tongue to relax her, make her come, and then slip yourself inside her. It will be more relaxing and pleasurable for her. At this point, you’re going to last seconds at best, so at least she’ll be pleasured when you’re a one-pump chump.”
“Your confidence in me is reassuring.”
“I’m not trying to be a dick; I’m just trying to set you up for success. But honestly it doesn’t really matter. You two are in love, so even if your first time is you spilling your shit on her leg before you can even get your dick inside her, it doesn’t matter. You’ll keep going at it. She’s not going to dump you after the first time.”
“She might.” I lightly bang my head against the wall. “It would be kind of nice for her if her boyfriend knows what the hell he’s doing, especially since we’re both going to college where there will be a bunch of guys with way more experience.”
Griffin laughs. “Please, that girl is head over heels in love with you. There’s no way she’s leaving your side. You should be more concerned with all the girls who’ll want to jump your bones once they find out you’re on the football team. Groupies are real, especially for a future pro football player. I think Harper dealing with all the groupie bullshit is going to be your top concern, not your sex life. That will come, but reassuring her, showing her how much you love her, that’s going to be a constant struggle on your end.”
“I have zero interest in anyone but Harper,” I answer, a little insulted that Griffin would even bring it up.
“Never said you had any intentions of finding someone else, but Harper was already self-conscious about dating the infamous Rogan Knightly in Port Snow. Think about the insecurities that might come at a giant college. Just be available for her if those insecurities pop up. Okay?”
“Yeah, I get it.” I let out a long sigh, my cheeks burning. “Can I have some condoms?”
Shaking his head, Griffin pulls me in by the shoulder and leads me down to his room, giving me some more advice, some solid moves I can use on Harper tonight. Lord help me. I just hope tonight is the night; I don’t want our first time to be in college, when anyone could walk in on us. I want it to just be us tonight—just me and my forever girl.
Crack.
“Ah!” Harper screams, spinning quickly to face me.
I hold my hands up, trying to calm her. “Sorry. It’s just me.”
“Oh my God.” Harper presses her palm into her chest. “I think I just lost a few years of my life. I didn’t hear your truck.”
“Griffin dropped me off.” I bend at the waist and pick up the old soup can I accidentally knocked over. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“That’s okay.” She comes up to me and pulls me into a big hug. I wrap my arms around her and kiss the top of her head. Both of us are wearing the navy-blue Syracuse University sweatshirts my parents got us for our graduation parties, the same ones we had to take multiple pictures in together. “Tonight was fun but also weird, having to say goodbye to everyone.”
Parties for the Knightlys are never small gatherings. They always involve the whole town; if you leave out the wrong person, you’re bound to have someone mad at you and making your life a living hell the next day. On the plus side, we both got a lot of cards full of cash. I mentally told myself I would stuff it away so I could save it for future dates with Harper.
The only other time I’ve been to New York was when I was visiting Syracuse, so I’ve never really explored. I plan on it during my off times, and there is only one person I want to explore with.
Standing on her toes, Harper plants a kiss on my chin. “I have everything set up next to the fireplace—come on.” She guides me into the grand ballroom and pulls me down onto the blanket we’ve spent many nights on. But this time, there seems to be more of a cushion underneath it.
Fuck, I really think tonight is the night.
We both lie down and face each other, our hands clasped together in front of us. “I’m sad,” she whispers.
Okay, not what I was expecting.
“Sad? Why?”
She looks around, her beautiful eyes lit up by the battery-operated lantern above us casting a faint orange glow. “I don’t know. I thought that by now we would have figured out who wrote those letters. We had some good leads, but they’ve gone nowhere. The yearbooks failed us.”
“I know.” I sigh. “I wish we could have figured it out too. Who knows? When we’re back here for the summer, we could try to solve the mystery.”
“You’re coming back for the summer?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” I push a strand of hair off her face.
She shrugs. “Not sure. Will you have to stay with summer training and all that?”
“Not the whole summer. I do get some sort of a break. I’ll have to go back early like I’m going out early this time.”
“Yeah, I wish I could go with you.”
I tilt her chin up and give her a soft kiss. “It’s a few weeks. Nothing to worry about. When you come down, I’ll already know my way around campus, so I can be your personal tour guide.”
“Is that right?”
I nod, pulling her in by the hip. “You’re going to have to tip me, but yeah, I’ll be your tour guide.”
“And what kind of tips do you take?”
I kiss her again, this time parting her lips with my tongue. “You know . . . the sexy kind.” My hand slips under her sweatshirt to the small of her back. I hold her in place while I explore her mouth, letting my tongue do all the work.
Settling in, I get ready for a long night of making out with promises of more when Harper pulls away and press
es her hand to my chest. Worry flashes through her eyes as she bites her bottom lip.
I know that look. She’s fixated on something, and there’s no way we’re going to be able to move on with tonight until she gets it off her mind.
“What’s wrong, Harp?”
She looks off to the side. “You know, sometimes I’m afraid we won’t make it. Most high school couples break up in college, so what makes us any different? We love each other now, but what if that changes?”
I shake my head, 100 percent sure. “We’re solid, Harp. You’re it for me, and nothing is going to stop me from making you mine for the rest of my life.”
“I know that, Rogan. And you’re it for me too. But I still have my insecure moments, you know?”
“You have no need to feel insecure, Harp.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I should be stronger for you, but I already lost my mom. I don’t think I could stand losing you.”
“I’m not going anywhere, so you have nothing to worry about. I don’t think you realize how much I rely on you. I don’t just love you; I need you. This is a new chapter in our life. And even if we don’t end up in Port Snow, we’ll always be able to make a home and a family together.”
Smiling now, a small tear in her eye, she brings her forehead to mine. “I love you, Rogan.”
“I love you too.”
She lowers her lips to mine, and I part my mouth for her. Our tongues fuse, dancing against each other as our hands start to explore. I move my palm up her sweatshirt, across her abdomen and along the ridges of her ribs until I reach her bare breasts. I groan into her mouth, taking a small mound into my palm.
I flick my thumb over her nipple a few times before rolling it between my fingers. She gasps into my mouth and pulls away. Fuck, did she not like that? When I open my eyes, I’m met with a dark, heady look from Harper.
Okay . . . maybe she liked it.
Keeping her eyes trained on me, she licks her lips and lowers her hand to the bulge in my jeans. Her fingers run along the length and then slip inside. A hiss escapes me as my head drops to the floor, my will slipping. Please let tonight be the night. I don’t think I can take one more dry-humping session. Even though they’re hot as fuck, I need more. I need to show this girl how much she means to me, how without a doubt I’ll never leave her.
Ever.
“Harper—”
“Shh.” She presses her finger to my mouth right before she reaches for the hem of her sweatshirt and pulls it over her head, revealing perfect tits, round and high with little rose-colored nipples. Hell, if I wasn’t already hard, I would be now.
My chest rises and falls as I reach up and bring one of her tits into my palm. So goddamn perfect.
I sit up and slowly maneuver her onto the ground. I reach behind me and pull my sweatshirt over my head, toss it into a pile with hers. Both naked up top, I position my body over hers and lower my mouth to her breasts, sucking on one of her puckered nipples. Her hands tangle in my hair as she thrusts her chest up.
“God, I love you,” she mutters and spreads her legs, letting me fall between them. I take that opportunity to move farther down her torso until I reach the waistband of her jeans.
I glance up at her. “I want you tonight, Harper. All of you.”
“I want you too, Rogan.”
“I’ll go slow, I promise.”
“I trust you.” She pauses. “I trust you with my whole heart.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
HARPER
“The fucking nerve of that man,” I mutter, walking down the sidewalk to the Lobster Landing.
“Are you still mad about the other day?” Eve asks, keeping up with my quick pace.
Hands stuffed in my pockets, head ducked into my scarf, I try to avoid the whip of the freezing wind off the ocean. “Yes, I’m still mad. He yelled at me, even though his brother called me over. Do you really think I would go up to him on purpose? Yeah, no thank you. Not after the whole bar scene.”
“God, I wish I’d been there. I would have loved to see the look on your face.”
“Gee, thanks.”
She pats my shoulder before tucking her hand back in her pocket. “I mean that with love.”
“If my dad wasn’t so keen on having some godforsaken fudge for his birthday, there’s no way I’d be on this end of Main Street, but the man asked for one thing and one thing only: Lobster Landing fudge. What am I supposed to do with that?”
“Pray that you don’t run into Rogan. Which I’m sure you won’t. The man has better things to do than sit around his family’s shop. You know, he’s really made a name for himself around here.”
“Yeah, you’ve mentioned that before . . . asshole.” Eve snorts, and we breeze across the last few feet of sidewalk and barrel into the Lobster Landing, instantly greeted by the sweet smell of the fudge confectionary and bakery. Tourists from all around flock to Port Snow just to come here and indulge. To say the Knightlys have kept the town at the forefront of tourism is an understatement. And they are more than gracious with their business success, constantly donating and giving back to the community, making sure everyone has their hand in the pot.
I unzip my jacket a little and push down the hood while I take in the beautifully decorated shop. White shiplap walls, old refurbished flooring, red and teal accents—it’s gorgeous. Growing up, it was one of my favorite places, not just because we could score free food but because it really felt like home.
“Oh, I need to get more blueberry pancake mix and syrup.” Before I can say a word, Eve takes off toward the back of the shop, where they have everything blueberry sectioned off. Blueberry bread mix, waffle mix, pancake mix. Blueberry candies, flavored popcorn, and pretzels. And then there’s the blueberry tea and coffee and . . . beer. Tourists go crazy for that section alone. Add all the baked goods and the fudge on top of that, and the Lobster Landing is a staple in the community.
I make my way over to the fudge counter, where Jen is finishing up with a customer. She hands over the box of fudge and smiles before meeting my eyes. “Ahh! Harper.” She scoots around the counter and pulls me into a quick hug. “Where have you been? Are you avoiding me because my brother is an asshole?”
Not even beating around the bush, I nod. “Pretty much.”
“Ugh, believe me, I’d trade him in for you any day.” She rounds the counter again and grabs a half-pound box. “Let me guess, your dad wants some fudge for his birthday?”
“How did you know?”
“Every year. The usual?”
“Yup.”
Jen starts slicing up fudge and stacking it in the box. “Your dad is the healthiest guy I know, so the fact that he always indulges on his birthday makes me giggle.”
“He freezes the fudge and brings it out on special occasions. I’m pretty sure he makes the stuff last a whole year.”
“I can believe that.” She piles a few chunks in, wiping off her knife with every few cuts. “So I heard from Griff that you’ll be helping Lovemark with scouting locations. That’s amazing.”
Unable to hide my excitement, I nod vigorously. “I’m so thrilled. I have a list of places I want to take them around to for the different scenes they sent me. I can’t wait. They’ll be here next week.”
“You’re going to do an amazing job. I just know it.” She wraps up the box and takes me over to the old-fashioned register. “Any scenes with the Lobster Landing involved?”
“Of course. The movie is about a man who’s trying to resurrect his father’s old candy shop before the holiday season, so this is the perfect place to film. I already ran it by Griffin, and he gave me the go-ahead. That’s going to be the hardest part: getting the residents to let Lovemark film in their businesses and homes.”
“What are you talking about?” She rings up the fudge box. “Two dollars.” I know damn well it’s not two dollars, but then again, there’s no point in arguing; I’ve always been privy to the Knightly discount. “People around here would probably pay Lovema
rk to film in their houses.”
I chuckle and hand over a five, insisting she keep the change. “You’re probably right about that, but I still don’t know who owns some of the properties.” A potential location pops into my head. “Hey, do you happen to know who rents out the Harbor Walk House? It’s the perfect place for a scene I have in mind, but I can’t seem to figure out who rents it out to tourists.”
“That would be me.”
My body stiffens. That voice running my body through a gauntlet of emotions in a matter of seconds.
Anger.
Sorrow.
Excitement.
Turning around, I find Rogan standing behind me in an expensive-looking wool jacket with a high collar and a black scarf. His hair is shorter than the other day. Ha. I push back the smile that wants to form over my lips.
Someone got a haircut . . . hmm.
“The Harbor Walk House is yours?”
He nods.
“But it’s not under Rogue Realty. It’s listed under MFG Rentals.”
He rocks on his heels. “That would be me. Two separate companies for two separate rental businesses. One is for tourists, the other is for locals.”
Even though I want to kick him in the shin right now, I can’t deny that he made something of himself after dropping out of college. That’s more than I can say about myself. Thank Christ for this Lovemark job.
“I see.” I tuck the box under my arm. “Well, have a good day.” I start to walk away when I remember I came with Eve. Crap.
“Are you going to ask me?” Rogan taunts.
“Ask you what?”
He approaches me, while Jen closely listens in from behind the counter. She could have told me he’d walked up behind me . . . the traitor. “Ask me whatever you were asking Jen.”
I shake my head. “Not going to waste my time. Not when you’re clearly out to make my life a living hell. I don’t want to give you the satisfaction of having anything to lord over me. Not when I’m really enjoying what I’m doing. I don’t want you screwing it up.”
That Forever Girl Page 13
