The next morning, they woke up late, having forgotten to set an alarm, and Harper rushed to get ready for her first class. She still had to figure out where in the hotel the session was being held and eat something so she didn’t pass out during the long hours ahead of her.
But through her quick shower and putting on her makeup, she practically bounced on the balls of her feet, happy in a way she’d never been.
Yet in the back of her mind was the niggling thought that so much time had been wasted and it was so unfair. But they’d found each other now, and she wasn’t going to dwell on what she couldn’t change. Except she was going to kick her brother’s ass when she got home.
* * *
Matt listened to Harper humming in the bathroom as she got ready for class. A lead weight sat in his stomach. Not because he regretted anything with Harper last night, but because he was worried about her car, which led to concern about her.
Last night he’d been preoccupied with finally having her in his arms, and besides, there hadn’t been anything he could have done that late. But her serpentine belt had been tampered with. Someone had deliberately sabotaged her car. Not wanting to upset her or ruin her weekend, he didn’t mention the issue.
He picked up his phone and called Harry. “Hey man, can you have a tow sent for Harper’s car?” He gave his worker the mile marker and the road name where he’d left the vehicle. “When you get it back to the shop, check it out top to bottom, but pay special attention to the belt. I think someone played with it.”
“Sure thing, Boss.”
“See you Monday.” The shop was closed on Sunday and Harry had the day off.
“Ready!” Harper joined him in the room.
He smiled at the sight of her, pretty in her black slacks and white shirt, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. “I’ll see you to class then go exploring,” he told her.
“Sounds good.”
They left the room and walked down the hall hand in hand. He’d never expected to be with Harper, never mind have it feel so perfect or right. God, he was head over heels for this woman.
At the ballroom where her class was being held, he kissed her long and hard before leaving her for the day.
Then he headed into town with the intention of doing some very specific shopping for one extremely special woman. Afterward, he killed time until he had to meet up with Harper, preoccupied with thoughts of her. How much he loved her despite the fact that they’d only been together one night. Despite that, they had a lot of time to make up for and things to learn about each other.
But before he laid his heart out to her, he needed to stand up to her brother and hopefully get his approval. Only then could he come to her and ask her for forever.
* * *
The full-day class ended early, and Harper sat at a table inside the lobby lounge, ironically drinking coffee. Susie Majors, a friendly barista Harper had met early in the day, joined her.
“So, where are you from and where do you work?” Harper asked the pretty brunette, although Harper had a hunch about what part of the country from which the woman originated.
“I’m from Tennessee.” Susie laughed. “Did the accent give me away?”
Harper chuckled. “Only a little.”
“Anyway, I work at a Starbucks in downtown Denver now, but I’m hoping to open my own place one day. I’m taking all the classes I can so I’m prepared if and when that time comes.” Susie took a long sip of the hotel brew.
Harper smiled. “Well, if you ever need advice or pointers, I’ve done it … twice. Once with my own shop and once on a full renovation when my best friend and I turned the combined space into a bakery and coffee shop.” She handed her a business card. “Keep in touch.”
“I will.” Susie slid her own card across the table and Harper pocketed it, feeling like she’d connected with her and made a friend.
She and Susie were talking about what they’d learned today when the other woman’s eyes opened wide. “Oh, wow. They don’t make men like that where I come from,” Susie said in an appreciative tone of voice, fake fanning herself with her hand.
Harper grabbed the back of her chair and turned to see Matt striding towards them, an intense feeling of possessiveness filling her as she looked over the handsome man, from his bearded face – a beard which she’d indeed felt against her thighs late last night – to his bulky body.
Before she could pivot back to Susie, Matt reached her, leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was long and equally as possessive as she’d felt towards him. By the time she turned around, her cheeks were flaming as she met Susie’s startled gaze.
“Oh! I didn’t realize he was yours,” the other woman said, clearly flustered.
Was he hers? Harper wondered. Or was this a weekend outside of their normal routine and he’d go back to ignoring her when they returned to Montlake? As much as she wanted to know, she wouldn’t ask and ruin their time together. She’d find out where they stood soon enough. They were going home tomorrow.
“I’m Matt,” he said, extending his hand to Susie to shake.
“I’m Susie.”
“Nice to meet you, Susie.” Matt looked down at Harper. “Are you all finished?”
She nodded, rising from her chair. “Save me a seat tomorrow if you get there first?” she asked Susie.
Her class was an hour in the morning and then they could start their trip home.
“I will. And you do the same.” Susie rose and threw her cup in the trash. “See you tomorrow!” She strode out into the lobby.
Matt turned to Harper. “Did you have a good day?”
“I did. It was so much fun, and I learned amazing techniques.”
“I’m glad.” He grasped her hand and led her to the elevator. “I’m also glad we have one more night here,” he said as they stepped into the lift.
Once the doors closed, he backed her against the wall and pressed his mouth against hers. His tongue swirled around the deep recesses of her mouth and she moaned, rubbing her breasts against his chest.
He broke contact long enough to look into her eyes and touch his nose to hers. “I missed you.” He dipped his head once more to continue the kiss, but the elevator dinged, announcing they’d come to their floor.
He took her hand and led her to their room, opening the door and letting them inside. She kicked off her shoes and walked into the room, stopping short when she saw an ice bucket with champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries on a plate.
“Matt?” She spun to face him.
“I just wanted to do something nice for you.” He lifted the bottle out of the ice, untwisted the wire covering and popped the cork. “I have dinner coming up in half an hour. I thought you’d be tired after a full day of classes.”
Even as her stomach growled at the thought of food, her eyes misted, and though she felt silly, she couldn’t help it. No one had ever done anything so sweet for her before. She never thought she’d have this caring man in her life. And she didn’t want to lose him. That was the thought behind the tears, but she wasn’t ready to express her fears.
Instead, she stepped over and accepted the glass of champagne he’d poured for her and took a sip. The bubbles tickled her throat. “Mmm.”
His sexy grin aroused her and she forgot all about being hungry. Well, hungry for anything but him, that is. “How about a quickie before we eat?”
He picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. Laughing, they rolled over and stripped each other out of their clothes, coming together in the center of the mattress. Their bodies aligned, his hard cock pressing against her belly.
She moaned and he rolled onto his back, easing her on top of him. “Condom,” he reminded her. “I picked some up this afternoon.” He gestured to the bag on the counter.
She leaned over pulled one out, handing it to him so he could cover himself. His gaze came to rest on hers. “Ride me, beautiful.”
She pushed herself to a sitting position, coming astride him, her core se
ttling over his erection. She gripped his shaft and lowered herself onto him, feeling him fill her up completely.
She groaned loudly, the sound coming from deep inside her. She felt so much for him and wanted to tell him. She needed to say the words, but she didn’t know if he reciprocated or if in his mind this was pure desire, not love. But she also understood this was new and they had a lot to learn about each other. So she cautioned herself to take things slow and appreciate what they had now.
Then he reached out and slid his finger over her clit, causing delicious tremors to shoot through her body. She trembled, emotion and sensation building along with the waves of need that threatened to consume her. He thrust his hips up over and over, rising to meet her, causing her breasts to bounce as she rode him.
Her climax hit suddenly and she cried out, calling his name. He gripped her hips hard and came at the same time, his big body shuddering beneath her.
For the rest of the night, they snuggled in bed, rising only to eat. They talked. A lot. She learned more about his life, realizing that he was as lonely as she’d been.
“I’d watch you, you know, as I worked.”
“You did?”
“Mmm-hmm. And how do you think I learned to love coffee so damn much?” he asked, sitting up in bed, holding her in the crook of his arm.
She laughed. “I just thought you liked to torment me.” She was only half-joking. Because he had come into the shop often, but given he worked across the street, it seemed normal. “I watched you, too,” she murmured.
He grunted at that as if it was hard for him to believe. “You dated a lot,” he said gruffly, taking her off guard. “Especially lately.”
She sighed and lay her head against him. “I was trying to get over you,” she admitted. “Emily getting married really forced me to face that I needed to move on with my life.”
“I thought I was doing what was best by staying far away.” He leaned down and kissed her.
“And now?” she asked, holding her breath, hoping he’d give her the answer she needed.
“Now we make up for lost time.” And for the rest of the night, he proceeded to do just that.
Chapter Four
The weekend with Harper flew by, and before Matt knew it, he was back in his hometown. Since he opened his garage earlier than most businesses, he couldn’t stop by the gun shop to see Noah Sanders. He’d have to go by during lunch, which meant he had to wait before showing any public display of affection with Harper. He didn’t want rumors to get back to her brother before Matt talked to him face-to-face. He hated staying away, but his word still meant something, as did his respect for the man in the uniform who’d only been looking out for his sister.
Matt worked a long day, with customer after customer coming in with emergencies. He never got a chance to run out and head over to Noah’s to talk. All the while, he knew Harper was across the street serving coffee and testing out her new foam techniques and wanting nothing more than to show up and see for himself. But if he saw her, he’d want to touch her, kiss her, drag her into a back room and fuck her senseless then make love to her slowly so she’d know exactly how he felt about her.
Instead, he spent hours in the bay, drinking the swill from a shitty coffee maker rather than the amazing brew Harper created across the street.
Late in the afternoon, he looked outside, hoping for a glimpse of Harper when he caught sight of someone circling her vehicle in Matt’s parking lot alongside the garage. He’d had to order a new belt and she wouldn’t be driving it until the car was fixed.
So what would a guy be doing lurking by Harper’s car?
Wiping his hands on the rag he always kept in his back pocket, Matt headed outside to confront the man. He didn’t even stop to grab a coat.
Wearing a black down jacket and a scarf wrapped so it covered half his face, the man stalked Harper’s vehicle, muttering out loud as he walked around.
“Hey.” Matt stopped the man and shoved him against the window. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I –”
Matt pulled at the scarf, revealing his face. He recognized Rich Jonas as the new lawyer in town who Harper had been dating. “What the fuck?” Matt asked.
“Matt? Rich?” Harper’s voice startled Matt and he turned to face her. “What’s going on?” she asked.
Matt glanced from her face – her nose had already turned red from the bitter cold – to Rich. “Ask him. I caught him skulking around your car.”
She wrapped her arms around her chest, pushing those full breasts up and revealing more than a hint of her cleavage. He’d tasted that skin and wanted more. His dick perked up at the thought. Too bad now wasn’t the time.
“Rich?” she asked, sounding confused.
He mumbled something unintelligible, obviously not wanting to admit to whatever he’d been doing.
“Speak up,” Matt ordered the man.
“I just thought if I caused some trouble with her car, she’d need someone to rely on and she’d ask me for help.”
She blinked in disbelief. “Seriously? Are you that desperate? I was on a highway when the car started to give out! I could have been killed!”
Rich held up both hands in defeat. “I’m sorry! I thought you’d drive it around town … that you’d stall. I didn’t think –”
Matt’s anger grew as he listened to the man’s explanation, and he grabbed him by the jacket and yanked him up so they were nose to nose. “I swear to God, if I catch you around Harper or her car again, you’ll wish you never set foot in this town. And if you pull this shit with another woman, I’m going to the cops. Now get the fuck out of here.”
Eyes wide, the other man nodded. “Going. I’m going.” He didn’t even look at Harper before running out of the lot and not looking back.
Matt took one look at his girl with her chattering teeth and wide eyes, wrapped his arms around her, and led her into the garage. He had a space heater running in the small office, and he slammed the door shut so she could warm up.
Pulling her against him, he enfolded her in his body heat, and she cuddled into him, where she belonged.
* * *
Harper waited until she warmed up, taking advantage of Matt’s big body and grabbing a few precious minutes in his arms before shoving him away. “Where the hell have you been all day?”
They both came in to work early, and he always, always came by the second she opened for his first cup of coffee for the day. And that was before they’d been intimate. Today, their first day back, he’d been conspicuously absent from her shop, and she refused to go back to the way things were between them. Not without a good explanation.
“I had a crazy busy day and … Fuck.”
She narrowed her gaze.
He looked her in the eyes and sealed his lips over hers, kissing her long and hard until she was out of breath. When he broke the kiss, he had a determined look in his eyes. “Let’s go.”
“Where?” she asked, perplexed and off-kilter from his behavior.
“To see your brother.” He grabbed his jacket off a hook and wrapped it around her shoulders before grasping her hand and leading her to his Tahoe.
“Why?” she asked once they were on their way. “I told you I’d handle him.”
He shook his head. One hand on the wheel, he glanced over at her. “This is my fight.”
“Okay.” From his curt tone of voice, she wasn’t about to argue.
They arrived at the gun shop, and Matt parked then came around and helped her out of the truck. “Any chance you’ll wait for me here?”
She tipped her head to the side. “Really? Umm, no.”
He set his jaw, grabbed her hand, and together they walked across the lot and into her brother’s store. Noah was alone, no customers in sight, for which Harper was grateful. She didn’t know what was about to happen between the men, but she didn’t want an audience.
“Harper? Matt?” Noah, with his Marine-style cropped hair and big body, would intimid
ate most men.
And Harper could see how he’d have pushed a younger Matt around. But the man by her side now? He was strong and proud, and she was equally proud of him as he strode up to her brother.
“Noah. About that promise I made you to stay away from your sister? I’m breaking it. I love her, and she loves me –”
A heady warmth settled inside of Harper at his words. Words they’d yet to exchange to each other, but she understood this promise had prevented them from moving forward.
“Look,” Noah began.
Matt shook his head. “I’m not finished. I love her, and I’m good enough for her. I might not have understood that when I was younger, but I do now. So, though I’d like your approval, I’m letting you know you’re not going to stand in our way.”
Harper wasn’t going to let him stop her from having the man of her dreams either, but right now, the two men faced off in a tense, silent battle of wills.
To her utter shock, Noah took a step forward and extended his hand to Matt. “All I ever wanted for my sister was a man who knew his own worth,” Noah said.
Harper narrowed her gaze. “You jerk! Do you have any idea how much you screwed up my life? How much all these years of him ignoring me hurt me?”
She was about to dive over the counter and attempt to beat up her brother like she did when they were kids, but Matt grabbed her around the waist.
“He loves you, Harper. He wanted someone who could love and provide for you. Who’d put you first. I can’t fault him for that. But if he gets in our way again? I’ll jump over that counter and go after him myself. Okay?” Matt asked her.
Harper’s heart beat hard in her chest. It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough after the pain she’d endured thinking Matt didn’t want her. But if he could forgive her brother for acting like an overbearing jerk, she’d try and do the same.
“Fine,” she muttered, glaring at Noah who at least looked ashamed, his hand still extended for Matt to take.
Matt, who’d waited for her to agree before gripping Noah’s hand in a rough man-to-man shake.
“Harp, I’m sorry,” her brother said, coming around the counter. “I just thought … he was just taking over the garage. I saw how you two looked at each other, and I wanted to make sure he succeeded before you two hooked up and maybe you got dragged down. I was … I shouldn’t have gotten involved.”
Take Me Now (The Knight Brothers Book 5) Page 3
