by Tess Keeler
My chest constricted for air. I moaned in my throat, breaking the kiss to catch our breaths. We were both panting, but I wasn’t done. I moved my lips over her dress to the curve of her breasts, kissing through the soft material. I drug my lips over her collarbone and to her ear, nipping and kissing her there to find her buttons. I wanted to know all of them, and I’d work hard to find each one.
One of her hands was in my hair, clenching like the one resting on my back. The noises falling from her gorgeous lips only threw coal onto the blazing fire I had for her in my center. I needed to calm myself, though. Not only were we in public, but my little sister was roaming around.
I pulled away, resting my forehead against her cheek a moment. My rock solid composure was crumbling. I swallowed the lump in my throat, licking my dry, swollen lips. “We should get home,” I could feel the huskiness in my voice, her eyelashes fluttering against my skin.
She nodded against me, turning to place a soft kiss on my cheekbone. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her in a tight hug as I breathed her in. My heartbeat met hers, both slowing from the heated make-out session.
1
Make You Mine
CHAPTER TEN
Harper
“You really like my brother, huh?” Bella asked me as we sat across from each other on Nixon’s bed, crosslegged and giddy. Like friends at a sleepover.
I was brushing out my wet locks, still damp from the shower I had just taken. It was Nixon’s turn; I just hoped I didn’t take all of the hot water.
“More than like,” I admitted.
“What do you mean?” she asked me, her curious brown eyes staring at me. I loved the way her eyes sparkled all the time, so happy about all of life. Her and Nixon shared that trait, and it made me curious about their parents when they were younger. Did they have the same attitude before the bitterness?
I wasn’t ready to say the L-word to everyone else, but how did I explain it to her without saying it. All of a sudden, Nixon’s voice was carrying from under the bathroom door, and we both looked toward the sound. He was singing one of his original songs—my favorite one, actually. My lips turned up and I looked down at the floor, my insides knotting up. The talent he graced the world with was sickening, and I didn’t know how he balanced the commotion of his lifestyle with the upbeat attitude he always had. He never stopped going—just another reason to admire him. How was I the lucky one he chose to take a chance on?
Gazing toward the sound, I relived the way he admitted he loved me. The expression he wore as he gazed down at me and the huskiness of his voice after he kissed me…
I set my brush down beside my leg and turned back to the small innocent girl in front of me. Her attention span was short, and she didn’t care for me to explain anymore. Her phone was in her face and she was grinning at something I couldn’t see.
“Hey, kid. It’s time for bed.” Nixon’s father appeared, his voice as kind as I assumed it could be.
Nixon had told me in the small amount of alone time we had in his hometown that when his father was good, his father was really good. The hair on his head was much thinner than his son’s, and it was all brushed back. His eyebrows were thick and dark, much like Nixon’s. The 5 o’clock shadow on his face was both dark and grey, his thin lips sitting in the middle of it all. The lines on his face were minimal, unlike Nixon’s mother. I could tell the stress affected her most, but she was southern sweet. Their relationship was tense. Caroline walked around Andrew like she was walking on eggshells constantly.
I offered Andrew a small smile as Bella stood from Nixon’s bed, whining a little. The corners of my lips stretched further as I grinned in response to how absolutely ridiculous she was. I had always wanted a younger sister.
“See you in the morning, Bells?” I asked, giving her my promise to stick around without saying it. My heart throbbed at the permanence.
“Okay,” she sniffled.
“Good night,” I said again, still wearing the most painful smile.
“Good night, Harper,” Andrew said, Bella already turning the corner toward her room.
He closed the door and I was alone, the silence odd in all of the recent chaos. It was good chaos. I stood to put my brush away in his closet, where my bag was. I decided to strip down a little more and take off my bra while I was at it. I closed the door, just in case.
After putting my bra away, I looked over the large amount of clothing he still had in his closet. He had to have ten times the amount of clothing I had, just here. I eyed one of his white button downs and pursed my lips. Nothing would interrupt us tonight, so why not try to dress for his private entertainment. I removed my pajama pants and tank top entirely, leaving only a pair of black lace panties on my body. I took his button down off the hanger and secured it from the bottom up, leaving a good amount of my cleavage showing. I took a deep breath as a wave of nerves washed through me.
“Harps?” I heard him call out in confusion.
My fingers trembled a little, a cold sweat breaking out all over my body. I had never been this nervous before, but I knew it was because I cared. I cared too much about this man, and it could destroy me.
I shoved my clothing into my bag and opened the door. He was half sitting and half leaning against his mattress, the remote in his hand. He was wearing only a pair of extremely form-fitting boxer briefs, black and smooth. I could see most of his black and grey mountain range tattoo peeking out, stretched over his bulging right bicep. I hadn’t counted all of his tattoos, but I knew there were around four or five. I swallowed the lump in my throat as my eyes drank in every detail of his nearly bare form.
His eyebrows lifted toward his wet curls, hanging down with the weight. I watched his eyes survey my entire body and my cheeks grew warm. He was staring.
“There you are,” he said quietly before clearing his throat and sitting up.
“Here I am,” I repeated, lower.
My feet felt light as I advanced toward him, my heart sounding off in my ears. I stood between his knees, thankful that the height of his bed left him at eye level of me. I placed my palms on his chest and pushed him back gently, until his back was against his mattress. I put my knees on either side of his hips, his legs still hanging off of the bed, and crawled on top of him, hovering.
His long fingers wrapped around my hipbones, his fingertips digging into my lower back. I grabbed one of them and placed it on my chest, over my heart. “Do you feel what you do to me?”
All of his features softened as he turned his hand and moved mine to the exact position on his own chest, “Do you?” he asked, vulnerability transpiring between us.
Our lips crashed together, equally responsible. It was sloppier than it had been, but his lips were still so soft. They were warm and needy as they parted with mine over and over again. I moved my hand all over his abdomen as the other kept me steady, letting the details of every muscle guide me to a new place. His stomach flexed as he pushed into me, pulling my hips down. I wanted to feel him, too.
I lowered my upper half first, feeling my breasts resist how little space I wanted between us. I didn’t want to just plop myself down on top of him, and I was overthinking it. I slid my center backward after settling near his waistband, feeling every growing inch of him twitch against the dampening spot on my panties. My hips curled out of instinct, begging to feel it again. It was like electricity was shooting out from the small bundle of nerves swelling between my thighs. I fell apart, moaning against him and disrupting our rhythm.
The heaviness of his breaths made me ache. I wanted to hear every sound he was capable of.
I let out a short screech as I was suddenly flipped over, his body covering mine once we were both entirely on the mattress. His lips retraced the same path from the night before, pressing and sucking on my skin along my neck and collarbone. The room was spinning as he massaged my breasts in his hands, more thoroughly than before. I tried not to hurt him with my grip, one hand on his bicep and one on his back.
/> My shirt fell open and I gasped—I hadn’t noticed him unbuttoning it. I blinked slowly in his direction as he pulled back, wetting his lips and taking it all in. Then he was kissing the valley between my breasts, his hands moving downward, following the natural curve of my hips and thighs. He squeezed and rubbed tenderly, his mouth inching its way toward the tingling buds awaiting his attention. I knew the way he avoided my most sensitive spots wasn’t to tease me; he was savoring me, no matter how eager I was to lift up into his face. I couldn’t help it.
When he finally wrapped his lips around me and sucked in my right nipple, I was pathetically responsive. “Oh…” I groaned. He alternated between rolling it between his talented tongue and milking me slowly. The pleasure was enough to take me out.
After treating both equally, he kissed my not so flat stomach, down the center and on each side. I propped myself on his pillow to watch him, my eyes wide. He continued further, his nose sinking into the wettest spot of my panties, nuzzling me as he looked up. Our eye contact was intense, but it was hard to focus as my breath got caught in my throat. No one had ever put their face near or against me; if a simple stroke of his nose felt that good, I couldn’t imagine how good his tongue may feel.
He hooked his fingertips into my underwear and slid it down my legs, throwing it to the side somewhere. His eyes were on my arousal, and I fought the natural urge I had to hide it. No one had ever looked at me the way he did, with adoration and hunger. My thighs were nipped at while my calves were massaged. My head fell back and my eyes closed, willing the shaking to stop. I had never been worked up so thoroughly. These were the moments before we connected wholly, and I wanted to remember the sensation as every hair stood on end in anticipation.
I sighed as he followed my opposite leg up to my hip again, squeezing my eyes shut. His palms eased my legs further apart, groaning as soon as they were spread. “You’re so wet.” That made me look at him, the knots in my hips blazing at the sound of his words. He stroked my clit with one finger before flipping his hand over and pushing it inside of me. I was so ready for him.
“Nixon…” I begged. “Please.”
He pumped his finger a few more times, pulling short grunts from my lips. His gaze was smoldering as he watched my face twist, and then he was gone. I whimpered at the loss.
Placing his feet on the ground, he stood and retrieved something from his nightstand. I tried not to blink as he disrobed himself entirely, the foil packet held between his teeth. My chest was rising in my view, my breaths so labored as I waited for him to complete me. I would remember what he looked like right now for the rest of my life. His entirety was beautiful.
He ripped the packet apart and slid a rubber over himself before towering me. I could feel his shallow breaths against my lips as he positioned himself with my entrance. Pressing his lips to mine, he stifled my sounds as he stretched me. A deep moan vibrated my chest as I accepted him with my throbbing walls.
He nestled himself deep inside of me, still and patient as I continued to clench. It had been so long since I had been with someone, and no one had cared to take the time. He lifted his face away from mine, studying my flushed face and open mouth, before he extracted himself and thrust inside of me a little quicker. “Oh god,” I whispered as he gasped.
He guided my knees into my chest as he relaxed on top of me. He curled his hips with more precision, stroking upwards as he did so. I cried out as quietly as I could manage, but it felt so damn good. My hands released the sheet to grab his biceps, digging into them as he let his arms take most of his weight. The mattress sunk with us, his face falling into the curve of my neck as he groaned in pleasure, the warm air tickling the sensitive skin he rested against.
Everything seemed to blur as our tangled bodies found our rhythm, his hips moving faster as we clung to each other like these were our only moments. We created an erotic soundtrack with our cries, both equally vocal in our own way. His grunts and groans fueled me to meet every tilt of his thrusts, the pressure building between my hipbones at a rapid pace. The way he drug his body against mine meant he hit every sensitive spot requiring attention. My legs were shaking, and I was gasping as the inevitable peak pulsed through every fiber of my being. My release must have triggered his, his incomplete sounds louder than before as his hips slowed and he collapsed on top of me. I was in heaven.
My touch was more gentle as we laid there, my nails easing off of his arms to caress the soft skin. I circled the indents I felt with my thumbs and turned my head to kiss his hair. He was already kissing my shoulder, leading to my neck. Wasn’t he exhausted? I was.
“That was perfect,” I whispered. “You’re perfect.”
I felt him smile. “I’m not done with you yet.”
1
Make You Mine
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Nixon
Vibrations against the black wood of the nightstand pulled me out of the deep sleep I was in. I blinked my eyes, focusing on Harper’s peaceful, sleeping expression staring back at me. We were facing each other, my arm heavily draped over her waist. I watched her lips part with her steady intake of breath. My heart was pulsing in my chest as I kissed her forehead softly. Hoping I didn’t disturb her too much with my movements, I blindly reached behind me for my phone and read the time: 6:47 AM.
1 Missed Call — Mason
Before I flew back home, the plan was to pick Mason up at the airport separately from the crew since he was hanging out in London with his family. Knowing I had time, I set my phone to the side, wanting to stay in bed with my girl and bask in the morning after our lovemaking just a little while longer. My hands rubbed her back gently, my lips pressing all over her face. It had never felt like this for me the morning after. This time, I wanted to stay in bed with her all day and stay tangled as much as our bodies and hearts would allow.
Her long eyelashes began to flutter and her body stretching. Once she focused on me, she brought her hands up to cover her eyes, her smile wide and happy— it made my heart do the thing again. Her face was turning pink when she moved her hands to look at me, and I could see in her eyes that she was replaying our night together over in her head. Leaning forward, she brought her hand to my face and closed the distance between us. As we kissed, my hand found the curve of her back and I pulled her into me. Both of us were bare, and every piece of my skin that was connected to hers felt like it was on fire.
Did we have time for…
“Nix! Harps! You guys awake?” Bella’s voice called from the other side of my locked door and I broke the kiss to let out a defeated laugh. “You promised to take me for breakfast, bubba!”
Harper’s eyes met mine, her tongue between her teeth as she gazed up at me.
“I did. Dammit. Thanks, past me.” I groaned, hearing her giggling softly at my ridiculousness.
“We’re coming, Bells!” Harper called out, “We’ll be ready in 15 minutes!”
That seemed to satisfy her and she gave us a happy “okay” before her heavy footsteps lead her downstairs.
Hometown shows were always the most nerve-racking. All of my original fans were here, and most of my family, too. Everyone came to my Tulsa stop, and I could only hope that Harper didn’t feel overwhelmed by it all. My life was overwhelming enough.
Harper was hanging with Bella and Mason as I did my VIP events. They always started with a Q&A, then we took pictures. It was a fast process, but I tried to make sure everyone got quality experiences when they walked in. My fans only deserved the best.
This particular Q&A was different, though. Almost everyone following the first question asked me about my girlfriend, and I knew Blake wasn’t pleased when I answered them honestly. I didn’t want to hide any part of myself from them, and this was no different.
After all of my fans had moved through the picture line, Blake was still giving me the cold shoulder. I really didn’t know what was worse: the anger or the silence.
I had some time after my radio interview to spend with everyone
. It was nice introducing Harper to the rest of my family, and she handled it with ease. I wondered how much of a wreck I’d be if I had to meet most of her family at once like that.
During the show, I could look to my left and see Harper, Bella, and Asher. It made me feel so invincible. I felt incredible seeing my favorite people dancing and enjoying it. I even caught Blake bouncing with the rhythm a few times.
I didn’t want this feeling to ever end.
It was after midnight when we got home, and Bella was barely awake enough to make it to her room. Mom had given her permission to stay home my last day, even though dad wasn’t happy about it. I was glad, though. I would’ve felt terrible if she had lost rest on my account.
Everyone immediately turned in, and I was relieved that Harper seemed mostly awake. I had something I wanted to do.
We were in my room, and I moved over to wrap my arms around her hips. “Did you have fun tonight? I’m sorry that you got so much of my family at once.”
She nuzzled her face against my chest, her eyes closing and her fingers curling around the back of my arms. I could hear her take in a deep breath, letting it go just as fluidly.
“It was overwhelming in the best way.” Her cheeks were still lifted, and I felt warm holding her like this.
I leaned back slightly to look down at her, causing her eyes to lift for me. “Want to take a bath with me?” My voice was low, my lips pursing for a moment.
“Really?” she asked, and I nodded in response. She quickly added, “Yes.”
I motioned to the door and lifted my eyebrow. “After you.”
She led me across the hall by my fingers, and I locked us inside as soon as the door latched.
There was a garden tub in addition to our corner shower. It was a fairly big bathroom. I was grateful since all of us kids had to share it and needed our own space.
