by Mj Fields
His nose pressed into the side of her hair as he breathed in deeply. He felt her shake slightly and he chuckled silently. Harper elbowed him and he groaned loudly in her ear.
���Please, let go,��� she meant to sound strong but her voice betrayed her.
���No, thank you,��� he said with a smile in his voice. ���You can bite poor Thumper, and elbow me all you want. I understand what you���re trying to prove, Harper, but it made me even more������ He rolled his hips into her and she gasped. ���You need to trust me as much as I trust you. I love you, you love me: we have covered that. Now I work on gaining your trust. When I have done that, you can try to gain back Thumper���s trust.���
���Ass!��� Harper tried to wiggle out of his arms as he laughed, making her even more irritated. ���I���m going to scream.���
���Harper, my father and yours are accompanying me tomorrow.��� She turned abruptly and looked over her shoulder at him in shock, ���You bit Thumper, Sweetness,��� he shook his head back and forth slowly in mock disappointment.
Harper looked away quickly and remained stiff.
Maddox stepped back and turned her around as she looked down unwilling to look into his eyes. He reached down and took her hand and kissed her ring and then knelt and kissed her belly. He stood up slowly, took her hand and led her to the bed. She lay down and faced the other way, and he tucked her in.
He stood up and walked to the other side and squatted in front of her. He kissed her cheek. ���Get some sleep, I think you���re a bit grumpy because you���re tired and possibly overwhelmed. I won���t bother you tonight. My room is three doors down on the right if you need anything.��� He stood up, ���I love you, Harper, goodnight.���
CHAPTER SEVEN
My Everything
Maddox shut the door behind him and laughed to himself. He walked by Lexi���s room and heard her making a noise. He cracked opened the door and the light from the hallway allowed him to see her sitting up with her bottom lip quivering and knew she was about to cry.
He walked in and smiled, ���Feeling better, Lexington?���
He sat down and she climbed on his lap and hugged him.
���Oh there we go,��� he rubbed her back and felt her head, ���You are sweating like crazy, girl. Let���s get you a drink and some dry clothes okay?���
She shook her head yes and yawned. He stood up, grabbed her a clean nightshirt, and carried her down to the bathroom and turned on the light.
���Too bright,��� she nuzzled into his neck.
���Okay, sorry,��� Maddox turned the light off and the nightlight automatically came on lighting the dark room…
���See,��� she leaned back.
Maddox helped her take her gown off and wiped her body down as she shivered. He quickly put the new nightgown on, ���Go potty while we���re in here?���
���Yes,��� she sat down and went to the bathroom as he filled up the Dixie cup of water.
He heard her begin to whimper and quickly turned around, ���What���s wrong Lexi?���
���I forgot to pull up my gown,��� her face scrunched up and she started to cry.
���Oh that���s no big deal,��� he pulled it over her head quickly.
���I want Daddy,��� Lexi���s little voice squeaked and she covered her face.
���Hey, I���ve missed you. I wanted to read to you would that be alright?��� Maddox pulled his shirt over his head and put it over her and she smiled shyly.
���It���s too big.���
���It���s perfect,��� he smiled and she giggled.
He walked into the hallway holding her and Brody walked out of his room, ���I was just coming to check on her.���
���Maddox is going to read to me,��� Lexi reached her hands out and gave him a hug.
���New nightgown?��� Brody smiled.
���No.��� Lexington scowled and looked at Maddox.
���Her fever broke, huh Lexington?���
She smiled sweetly and shook her head yes.
���Well that���s good news,��� Brody smiled at Maddox, ���You sure you don���t have things to do, Maddox?���
���I have a book to read,��� Maddox crinkled his nose up at Lexington and she smiled, ���And I have missed her, so we are just fine.���
Harper came out of the guest room and walked to Maddox���s room. He was not in his bed. She saw a light on and peeked into the room next to his and saw him lying on his back, one arm behind his head and the other around Lexington who was sleeping with her head on his shoulder. She walked in quietly and kissed his messy brown hair and went to turn off the light.
He grabbed her hand and smiled sleepily. He saw her eyes begin to moisten. He held his finger up signaling her to wait.
He slid his arm out from under Lexington and tucked her in. He kissed her head and took Harper���s hand. He led her to the hallway and turned towards his room. She pulled his arm stopping him. He looked at her and she tried to walk back to her room.
���No way,��� he chuckled, ���Nothing good has ever happened in that room.���
���Please,��� Harper squeezed her eyes shut and a tear fell.
���Sweetness, please don���t do that,��� he turned and wiped the tear away.
���I really am sorry, I���m just������ Harper���s lip started to quiver.
���Come on, let���s go.��� He pulled her into his room and shut the door and hugged her. ���We���ve had a long, very emotional day. Everything is fine, better than fine.��� Maddox lifted her hand and started to pull the ring from her finger.
She pulled her hand back quickly and looked panicked.
He smiled and took it again and she let him pull it off.
He sat her on the bed and knelt in front of her, ���Marry me, Harper?���
She shook her head yes quickly and he pushed the ring on her finger and hugged her.
He dropped his pants and climbed into bed and pulled her up into his arms and fell asleep after she finally did.
Harper woke to the morning light and slid out from under Maddox. She���d never been in his room. It was very big and clean. It was painted gray and the floors were dark hardwood. She saw his desk and it had pictures in frames from when they were younger in South Africa. One of them on the beach with London and Lexington, the first time they had spoken. She rubbed her fingers across where his scars shone. Scars from when he was beaten as a child, before Brody knew of him. She felt tears touch her eyes. She grabbed the frame and held it tightly to her chest. She was hugging him, while wishing she could have helped him, then. She opened a small five by seven platinum plated album. The first picture was of them asleep in the room he slept in. The night she wouldn���t leave until he promised to be her friend. There were a few from the Cape, after the truth about his past was revealed. She remembered being so angry at him and now it crushed her to think of how awful she had been to him. She was so angry that he hadn���t told anyone, tried to get help when he realized his Aunt Rebecca was someone who knew of him before he even knew, before Brody knew. Before she realized it tears were pouring down her face and Maddox was kneeling in front of her.
���Harper,��� he whispered as he hugged her.
���I���m so sorry,��� she sobbed, ���for every rotten thing I have ever done to you. I don���t deserve you. God Maddox, I have been so awful.���
She held onto him as if her life depended on it and he lifted her up and held her tightly against his chest.
��
���Sweetness, we���ve gone through this. I���m sorry too, okay? We���re going to be fine���right?���
The question in his voice hurt her and she cried more, ���I love you.���
���Alright, what has got you so������ Maddox looked down at her arm still between them and saw her holding a picture frame, ���Can I see?���
She shook her head yes and kissed him, he smiled and pulled his head back, ���Thank you for that.���
He took the picture frame and looked at it and whispered, ���The first time we met.���
���No,��� she wiped her eyes and looked up at him, ���I saw you before, on the island when you first came������
���But we hadn���t met yet,��� he smiled.
���I knew then,��� she looked up at him and then closed her eyes, ���I knew I loved you then.���
���Yeah?���
Harper watched a smile creep across his face, ���Yeah.���
���I���m so glad you did, Harper.���
She watched as he studied the picture trying to figure out what had upset her and then she saw him trying not to scowl, ���I���d never hurt anyone like that, if that���s what you are worried about, Harper, please don���t������
���No, no, Maddox,��� she hugged him, ���I know that. God, I know that. I���ve hurt you, though. I can���t believe the things������ Harper stopped talking when he moved away from her, ���Maddox please������
He grabbed the photo album and then her hand. He sat them on the bed and opened it, ���You really need to see us how I do, Harper. This is only a glimpse of it.���
He held up the framed picture, ���This was us on the beach, after our first run-in,��� he smirked, ���I remember being a total tool because you knew of my past. God��� I was so pissed at you that night. But you pushed the next day and we played in the sand, together, overlooking the ocean which I swore calmed me. But it was actually you that calmed me. Made me feel���like I was going to be alright. You didn���t have to embrace me like my family did. You chose to. This one was the first time I slept with someone,��� he winked at her and she smiled and relaxed into his side a little more, ���out of friendship.��� He turned the page and smiled.
���Prom,��� Harper whispered.
���I really wanted to do naughty things to you,��� Maddox smiled.
���I really would have let you,��� Harper wrapped her arms around his waist and he chuckled as they continued looking at the prom pictures.
���That was the first time we said I love you,��� Maddox whispered again.
���The first time we said it yes, not the first time I knew.���
He turned the page and his body tensed.
���Backstage at your first concert,��� Harper looked up at him.
���Yeah,��� he started turning the page and she stopped him.
���I would have let you that night too. Even though������
���I���m so sorry,��� Maddox���s voice was a pained whisper.
���No Maddox, it���I understand,��� Harper took his hand and kissed it, she felt him relax again.
The next picture was of them backstage at the Garden and Harper smiled. Maddox looked down at her confused, ���You���re smiling.���
���Yes, you sang to me,��� Harper���s smile widened.
He started to close the book and she stopped him.
���Harper, the rest is kind of private,��� Maddox���s face started turning red.
���I want to see,��� she snatched the album from his hand and turned the page.
Harper���s mouth dropped open and Maddox chuckled as he sat up and rested his head on her shoulder looking down.
���Where did you get this?���
Maddox looked at the picture of her on the balcony naked wrapped around him at the hotel on their first night.
���I have my ways. You can���t get mad; it���s the same picture that was splashed all over the news.���
Harper turned the page and saw pictures of her sleeping that same night. Maddox ran his finger across one that had her breast exposed.
���Great masturbation material,��� Maddox joked and laughed nervously.
���WHAT?���
He laughed at her response, ���Hell yes, after being inside you the very first time I knew it wasn���t just your love I needed, but your hot, wet, tight little������
Harper elbowed him and he let out a groan and then laughed.
He pulled her between his legs and looked over her shoulder as she flipped through the pages.
Each page was part of their story, even those that were not of them together. It was in chronological order. A photo of Cornell University. One of the band���s albums and ticket stubs from the New Jersey concert.
���A computer?���
Maddox shook his head, ���Yep,��� and he laughed, ���That was when you replied to T���s comment to Ava���s father and I responded to let you know it was me���you didn���t respond.���
���I couldn���t,��� Harper whispered.
���I desperately wanted you to. I felt,��� Maddox stopped.
���Please go on,��� Harper raised her hand and rubbed it through his hair.
���I hoped it would open up communication between us again, I missed you so much it hurt, Harper. To know what I���d done to you in New Jersey,��� he whispered.
���Sorry, I just couldn���t,��� Harper pushed her head against the side of his cheek.
He turned the page, ���The phone. Our conversation when you called for London.��� Maddox snapped the album shut, ���And that���s it.���
He quickly shoved it under the pillow and grabbed her chin lifting it up, ���Unless you want to check for teeth marks,��� he kissed her and chuckled against her mouth, ���We could take a picture of that.���
���Sorry,��� Harper turned around and climbed on his lap and hugged him.
She had realized he had closed the album before she had actually seen the entire album. While Maddox was busy running his hand slowly up and down her back and softly kissing her neck she reached underneath the pillow and grabbed the book. Trying to move stealthily she flipped through the pictures and came to the one of the phone and turned to the next. There was a hand written note in place of a picture.
Mine���Always and Forever.
The ways I love you are countless and without end.
The first and last of all things, my dearest friend.
Smile of angels and darkness combines.
The life and death of me, a light that blinds.
On the page next to it was a photo of the bracelet she had made him in South America when they were younger, a friendship bracelet. Harper rubbed it gently as Maddox���s hand went up her shirt. She turned the page and there was a heart drawn, words of the same poem she had just read making the outline of the heart. Inside it said Harper Ann Hines and under underneath HAH.
Maddox���s hand left her breast, ���Sweetness, am I boring you?���
���No���no I was just������
Maddox lay back with her on him and onto the album, ���What the������
Harper leaned over and kissed him deeply trying to sidetrack him.
He laughed and kissed her equally as hard. His tongue tracing the outline of her lower lip and then dipped inside her mouth.
He g
rabbed her and rolled them to their sides. Harper���s hand moved from his hair, down his chest. He tensed as she moved down his very tight and toned abs and she moaned into his mouth. Her hand slipped down his loose cotton pajama bottoms and she grasped him in her hand stroking him firmly. She pulled her mouth away from his and started kissing the path her hand paved. Maddox flopped his head back.
���Damn,��� he groaned as she took him in her mouth.
He turned his head to see what he had hit it on and saw the album. He rolled his eyes and was about to stop her for a little chat when her tongue swirled around his head.
���Fuck,��� he whimpered, ���Sweetness stop���awe fuck don���t stop,��� he pulled her hair away from her face and watched as she slowly moved up and down his length.
���Okay���damn it,��� Maddox pulled her head back away from him and moved away from her.
���Really, Maddox?��� Harper gasped, ���Fine. Thumper, I���m really very sorry that I������
Maddox laughed out loud and Harper looked up at him and scowled, ���No, please don���t stop on my account continue your conversation. When you���re finished chatting we need to talk about this.���
Harper looked up at Maddox. He was holding the album and his eyebrow raised.
���Thumper, you are attached to the most maddening man I have ever met,��� Harper rolled to her back and covered her face.
���Maddening, huh?���
Harper started to stand up and he grabbed her and pulled her into him.
���Yes, very,��� Harper giggled, ���Why would you hide that from me?���
���Are you always going to be so nosy?���
���Are you going to continue answering my questions with questions?���
Maddox chuckled, ���Are you ever going to stop driving me crazy?���
���Do you really want me to?���
Maddox kissed her cheek, ���Hmm, in some ways yes, others ���no way.���
���You still have the bracelet?���
���No,��� Maddox laughed, ���It was a figment of your imagination.���
