I chuckled and winked at her when she poked my elbow. "I think I've met her."
"Anyone else, everyone else, would've just walked by me. Actually, a few people did while I struggled to catch my stuff. But you stopped."
"Mainly because I hadn't seen that much paper in decades." I snickered and she swatted my hand.
"Says the girl who has a phone from the Jurassic period." She scowled despite her snicker.
"It works, doesn't it?" I flicked her knee. "So, shush your pretty pink lips about it."
She laughed at me and wiggled her feet while tossing me an endearing smile. "You think my lips are pretty?"
"I think all of you is pretty. From your lusciously thick hair that I absolutely adored watching flutter in the wind while we flew all over the city, right down to your pretty feet with burgundy nail polish." I poked each of her toes, and she flexed them. Her smile, innocent and sweet, spoke nothing of the gun-toting woman I met for the first time ages ago it seemed.
"I think all of you is pretty, too. But I've only ever seen your face and hands, so I have no idea if you have pretty feet," she teased, and I leapt at her, threatening a tickle. She squealed and cracked up, her hands out like protective claws in front of her. "I'm ticklish!"
"I know." I laughed hard and wiggled my fingers at her. "Which is why I'm going to tickle you."
"Veyda!" Her face burned bright red with her heavy laughter, despite the fact that I hadn't even begun my tickle torture.
"You're laughing and I'm only threatening a tickle. That's a new level of cute I haven't seen before." I grabbed her hands and kissed the back of each of them. "So silly."
She calmed down to cute snickers and nuzzled the pillow against her cheek. Her gaze never left mine, and I kissed her knee that she still held in a defensive posture.
"Still mad at me?" I pressed my nose against her knee, and she shook her head.
"Not right now. Ask me again later."
I laughed and threatened a tickle again. "Okay. I will."
"No tickles!" She chuckled and grabbed my hands. "So mean."
"Nah. You're so cute, how can I resist a tickle?" A meteor slamming into Earth beside my head wouldn't be strong enough to wipe the smile from my face in that moment. I leaned closer to her, and there went her teeth, grazing over her bottom lip. I brushed my thumb over her chin, reveling in my ability to touch her so freely. Her return became the most normal feeling in the universe. "You make me feel…so normal."
"How so?" She tilted her head in the manner that melted me at the center like chocolate over an open flame.
"Hanging out with you is so good. All my senses focus on you. I don't hear anything else, don't see anything else. It's like we're floating in our own ship above the world where no one can touch us. It's…" I drew in a slow breath. "The most comfort I've ever felt."
She nodded, her expression growing more serious then. "I feel like that, too. And I know it made me upset when you first showed me, but I love your eyes. Whenever I look at you, I see…everything. It's like looking through a long-range telescope into the farthest reaches of the cosmos into ever-evolving nebulas putting on a celestial show just for me. A thousand strikes of lightning, colliding with the core of a star. I never knew purple could have so many different hues. And then the flecks of teal, like right now, when you're…looking at me."
"My eyes change when I'm looking at you?" My brow furrowed, and she reached up to brush her knuckle over my cheek.
"Yes. Not at first. Only when you're really looking at me, like right now. They start out your usual purple array with the iridescent white, then teal blooms," she said, the smile lingering on her lips while she gazed into my eyes. "Beautiful."
"You're beautiful." I leaned into her affection when she continued to caress my face. "With your overcast eyes, stormy with emotions hidden behind the clouds. Maybe you have lightning in them, too."
"Only when I get angry." She chuckled, then lowered her hands to toy with my fingers. "Might've zapped you a little."
"Scorch marks on my ass for sure." I brushed my thumb over her knuckles. "Thank you for giving me another chance."
She nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. "It's as much for you as it is for me."
"Good." I leaned over to rest my forehead against hers.
We hung there like that for a bit before she nuzzled her nose against mine. Our lips brushed together, and her legs tensed in my lap. I caressed her thighs, and she opened her eyes to meet my gaze again. The way she tucked herself against the sofa cushion, her chin to her chest while she looked up at me, melted me to a puddle.
"There are so many things you aren't saying," I whispered while my thumb stroked her palm. "That you want to say."
Harlow remained stock-still, her gaze locked on mine as if waiting for me to divulge her secrets for her. "Are you a telepath?"
"No. Your eyes give it away. Tell me?"
She shook her head, though her fingers coiled around my sleeve. I rubbed her legs above the soft fabric of her joggers, and it seemed to relax her a little. Her eyes closed when I rested my forehead against hers again, and she caressed the inside of my wrist with her index finger.
In the quiet moments, my attention expanded, heightening my senses though still prominently focused on Harlow. Energy pulsed around us, and if I listened closely enough, I could almost hear the undulating movements as much as I felt it against my skin. It didn't disturb me, but comforted me on some level. Hints of her fabric softener and shampoo tangled with the magnolia and her natural scent, all of which made my mouth water with a yearning I didn't expect. I pressed my lips to her forehead, and her body grew warmer against me. A small smile curved her lips, and I repeated the gesture over each of her eyelids, then the end of her nose. Her toes curled, and she raked her teeth over her bottom lip before opening her eyes to me again.
"I know what you want," I whispered, giving her side a gentle poke.
She snickered, her knees moving closer to her chest. "No, you don't."
"Yup. You like heaps of cuddles. I can tell."
"Do you?" She stroked my forearm from elbow to wrist, as our juvenile playfulness carried on.
"I've learned recently that there is one person I absolutely enjoy cuddling with."
"Elara?" She scrunched her nose at me, and I laughed.
"Well, yes. But she doesn't cuddle back much yet."
"Then who?" she asked, despite the obvious answer, and prolonged our game.
"You." I poked her stomach and chuckled when she squirmed. "Especially when you're super cute like right now."
"I'm not cute." She narrowed her brows at me. "I'm a gun-toting supervillain."
I laughed at that, taking both of her hands in mine to kiss them. "If I'm a superhero and you're a supervillain, what does that make us?"
"Star-crossed," she said, lacing her fingers with mine.
"Then what's thwarting us? Doesn't seem like a rogue neutron star is out to get us."
"Being afraid." Her tone grew more serious then, and she held my gaze properly. "Me being afraid that you'll have more secrets. You being afraid of hurting me again."
"Both realistic considering…"
She nodded and inhaled slowly before saying, "I want to kiss you so badly, but…"
"But what?"
"I don't want…" She paused as if searching for the words to express herself. "I don't want to break away after like last time. It hurt so much." Her gaze dropped briefly. "And be ashamed of enjoying it so much. And ashamed of wanting to kiss you all night knowing the outcome, after I just spent weeks pretending you didn't exist until yesterday."
"I want to kiss you, too. I've wanted to every minute that I've been with you, but it has to be when you're ready. There's no shame in enjoying kissing. I've never been so…exhilarated from just a kiss before."
"Me either." A shaky breath left her, and she squeezed my hands.
"Tell me what you need. If we kissed, what would you need after to feel better about it?"
"To know you won't leave me by myself to deal with the fallout." She gulped down her emotions before continuing. "A promise that you won't think I'm a fool for trusting you again."
"I don't think you're a fool. I promise I don't. I promise to stay with you, and I promise to wait until you're ready if you need more time."
"I don't want to wait. Sometimes I feel like I imagined how kissing you feels." She toyed with the ends of my hair again, and goosebumps coated my flesh when it sent a shiver down my spine.
"Me too. Like too good to be true."
She nodded and drew in a slow breath. "Promise not to drop me?"
"Promise. Just like flying."
"Just like flying," she repeated, then buried her fingers in my hair as she urged me toward her. Her eyes followed my mouth until I closed the gap between us, my lips claiming hers.
Harlow reacted immediately, her back arching as she held me to her with her fingers gripping my hair. Passion erupted between us, intensifying our connection when our tongues collided. Every inch of me burned as all the tiny hairs on my body stood on end like I flew too close to a lightning strike. The ache settled at the apex of my thighs, and my stomach lurched with excitement. Harlow's feet dug into the cushions of the sofa, and she braced her palm against my stomach. In this position, I could feel all of her and the way she fought the contortion her muscles attempted to force. She moaned in my mouth, simultaneously tearing at my shirt and hair. She tensed in my lap, her rear lifting slightly as I gripped her hip, holding her to me while cradling her face in my palm.
Her cries broke our kiss, and she tossed her head back as my lips met her neck. The trickle of liquid heat washed over me, as if I shared the moment of pleasure that coursed through her. I didn't fully understand what she meant before about kissing feeling like sex, but I knew now and recognized the intensity of her release. My heart pounded, and I fought the smile that made it to my lips when I urged her back into a kiss. The sweetness of her arousal overwhelmed my senses and drowned out everything save for her presence.
She held my face to her, devouring my mouth as I pressed her shirt up to caress her naked stomach just above the band of her pants. Her resolve faded, as did the shyness that she carried most of the evening. I wanted her, all of her, like I've never craved anything in my life. Not food, or money or success, or even the rush of soaring through the freedom of the skies. I ached for her in the deepest portions of my heart, and perhaps my soul.
I shifted positions, wriggling out from under her to crawl over and press her into the pillows while keeping her in the kiss. Her knees squeezed my hips, and her nails grazed my scalp. In this position, the swell of my own arousal made itself known, and I shuddered under the friction of my jeans. I flicked my tongue over hers, mimicking what I yearned to do to her, and she cried out again, her body arching against mine. She covered her face as she heaved for breath, and I nibbled her fingers, reveling in the aftermath of her release.
"H-how?" She gasped, a heavy moan escaping her. "How?
"Don't know." I kissed her fingers, her cheeks, then her neck. "But I literally cannot stop tasting you right now."
"Don't stop." She groaned, her fingers buried in my hair again.
Bravery struck her then, and she caressed the length of my torso, over my hip then back up again until she gripped my breasts in her firm, shaky palms. The gesture pushed me over the edge, and I raked my teeth over her shoulder when I came. The long-awaited climax peaked quickly and left me hungrier than before.
We both panted, our lips a breath apart, before I peppered hers with kisses. A dreamy smile lifted her cheeks, and a soft chuckle escaped her. I closed my eyes, drowning myself in the bursts of colors swirling in my mind's eye and the waves of delight pulsing through me. Harlow stroked my face, delicate fingers touching here and there as the essence of her imprinted on my memory and in my heart. How could she be so bound to me when she was almost a stranger? I didn't know and didn't care. All that mattered was how we felt together in that moment.
"Did you?" she asked on a tentative murmur.
I nodded, kissing her softly before meeting her gaze. "For you…every time?"
"Yes." She tucked my hair behind my ears before stroking handfuls of it.
"Even the first time?" My brows lifted, and she nibbled her bottom lip while nodding. "In the parking lot? Then listening to Check Yes, Juliet?"
"Yes." She chuckled, her cheeks burning redder than before under her heavy blush. "Not strong like this though."
"Run, baby. Run." I snickered, tossing out the alternative title of the song.
"Century-old music steals my heart," she said, tapping her finger against my lips. "Like you."
My stomach flip-flopped all over the place when the words left her lips. "Ditto."
"I feel like I've known you my whole life," she croaked, as a swell of tears seemed to catch her. "My whole life."
I nodded my agreement, then brushed the single tear from her cheek. "Me too. Like I've been waiting for you."
"I waited for you, too." She choked on a sob and covered her face suddenly. Something else tangled with her declaration and I lowered myself down on the sofa beside her. She turned on her side so that we faced each other, and sniffled when she looked at me again.
"Tell me."
She shook her head, but spoke anyway. "Shadow Protectors, Hybridians, and Elite Soldiers have been around for a long time. Superheroes keeping us safe. Or trying to. A third World War that would've been a fourth if not for them."
"We have been and yes. My mother served in the third," I said, my brow furrowed as I attempted to follow her train of thought.
"Saving all those refugees. Stopping the nuclear weapons and the sonics." She sniffled and swiped at her cheeks. "Saving cities from collapse, governments. And then, in ordinary time, coming for the people in the streets every day. That boy you saved, the terrorist you caught."
"We try… I mean, I don't keep track of anyone else. I just… do what feels right for me and the people around me at the time. Maybe the other Protectors do the same."
"Vigilante justice," she said, a hint of edge returning to her tone. "I see what you do on the news. What everyone does if you watch the world news. Hundreds of heroes. Some villains."
"Some, yes."
"You come to save so many people." She sniffled and wiped her cheeks as her steely gaze locked on mine. "But you never came for me. No one ever came for me."
Confusion struck me as I listened to her while brushing my thumb over her cheek. "What do you mean?"
She laughed a little, animating as she gestured toward the window. "I would stare at the sky, looking out my locked window all day and sometimes all night, hoping one of the superheroes up there would see me or hear me. They didn't. No one ever heard me."
"Harlow…" I leaned up on my elbow as she appeared to unravel portions of a story I wasn't prepared to read. "What do you mean?"
"I'm sorry," she said, drawing in a slow breath. "I'm so angry at you for lying to me."
"I understand. I'm so sorry for having lied—"
"I know you are." She sniffled, both of her hands falling to my chest as she spoke softly to me. "But it's not all your fault that I'm angry. The night you told me who you were…we were talking about family, and I realize now that I'm mad at you because of what you are, not who you are. And I'm mad at what you are because you never saved me." Her bottom lip quivered as she tilted her head, fighting to hang on to her words as she spoke. "No one ever saved me."
"I'm right here, right now." I stroked my knuckle under her chin. "I'll save you now. I'll save you every day." Tears brimmed my eyes as my heart crumbled for whatever pain she held on to.
"I did not have a good family," she said, tangled on heavy cries. "But I'm glad you did and do."
"I'll keep you safe, Harlow. I'll never let anyone hurt you." I choked on the vows I knew I would keep. "Never ever again."
"Promise?" Her question left her trembling lips as her gaze
seared into mine as if daring me to refuse.
"I promise." I pulled her to me, wrapping her in a fierce embrace. "I promise."
Harlow's cries broke my resolve, and I pressed my lips to her forehead, cupping her head to my chest. Her arms wrapped around my middle like they did when I soared with her over the city, except wonder never made it to her face, only pain.
I closed my eyes, my tears spilling into her hair, and vowed to myself that I would make good on my promise to her. Her heart thundered with mine, and for now, we drummed at the same chaotic beat.
Chapter Nine
"Do you like blueberry pancakes or plain?" Harlow asked me the next morning in her kitchen. The smile she wore stretched ear to ear as she leaned on the counter, her loose-fitting shirt hanging off her shoulder. She popped a blueberry into her mouth, her sparkling gaze trained on me.
"Blueberry for sure. How about you?" I mimicked her posture, propping my elbows on the countertop across from her.
"Blueberry with fresh whipped cream." She giggled when I reached across to tickle her side. "Veyda."
"I adore your ticklishness," I said, chuckling while watching her.
She scrunched her nose at me before turning toward the stovetop where the pan heated. I shifted around the island to grab her in a hug from behind and kiss across her bare shoulder. Her joggers hung low then, the waist falling just above her mons as I caressed her warm belly. She leaned into me, reaching back to stroke my hair.
"What's your love language?" she asked, offering me a blueberry over her shoulder.
I accepted it, making sure to wrap my lips around her fingers first. "I've recently learned that this…affection. Being close. Having conversations that share parts of ourselves. What about you?"
"Affection and touch are number one." She leaned into me, one hand falling on my arm while she poured the batter in to make small pancakes. "I'm kind of a romantic. I like writing notes or sending flowers."
"Do you like receiving notes and flowers?"
"Yes." She nuzzled me, while we watched the food cook. "Maybe preparing food is a love language, too."
"It is. Quality time, too. Like right now," I said, smiling while watching her flip the pancakes.
Jawbreaker (Four Point Universe Book 14) Page 13
