Unsung

by Shannon Richard

  He pulled his hand from her body, putting it on her hip. His other hand moved up, his palm going to the back of her head, burying his fingers in her hair. “You okay?”

  She groaned, the vibration tickling his skin. “I don’t know.” She pulled away slowly and looked at him, shaking her head. “I…you do something to me that I don’t quite understand.”

  “Good or bad?” He trailed his fingers down through her hair, tracing her spine. Her entire body shivered.

  “Good. Really good.” She pressed her lips to his, her hands now in his hair. Her nails raked his scalp as she rocked against him, trailing a path of kisses down his jaw and to his throat.

  This time he was the one groaning. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

  “All right,” she said as she sat back on his thighs, reaching for the hem of his shirt. He leaned forward, helping her pull it from his body. He threw it to the side while her hands landed on his now bare chest. “Sit back.”

  He did so immediately and she was sliding off his lap, pushing his legs apart as she settled herself on the floor, her knees resting on the thick cushioned rug beneath his feet. She grabbed the skirt of her dress and pulled it up and over her head, throwing it somewhere in the direction of his shirt.

  She sat before him wearing a black bra with emerald green lace that matched her panties perfectly. “It’s your turn.”

  And just like that the woman who was every single one of his fantasies come to life was currently kneeling in front of him wearing lace and the sexiest pair of shoes he’d ever seen in his life.

  He had no doubt that whatever she was going to do to him was going to be glorious, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t hoping for a blow job. Because really, her mouth wrapped around his dick might just be the best thing. Ever.

  A dream. He surely had to be dreaming.

  He never wanted to wake up.

  “My turn?” he somehow managed to get out of his throat that had suddenly gone very, very dry. He was now regretting his decision of finishing off his drink.

  As if she’d read his mind she reached behind her for a glass, fishing out an ice cube that hadn’t yet melted. “Yup,” she said before she popped the ice into her mouth and stretched up. He leaned forward just enough to get to her lips. He tasted her tongue a second before the cube was in his mouth. And then she pulled back, fishing another one out of the glass and putting it in her mouth.

  Harper pushed at his shoulder with two fingers, and he leaned back onto the couch. She put her mouth on his chest, tracing the ice across his skin as she made her way down. The cold against the heat of her tongue was incredible, especially across his abs.

  When the cube was good and fully melted, she sat up and reached for his belt, unbuckling it. Then her fingers were at the button popping it open, and like magic the zipper was making its way down. She grabbed the top of his jeans, her fingers hooking into the elastic of his boxer briefs, and he lifted his hips. She pulled them down just far enough for his erection to spring free.

  Her hand wrapped around him, stroking from base to tip. And then her mouth was on him, her tongue wrapping around the tip of his cock before she opened up and sucked him deep. He would forever be grateful about the fact that he was already sitting down. If he’d been standing he would’ve been flat on his ass.

  “Oh good God.” He groaned the last word long and loud, his head falling back on the sofa and his eyes rolling to the back of his head. One of his hands gripped the pillow next to him; the other was in her hair, palming the back of her head. There was no need to guide her, she was keeping up a remarkable pace all on her own, moving up and down the length of his shaft in perfect warm, wet strokes.

  Speaking of strokes, he was going to have one shortly…or surely black out because all of the blood was gone from his brain. All of it.

  He opened his eyes, the need to see her working him over a necessity. “I’m…I’m…I’m going to come.” Oh great, he was panting.

  She drew her mouth slowly over him, her tongue doing that amazing little trick around the head again before she let him go. “Isn’t that the general idea?” she asked before her lips were wrapped around him again and she proceeded to take him all the way down to the hilt. A few more expertly placed strokes of her tongue and he was letting go, pumping into her mouth and making a string of inarticulate sounds.

  His head fell onto the back of the sofa and he stared up at the ceiling, trying to catch his breath.

  “That was…unreal.”

  A soft chuckle escaped Harper’s mouth as her hands went to his knees. He brought his head down just as she was levering herself up from the floor. She stood before him, his sexy goddess in green lace.

  Just as soon as he figured out how to stand again he was going to have to peel her out of the few things that still remained on her body.

  Maybe with his teeth.

  Yeah, that sounded like a good plan. One he was distracted from a moment later when she crawled onto his lap again.

  “Glad you enjoyed it.”

  His hands were on her thighs, moving up and over the curves of her body. Tracing her hips, the dip of her waist, the rise of her chest. “No.” He shook his head. “I enjoy a beer after a long, hot day. I enjoy watching a good movie. I enjoy getting to work on my truck. That was…that was something else entirely.”

  She was something else entirely.

  * * *

  Harper sat perched up on the breakfast bar wearing an oversized T-shirt and her panties. Liam was standing between her thighs wearing gray boxer briefs and nothing else. A spoon hovered in front of her lips, another bite of bread pudding waiting to be devoured. She opened her mouth and closed her eyes as the richness touched her tongue.

  She savored it for just a second, humming around the spoon before opening her eyes. Liam’s gaze was focused on her mouth, his eyes dilated.

  “Watching you eat this might be the most erotic thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

  She swallowed, deliberately licking her lips. “Really? Out of everything, this is at the top of your list?”

  “With you, my list runs horizontal, so everything is at the top.” He scooped up another bite of the pudding and brought the spoon to his mouth.

  Hmmm, of that she had no doubt. They’d added a few more things to that list of his when they’d managed to make it to his bedroom. He’d laid her out and taken his time, running his mouth over her body for a good long while. When he’d gotten her truly mindless he’d just started the process all over again.

  It was a fact that Harper wasn’t one to sleep with men she’d just met—the man in front of her an obvious exception to the rule. And contrary to her current actions, it took a lot for her to let a man into her bed. All that being said, she was no stranger to good sex.

  Brad had never left her wanting for anything, and he’d most definitely been the best she’d ever had…

  Until Liam.

  She didn’t really understand it, either. When it came to men in general—even before being dumped by her fiancé—she didn’t get in over her head. She tested the waters of a new relationship. Dipped her toes in and waited before slowly submerging herself. She never just jumped right on in…

  Until Liam.

  It had been a lost cause to even attempt to keep up her defenses when she was around him. He was breaking them down left and right; case in point she’d come back that night. She’d almost chickened out. Almost hadn’t come over. But she kept telling herself she had nothing to lose with spending another evening with him.

  For the first time in three months she could see a light at the end of the very dark tunnel she’d been traveling down. And the thought of what she was leaving behind wasn’t nearly as debilitating as it had been.

  She was barely aware of her mouth opening, didn’t know what possessed her to start speaking, but the words were out before she even knew it. “I was supposed to get married this weekend.”

  Liam froze, the spoon
in midair as it made its descent toward the bowl of pudding. “You…you were?”

  She nodded, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth and chewing on it. You can’t go back now. You’ve already opened your mouth. Good job.

  “What happened?” He dropped the spoon in the dish before he reached up to her mouth, pulling her lip from her teeth with his thumb. His other hand moved from her thigh, to her hip, and around to her lower back. Turned out her body craved the firm, steady weight of his palm.

  “He left. Called it off three months ago.”

  He nodded, cradling her jaw in his hand, his thumb brushing across her cheek. “So you came here to…”

  “Get away from it all. I live in a very small town. Pretty much everyone knows. The looks of pity everywhere I went were getting to be a little much, and I just didn’t want to deal with it. Not this weekend.”

  “I get that. So you came here to spend it with your aunt?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And then ended up spending it with me.” His eyes didn’t leave hers as his hand moved from her jaw, running down her neck and tugging her shirt down to reveal the very top of her breasts. He traced the swells with his fingertips before he palmed the full weight of one, his thumb rasping over her nipple through the material.

  “Yeah,” she repeated, now more than slightly breathless.

  He leaned forward, pressing his lips to the side of her neck. “Your ex is a moron.”

  She laughed, a different kind of warm settling in her belly and mixing with the heat that was the constant result of his hands on her body. “Really? You’ve known me for all of about twenty-six hours.”

  He pulled his mouth from her throat and looked at her, shaking his head. “I could’ve told you that after twenty-six seconds. I’m sorry you had to go through that, I really am, but all I can think is, thank God he was an idiot. Because if you’d married him, you wouldn’t be right here.” He leaned forward, pressing his mouth to hers. “Right now.” Another quick touch of his mouth that was just a little more than a taste of his lips. “With me.”

  Well, damn.

  “How is it that I just had you and I already want you again?” he whispered, sounding more than a little baffled.

  “I don’t know. But you should go with it.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” This time when his mouth touched hers he didn’t pull away, his tongue finding hers as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss.

  His hands were at her hips, pulling her from the counter as her legs wrapped around his waist. He was carrying her through the house again, his mouth not leaving hers as he navigated around the furniture and made his way to the bedroom.

  The second she was on her back the weight of his body disappeared. The drawer of his nightstand was pulled open and then slammed shut. She sat up, pulling the shirt over her head while he lost his boxers and put on the condom. He knelt on the bed, hooking his fingers in the lace at her sides and dragging her panties down her legs.

  And then he was pushing her back onto the mattress, climbing up her body and trailing kisses across her skin.

  “Slow,” he said as he settled between her thighs. “I want to take my time. Need to take my time.”

  “Yes,” she whispered breathlessly; it was the only thing she could manage to say. Slow sounded glorious. Slow sounded perfect.

  He placed one of his arms by her head, leveraging himself up as his knees moved out, pushing her legs farther apart. And then he was sliding inside of her and her back was arching up off the bed.

  She wrapped her legs around his thighs, placing her feet flat on the mattress and giving herself just a little bit of leverage herself, moving with him.

  His free hand went to her head, palming the side of her face as he leaned down and kissed her. His tongue thrust into her mouth, matching the delicious pace that their bodies were rocking together.

  It was a slow build. Torturous and perfect, starting at her toes and climbing up her body with every push and pull of his hips. Her mouth fell away from his, her eyes closing as she gave way to the pleasure.

  “Harper.” He whispered her name and her eyes opened again. All she could see was the green gold of his gaze, the adoration clear. Adoration for her. “Just wait.”

  She wasn’t sure if she could; it was all coming to the surface. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. She couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. Couldn’t hold off the release that was building at the very core of her.

  It was all too much. Too much to take. Too much to understand. And the way he was looking at her? Watching her? Seeking her pleasure with every move he made? How could she wait?

  “I can’t,” she gasped. “I can’t hold on.”

  “You can.” His hips slowed as he kissed her gently. “Stay with me,” he said against her lips. “Stay with me, Harper. We’ll get there together. Slow, remember?”

  “Slow.” She nodded, grabbing on to his biceps, her nails undoubtedly scoring his skin.

  He did it three more times, building her right up to the edge of an orgasm before pulling back and slowing down. She wasn’t sure she could handle another one. Wasn’t sure if she’d survive it.

  “Please,” she begged. “Please, Liam.”

  This time his hips didn’t ease up. No, they moved faster, harder, slow apparently a thing of the past. And the result was mind bending.

  Her orgasm slammed into her, taking over her entire body. Her hips bucked wildly, her hands clawed at Liam’s back, her lungs were going to explode. But even with all of that, her eyes didn’t leave his.

  The pleasure in his face was incredible. Pleasure he found in her. Pleasure they found in each other.

  He didn’t stop moving until they were both good and truly spent. His arms were shaking as he gave her one last kiss on the mouth. And then his lips were moving to the spot just under her left ear, his tongue rasping against her skin and making her entire body shiver as another spasm contracted her core, squeezing around the length of him that was still firmly inside of her.

  “You’re incredible,” he groaned. “Every part of you.” And then he rolled off her, pulling from her body as he fell to his back.

  Neither of them moved for a minute…or five, staring at the ceiling.

  “What the hell was that?” he asked through a hoarse voice.

  “I…I have no idea.” And that was the first lie she told him. She knew exactly what it was.

  Her heart was still beating out of her chest. A thrumming so loud she could feel it in her ears. And she couldn’t catch her breath to save her life.

  She’d gone and done it. She’d fallen in love with him. Fallen in love with a man who she didn’t even know.

  How the hell had that happened?

  How was it even possible?

  And what in the world was she going to do?

  Chapter Four

  Lost

  Liam knew before he even opened his eyes the following morning.

  The sheets next to him were cold and empty.

  The house eerily quiet.

  No note.

  No good-bye.

  No anything.

  Harper was gone.

  Chapter Five

  Not Alone

  June 13th…five weeks later

  Harper stared down at the line of pregnancy tests on the bathroom counter.

  All five of them had the same answer.

  Just like the five she’d taken the day before.

  And the five she’d taken the day before that.

  Fifteen tests and they all said the same thing: she was pregnant.

  A soft whine at Harper’s feet had her looking down at Luna. The little French bulldog was sitting back on her hind legs and staring up with wide black eyes. She stood, taking a couple of steps forward and laying down right across Harper’s feet as she whined again.

  Luna always did this when she sensed that Harper was upset…which was pretty much all the time these days.

  Harper bent down, picking Luna up and cra
dling the small dog in her arms before she turned and slid the rest of the way down the cabinets. She sat on the bathroom floor, petting the dog’s back and waiting for the world to right itself.

  But that wasn’t going to happen.

  “I’m pregnant,” she whispered, thinking that if she said it aloud she’d believe it.

  Nope. Not the case.

  It had been five weeks since Nashville. Five weeks since she’d walked into that bar and gone home with a man she’d just met. Five weeks since she’d spent two nights having the most mind-blowing sex of her life. Five weeks since she’d run away. Five weeks since she’d left a sleeping Liam in his bed. Five weeks since she’d turned into a coward.

  She thought about him daily…multiple times a day in fact, and every time she did it hurt like hell.

  She didn’t get it. She hadn’t even spent forty-eight hours with him and she missed him more than she’d ever missed Brad.

  How? How was that even possible?

  She’d gone over it all thousands of times. Replaying it in her head and trying to figure out if she could’ve done things differently.

  But what other choice did she have? Two days with him and he’d had more power to destroy her than anyone else ever had before.

  That last night with him, she’d lain there for hours memorizing the moment. Memorizing him. His arms wrapped around her body, his steady deep breaths on her skin, his lips on her shoulder.

  When she’d pulled away from him it had been physically painful.

  But she knew the pain was nothing to what it would be if he was the one to walk away from her. So in the long run what she’d done was best…

  Or at least that was what she kept telling herself. What she had to keep telling herself. But really it was a big lie. A massive lie.

  She’d driven to her aunt’s, letting the numbness overtake her because as soon as she started to really feel things, she was going to lose it. Celeste had been home, asleep on the sofa with a marathon of her favorite cooking show lighting up the otherwise dark living room.