“Ask me, Harley."
Her eyes blur with tears and I can see the slightest quiver in her bottom lip, but my brave girl doesn’t back away. “You want me?” she says, so softly that I barely hear it.
“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my entire life." I’m laying it all on the line. There’s nothing else I can do. I have to open myself up to her and hope to God she believes me. I’m trying with everything I have to display every emotion I’m feeling on my face right now.
“Ask me something else, Harley.” My voice is firm when I repeat myself, but I can hear it cracking when I say her name. Her eyes close, causing a few more tears to leak out. I lean forward and gently kiss them away. Her body shudders at the contact and I rejoice.
Do it, pretty girl. Ask me.
“ASK ME SOMETHING ELSE, Harley."
I can literally feel the emotion rolling off of him. He’s nervous. What is he afraid of? Does he think I’m going to reject him? Because I’m fairly certain I’ve already proved that I have absolutely no willpower when it comes to him.
Okay, to be honest, that’s sort of what I was prepared to do when he showed up at my door tonight. And even when he held me hostage against the sink—which was totally fucking hot, by the way—I was prepared to give him a very polite send-off. Then, he opened his mouth and started saying some of the sweetest things—things I’ve wanted to hear for as long as I can remember. I should have known I wouldn’t be able to hold my ground, not when the only man I’ve ever really wanted was bearing his soul to me. And who am I kidding? I don’t want to hold my ground because I want him too.
I. Want. Him.
I take a deep breath and let that sink in for a second. This is happening. This is really happening. Wait a minute…what does he want me to ask him? Because I can think of about a million things to ask…kiss me? Make love to me? Get naked with me? Marry me? Okay, it may be too soon for the last one, but you can bet your ass that if I thought there was a chance in hell he’d say yes, I’d ask. No joke.
I’m watching him watch me and he seriously looks like he could throw up. I’ve probably been quiet for too long; I guess I need to put him out of his misery. If he wants a second chance, then that’s what he’s going to get. But first…
“I’m sorry,” I say, fighting back a smile. Gah, this is so mean of me but I can’t resist. “I can’t.”
His eyes close and he drops his forehead to mine. His shoulders rise and fall on a shaky breath. He looks completely defeated.
“I can’t ask you to marry me.” His head snaps up and his eyes are shining. A huge smile lights up his entire face. “It’s too soon. We should probably just date for a while. Don’t you agree?" His hands are still wrapped intimately around my neck and he tilts my face to his.
“You’re amazing, you know that?" Just when I thought my tear ducts were starting to dry up, another tear trickles down the side of my face. Tyson extends his thumb and wipes it away.
“And for the record, I would’ve said yes." His eyes shimmer with emotion I can’t quite place and we both start laughing. This is such a great feeling. Never in a million years did I think I would be standing here—like this—with Tyson. My Tyson.
The way I feel right now, I wish I could bottle it up and save it for a lesser day, but I know I can’t so I need to make the most of this moment. Letting go of his shirt, I slide my hands around his back, pulling him to me, and the smile on his face fades. In its place is a look of pure need.
My eyes flit between his and then they drop to his mouth…his perfect mouth. The mouth that I’ve dreamt of kissing for years. His tongue flicks out, wetting his bottom lip, and I drag my eyes back to his. “Please kiss me,” I whisper, hoping that this time I’m going to get what I want.
He gently tugs me forward until the front of our bodies are melded together, and my heart starts racing on contact. I close my eyes, wanting to memorize everything about this moment. I don’t ever want to forget the rhythmic way his soft thumbs brush across my jaw, the steady beat of his heart against my chest, the way his breath feathers across my face as he dips his head lower, or the way I feel his hardened length press gently into my belly. This moment can’t possibly be any more perfect. At least that’s what I thought, until I feel his lips brush against mine for the first time.
Now it’s perfect.
His soft lips brush against mine once…twice…and a third time before he pulls his head back a fraction, waiting for me to open my eyes. I lift my heavy lids to find him watching me with open wonderment, and the words that flow from his mouth make my heart soar.
“I’ve been waiting for this kiss for the past five years, and I want you to know that it hasn’t completely happened and it’s already the most amazing kiss I’ve ever had." With those final whispered words, he proceeds to rock my fucking world.
In an unbelievably smooth motion, he pulls my face back to his, tilting it slightly to the left. My lips part and the moment his open mouth descends on mine, an entire swarm of butterflies take flight in my stomach. Our tongues intertwine, sliding against one another in the most natural way, and I swear…I swear I just died and went to heaven. I don’t think anyone has ever kissed me in such an intimate way, but something inside of me snaps and I instantly want—no, I need—more.
My hands glide up his back and I tangle my fingers in his hair, tugging gently. He smiles against my mouth, pulls back a little, and my mouth follows his for a beat, trying to reconnect. A groan rips from my throat in disapproval, and he chuckles. Okay, now I’m a little pissed. I was really enjoying th—
“I’m not going to lie…I wasn’t expecting you to be a hair puller.”
“I’m a hair puller. Is that going to be a problem?" I’m talking as fast as I can because the quicker I talk, the quicker I can get his delectable mouth back on mine.
“Good God, no," he says, sliding his hands to the back of my head.
“Great. Now a little less talking and little more of whatever it was that you were do—" My words are cut off as he slams his mouth against mine, our lips and tongues moving together in a fiery passion.
I need to be closer to him. I need to feel more of him. A deep groan rumbles from his chest when I slide my hands down his stomach and under the bottom of his shirt. Fuck me…he has a six-pack. Wait…oh God, it’s an eight-pack. He pulls back again and I growl at him.
“Stop doing that,” he mumbles against my mouth.
“Doing what?" I ask, slightly perplexed. “Stop kissing you?”
“No! Fuck no! Don’t ever stop doing that! But you have to stop counting my abs…it tickles.”
“Okay, no ab-counting,” I answer with a grin, my breath coming out in small pants, mostly because I’m a little—okay, a lot—turned on. “But listen to me…I’ve waited too damn long for this moment, so if you don’t stop pulling away from me, I’m going to spank you. Now kiss me.”
A mischievous grin spreads across his face. “We are going to be so perfect together,” he says, kissing the spot below my ear, right before he takes my mouth in another heated kiss.
His hands glide down my back and he grips my hips firmly, lifting me up on the counter. My legs wrap around his trim waist and he pushes into me, grinding our bodies together. Our tongues start delving deeper, exploring every inch of each other’s mouths. Our movements become more intense and my body feels like it’s going to explode. I’ve felt pleasure before, but never anything like this. It’s like he’s trying to climb inside of me and I’m more than willing to let him.
“Fuck. You feel so amazing wrapped around me,” he says, trailing kisses down my neck, stopping at the base to bite it gently before he makes his way back up. “I don’t want to stop, but I’m afraid that if I don’t—”
“Ty,” I whisper, dislodging my hands from his warm chest. Cradling his face in my hands, I place a delicate kiss against his mouth. I open my eyes when his lips don’t respond to find him watching me. “What? What’s wrong?"
The
look on his face is filled with pure affection, and my heart starts to slam inside my chest. “Please tell me what’s wrong,” I whisper again.
His face softens when he realizes that he’s making me nervous and he pulls my forehead to his. “You called me Ty. You haven’t called me Ty since I’ve been back.”
I grip his face a little tighter and close my eyes, thankful that's all he said. “I’m sorry,” I say, letting out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. “I don’t know why, I jus—”
“It’s okay,” he says with a laugh. “It’s okay. I’m just so damn happy right now that I don’t even know what to say or do. I just know that this feels so…”
“Perfect?” I say, finishing his sentence.
“Perfect.”
“You know what would make it more perfect?” I ask suggestively.
“Mmmm, what’s that?" he says, nuzzling his face against my neck. I pull his head back and he groans. Placing my lips gently against his, I whisper, “If you touch me."
Thank you, Jesus! The man needs no more direction.
His large warm hands slide under the back of my shirt, causing my entire body to shiver. Our mouths dance together and our movements become more intense with each passing second. His hands skim across my skin before he cups my heavy breasts, and his thumbs brush against my nipples in slow, circular movements. I moan with the intensity of the sensations that he’s eliciting.
“That is the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard,” he mumbles, trailing open-mouthed kisses down my jaw to the hollow spot below my ear. “Touch me." His voice is raw with passion and I squeeze my thighs together at the warmth that’s starting to settle there. Well shit, he doesn’t have to ask me twice.
I guide my hands under his shirt and lightly caress his chest, stopping briefly to tug on his nipples. He grunts at the sensation and I smile to myself, allowing my fingers to trail down the planes of his stomach. My hands flirt with the front of his jeans, aching to touch him. My movements are quick when I hook my left arm around his neck, pulling his mouth down to mine, while simultaneously trailing my right hand down the front of his pants and gripping him snugly through his jeans.
Tyson moans against my mouth and slides his hands up the front of my bare thighs and under the hem of my cotton shorts. When he reaches the apex where my thigh and hip bone meet, he squeezes and pulls me forward on the counter. My mind is telling me to pull back and watch—I want to watch him…I want to see his hands tucked under my shorts—but I can’t stop thinking of how this man can kiss, and I just can’t pry my mouth away from his.
A few seconds pass with fevered movements and deep kisses, and when I feel like my entire body is going to shatter, he slips his fingers under the edge of my panties and gently caresses my heated flesh. “Ty,” I moan, throwing my head back as Tyson’s mouth attacks my neck. His extremely talented hand starts torturing me with slow, rhythmic circles. He shifts his body, allowing his hand to delve deeper, and I feel two thick fing—
“MOM! MO-OM!" Max’s ear-piercing scream halts our actions. Ty watches me for a moment, eyes wide, before he rips his hand out of my pants, pushes my hand off the front of his erection and steps away from me. I can’t help it—it’s clear that he’s never been cock-blocked by a child before—and I can’t stop the deep laugh that rips from my throat.
“What?” he asks, bewildered. “What are you laughing at? This isn’t funny,” he says, shaking his head. “Max could’ve walked in. How in the hell would we have explained my hand down your pants?" he whisper-yells. His movements are jerky and fast, and his hands are shaking. I’m hoping that this doesn’t scare him away, so I approach him gently. He runs his hand through his hair and takes a deep breath. I push him down into a chair and kiss him gently on the lips.
“Let me go check on Max. Don’t move,” I say, pointing at him as I begin to walk away. He doesn’t respond but watches me with a terrified look on his face. In three strides, I’m back in his face. Gripping it tightly, I tilt my mouth over his and give him the quickest, most heated kiss I can manage. When I pull back, he has a goofy grin on his face, and I’m fairly confident my kiss served its purpose. “Now, don’t move!” I demand, walking back to Max’s room.
It turns out that Max had a bad dream, something about dragons and leopards. I listened to him tell me about it, and then I held him, soothed him, and reassured him that he was safe. It was only a matter of minutes before he was sound asleep again, nestled under his comforter.
When I walk back into the kitchen, Ty’s seat is empty—completely empty—and tucked in neatly under the table. I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly, resting my hands on top of my head. A lump forms in my throat and I can feel the tears start to burn my eyes when I feel two warm arms wrap around me from behind. A light sob rips from my throat and a few tears manage to escape. “Hey… “ Ty says, turning me around. He cradles my face in his hands and brushes the tears away. “Why are you crying?”
“I don’t know, I just—” I shake my head, trying to find my words. “I just saw the empty chair, and after Max interrupting us, I guess I thought…I don’t know. I guess I thought that maybe you changed your mind.”
“I had to use the bathroom,” he says, watching me carefully. “And never again…I am never going to leave you or walk away from you again. Got it?" he says, leaning down so we’re eye to eye.
“Got it,” I answer feebly. He slides his arms down to my butt and lifts me up. I wrap my legs around his waist and bury my head in his neck as he walks us to the couch and sits down with me still attached.
He pulls back, and I sit up and face him. “Harley…I know we still have a lot to talk about—and we’re going to—but I’m not sure I made myself clear earlier. When I asked you for a second chance, I meant it. But probably what I should have said is that I want you and absolutely everything that comes with you, including Max. I’m not going to run because he interrupts an intimate moment or because he throws a fit out in public or whatever crazy thing he will inevitably do, but I need you to remember that this is new to me. I’ve never really been around kids before. I’ve never been interrupted unexpectedly like that and it scared me, which obviously scared you. But I’m not going anywhere, okay?" I smile and nod as he leans forward and kisses me tenderly.
HARLEY’S ARMS ARE WRAPPED so tightly around my neck that I’m afraid she might seriously cut off my airflow. But there is no way in hell I’m making her move because this—right here, right now—is absolutely perfect and wonderful and any other sappy word you could come up with.
I hate that she thought I’d left, but I won’t lie—Max scared the shit out of me. I’m going to have to be more conscious of him being around. It’s going to kill me if I can’t touch Harley or kiss her anytime I want, but I know she’ll want to take things slow when it comes to Max and I’m more than okay with that. If we’re going to do this, I want to do it right.
“I thought you said he wouldn’t wake up,” I murmur, running my fingers through her silky hair.
She sits up and rests her hands on my chest. “Well, technically he didn’t get up.”
“Okay,” I chuckle. “But close enough." She’s watching her hand as her fingers draw little circles and shapes across my chest. The light graze of her nails makes my arms break out in goose bumps, and she laughs when she notices. I can tell she’s getting lost in the moment, taking it all in and trying to absorb everything that’s being said and everything that’s happening. I know because I’m right there with her.
“He had a bad dream. It’s totally my fault though," she says, waving her hand in front of us. “The kid’s a little vagina-blocker." Wait…did she just say vagina-blocker? “I totally should’ve known that the second you decided to even get near it, he would find some way to interrupt."
My face feels like it’s going to break from smiling so much. “Did you call your son a vagina-blocker?” I ask through a laugh.
“Absolutely!” she replies, her face stone-cold sober and her head n
odding like a bobblehead. “It’s the truth! He’s done it before!" Okay, I don’t really want to know that. It fucking guts me to think of Harley with someone else.
“No, that’s not what I meant,” she says, shaking her head gently and stroking her knuckles down the side of my face. How did she know what I was thinking?
“I’m a single mom, and sometimes I have to find ways to, um…to, uh…enjoy myself. And there has been a time—maybe two—where Max has walked in." Her eyes fall to her lap as though she’s embarrassed, which she absolutely should not be. God, the thought of Harley touching herself makes me instantly hard. “He’s never seen anything,” she adds quickly, “I’m always in my bed under the covers…or in the bathtub.”
I tilt her chin up. I don’t ever want her looking down like that again...I don’t like it at all. “Don’t be embarrassed, Harley. I think it’s fucking hot, and one of these days I’m going to watch." Her eyes snap to mine and brighten with mischief. She likes the thought of that…I’m going to have to remember that for future reference. How did I not know about this little fiery side to her?
“We’re just going to have to be a little more careful," I state, trying to keep my wits about me around this girl. "I don’t ever want Max to walk in on anything.”
“I agree,” she nods. “I got carried away. I mean, I’ve waited for that for…well, forever, and—”
“Don’t," I say, putting my finger up to her lips. "Don’t ever be sorry for getting carried away with me. In fact, feel free to get carried away with me anytime. Well, almost anytime." She smiles softly and nuzzles her face in my neck. I can feel her warm breath against my neck when she yawns, and I realize that it must be getting late.
“What floor are you on tomorrow?” I ask, running my hands up the back of her shirt, needing to feel her soft skin one more time.
“7 West,” she mumbles.
“Pediatrics. That seems perfect for you.”
“I love it,” she says, yawning again.
Where We Belong Page 19
