by Liv Morris
I shake my head and close my eyes quickly, hoping to clear my thoughts of doing things to her—wild and delicious things. Forbidden dreams that may come true, but first, our dinner.
Once at the top, I give the hostess my name. I reserved a table positioned at the window, which allows us a bird’s eye view of the city below. The hostess grabs two menus and a wine list, and we follow her to the table. Harlow scans the room, her mouth gaping. I chose a perfect place to wow her for my last night here.
“Sin,” Harlow sits down at our appointed table, “I feel like I’m in the clouds. This place is amazing.”
“There’s really nothing like it in New York City either, restaurant wise.”
“What about the Empire State Building?” She appears surprised at what I said.
“When you come in a couple months, I’ll take you there.” Harlow’s smile fades. “You are coming,” I stress with a fixed stare.
“I hope.” She tries to push a smile across her face, but it never reaches her eyes. We’ve been together for weeks, I know when she’s down. “Let’s just try to enjoy this night.”
I reach into my back pocket and pull out a folded piece of paper. I open it up and lay it in front of her.
“Will this finally convince you I want you in New York City? That I’ll be counting the seconds until you are?” I push the paper closer to her and she picks it up.
She glances over it and then looks back up at me. After repeating this, she grins and her eyes sparkle.
“You bought a ticket for me,” she says in a rush.
“Check a little closer and you will see it’s only for one-way.”
“Thank you.” She reaches over the white tablecloth and places her small fingers on my hand. “I have proof now.”
“I thought my confession of love would’ve been enough.” I shake my head. “You’re hard to impress with the truth.”
“Well, I can hold this in my hand. Physical evidence, and all that.” She laughs and I join her.
“By the way, I bought a ticket for Margaret, too. I thought she could come help you get settled in. She has a round-trip ticket. See how special you are.” Harlow tilts her head to the side and her eyes grow soft.
“You’re the special one, Sin. You think of everything and everybody before yourself.” Harlow leans in closer, her lips parting.
“I hope you let Becca know that,” I scoff. “She’s marked my cards.”
“Becca?” She gives me a blank stare. “You told me everything went fine when you spoke to her alone.”
“Fine, as in I survived.” I chuckle. “Let’s just say, she’s awarded me the guardian of your heart, which I’m glad about it. However, she gave me quite the warning.”
“What did she say?” she asks, her eyes wide. “She’s never been anything but kind to me.”
“She just wants to make sure I didn’t ‘trample on your heart.’” I make quote signs as I repeat Becca’s words. “And if I hurt you, she would come find me. And once she did, I would no longer exist on this earth.”
“Wow,” Harlow says, but has a laugh in her eyes. She’s amused by Becca’s grilling. “This is fascinating. What else did you talk about?”
“Sex,” I state, matter of fact.
She coughs at my one word bomb drop. “You’re kidding?” She squints her eyes at me.
“We discussed whether you and I should have sex before I leave.” I glance down at my menu like I’m trying to decide what to order.
“Hey, don’t leave me hanging here.” She reaches for my menu and closes it. I raise one brow at her aggressive display. It’s out of character for her.
“Becca didn’t give me her opinion on whether we should or not, so I took that as a sign it’s up to you and me. What do you think, babe, ready or not?” I say in a tease.
“Ready,” she says, her voice lower than normal.
“Let’s order dinner, a bottle of champagne, then get the hell out of here.” I wink and she returns it with a tempting smile.
***
Harlow stands in front of me and my nerves are on edge. Hell, I’ve had sex hundreds of times, but this feels like it’s my first. It’s not just an act with her. It’s a special bonding of two hearts, because that’s what I’m giving her—my heart.
“Let me kiss you,” I say, walking toward her.
“Please,” she rasps.
I gather her in my arms and her hands find their way around my neck. I bring my lips to hers in a gentle kiss. They taste sweeter than I remember from so many weeks ago.
“Sin,” she mumbles, and with a quiet sigh, her lips part. I slip my tongue inside and touch hers. Fire ignites as all my pent up desires burn within me.
I roam my hands down her back, over her round, lush ass. I grasp it in my hands and pull her against me, pressing my erection into her soft stomach.
She pulls me closer, wanting more.
“You’re driving me crazy,” I whisper as my lips trail over the silk skin of her neck, and then up to her ear. She shivers at my touch, and I smile against her skin. I’m driving her crazy too, it seems.
I skim a needy hand over the outside curve of her breast, press against her hard nipple, and flick over it with my thumb. She moans into my mouth.
“Sin,” Harlow cries out, “please, make love to me. Wipe out the memory of every other touch I’ve felt and replace it with yours.”
“Are you truly ready?”
“Yes,” she breathes. “Don’t leave me tomorrow without this.” I hiss as her hand flutters over my dick.
“I want to fucking torture you with pleasure. Work for you, babe?”
Harlow tilts her head back in total surrender at my words. No answer is required.
“Go stand next to the end of the bed.” She gazes up at me and nods.
She saunters over to the edge and bends to take her shoes off. “Stop. That’s my job. You’re mine tonight.”
She stands up and slides her hands over her delicious curves. I walk toward her while unbuttoning the cuffs of my shirt. I roll up the sleeves in a deliberate fashion while standing in front of her. Nice and slow. Build the desire. Work her need for me to a point of desperation. Where nothing else lies between us. No others.
“Turn around.” She does as I bid, facing the back wall of the room.
I run the tips of my fingers over the exposed skin of her arms. Starting at her wrists, I trail up to her shoulders, feeling her skin pebble under my touch. Her body begins to sway in time with the beat of our hearts.
I wrap her golden hair in my hands and move it the side, revealing the gold zipper of her dress.
“Hold your hair,” I say.
I hold the top of her dress with one hand, and pull the zipper down with the other, stopping at each tooth, one by one.
As her skin comes into view, my lips descend. I press feather-light kisses against her back. She begins to move, unable to stand still, as feeling overtakes her.
I ease her dress off one shoulder, my lips caressing over her exposed skin. I repeat the same thing on the other side and her dress falls to the floor around her feet.
Unsnapping her bra, I remove it from her and toss it aside. I run my hands up and down her back with the most delicate touch.
“You have no idea how much I want you, Harlow.” I lean in and whisper in her ear. She sighs and tilts her head to the side in complete abandon.
I continue to trail my hands lower, skimming the top lace of her sexy underwear. I pull them down her long legs, baring her to me completely.
“Step out of them, babe,” I say, and she complies.
I stand back up and spin her around gently. I get to view what I’ve been dreaming about—breasts perfectly round, curves that intoxicate, and legs that belong wrapped around me. Now.
“You’re so damn beautiful. More than I could’ve ever imagined.” I linger my fingers over her breasts. They’re soft, but firm.
With care, I push her back toward the edge of the bed. “Sit down.”
I trail my fingers up her legs and she widens them. She is open before me, my trusting beauty.
I kiss my way up her inner thigh and she squirms with each touch of my lips, her desire for more building.
My tongue finds the place to give her pleasure and her body stills. She tastes sweet, sweeter than I could’ve ever imagined.
She rocks against my tongue as I drive her wild. The sound of her moans spur me on, and she arches her back, crying out. Within seconds, she ignites into a powerful orgasm. She was there with only the slightest touch, so ready.
I kiss my way up her stomach to her breasts, and suck on her nipples. Taking them in my mouth one at a time, I elicit more moans from her sweet afterglow.
“How was that, babe?” I ask.
“Like nothing ever,” she says through panting breaths.
“I’m fully clothed and need to rectify that.” I stand and start to take off my shirt.
“Stop,” Harlow says while rising up on the bed. “Let me do that. It’s my turn.”
She stays sitting on the edge and reaches up to unbutton my shirt. Her progress with my shirt is so slow, I want to rip it out of her hands. A man can handle only so much.
“What are you doing? Trying to kill me?” I hum, trying to be patient.
“Turnaround is fair play,” she says with a wink. “Hush.”
After taking off my shirt, she moves to my belt, unbuckling and removing it.
She looks up at me with a smirk as she undoes my pants. She runs her hand down over me as she lowers my zipper. I’m coming undone, my breathing ragged.
Grabbing the edge of my waistband, she eases my pants down and follows with my boxer briefs. My dick springs out, pointing at her. He knows who he wants.
Reaching forward, she encloses her mouth around me. I toss my head back in ecstasy. Her mouth and tongue feel so fucking good.
My hands weave through her silky hair, but I don’t pull. Instead, I move her loose strands out of the way so I can see her mouth working me over. She glances up at me, and our eyes meet.
The intensity in them overwhelms me. It’s a look of lust mixed with love. Combine that with her red lips surrounding me and I’m so damn close.
As much as I want her to keep this knee-buckling blowjob going, I need to bury myself deep inside her. Connect us as one. She deserves nothing less.
Bringing my hands under her chin, I lift her face up to look at me. She releases me with a question in her eye. Maybe a little worry, too.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asks, biting her lip. I smile down at her with all the love I gather in my heart.
“You’re perfect, Harlow.” I caress her cheek to reassure her. “I’ve dreamed of watching you move above me with your hair falling over your shoulders. That’s what I want. Are you okay with that?”
“God, yes.”
We progress to the bed and I lie on my back, gazing up at pure beauty. After putting on a condom, I’m inside her now. She moves and undulates against me like gentle waves at sea, in and out. My hands are free to explore and I wander over her curves as she makes love to me.
When she gazes down, the look in her eyes is my undoing. Her unleashed desire inflames me as much as her body, maybe even more.
We aren’t just having sex, we’re uniting in a way that feels sacred.
After a few more moves of her hips, I feel my orgasm building. I try to stave it off so I can bring her along with me again. I place my fingers on her clit and find her swollen from her last orgasm. Pressing against her, I move in slow circles, coordinating my movements with those of her hips.
“Hmmm,” Harlow says while rocking against me, “so close.”
“I’m waiting for you.”
I sit up and take over the motions, thrusting up as I pull her hips down. She contracts around me.
Bringing my mouth to a nipple, I suck, adding a little graze of my teeth, and she erupts. With a couple more pushes, pressure builds deep down inside me, then releases with an unimaginable force. Closing my eyes, I surrender to the ecstasy.
“Harlow,” I cry out, knowing she’s mine, and I’m hers.
I collapse back against the bed, bringing her with me in my arms. We lie there until our breathing slows. Minutes go by, and she goes limp in my arms. Brushing her hair aside, I see her eyes closed in sleep.
I loved her into unconsciousness.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Harlow
I spread my grandmother’s quilt over the green grass and flatten out the edges. A warm breeze rustles the shade tree above me. I chose this spot in the town center park to hide from the hot summer sun. For the last six weeks, I’ve come here almost daily to read and people watch. It’s been an inspiring place to write some new poems too.
A metro stop adjoins the park, bringing a steady stream of daily commuters to this quaint downtown. The streets are lined with little businesses catering to them. Bagel and coffee shops seem to outnumber all the others. An old-school cinema faces the park with its majestic art deco front.
Today may be the last time I visit my favorite place here in Park Ridge. I’m leaving to head to New York City in two days. I probably should be home getting ready for my move, but I wanted to come here one last time. I often wonder if my mother ever sat in this park like me.
A young couple sits on a bench close to me. I watch their interaction. He speaks, she laughs. She whispers in his ear, and he smiles. They are connected and paying attention to nothing else in their world, but each other.
I close my eyes and dream of Sin. Remember his handsome face, his glorious scent, and how his touch lights sparks over my skin. Two more days, and he won’t be a memory. He will be real, and mine.
I pull my leather journal, a gift from Sin, out of my backpack and open it to a clean page. I feel inspired to write about this park, maybe even something about the couple near me who appear to be very much in love.
As I’m digging around in my backpack for a pen, my cell phone buzzes. I pick it up, see it’s Sin calling, and accept his call.
“I was just thinking about you.” And your touch.
“Were you?” he asks in a playful tone.
“Always,” I add, because it’s true. “How’s your day?”
Sin has been back in New York City for six weeks now. He’s been adjusting to the intensity of med school. I’ve been adjusting to having him gone.
“Full day of classes, but I have a break before Gross Anatomy and wanted to hear your voice.” I start giggling, like all the other times he mentioned this class. The thought of looking at cadavers is gross to me. I would faint away on the floor for sure.
Sin yawns into the phone. “Tired?” I ask.
“The class work overwhelms me at times. I’m getting maybe four hours of sleep at night. But you know what? I love it.” There’s excitement in his voice.
“Because you’re doing what you were called to do,” I encourage him.
“I am,” he agrees. “I need to run. Call you tonight on my way home?”
“Sure, can’t wait to hear about all the grossness,” I tease.
“Love you, babe.”
“Love you, too, Sin.”
And I do, more than anything else in this whole wide world.
After our call, I work on writing a poem until the couple leaves. With my muses gone, I decide to lie back on the quilt with my backpack under my head. I stare up at the tree above me and notice a bird on a branch. His beak is open as he sings out a song. I wonder if he’s calling to one of his lady friends.
I close my eyes and continue listening to him. Sleepiness creeps over me as I relax to the bird’s peaceful melody. I find myself drifting in the summer breeze and I don’t fight it.
***
A car horn startles me awake from my blissful nap. I blink my eyes to clear the blurry sleep from them. Looking to my side, a pair of familiar blue eyes stare at me.
My heart begins to race. I blink hard several times and nothing changes.
James.
“What are you doing here?” In a flash, I’m up, resting on my elbows. He hovers over me like he did the first night we met.
He sits cross-legged, nearly touching my side. Resting each elbow on a knee, he steeples his fingers under his chin and looks down, assessing me.
“Hello, Harlow,” he says with a smile that leaves my blood cold—a knowing one that scares the fucking daylights out of me.
Panic washes over me, though I’m in a public place. I scan the area and see a mother with her child nearby, but it’s little comfort.
“I’ve missed you.” James moves closer, his knees inching into my side. He reaches out to touch me, but I flinch away. Now I’m seated facing him, more on his eye level.
I tuck my shaking hands into my pockets and try to center myself with two deep breaths. He shakes his head and adds a tsk, tsk.
“Why are you so nervous around me? You know I love you.” His pupils are unusually large and dark for such a bright and sunny day. Don’t freak out, I repeat, over and over again in my head.
“How did you find me?” I ask, and then it hits me. My mother’s letter. It was opened when I found it. I’m sure he recorded the address. “Her letter?”
“Very perceptive of you, beautiful.” He rustles with something in his pocket and brings out the tennis bracelet I sold, twirling it around his index finger. My stomach revolts and I taste bile in my mouth.
“You’re not supposed to be here. You have an agreement with Sin.” I glance to my sides and prepare to run. To where, I’m not sure, but I have to get somewhere safe.
“I came to apologize.” He stands tall, making me feel like a small child below him. “It’s part of my twelve-step program. Making amends.”
He continues to spin the bracelet and my stomach turns with each revolution. “Then I’ll take you back to Rochester. My car is parked over there.” He points to the all-too-familiar Mercedes.
“It’s over, James.” I grab my backpack, stand up, and tug on the quilt until James steps off it. I gather it in my arms, ready to flee. I shift my eyes side-to-side, and plan my escape.
