by Peyton Banks
Her pretty brown eyes opened and locked on his.
“Keep doing what you just did, you’ll hear it more often.”
Bending down, he covered her mouth with his, the kiss deep and passionate as she wrapped her arms around his neck, anchoring herself to him.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Gracie—”
She placed a finger to his lips and shook her head.
“Not now.” Her eyes were heavy, filled with lust. “I need to feel you inside of me.”
There was so much he wanted to say to her, but it could wait until later.
Nodding, he began kissing her again when she nipped his bottom lip.
“You little minx. Hold on a second.” He reached down onto the floor and found his jeans. Pulling out his wallet, he took out a gold foil package, ripped it open, and rolled the condom on.
He turned back to her, and the scorching look on her face said it all.
His little sex kitten was impatient.
“Now, Harris.” Her body tightened as he guided the blunt tip of his cock to her drenched opening.
He plunged forward, eliciting a groan from both of them. When Gracie wrapped her legs around his waist, he began to set a rhythm with his hips.
Placing one of her legs over his arm, the new position opened her even more to him. Once he sank deeper, a growl ripped from his throat as he rocked back and forth, moving the couch with each thrust.
Gracie’s nails dug into his shoulders and back as he began thrusting faster, harder. When their eyes met, the familiar tendrils of his climax rushed down his spine.
Harris slid his hand between them and connected with her clit, causing her breaths to come hard and fast.
“Gracie,” he groaned.
He was so close.
Pinching her clit, he watched her unravel beneath him, and this time she screamed.
Her muscles clamped down around him, milking him for everything he was worth as he groaned through his own release. He closed his eyes as the hot spurts shot out of him.
Harris caught himself from falling forward onto Gracie, not wanting to put his full weight on her. Guiding his head down to hers, she offered him her lips.
Gentle, and full of love, Harris took over the kiss, pushing all his feelings for Gracie into it.
With his semisoft cock still buried inside of her, he lifted up slightly, resting on his forearms.
“I knew this couch was the best fit for this house.”
She barked out a hefty laugh. “You’re a nut.”
Chuckling, he withdrew from her, got to his feet, and made his way to her bathroom, where he quickly discarded of the condom before returning to the living room to find her trying to cover herself up with a blanket.
“Oh, hell no. There’s no covering up.”
Jogging over to the couch, he scooped her up and walked toward her bedroom.
“I’m too heavy,” she laughed, her arms wrapped around his neck.
He scoffed at her. Too heavy? He carried more on his person when he was in the Marines, and even the equipment he had to wear to fight fires was heavier.
“You are not. Now, hush up.”
Entering her bedroom, he made a beeline straight for her bed, not even close to being done with her.
5
Gracie rolled over, but was unable to go far. Harris had his arm wrapped round her waist and pulled her back against him. It was still dark outside, so she couldn’t gauge what time it was. Yawning, she looked over at the clock on the nightstand, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw she still had a few hours before she was due to work.
“Harris, my phone’s ringing,” she giggled as he pressed a kiss to the crook of her neck. Her body melted against his, allowing him to close the gap between them. His warmth met her back, and she almost gave in to his wordless plea. “Harris.”
“It can’t be anyone important,” he murmured, trailing kisses along her bare shoulder.
“You’re insatiable.”
They’d spent the entire night making love. She had discovered every ridge of his perfectly sculpted body with her tongue and eyes. Kissed every tattoo that lined his skin.
“Hey, I have to make up for lost time.”
She closed her eyes as his hand slid up and cupped her breast, the evidence of his desire brushing against her bottom.
God help her.
“At least let me see who it is to make sure there aren’t any emergencies.”
Sighing, he released her, allowing her to stretch out to grab up her cell phone. The name on the screen had her giggling.
Harris flopped back onto the pillows with his eyes closed. “Who is it?”
“Your mother.”
His eyes flew open as he rolled over to face her. “Don’t tell her I’m here.”
She stopped smiling. Molly was a dear friend of hers. The woman was practically her second mother.
How could she lie to her?
Why wouldn’t he want his mother to know they took their friendship to the next level?
Seeing the hurt on her face, he took her free hand in his, entwining their fingers together.
“Let’s talk first about us before we bring anyone else in, please.” Raising her hand, he pressed a kiss to the back of it.
Nodding, she slid her finger across the screen before the call went to voicemail.
“Morning, Molly,” she answered, clearing her throat.
“Hey, Gracie. I hope I didn’t wake you.” Her voice was entirely too chipper for the sun not even being up yet. Gracie needed to have whatever this woman was sipping on this morning.
“I just woke up a few minutes ago,” she replied through a yawn.
Molly laughed. “Someone sounds as if they need more sleep.”
“Yeah, I was up half the night. Couldn’t sleep.” She eyed Harris, who just grinned at her. The few catnaps she had caught in the wee hours would be worth it. “I’ll be okay. A jug of coffee will get me together before I go to work.”
“Did my son bring you those apples?” Molly inquired.
“Who, Harris? Yeah, he dropped them off.”
“And is he still there?” she asked cautiously.
Gracie’s looked to Harris again, who held a finger to his lips and shook his head. Sighing, she leaned back against her pillows.
“No, ma’am. He stayed for dinner, then said he was going to meet someone.” At that moment, her stomach decided to grumble. They had never made it to dinner. Thankfully, she had a crockpot with an auto shutoff option so her food wouldn’t burn. If left up to Harris, her dinner would have been charcoal.
“Hmm…that’s not like him not to tell us where’s he’s going. Oh well. What can I say? That boy of mine is a grown man.”
“That, he is,” Gracie murmured, agreeing.
Harris was certainly all man. He had been gentle, a little dominating, all while ensuring she was well-loved. Parts of her body still tingled with the memory of the things they had done.
Harris dropped small kisses along her shoulder before his lips skated down to her chest. Her breath caught in her throat when his lips converged on her breast, his tongue drawing circles around her taut nipple. She had to bite back a moan as she tugged at his hair to lift him off of her.
She was still on the phone with his mother, for Pete’s sake.
Harris swatted her hand away.
“I don’t want to hold you up. We’ll chat later. Have a great day at work,” Molly went on.
“Thanks, Molly. I’ll talk with you later about this Friday.” Gracie was thankful once she disconnected the call. “Harris Bates, are you crazy?”
“Yup. Over you,” he mumbled, his lips brushing her skin. “What time do you have to be at work?”
“Nine.” She swallowed hard, wishing she could call off. With the Christmas season upon them, she couldn’t leave her employees short.
He took her phone from her hand and sat it on the nightstand before raising himself over her. She parted her thighs to allow him to se
ttle between them, all conscious thoughts leaving her brain at the feeling of his hardened length brushing against her core.
It was amazing how quickly her body responded to his, already prepped and ready for him. With a few kisses, a stroke of his hand, she was ready and slick with need.
His heated gaze had her feeling like the sexiest woman in the world. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she brought him down to her.
Their lips met in a scorching kiss that took her breath away. Reaching between them, he lined up the broad head of his cock with her opening and began teasing her, sliding it against her swollen clit.
“Harris, stop teasing me,” she whimpered.
“What do you want, Gracie?” he asked, his lips brushing against hers as he continued rubbing himself against her aching bud.
“You. Inside me. Now.”
“Demanding, are we?” Lifting her leg, she braced it across his back to open herself more for him. Moving the head to her opening, he paused.
“Harris,” she growled.
“I love it when you say my name.” Pushing forward, she sank her nails into his shoulders as he slid into her, slowly.
She groaned in pleasure at the sensation of him filling her up.
“Harris,” she moaned, her lips brushing against his. Harris held still at first, and then started to move.
Harris controlled the kiss, his tongue sweeping inside of her mouth. Gracie rolled her hips, meeting him with every movement as their tongues continued their sensual dance, his thrusts becoming harder.
Gracie felt every inch of him. They fit together perfectly, as if they were made for each other.
She was lost in the pleasure of his touch, his kisses. The need to be consumed by this man was overwhelming. Never had she wanted to belong to someone like she did now.
It didn’t take long for the waves of ecstasy to wash over her.
“Gracie,” Harris moaned, tearing his lips from hers. Burying his face into the crook of her neck, he pounded away, his thrusts almost erratic. Lifting her leg higher created a new angle, with each stroke rubbing against her sensitive clit.
She shattered, crying out his name.
The intense pleasure of her orgasm had her trembling.
Harris continued slamming into her, his warm breath skating across her skin. She held on tight, feeling the muscles beneath her hands tighten.
Throwing back his head, he thrusted one last time as he came, the warm spurts of his release pulsing deep inside of her.
She held onto the man she had always loved.
No matter what, she wasn’t letting him go.
“I don’t like lying to your mother.”
Gracie turned and locked the door to her home. They had finally left the bed, but the shower was another story. Being taken up against the wall was one of the best moments of her life, but now she was running late for work.
She turned back to Harris, who was standing on her stairs, looking refreshed and sexy as ever. His thick hair was still slightly damp, curling up at the ends. She wanted to run her fingers through it again. He wore his coat, but had no gloves or scarf. She thought about the small gift she had bought him and smiled, seeing as though he would need it.
Her yard looked like a winter wonderland with all the snow that had fallen overnight. Langdale had already had plenty of the white stuff, but apparently Mother Nature felt they needed a foot more. All of her neighbors’ yards looked identical to hers. There was no indication to where their driveways were.
While she had finished getting ready for work, Harris had run outside to brush their cars off, and by the looks of it, he had even shoveled her short driveway.
“Come here.”
Hefting her purse and work bag over the shoulder of her thick coat, she walked down the stairs and came face-to-face with him.
“What?” she pouted, not knowing how she was going to look Molly in the eye.
Reaching up, he rubbed his cold thumb along her cheek.
“Listen, we’ll tell my mother the truth about us—”
“There’s an us?” she whispered, her heart racing. They hadn’t had a chance to talk about what had happened, being too busy with other things. It was hard to speak when a tongue was being shoved down your throat, or a life-altering orgasm was sucking the breath from your lungs.
“Baby, there’s no way after the night we had you should feel the need to ask me that.” A small smile played on his lips. He closed the space between them, and kissed her so tenderly, she had to lean against him before her knees gave out. Harris lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. “It’s me and you now. You belong to me, and I’m not letting you go.”
Gracie was overcome with emotion. She couldn’t do anything but wrap her arms around him and kiss him again.
So what, she was going to be little late for work.
She had finally captured her man.
6
“Mom, I’m bringing someone to the Christmas Eve dinner,” Harris announced as he walked into the kitchen, trying to keep a straight face.
His mother was going to be over the moon that he and Gracie had finally gotten together.
They had spent every day together. He had tried to ignore his mother’s questioning about where he kept disappearing off to, because he and Gracie had been burning up the sheets, making up for lost time. His mother didn’t need to know that.
Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and he wanted to surprise his family with the news of his and Gracie’s new relationship. He wasn’t sure why it took him so long to finally figure out that she was the woman for him.
He couldn’t get enough of her, and if he wasn’t mistaken, he was already in love with her.
He had been for years, but was just too stubborn to realize it.
Molly turned around with a raised eyebrow. “A woman?”
He went over to fridge and took out a beer for him and his father. Football was on, and his father was already settled in his favorite recliner in the family room. Drew was due to come over later.
Christmas tradition was for the boys to come over and stay with their parents for Christmas Eve and Christmas. Even though he lived in Chicago, Harris never broke family tradition. Now that they were both older, and much bigger than they were as teenagers, they had purchased larger beds to accommodate them. Harris always stayed with his parents when he came home.
He could picture him and Gracie arriving to the house with their little bundles of joy in toe for Gramps and Gran.
Harris almost dropped the two longneck bottles at the image that blossomed in his mind. He had always wanted children, and Gracie would make a wonderful mother.
“You all right over there?” his mother asked, chuckling.
“Yeah, not sure what happened.” He went over to the drawer and snagged the opener, popped the tops, and tossed them into the trash.
“Who is she?” Molly asked, leaning back against the counter. The kitchen smelled amazing due to all the preparation for the big shindig tomorrow.
“Why are you looking so suspicious?” he asked, taking a sip of his beer to hide his face. His mother should have joined the CIA or the FBI. She would have made one hell of an interrogator.
“Well, you haven’t spoken of anyone since the last girl. What was her name…”— Molly waved her hand in the air—“Bianca?”
“Brandy,” he replied dryly. His mom and Gracie were eerily similar. They must have joked about his most recent breakup.
“Yeah, whatever her name was. The last time you brought someone home, she had the personality of a wet dishrag.” Her facial features softened as she walked around the island. Taking the two bottles from his hands, she set them on the counter and wrapped him in her motherly hug. He returned it, resting his chin on her head. “I just want you boys to have what me and your father have. Someone to love you, support you, make you laugh, and give me grandbabies.”
Harris barked out a hefty laugh. He knew she had an ultimate agenda in mind. She had been demanding that he an
d Drew settle down and start families for a long time.
“Mom, I’m trying. I think you’re going to love her.”
Molly pulled back, looking doubtful. “You sure about that? You haven’t had the best track record.”
“Positive,” he promised, holding his hand up in the air as if to swear. “Christmas Eve morning, I’ll go pick her up and bring her for all the family to meet.”
“What’s taking so long in here? I thought you were going to get us beers.” Chester Bates strolled into the kitchen with a scowl embedded on his face, his arms folded across his chest. He was tall, stocky, and still as strong as an ox. He worked as a deputy for the local sheriff’s department for over forty years, and would be retiring soon. He had supported his family over the years, allowing Molly to run the household with two boys keeping her busy. “Woman, you keeping my boy from bringing me my beer?”
“Oh, you hush up, Chester.” She patted Harris on the chest before moving away to her husband. “You shouldn’t be sending him in here to get a beer if you want it. There’s nothing wrong with the two legs God gave you.”
“Make him? He volunteered!” Chester argued.
Harris scooped up his beer, ready to watch the fireworks between his parents. Taking a sip, he relished in the cold brew as it made its way down his throat. He loved watching his parents’ little spats. They always provided comic relief around the house.
“So why are you here in my kitchen?” Molly confronted her husband with her hands on her hips as she broke out into a smile. “I know what it is. You just couldn’t stay away from me. Aw, come here, baby.”
The older man’s face softened as he started to laugh, pulling her into a hug. He tried to appear as a hardened deputy to the community, but he turned to mush the second Molly smiled at him.
“Now see what you did, boy?” His father looked at Harris over Molly’s shoulder. “All I want to do is drink a few beers, watch football, and not get caught up in feelings and holiday spirit crap.”
