by Tess Summers
Ben: Like the card said, I wanted to be sure your lunch came from somewhere better than the vending machine. Plus I was feeling guilty for making you late so you’d have to eat at your desk.
Harper: I seem to recall I was the one to suggest a detour this morning. I loved that, btw.
Ben: That was pretty fucking hot.
Harper: Apparently a-dozen-roses hot.
Ben: Baby girl, that was a-dozen-dozen-roses hot.
Ben: Don’t forget to text me when you’re ready to leave.
Harper: I think I’ll be ready by six—is that too late?
Ben: Take your time. I’ve got plenty to keep me busy here.
Harper: I’ll call you later. Thanks again. xoxo
****
He had showered, changed out of his coveralls into a pair of jeans and a fitted grey t-shirt, and was standing behind the counter in the lobby after the shop had closed, entering Cary Grant’s information into the computer when he looked over and saw Frank grinning at him.
“What are you smiling about, old man?”
“You haven’t stopped whistling since you came back after dropping her off this morning.”
“And that’s funny?”
“No, not funny. Just nice to see you happy.” Then, as if he couldn’t resist, added, “I can’t believe a woman with such good taste in cars has such bad taste in men.”
“Fuck you,” he snarled with a grin. “You’re just jealous.”
“Hell yeah, I am. She’s a knockout.”
His cell phone started ringing. It was her.
“Hi, Scout. Are you done already?”
“Hi, handsome. Yeah, I finished earlier than I expected, so I can be ready any time you are.”
He entered the last bit of information and closed the program out, then shut the computer down.
“I’m leaving now.”
He really wanted to run to his car, but he knew Frank was watching him, so he turned to his manager and asked, “You need any help closing up?”
As if amused, Frank slowly shook his head with a smirk.
“Nope, just leaving myself. Have a nice night.”
“Sounds good. See you tomorrow.”
Ben was out the door before Frank could say another word. He mentally went through his end-of-day inventory as he tried not to power walk to Eleanor. Wallet—check, phone—check, keys—check. Scout in his arms—not yet, but soon. His cock moved at the thought of holding her and implored the rest of him to hurry the fuck up and get to her.
All in good time, his heart promised as he pulled onto the busy street and headed to her office.
****
Harper stepped out the lobby doors of the modern glass building with her briefcase as he pulled up to the curb. Rush hour traffic meant it had taken longer to get there than he would have liked, but her smile as she approached his car made everything else irrelevant.
“Hi. Thank you again for picking me up,” she said as she got in, set her bag at her feet, then leaned over the console to put her hand on his cheek and kiss him tenderly.
He swallowed hard with his eyes closed after they broke the kiss, his forehead against hers. “I’ll pick you up every day if I can get a greeting like that.”
She sat back with a satisfied grin. “You don’t need to pick me up for that.”
“You might have to prove that,” he said, putting the car into drive.
“Gladly,” Harper said as she put her seat belt on.
He headed toward her house, and she asked, “Aren’t we picking up Cary Grant?”
“He’s not quite done. He’ll be ready tomorrow, for sure. I’ll take you to work in the morning.”
Truth was, Ben could have finished everything today but he wanted a reason to have to take her to work again tomorrow. And pick her up—he’d looked forward to this all day.
But she took the wind out of his sails when she replied, “I’ll just drive the Volvo. I have court tomorrow, so I’m going to need my car.”
Harper laughed at loud at his crestfallen face. “How about you spend the night tonight, and I’ll take you to work tomorrow, then you can bring Cary Grant home at the end of the day?”
Whatever he could do to spend more time with her.
“Okay, as long as I get to see you.”
He was not coming off as cool at all, and he knew it. In fact, he was worried she was going to see him as needy.
“Are you hungry?” she asked as they pulled into her drive. She pushed a few buttons on her phone and the third stall opened, and he drove into the garage.
“I am, actually. What did you have in mind?”
“Takeout,” she said with a laugh.
They walked inside to find Honey wiggling excitedly in her crate.
Letting her out and sitting on the back patio, Ben asked, “Have you thought about getting her a doggy door? I’d be happy to install it for you.”
“After spending the night at your house and seeing how convenient they are, I’ve been considering it.”
“I’ll pick one up tomorrow for you and put it in.”
“Ben, you don’t have to do that. I can hire someone to get something like that done. I’m not going to waste your valuable time.”
He shook his head and crossed his ankle over his knee and gripped it to keep from crossing his arms over his chest—something he always did when he meant business. He knew he looked intimating as hell like that. People knew better than to fuck with him when he was in that pose, but he didn’t want to challenge Harper that way.
Still…
“You’re not going to hire someone to do something I’m perfectly capable of doing for you.”
“Well, you’ll have to let me pay you, then.”
“Yeah.” He raised his eyebrows with a wicked grin. “You can pay me all right. In advance, if you’d like.”
Ben was shocked as hell when she dropped down to her knees at his side and started unbuckling his belt.
“What did you have in mind?” she purred as she started tugging his pants off.
He lifted his ass to help her.
“What you’re doing works so far.”
His pants were at his ankles with Harper between his knees, and she was stroking his hard cock up and down with a mischievous glint in her eye.
“You are a naughty girl,” he taunted.
She bent down and took the tip in her mouth, swirling her tongue around his helmet before slurping off and jerking him harder.
“So naughty,” she said seductively, then took him back in her mouth.
Ben slid his hand under the top of her dress, pushed her bra down and pulled her tits out, squeezing as he did. Tweaking her nipple, he growled, “I think you’re a dirty girl, too.”
“Mmmhmm,” she murmured around his cock as she bobbed her head up and down, her hand working him from the shaft up and meeting her mouth in the middle.
“Fuuuuck,” he snarled, his fingers tangling in her hair as he closed his eyes and threw his head back.
She tried to increase her tempo, but he tugged on her hair, making her slow down instead. He didn’t want to come in her mouth; he wanted to fuck her. Then the little minx took him deep in her throat.
“Oh shit,” he cried out, tightening his grip on her tresses.
He felt her smile around his cock.
“Careful, Scout,” he growled in warning. “Or you’re going to find yourself over my knee.”
“Mmm,” she said, the sound vibrating around his dick.
Damn, this woman was going to make him come undone before he was ready. He couldn’t have that.
He tugged on her arm until she was standing, then set her on the glass table top and reached under her dress as he leaned over to kiss her mouth. Instead of sliding her panties to the side, he ran his finger up and down her satin-covered slit. The material was fucking drenched.
With one hand on either side of the waistband, he pulled her underwear off, then spread her legs wide.
“I need to taste
you, baby,” he whispered gruffly before diving headfirst between her thighs.
Spreading her with his fingers, he licked up one side, then slowly dragged his tongue down the other until she moaned out loud. He darted his tongue inside her pussy and began to tongue-fuck her while his fingers found her clit.
“Oh my god, Ben,” she moaned.
“Come on my tongue, dirty girl,” he growled and began to polish her clit faster.
She reached down and pulled her lips apart, and he switched his tongue and fingers. He worked her swollen knot, peeking out from its hood like an ice cream cone, as he fucked her with two digits. Ben lapped at her clit until she began to quiver and tighten around his fingers, his face glazed with her nectar. He fucking loved it.
He slammed his hard-as-steel cock deep inside her before she even finished coming. He began thrusting hard and fast, grunting out loud—both from how amazing her cunt felt and the way her tits bounced as he pounded her.
Ben brought her heels to his shoulder, changing the angle of how his cock slid inside her. He wrapped his arms around her thighs as the climax took over him, and he began to empty his seed deep inside her warm pussy.
“Holy shit, Scout,” he gasped, his forehead resting against her knee while his arms still hugged the tops of her legs.
She ran her fingers gently through his hair.
“You’re amazing,” she whispered.
He looked into her chocolate-brown eyes, and his heart soared. His lust had been slated—temporarily, because he’d never be satisfied when it came to her—and now he felt nothing but love for her.
He’d never felt like this before. There was no point in denying it, or even analyzing it—she was the one.
That was information he probably should keep to himself for a while longer, but he was going to take every opportunity to show her how he felt without actually coming out and saying it. He’d say it with his actions. She was a smart woman; she’d figure it out.
Harper Finch didn’t stand a chance—she was going to be his; she just didn’t know it yet.
Chapter Twenty
Harper
She burrowed her face in her hands as she sat down in the patio table chair.
“We had sex in front of Honey. Again. Poor thing.”
He chuckled at her distress.
“I should get a dog. Then they can keep each other company while I ravish you every night.”
The idea of being taken nightly by this perfect man made her insides do flip-flops.
“I like how you ravish me,” she said with a flirty smile.
He tugged her into his lap, her back to his front, and rested his chin on her shoulder as his arms came around her middle.
“I like ravishing you,” he said quietly. “But I want to make love to you later tonight, then fall asleep with you in my arms.”
She twisted so she was looking at him, her hand cupping his face as she leaned over and kissed him softly on the mouth.
“I think that sounds perfect.”
He winked and lifted her off him. “But we need to eat first,” he said, smacking her butt as he stood, then walked toward the French doors.
She bent over and rubbed Honey behind her ears.
“Hey, girl. Am I going to have to put you into doggy therapy?”
The pup wiggled her butt in response, her stubby tail wagging furiously.
“Would you like a friend to keep you company when Ben comes over?”
Honey jumped up and licked her face.
Harper started laughing and stood up.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
She and her pup walked inside, closing the door behind them. Ben walked out of her pantry, then opened her refrigerator.
“Honey says she’d love a friend,” she told him as she sat down at the kitchen island.
That brought a smile to his face while he examined her fridge’s contents.
“I’ll let Luke know to find her a boyfriend.”
The attorney in her wanted to ask all kinds of questions: where would the dog stay during the day? Who would technically be the owner? What if they stopped seeing each other—would she get custody so the dogs would remain together?
Instead, she decided not to worry about it and let Ben handle it.
That was so not like her—she needed to be in charge of everything. She’d never been with a man she trusted enough to relinquish any control to. It felt nice to give some of it up.
****
Ben
He was sautéing vegetables as Harper watched, perched on her seat at the granite island.
“You know what you’re doing,” she said.
“Are you impressed or shocked? I can’t tell,” he said moving back and forth between pots and pans.
“Maybe a little of both.”
“I’m a thirty-four-year-old bachelor, Scout. I would hope I know how to cook.”
“But you seem to like it. When I cook, it’s begrudgingly, in order to survive.”
He laughed out loud.
“I think it’s probably a lot like working on cars. It’s something I can do with my hands, there’s usually a set of steps I need to follow, and there’s a positive end result if I do it right. As opposed to law—I would assume there’s a lot of factors that are unknown or not in your control, so even if you do everything right, the end result might not be what you were hoping for.”
“That sounds about right. But it still doesn’t explain why I don’t like doing it.”
He shrugged. “It’s not for everyone, baby girl. I’m happy to be the one who cooks in this relationship.”
“I can bake,” she offered as a consolation. “I’m pretty good at that.”
“I’ll cook, you bake.”
“Can I offer Chef McCallister a glass of wine or a beer?”
“Actually, a beer sounds great.”
They talked and drank while he finished preparing the food, and continued through dinner. Then Harper said she had a trial starting in the morning and she needed to do some preparation for it.
“I should only be like an hour, hour and a half tops.”
“I’ll go back to my place and grab some clothes and my toothbrush while you do that.”
“Are you sure? I feel bad that you have to go all the way there and back.”
Ben didn’t know if that was her way of saying she didn’t want him to spend the night.
“Would you rather I stay at my place tonight? You can pick me up in the morning.”
“No, it’s not that,” she quickly replied. “I want you to stay. I just feel guilty making you drive home and back.”
“Have you seen my car? I love driving her. Don’t worry about that.”
“Okay, good,” she giggled, standing up and clearing their plates.
“Don’t worry about cleaning up, Scout. I’ll take care of it. You go take care of whatever you need to for tomorrow.”
“I will not. You cooked, I’ll clean.”
He came to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and holding her against him. She was such a little thing compared to him.
“Normally, I would take you up on that agreement,” he whispered in her ear. “But it doesn’t make sense tonight. The sooner you finish your work, then sooner I can have your undivided attention. I’ll clean up, feed Honey, and then go get my stuff. Hopefully by the time I get back, you’ll be finished and ready to snuggle naked while we watch Netflix.”
Harper rested the back of her head against his chest and let out a contented sigh.
“Why aren’t you married? What’s wrong with you?”
Ben laughed. “I’m sure it depends on who you ask.”
“I’m asking you.”
He furrowed his brows while he debated how to answer.
“I’m not a cheater, and I think I’m pretty even-tempered, if that’s what you’re asking. I guess the women I’ve dated in the past wanted more of a commitment than I was willing to give them.”
“Oh,
” she said quietly. “I get it.”
“It’s not that I’m opposed to commitment,” he clarified, kissing her shoulder and rubbing his hands up and down her arms. “I guess I’ve been waiting for the right woman to come along and knock me on my ass.”
“Oh?” Her tone was little more hopeful.
“I think I’ve met my match, Scout,” he whispered in her ear.
Goosebumps broke out all over her arms, and he couldn’t help but smile, happy to have that effect on her.
He began to fondle her tits over her dress while growling in her ear, “Go do your smart-attorney shit. I’ll finish in here before I head home, and be back before you’re even done.”
She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you. For… everything. I really appreciate it.”
“It’s my pleasure, baby girl.”
Ben kissed her tenderly, which she eagerly returned, sighing against his lips when they came up for air.
“Go,” he whispered harshly. “Before I fuck you on the dirty counter.”
That made her giggle as she escaped to her office.
He wasn’t lying. He was pretty sure he’d met his match with Harper Finch.
Chapter Twenty-One
Harper
She thought it’d be harder for her to concentrate on her work, but she managed to slip into attorney mode and finish before he got back. That gave her time to go through her lingerie drawer and find something sexy to put on.
She settled on a satin bubblegum-pink baby-doll with matching fur trim around the hem and boobs. She’d bought it on a whim one day at the mall when she’d walked by it and thought it was beautiful—never mind that she didn’t have anyone to wear it for. The feminist in her said she didn’t need to wear it for anyone but herself, but she had tried that—and ended up eating a carton of ice cream as she watched chick flicks because all it did was remind her she was alone.
Now she had someone to wear it for, and she felt sexy as hell when she looked in the mirror of her candlelit bedroom.
“Scout? Babe?” he called. It sounded like he was coming closer as he walked down the hall.
Her first instinct was to dive under the covers. What if he thought she was ridiculous, putting that on? Then she realized—he was going to think she looked beautiful.
