Chapter Seventeen
Harley
I’m waiting for Pierce outside the office, although I’ll admit, I’m surprised he wasn’t here when I finished work. He implied he would be in his message, and although I thought about walking home myself, we arranged to meet here, and I didn’t want to miss him, and make him worry. Because I know he would have done.
He rounds the corner, carrying a small bag of groceries, and rushes up to me, his eyes alight with excitement.
“What’s happened?” I ask.
“You’re never gonna believe it,” he says, leaning in to kiss me, before he shifts the groceries to his other arm and takes my hand, leaving me in suspense as we set off, walking slowly out onto Main Street.
“Believe what?” I ask.
“I had a message earlier this afternoon… from the Bowman gallery.”
“From Kaiden?” I say, feeling a little sick.
“No, from his father. At first, I thought it was from Kaiden, because it was just signed ‘K. Bowman’, and I assumed he was playing games, but then I met him just now, and he told me it wasn’t from him.”
“And you believed him?”
“No. Not until I showed him the message. He told me his father had sent it.”
“But what about the initial?”
“His father’s name is Karl, evidently. I didn’t realize that until Kaiden told me.”
“I see. So it’s a legitimate message?”
“It is.”
“And what did it say?”
“That they’re interested in exhibiting some of my work.”
We stop walking, right by the ice cream parlor. “Really? But that’s amazing, Pierce. Have you replied?”
“Yeah. Just now. I’ve told him I’d like to talk.”
“And have you heard back yet?”
“No. I just hope I haven’t blown it by delaying my response.”
“I doubt it,” I say as we start walking again, still holding hands. “You didn’t delay by very long. It’s only a matter of hours, not days.”
“I know.”
I nestle against him and look up, smiling at the eagerness that’s still visible on his face. “Did Kaiden say anything else?” I ask, feeling intrigued.
“He accused me of stealing you away from him. He made a comment about you being his girl.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. I told him he was wrong about that.”
“Very wrong,” I say, shaking my head.
“And then he said something about Dawson Pine warning him off, telling him to stay away from you. He seemed to think I was behind it, which I wasn’t… although I wish I had been.”
“You need Dawson to do that kind of thing for you?” I ask, looking up at him and trying not to smile.
“No.”
I stop walking again, even though we’re almost back at the store. “You say that like it means something.” He shrugs his shoulders. “What happened, Pierce?”
“Promise you won’t think badly of me?” he says, sounding worried.
“Why would I?”
“Because I know a lot of people think my tattoos and my bike mean I’m some kind of bad boy, but…”
“I know you’re not,” I say, shaking my head. “That’s not who you are at all.”
“Then you won’t mind that I introduced my arm to his throat, while resting him against the storefront?”
“ Resting him?”
“Something like that. He’d just asked if I’d gotten inside your panties yet, so I wasn’t in the best of moods.”
“He said that?”
“Yeah.”
“What did you tell him?”
“You mean, while I was resting him against the storefront?” I nod my head. “I told him to shut up… although I might not have been that polite about it.”
“Good,” I say and he smiles, letting us in through the front door. He locks it behind us, and we head up the stairs to his apartment, reaching the top just as his phone beeps. He pulls it out, reading a message, his face lighting up as he puts the groceries on the countertop in the kitchen. “What is it?” I ask, dumping my purse on the coffee table.
“It’s Karl Bowman. He’s asking if he can see me on Tuesday evening.”
He looks across at me, his eyes alight.
“You have to go.”
“I know.”
He nods his head, lowering his eyes to his phone as he types out his reply, before he puts it down on the countertop and comes over, lifting me into his arms and making me squeal as he spins me around.
“It’s a double celebration now,” I say. “Our anniversary, and this exhibition.”
“I haven’t got it yet,” he says.
“You will… and you’ve got me,” I whisper as he lowers me down his body.
“Which is the best prize of all.” I lean up and kiss him, although he keeps it brief, pulling back and looking down into my eyes. “I bought us something special from the deli. Why don’t you go change and I’ll get it ready?”
“I can help, if you want?”
He shakes his head. “This is my treat.”
“Okay.”
I leave him to it, going into the bedroom, where I remove all my clothes, including my underwear, and stand in front of the closet, trying to decide what to put on. The bruise on my leg is a really deep purple now, and although I hate how it looks, I think I know something that will please Pierce, and I pull out one of his hoodies, unfolding it and lowering it over my head. It comes down to the middle of my thighs, so the bruise is still visible, but somehow I doubt he’ll mind, and I head straight back out into the living room.
He’s still doing something in the kitchen, and has his back to me, so I wander to the couch and pick up the remote control, flicking on the TV.
“I bought some wine,” he says over his shoulder. “Do you wanna pour it?”
“Sure.”
I go into the kitchen, reaching up to get the glasses from the cabinet, just as Pierce turns.
“Jesus…” he says, putting down the knife he’s holding before he comes over and stands behind me. “What’s this, babe?” He puts his hands up inside the hoodie, feeling my bare ass.
“It’s your anniversary present.”
“I like it. Can we have another anniversary next week?”
“We can have another one tomorrow, if you like.”
He chuckles, turning me around and pulling me into his arms. “It’s been such a traumatic week, Harley. But it’s been the best week of my life.”
“Mine too.”
He kisses me, our tongues flickering against each other, his hands wandering, making me moan into his mouth. “If you’re gonna tease me like this all evening,” he says, leaning back. “I need to…” He pulls away, walking backwards toward the bedroom. “I need to change.”
“Why?”
“Because these jeans are too uncomfortable.”
I laugh, and he joins in, disappearing into the bedroom.
I get down the glasses, pouring the wine, and take it through to the living room, just as he comes out, wearing gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt, his erection more than obvious, and I lick my lips, staring at him.
“Are you sure you wanna have dinner?” I ask.
“I’m sure I wanna eat,” he says, his eyes darkening. “And I wanna feed you.”
“Feed me what?”
“Anything you like.”
He wanders to the kitchen, returning with a large platter, loaded with chunks of bread, hand-sliced meats, cheeses, stuffed olives, tomatoes, and roasted peppers.
“That looks amazing.”
“I thought that… until I saw you,” he says, placing it on the table and lowering us both to the couch. He reaches out, picking up an olive and touching it to my lips. “Would it be wrong of me to say I wanna fuck your mouth?”
“No.”
I bite the olive, leaving half for him, which he eats before he tips me onto my back, taking care not to hurt me. Then he stands, removing his sweatpants, and lowers himself over me, his knees up by my shoulders, giving me the most perfect view. I shimmy down slightly, so I’m in the best position, and lick the tip of his erection before taking it in my mouth, just as he parts my legs and I feel his tongue flicking over me.
Neither of us can speak, but we don’t need to. He flexes his hips into me as I raise mine to him, and we gorge on each other. I love the intimacy of this. It’s not better than making love, but there’s something so personal about sharing ourselves in this way. It feels like there are no secrets… nothing held back, and I like that.
After a while, he inserts two fingers inside me, matching the rhythm he’s building in my mouth, and the sensation does crazy things to me, my mind going into a kind of overload. It’s too much and I shatter around him, clutching his ass as he lets out a loud moan and stiffens, just before I feel the first spurt of warm liquid hit the back of my throat. I swallow, waiting for the next, and the next, the waves of pleasure still rushing through me… both of us out of control.
The first thing I’m aware of is Pierce gently pulling his fingers from me, feeling his breath at the tops of my thighs.
“Are you okay?” he asks, although I can’t answer… not until he releases himself from my mouth.
When he does, I whisper, “Yes,” and he kneels up, turning around to face me.
“That was…”
“I know. It was.”
We don’t need to say anymore. We know what we mean, and he lifts me up, so I’m sitting in the corner of the couch, both of us breathing hard still.
“I love the taste of you,” he murmurs, leaning in to kiss me so I can taste myself. There’s a kind of sweetness to his lips, and I lick them, making him smile as he pulls away. “You’re so sexy,” he says.
“So are you.”
He doesn’t pull his sweatpants back on, but just sits beside me, grabbing the throw from behind him to cover our legs, and then he reaches out for the platter, placing it between us and picking up a slice of salami, putting it into my mouth. “I feel like you earned that.”
I giggle and offer him some cheese. “So did you.”
We take our time, feeding each other, sipping at our wine, and ignoring the movie that’s on in the background, while we just enjoy ourselves. The mood feels lighter than it has all week, which I hope means we’re putting the accident behind us at last. It would be good if we could, if only so we can have more nights like this.
“That was lovely,” I say as Pierce feeds me the last tomato, putting the platter back on the table.
“Do you want some more wine?” he asks.
“No, thanks.”
He moves closer, pulling me into his arms. “I’d love to take you to bed,” he says, and I pull back slightly, surprised by his tone of voice, as well as his words.
“Why can’t you?”
“Because there’s something I think we need to do first.”
“Oh?”
He nods his head. “We’ve been together for a week… at least in my head, and I was thinking earlier that we really should tell Ben.”
“About us?”
“Yes. If your parents were here, they’d already know, and we’ll tell them when they get back, but I don’t feel right keeping this from your brother.”
“Okay. But who’s gonna tell him? You, or me?”
“We’ll do it together,” he says, getting up and going to the kitchen, where he left his phone, bringing it back with him. He sits again, turning to face me just before he connects the call. “I don’t think we should mention the gallery, or Karl Bowman’s offer. Not yet.”
“You don’t?”
“No. It might all come to nothing, and I’d rather we kept it to ourselves until we know what’s happening.”
“Okay. If you’re sure,” I say and he smiles, nodding his head and connecting the call to Ben, putting it onto speaker before he places his arm around me, and I pull up the throw, covering him over again, and resting against him.
Ben answers on the third ring, and I have to smile as he says, “Hey… how the fuck are you?”
“I’m fine,” Pierce says, rolling his eyes. “But I think I should tell you, I’ve got Harley with me and you’re on speaker.”
“Okay. Hi, Sis. Sorry about the language.”
“That’s okay,” I say, nestling against Pierce’s chest.
“How have you been since we last spoke?” Ben asks, and although I can’t be sure which one of us he’s speaking to, it’s me that answers.
“Okay,” I say.
“Just okay? Is anything wrong?”
“Not anymore.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” He doesn’t apologize for his language this time.
“Nothing. Everything’s fine. I mean… it’s better than it was…” I stop talking, looking at Pierce, who shakes his head, smiling at me.
“I think what Harley’s talking about is the accident we had last weekend.”
Were we supposed to keep that a secret, too? Pierce didn’t say anything, and Ben was always going to find out eventually. Besides, it was Pierce who told him. I just let my mouth run away with me.
“Accident?” I can hear the urgent fear in Ben’s voice, and it brings a lump to my throat.
“Yeah.” Pierce holds me a little tighter. “We were on our way back here, when a truck pulled out of a turning just outside the town. It was raining, although that’s no excuse for what he did, and…”
“Shit,” Ben says, interrupting him, and clearly giving up completely on monitoring his language. “Are you guys okay?”
“Thanks to Pierce, we are,” I say. “He did something, although I don’t know what, but he was amazing.” Pierce blushes, and I smile up at him.
“What did you do, Pierce?” Ben asks.
“I just dropped the bike, and grabbed Harley,” he says, like it was no big deal. “We kinda skidded along the road a bit, and then came to a stop.”
“It wasn’t quite that straightforward,” I say.
“Somehow, I didn’t think it would have been.” Ben sounds intrigued and I snuggle against Pierce, resting my hand on his leg.
“Pierce is right about the skidding along the road part, but what he didn’t tell you was that he was underneath me. I still don’t know how, but after he dropped the bike, he somehow got me up on top of him and held me there. He didn’t let go of me… not even for a second, even though it meant he was the one being dragged along on his back.”
There’s a pause before Ben coughs and says, “You did that?”
“Of course,” Pierce says. “What did you think I’d do?”
“I don’t know, but I’m not sure I’d have been that selfless.”
“Yeah, you would. Besides, it was an instinct.”
“Either way, I’m grateful, man. Thanks for protecting Harley like that.”
“There’s no need to thank me,” Pierce says, his blush deepening. “Although I should probably warn you, we haven’t told your parents yet.”
“Okay. But I imagine you’ll see them before I do.”
“Probably. But I thought I’d warn you, just in case.”
“Fair enough.” He pauses. “Was there anything else, or did you both call just to tell me about the accident?”
“No,” Pierce says. “We called to tell you there was a reason we were out together on a Saturday evening… and it wasn’t because I was sketching.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Ben asks.
“I’m saying we’re together. I know this might not be what you wanna hear, and I’m sorry it’s taken us so long to tell you, but I love your sister very much.” The tension is pouring off of Pierce as he speaks, and although I expect him to wait for Ben’s reply, he adds, “We’ve been friends nearly all our lives, Ben, and I realize this could make it difficult between us, but…”
“Difficult? Difficult? Why on earth would it be difficult?”
I can’t tell if Ben’s being sarcastic, and I glance at Pierce, to find he looks just as confused as I feel.
“For the reason I’ve just given,” Pierce says. “We’re friends, and…”
“I know,” Ben says. “Which is why I’m relieved you two have finally worked things out.”
Pierce turns to me, frowning slightly, and I shrug my shoulders. “What do you mean?” I ask.
“Oh, come on, Sis. You’ve loved Pierce for so long…”
“You mean, you knew?” I say, leaning away from Pierce, just slightly, unable to disguise my surprise.
“Of course I knew, but it wasn’t my place to say anything, was it?”
“Why not? You could have asked Pierce how he felt about me?”
“How?” Ben says. “What would have happened if I’d asked him and he’d said he didn’t like you in that way? How could I have told you that, knowing how you felt? It would have been horrible for you, and probably made Pierce feel really awkward around you… and maybe me, too. No…” he says. “You had to work it out for yourselves. Or to be more precise, Pierce had to stop being a dick, stop fooling around, and wake up to the beautiful woman who’d always been there for him.”
“That’s almost exactly how it happened,” Pierce says, pulling me close again and kissing the top of my head.
“In which case, I’m pleased for you… both of you. You’re perfect for each other. Although if you ever hurt my little sister, Pierce, you’ll wish you’d never been born.”
Pierce shakes his head. “I won’t hurt her,” he says, staring into my eyes.
“This is just great,” Ben says. It sounds like he’s smiling, and I frown at Pierce, wondering what my brother’s talking about.
“What is?” Pierce asks.
“You guys. You can take the heat off of me and Louise.”
Pierce laughs, and I look up at him. “You knew about Louise?” I ask and he nods.
“Of course. I’ve known about her for a while now.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“Ben swore me to secrecy in case your parents found out.”
“And we have secrets from each other, do we?” I say, shaking my head at him.
“No, babe. You know we don’t. But we’ve only been together for a week, and we’ve had other things to think about than your brother’s love life.”
He has a point, but before I can say anything, Ben interrupts us. “I don’t wanna know what you’ve been doing for the last week,” he says.
“Mostly recovering from the accident.”
I look up at Pierce as he’s talking and raise my eyebrows. He smiles, his eyes sparkling with mischief, and he tries not to laugh.
“Oh, yeah… sorry,” Ben says. “But at least you guys have done me a favor. Louise and I can sit back and chill… and enjoy ourselves.”
“Don’t be too sure about that,” I say, bursting his bubble. “Mom and Dad are still gonna want to meet her.”
“I know, but you’re there and we’re here… and besides, Pierce is their blue-eyed boy, so you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“I’m sure you don’t either. Mom and Dad will love Louise… just like you do.”
He doesn’t reply for a second, but then he coughs again, and says, “Well… I’m sure we’ll see you soon,” which makes Pierce laugh out loud.
We end our call, Ben’s embarrassment getting the better of him, and Pierce turns to me.
“That went well,” he says.
“Why? Were you worried?”
“Not worried, no… but let’s face it, telling your best friend that you’re in love with his sister has the potential for disaster written all over it.”
“Not this time,” I whisper, pushing the throw to one side and kneeling up, straddling him. He reaches beneath the hoodie, grabbing my bare ass, and pulls me close, onto his arousal.
“I’m so relieved it’s the weekend,” he says.
“Why?”
He stands up, lifting me with him. “Because we can spend it in bed,” he says, carrying me through to the bedroom, and kicking the door closed behind us.