40. Harle
HARLE
I woke to the feeling of intense pleasure rippling through me. Cassidy’s lips were wrapped around my cock, her hand pumping up and down in a smooth motion that made me so fucking hot, I had to grit my teeth.
“Jesus,” I gasped out when she swirled her tongue over the tip. “Good morning, darlin’.”
She lifted her head just long enough to flash me a wicked smile before returning to her work, her eyes holding mine as she took me deeper. The sight alone nearly pushed me over the edge - Cassidy’s lips stretched around me, her cheeks hollowed as she sucked, the morning light making her skin glow.
My fingers tangled in her hair, not to guide her, but just to feel connected. To memorize this moment, knowing it might be our last. Her tongue teased along my shaft in ways that made my toes curl, and when she hummed around me, the vibrations sent shockwaves through my body.
“Darlin’, I’m close,” I warned, my voice rough with desire.
Instead of pulling away, she doubled down, taking me deeper. The message was clear - she wanted all of me. Heat coiled tighter in my gut as her fingers danced along my thighs, teasing and stroking as she worked me with her mouth.
“Cass,” I choked out. “I’m going to…”
She moaned around me, the vibrations pushing me past the point of no return. My vision went white as I came hard, spilling down her throat. Cassidy swallowed every drop, licking me clean as I shuddered through the aftershocks.
When she finally released me, I pulled her up for a deep kiss, tasting myself on her tongue. She melted against me, fitting perfectly in my arms like she belonged there. Like she should stay there.
“Good morning to you too,” Cassidy said with a cheeky grin. It faded fast as she brushed the hair back from my forehead. “Last day.”
Those two words hit me like a punch to the gut. But I forced a smile, refusing to waste our final hours on regret. “Yeah.” I kissed her again, then wrapped my arm around her waist and, without warning, flipped our positions so that she was on her back. “Let’s make it count.”
I pushed her legs apart, already knowing I’d find her drenched for me. My fingers brushed lightly against her clit, and I reveled in the shuddering breath she let out. “I want three orgasms from you before we’re done. Consider it a parting gift, darlin’.”
I slid two fingers inside her, relishing her warmth and the way she arched into my touch. Her breath hitched as I curled my fingers, finding that spot that made her squirm. The sight of her like this, all flushed skin and desperate need, made my throat tight with things I couldn’t say.
“Harle,” she gasped, her nails digging into my shoulders.
I lowered my head, trailing kisses along her collarbone and down to her breasts. My tongue swirled around her nipple before I took it into my mouth, sucking gently. Cassidy’s hips bucked against my hand, seeking more friction.
“That’s it, darlin’,” I murmured against her skin. “Let go for me. Show me how good I make you feel.”
My thumb found her clit, circling it in time with the thrusts of my fingers. Her moans grew louder, filling the room that would be too quiet tomorrow. I pushed that thought away, focusing instead on the way she moved beneath me, the way her body responded to every touch.
“Look at me,” I commanded softly, needing to see her eyes.
Cassidy’s gaze locked onto mine, and the vulnerability I saw there made my heart clench. I wanted to tell her how much she meant to me, how I never wanted this to end. But I held back, channeling everything I couldn’t say into bringing her pleasure.
“That’s my girl. Such a good girl,” I praised as she trembled on the edge. “Come for me, Cass.”
With a cry of my name, Cassidy came undone. Her back arched off the bed as waves of pleasure washed over her. I worked her through it, prolonging her orgasm until she collapsed back onto the bed, panting.
I withdrew my fingers gently, bringing them to my mouth to lick them clean. Cassidy watched me with hooded eyes, her chest still heaving.
“One down,” I said with a smile that didn’t quite mask what I was feeling. “Two to go.”
I lowered myself between Cassidy’s thighs, breathing in her scent. Something else for me to miss. Her fingers tangled in my hair as I placed soft kisses along her inner thighs, taking my time, making memories.
“Harle,” she whimpered, her hips shifting restlessly.
I smiled against her skin. “Patience, darlin’.”
The first stroke of my tongue had her gasping, back arching off the bed. I took my time exploring her, alternating between teasing licks and firm strokes, drinking in every response like a man dying of thirst. Each moan, every tremor of her thighs, I wanted to remember it all.
When I slid two fingers inside her again, her body clenched around them, still sensitive from her first orgasm. I curled them just right, knowing exactly how she liked it now. Knowing I might never get to use this knowledge again.
“Oh god,” Cassidy gasped, her thighs trembling on either side of my head. “Please...”
I hummed against her, the vibrations making her cry out. Her hips bucked against my face as I increased the pressure, wanting to drive her wild one last time. Her fingers tightened in my hair. Another sensation for me to miss.
“That’s it, darlin’,” I murmured, my breath hot against her sensitive flesh. “Let go for me. I’ve got you.”
I always would, if she’d let me.
With a final curl of my fingers and a hard suck on her clit, Cassidy shattered. Her back arched off the bed as she came, my name falling from her lips like a prayer. I worked her through it, easing off only when she tugged weakly at my hair.
I was hard and ready for her so I crawled up her body, sliding my arm under her shoulders so I could hold her close. The knowledge that this might be our last time together made my chest ache. She wrapped her legs around my waist, tilting her hips up in silent invitation, and the trust in her eyes nearly broke me.
With my gaze locked on hers I slid inside her, the overwhelming sense of connection almost undoing me.
Cassidy’s fingers dug into my back as I rocked into her, each thrust a reminder of what I’d be losing. Her breath hitched with each movement, those little gasps of pleasure that I’d grown addicted to. That I’d miss like breathing.
I couldn’t get enough, drinking in the sight of her - her flushed cheeks, parted lips, the way the morning light caught the gold in her hair. Her eyes were dark with desire but swimming with something deeper, something that made my heart race.
“Harle,” she moaned, arching into me, and Christ, the way she said my name - like a prayer, like a promise she knew she couldn’t keep.
I captured her lips in another desperate kiss, pouring everything I couldn’t voice into it. All the words stuck in my throat. How she’d changed me, how she’d made this house feel like a home, how I’d wake up tomorrow reaching for her.
Her nails raked down my back, spurring me on, and I could feel her starting to tighten around me. My free hand found hers, pinning it above her head, our fingers intertwining. One last connection, one last moment of being completely wrapped up in each other.
“That’s it, darlin’,” I encouraged, feeling her trembling beneath me. “One more for me. Let me see you, Cass. Let me remember you like this.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them, too honest, too revealing. But Cassidy’s only response was to pull me closer, her legs tightening around my waist as if she never wanted to let go.
My hand worked between us, circling her clit as I drove deeper. Her body fluttered around me, her breath coming in short gasps. I was close too, but I needed to see her fall apart one more time. Needed to carry this memory with me.
“Harle, I’m—” Her words cut off in a cry as she shattered, her body arching off the bed, her inner muscles clenching around me. The sight of her coming undone, knowing I’d done this to her, pushed me over the edge. I buried myself deep inside her as I came, her name falling from my lips like a confession.
Like the ‘ I love you ’ she wasn’t ready to hear from me.
The suitcase felt like it weighed a thousand pounds as I carried it down the porch steps. Each thud of my boots against wood marked another moment closer to watching her leave. To letting her go.
The morning light filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows across the path to her car, and even nature seemed to be mocking me. Everything looked too damn perfect. The sky was too fucking blue, the air was too crisp, for a morning that felt like someone was carving out my insides with a rusty spoon.
Cassidy walked beside me, her arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to hold something in. Or keep something out. The space between us crackled with everything unsaid, and Christ, there was so much I wanted to say.
Stay. I love you. Don’t leave.
The words pressed against my teeth, desperate to escape, but I swallowed them back. Because the truth was, she could be carrying my child right now, and that complicated everything. What kind of asshole would I be, dropping that emotional bomb on her when she was already dealing with so much?
So I kept walking, one foot in front of the other, watching from the corner of my eye as she stared at the ground like it held all the answers we were both looking for.
The gravel crunched beneath our feet, each step a countdown I wasn’t ready for. Ten steps from the porch, her shoulder brushed mine. Accident or intention, I couldn’t tell. Twenty steps, and I caught the scent of her shampoo on the morning breeze, that hint of vanilla that had become as familiar as breathing. Thirty steps, and my fingers itched to reach for her, to pull her close one last time.
But I didn’t. Because starting something now would be like striking a match just to watch it burn out.
She stumbled slightly on a loose stone, and my hand shot out automatically to steady her. The brief contact sent electricity racing up my arm, and damn if that wasn’t a perfect metaphor for everything about us. One touch and I was lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, pulling away quickly. But not before I caught the slight tremor in her voice, the way her eyes darted everywhere but at me.
The car waited at the end of the drive like a damn time bomb, counting down the seconds until she’d drive away. And here I was, the guy who could fix anything you put in front of me, completely helpless to stop what was coming.
When we reached her car, I set the suitcase down beside the trunk, taking a moment to straighten up. She turned to face me, her lips parting like she was about to say something, but then she stopped. Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, just one damn moment, I thought I saw everything I was feeling reflected back at me.
I couldn’t help myself. I moved closer, slipping my arms around her waist and pulling her in. She came willingly, melting against me like she belonged there, her head finding that spot against my chest that seemed made for her. I pressed my lips to her hair, breathing her in one last time, trying to memorize every detail of how she felt in my arms.
When I pulled back, I cupped her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing against her cheeks. I leaned in, kissing her softly, slowly, pouring everything I couldn’t say into that kiss. When I pulled away, I kept my forehead pressed to hers, our breaths mingling in the cool morning air.
She wrapped her fingers around my wrists, holding me there. “Thank you, Harle.”
“You’re welcome.” I managed to keep my voice steady as I ran my knuckles down her cheek. “Take care of yourself, alright? I’ll be here if you need anything. Anytime.”
She nodded. “I’ll, um, I’ll let you know the results.” Her expression became shuttered, making it impossible to read what she was really thinking.
“Do that.”
I forced myself to step back, giving her the space she needed. Watching her get into the car, her hands trembling slightly as she fumbled with the keys, every instinct screamed at me to stop her. To tell her everything. But instead, I just stood there, hands shoved in my pockets, heart pounding against my ribs like it was trying to follow her.
She looked at me one last time before backing up. I forced a smile, knowing it looked about as natural as Derek the donkey in a tuxedo. She returned it with one just as strained and turned the car around, facing the gates.
As she disappeared down the drive, I turned back to the cabin, the emptiness already creeping in. But certainty solidified in my chest, easing the ache. I wasn’t giving up on her, dammit. I’d give her the space she needed, but I’d be damned if I let her slip away without a fight. This wasn’t over. Not for me. Not by a long shot.