Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
FORREST
E very rule I gave myself, every barrier I tried to put up, is crumbling before me. All because of this feisty woman who just won’t back down.
If I thought seeing her last night, so vulnerable, was a struggle to walk away from, then looking at her right now full of fight, I know I’m not going anywhere.
This fire that is running through her veins is so damn sexy.
I want her to see what I see between us. We are something more than just a night of sex, but she’s not there yet, and nothing I say will make her see it. So, I’m going to give her this small win in her mind, in the push-and-shove battle we are having over the sexual tension in the room.
She may win the battle, but I will win the war.
Sometimes you need to give a little ground but then make the sideways move and come around at them again from a different direction.
Harper is going to be like that.
Tonight, she will be happy with a one-night stand as she sees it, but I can tell her right now, this may be the first time I fuck her, but it certainly won’t be the last.
She might not realize it, but from the moment she snuggled up with me last night, I knew I would never be able to let her go. I can be patient until we get through this turmoil, but I’m not going anywhere, and neither is she.
“You can call me yours for tonight, but that’s all it will be,” she spits out at me as she breaks from the kiss to take a breath, and I just ignore her as I take her again, biting down on her bottom lip as she opens up for me. It brings a moan from her that is sinful and one I want to hear over and over again.
I slide my hands from her waist around to her ass and lift her up against my body. I don’t respond to her statement, intent on making sure we are on the same page for what is about to happen.
“This is the last chance to change your mind, otherwise I’m taking you to my bed, and I going to fuck every little bit of attitude out of you.”
Her eyes darken, and I can feel her breathing falter a bit as she takes in what I said. “Is this your arrogance talking, or are you really as good as you think you are?”
“You’re about to find out,” I say, carrying her toward my bedroom door and straight to my bed. But before I lay her down, I ask one last time, and I’m not sure if this question is just for her or me too.
I want her to really think about this, because I know in my head, I’m asking myself, do I really want to open my heart for the chance of it being destroyed?
“Harper.” Her name falls softly from my lips. “Are you sure about this?”
I can see her thinking hard, but it doesn’t take long, and she nods her head at me. But it’s not enough, I need more.
“Words,” I demand.
“Forrest, I swear if you don’t fuck me now, I’m walking back into my room and grabbing my biggest vibrator and fucking myself. Does that answer your question!” And every bit of gentle that I was trying to use is shot into the atmosphere as I throw her on the bed.
“No vibrators in this house. I’ll burn them.” And I mean it.
Stripping my shirt off and unbuttoning my trousers, I push both them and my briefs off in one go. I don’t want to put her in a position where she feels that I have the upper hand.
Standing and just staring at her, I can see her eyes roaming my body, and the way she licks her lips and drags her teeth over her bottom lip, I can tell she likes what she sees.
“Well, it looks like they are safe for one more night, because with what you are providing,” she waves her hand up and down in my direction, “I trust I will be satisfied.”
And as much as I’m so turned on and ready to burst, I still can’t help but laugh at her. “You will be so satisfied that you won’t be able to walk tomorrow. Because if I’m only getting one night like you say, then I’m going to fuck you as many times as I can before you can’t take anymore.”
Not even waiting for an answer, I kneel on the bed and start to crawl over top of her. Crowding her with my body, I lean down and kiss along her jawline until I am whispering in her ear.
“If you’re fond of those pajamas, I suggest you get them off now. Otherwise, I’m ripping them off that sexy-as-sin body that you have been virtually throwing at me while flirting your ass off with me for months.” I bite down on her ear, and her pelvis lifts off the bed, writhing against my cock that I am already straining to keep in control. “Now you can feel what you do to me when you play your little games. You have no idea how many times I almost gave in to you.”
“Why didn’t you then?” she sasses back as she runs her hands all over my naked back.
“Because I want more,” I say, telling her how I feel.
“But nothing has changed, this is all it can be.” Her eyes look almost sad, but she’s trying to stick to her plan.
“So you say.” I push the hair off her neck and nip at her skin on the way down toward her chest.
“Forrest.” She calls out my name, and it’s a mixture of telling me she means what she says and also because her body can’t help but react to my touch.
“Harper.” I keep kissing every bare piece of skin I can find. “Thirty seconds and I start ripping.” Crawling down her body again, my face is level with her waist as I push up her shirt slightly, licking along the edge of the elastic on her silk bottoms. Her body again lifts off the mattress as she tries to scramble to get her shirt buttons undone.
I look up at her face that is fixated on watching me. “May I?” I ask as I take hold of each side of the shorts.
“Please.” Her reply almost sounds like a plea. Oh, how I want to hear her begging for more of what she is about to experience.
I don’t want to rush this.
You only get one first time you with a woman. I want this to be something we will both remember and fantasize about until Harper realizes that she wants more. But more importantly for me, I want to treasure this moment of the first time I have sex with the only woman I will ever have sex with for the rest of my life.
And one day, she’ll look back and remember it like that too.
Slowly sliding her shorts down one inch at a time, I kiss ever so softly across her tanned and supple skin. There is a shimmer on her from the tiny amount of sweat, radiating from the heat that is building within her.
The more I drag them down, the closer I get to the top of her sex, and everything is still bare, and I fucking love that. I only slightly lift my head, but my eyes lock onto her torso as she wriggles herself out of the shirt.
“Beautiful.” It’s all I can say as I look at her breasts that are now on full display for me. Perky, her nipples pebbled and standing upright. Knowing I did that gives me an unexpected surge of lust for her. I need to taste her and take every part of her.
I’m no longer patient. I want her, and I want her now.
I pull the shorts down in one go, and as they hit her knees, her legs start moving quickly, trying to get them the rest of the way off herself. I can tell she doesn’t want her legs restrained in any way as the sensations grow in her the more I touch her.
“Fuck.” The word slips from my lips the moment I see her lying underneath me, completely bare and glistening all over. “Let me taste you,” I demand.
Pushing up onto my knees, I move between her legs, as she quickly lets them drop open and lying flat on the bed like an invitation for me.
My heart is racing.
Slipping my hands under her thighs, I lift them over my shoulders as I bury my face between her legs, breathing in her scent like I’m branding my brain with it. I swipe my tongue up her pussy, and my tastebuds explode as she marks me with arousal. It short circuits my thoughts, and I feast on her, my tongue flicking her clit and pushing down on it.
Harper’s body vibrates under me, and she grabs fiercely onto my head, those perfectly painted nails digging into my scalp which drives me crazier than I was already feeling.
“Holy shit… Forrest!” Harper screams my name for the first time, and I want to hear it again. Louder!
Not holding back with my tongue, I move my hand and push a finger inside her. She feels so tight, pulsing around it, and I know she needs to be stretched more to take me. Without waiting, my second finger is in, and she’s panting so loud that it’s like music to my ears.
“Please, oh fuck, please, don’t stop,” she cries out as I find that spot that makes her let go, and the way she screams my name into the night is like I have found heaven.
Her tight little pussy orgasms all over my tongue, and I can’t stop tasting her until her whole body sags into the bed. But that was just the beginning. I’m not stopping now.
Lowering her legs off my shoulders, her hands release her claws from my scalp, and I slide back from her, but I’m not going far. Reaching for my bedside cabinet and grabbing a condom, I sheathe myself, and then I’m back on her body. Lying between her legs, I kiss her with my wet mouth that I haven’t wiped clean. I want her to know that I have no boundaries when it comes to her.
My cock rubs up and down in her wetness while I drop my head and take one of those tight little nipples between my teeth while I fondle the other tit that fits perfectly in my hand. It’s soft and rolls around in my hand like it’s made to be mine.
As I pull my mouth away, with her nipple still between my teeth, I watch the pain and pleasure course through her body, and that look I’ve been praying for all night rushes through her eyes, and the words follow.
“Forrest, fuck me, hard. So hard… now… please.” As she cries out in ecstasy, the nipple pops from my mouth, and I slam into her with my cock that has been almost dying in pain waiting for this.
“Yes!” she screams at me.
Pulling back, I push straight back in, rubbing against her clit as I’m buried so deep inside her.
“This what you want. To be mine, riding my cock like it’s yours to tame.” I take her other tit into my mouth and lave her nipple over and over. I pound in and out of her in a rhythm that we are both so in tune with.
Her not answering me and just moaning over and over is not good enough. I want to hear her say it.
“You’re mine, I’m fucking you so you understand this. You. Are. Fucking. Mine.” My words ring in her ears from every thrust of my cock hitting so deep that she can’t tell me she isn’t feeling what I am.
“Tonight…” is all she can get out.
“Is the beginning,” I scream at her as I feel her pussy starting to vibrate and clamping down on my cock. I’m ready and barely hanging on by a thread, but I will not come before she does.
“No… end… oh, fuck… yes… coming.” And we both let every bit of sexual tension that has been humming just below the surface for months break free. I kiss her like it’s the last time I will ever be kissed. I’m not ready for this to end.
Sex with Harper is like eating the poisoned apple. As the poison rushes through my body, I know there is no reversing this spell. I have tasted the promised land, and there is no way I’m settling for any less. I’m a man who likes perfection, and I have found her.
Somehow, I just need her to eat from the same apple.
Every bit of strength, frustration, and determination I had has slipped from my muscles as I fill the condom. Flopping onto the bed beside her, I reach out to pull her into my arms, but she pushes me away.
What the fuck.
“I don’t do the cutesy cuddle thing. I fuck and I leave.” Harper goes to push herself up off the bed, still flushed and catching her breath, and stops for a moment, sitting on the side of the bed.
“Not with me you don’t. I won’t touch you, but don’t you dare leave this bed yet. You promised me tonight, and I still have plenty of time left. So, lie the fuck down, breathe, and get ready, because next time you are riding me like a fucking cowgirl so I can watch those gorgeous tits bouncing in front of my face.”
Her body stills, and it’s like she is fighting with herself internally.
Pick me, baby, please, pick me.
Now it’s me that is almost begging her from inside my head, and it shocks me, but I don’t care.
I’ll do whatever it takes to make her truly see me.
HARPER
Ignore his words, he is just trying to trick you into falling for him.
That cock is like a fishing rod, and he’s using it to try to reel me in.
But riding him, come on… no woman could seriously resist that invitation.
And to be honest, I’m not sure I could even stand on my legs right now. They feel like jelly after I just orgasmed harder than I can ever remember doing before.
What does it matter, you have already let him get you naked and fuck you senseless. My rule is one and done, but I could change it to one night and done. Technically then I’m not breaking my rule… surely.
Turning my head to take one more look at him and my decision is made.
This man is a stallion in a human body.
Toned abs that are rock hard, thighs that are so big and covered in that masculine amount of hair that is like a signal to the female brain of how much testosterone he is packing. And a cock that I now know is just what my body desires. Long, not too thick, hard as hell, and experienced at wringing sensations out of me that had me seeing stars, literally, and that made me almost pass out.
But his exquisite body is not what is pulling me to stay. It’s his face.
I don’t know if I have truly looked at him before now.
Lust has clouded my vision of the man that is hiding behind the scowl.
His strong clean-shaven jawline looks so different when his teeth are clenched and he is arguing with me. The muscles on his face are softer now, and his lips look like the plumpest red plum that I just want to sink my teeth into. But it’s his eyes that have me trapped, and I can’t look away. There is a gentleness to him that I don’t know if I have seen before. Even with his dirty talk, which I must say I’m definitely here for, he still looks at me like he wants to wrap me in his arms and just take a moment to enjoy that feeling.
I wish I could give that to him, but I just can’t, and explaining why is too hard.
He has broken his own rules to give me a night away from my life, knowing I can’t give him what he wants in return, so the least I can do is give him the whole night like he asks.
I flop back down onto the bed, but I can’t let him know the truth of how I feel, so I revert to my method of coping in life—banter.
“What if I prefer reverse cowgirl?” I suggest, smiling to myself as he sits up and looks down on me.
“You can be any type of cowgirl you like because we will try them all. And I promise you one thing. The moment you slide down on my cock from above me, I will give you more than an eight-second bull ride like the professionals do. So, hold on tight, baby, tonight’s about to be the best ride of your life.”
And he wasn’t kidding.
Three hours later, I pleaded with him to take me back to my bed so I could sleep. And as sad as he looked, I let him carry me back there and tuck me in, because I was so tired, I doubt I could have walked the few steps between our rooms.
Forrest then leaned down and kissed me ever so softly on my lips that I almost asked him to stay with me, but as quick as the thought rushed through my head it was gone, and I was glad.
The night is over, and just like he said, it’s one I will never forget.
So exhausted and drained, I close my eyes, hoping that if the copious amounts of sex I’ve had tonight have done the job, I will sleep straight through the night.
Not a dream to be had.
FORREST
After cleaning her up with a warm cloth, she looked at me with pleading eyes as she asked me to take her back to her room.
Her eyes were begging me not to argue, as she didn’t have the strength to fight me on it.
Carrying her back to her bed and making sure she is comfortable, warm, and feeling safe, it pulls at my heart to have to walk away.
As I touch my lips so gently to hers, I hope like hell this isn’t the last time I get to kiss her. I’m not ready to say goodbye when I only just got to say hello.
By the time I reach the door, I can hear her breathing getting heavier and then one long sigh as she falls into the sleep that she was longing for.
I stand here just looking at a woman who has taken me by total surprise. Not my type at all, yet we are so in sync that it’s hard to comprehend.
I want to close my eyes too and relive this night in my sleep, but it’s not happening. My body is exhausted, but I can’t shut my brain off.
I toss and turn, pulling the blankets over me then overheating. It’s like my body is at war with my thoughts. The turmoil I’m feeling seems to be evident in my inability to sleep.
Going back to what I used to do when I was worried about Flynn doing something dumb in Australia, or my parents who were not feeling well or struggling with something, I reach for my e-reader and pull up my current book. It’s a crime novel, and I have to concentrate so hard to try to keep up and follow the intricate plot. It helps me switch off because I can’t possibly think about anything else at the same time, otherwise I’ll get lost.
I lose track of how long I’ve been reading for, but a noise makes me drop my Kindle. It’s coming from Harper’s room again.
“Shit, she’s having another nightmare.” I’m up and at her door, listening for a few seconds.
“I just want you to come back to cuddle me. Just once.” Then she stops moving. “Daddy, why won’t you come back? I love you…” Then I hear the bed creak like she is sitting down on it. “Why don’t you love me too?” Then she lets out a loud sob like last night.
She doesn’t know how much the sound of her crying and in such distress rips at my heart.
Ever so quietly, I open the door and once again walk to her bed and lay her down, and she grabs my hand, pulling it to her. So, I climb into bed with her, wrapping her up in a tight embrace. Her crying subsides gradually, and she settles back to sleep. If this is what she needs, I will be here every night for her until she lets me do it while she is awake. If her soul knows she wants this, then I just have to wait for brain to catch up.
I just have to pray it’s not as stubborn as I think it is, otherwise, I’ll be waiting a while.
I feel her breath on my chest, and the sound of her very faint snore is like a lullaby to me, but it’s time to disappear into the night again.
Leaving her sleeping peacefully, I feel like I have given her what she needs for tonight in more ways than one.
But let’s see what tomorrow brings.
HARPER
Waking from last night’s sexcapade, I stretch out my body very, very slowly.
It’s a mystery why that man is still single. Seriously. If I didn’t have my own commitment issues, I’d be locking him down and never letting another woman get her hands on him. But I can’t do that to him. Who wants to be with a woman who can’t even be hugged or let anyone get too close?
Love like that is never going to be in my life.
Rolling onto my side, I try to put Forrest out of my thoughts, which is pretty difficult with every part of my body still feeling him, but it’s the scent of him that alerts my senses again.
A mixture of his sweat that is full of pheromones that have me tingling, and the smell of sex. It’s like he has imprinted it on my skin.
It’s not like me to come home from a night of having sex and not shower and wash that off me. But last night was different. We spent hours learning every part of each other’s bodies, in what was the ultimate fantasy for me. Deep down, I imagine coming home to this every night and what that would feel like. But I know I can only dream it, because it will never be reality. So, when Forrest tucked me in and my eyes closed, leaving me to sleep in my bed, it’s like every bit of him that was left on my body has now rubbed off onto my sheets.
I wish I could keep these sheets on for a while and relive last night, every night when I climb in here after a long day, but that would just be torture.
The alarm on my phone starts ringing out at me, and I want to ignore it, but I have responsibilities. Plus, I don’t want to make Forrest late for work, and I know he waits around to escort me down to my car, which is kind of sweet.
Not sure on how we are going to act around each other this morning, but better to rip the band-aid off and just face him straight up. Remind him of our deal and then move on as friends.
Yep, friends, I can do that. Well, I need to be able to do that. My best friend is about to marry his brother, so if I have screwed this up, that’s on me, and I’ll need to work out how to fix it.
Both Felisha and Flynn told us to stay away from each other for that reason. But what they don’t know won’t hurt them.
“Right, get on with it, Harper.” Sitting up and swinging my legs over the side, I look down at myself and giggle. “Guess I didn’t ask him to dress me last night before I passed out. He’d better not think he’s keeping those silk pajamas as some kind of trophy. They are my favorite, for more than one reason now.” As soon as I start walking to the bathroom, his words from last night come back to me when he told me, “You will be feeling every place I touched you for days, while I’ll be remembering what you look like under those uptight suits and be in equally as much pain. ”
Shit, he was right.
My leg muscles are sore, but I won’t be admitting that to him to stroke his ego. So, I better work out really quick how to walk normally before I leave this bedroom. Surely a hot shower should do the trick. I hope.
Showered, hair and makeup done, bed linen stripped off to be washed, and I’ll find out where he keeps the spare ones later.
Taking a deep breath like I always do before I walk into an unknown situation, I put my super-confident face on and walk with purpose to the kitchen where I see a piece of paper folded with my name written on the front, next to a travel coffee mug that feels warm, a wrapped breakfast burrito, and some Tylenol.
Harper,
Please don’t take this to mean that I’m running from any awkwardness after last night, because there shouldn’t be any. We both know where we stand.
I had to leave early for an emergency meeting on a work issue.
There is a security guy from your team outside the front door. Don’t give him any shit, he’s just doing his job. You agreed, if I’m not here then someone else will be.
Eat the burrito, drink the coffee, and take the pills (you’re welcome!).
See you tonight.
Forrest
“Thank God he understands how this is. But why does he have to be so nice? Forrest Taylor, you are killing me.”
Taking my first sip of coffee, it’s like liquid gold sliding down my throat.
Smiling to myself, I grab my phone. I take a picture of the coffee cup in my hand and the burrito moved out of the picture frame, just the two Tylenol left on the plate. I attach the caption to the picture: “ Thank you, but don’t flatter yourself. No pain relief needed.”
Hitting the send button on the text message to him, I start to giggle as I pick up the pills and wash them down with my coffee. I one hundred percent need them, but he doesn’t need to know that.
* * *
The real world has a habit of getting in the way of the little bubble we thought we could live inside in Forrest’s apartment. Whereas he had an early meeting this morning, I was stuck in a late-night one with Felisha when an overseas negotiation for a new hotel was going pear-shaped, and we were not about to let that happen.
So, by the time I get home, Forrest is in a Zoom meeting, and I don’t want to interrupt, so I just give him a wave and head to my room to crash. Walking down the hallway, I suddenly remember that I have to find some fresh sheets but decide to dump my bag and take off my shoes first, then I will start opening cupboards until I find some.
The moment I enter my room, I see the bed is freshly made and my pajamas are folded neatly on my pillow, and when I lift them to my nose, they smell freshly laundered.
Why can’t I find a way past my insecurities to be with a man, because he could be so easy to fall for.
After getting no sleep last night and today being a very long day, I can’t keep my eyes open and figure I’ll just catch up with Forrest in the morning. I think between his note this morning and the laughing emoji I got in reply to the text message I sent him that we are okay, and I don’t need to be too worried about having a big deep and meaningful talk tonight. He’s busy, and I need sleep.
* * *
Waking the next morning to my alarm, I feel rested and calm which seems to be becoming a new normal for me. Must be the bed, because I feel like I sleep better here than even in my super-expensive bed in my apartment. I might have to buy it off Forrest when I eventually move back home.
Rolling over toward the empty side of the bed like I do every morning so I can stretch out properly, it happens again. My bed smells like Forrest, which I can’t understand. The sheets on my bed are fresh ones.
Surely his sex smell isn’t that strong that it seeped into the pillow after I slept in here without a shower. Giggling to myself, I get up and figure that I’m just imagining it. It’s my brain trying to tell me it wants another night of sex with him, but that’s a really bad idea. I smack my forehead to remind my stupid brain why we do it this way.
Plus, we managed to have one night of sex and can still stand to be around each other without the world exploding, so let’s not risk a second night and ruin it all. Well, at least I think that is the case. We will find out shortly after I shower and head out for breakfast.
Please don’t let me be wrong about this.
But the moment our eyes meet in the kitchen, I discover I’m in trouble, and judging by the smile creeping up his face, he knows it.
Tingles release, and my heart thumps harder.
Damn, it’s the wrong kind of explosion between us that I was worrying about.
Oh boy, how the hell do I get out of this?