Chapter Fourteen – Declan
Declan
The bell above the door rang as I stepped into Crazy Daisies. There were about four people in the store, and it didn’t take me long to find Harper. She was behind the counter wrapping a bouquet of flowers in pink tissue.
“How exciting!” I heard her say, as I moved farther into the shop.
A woman was looking at some flowers in a vase, and she turned toward me as I neared. “Do you work here?”
“Um, no, but I can try to help.”
“A good friend just received a promotion, and I hoped to send her flowers. Is there a certain flower that means congratulations? Like a red rose means I love you, a white is for purity…that kind of thing.”
I glanced around the area. “You can’t go wrong with sunflowers, tulips, carnations, or even daisies.”
“Are these daisies?” she asked, as she pointed to some Gerbera daisies.
“They are, yes. And they’re one of my favorites. Gerbera daisies are what they’re called.”
“Wonderful! I’ll take these. But can I get them in a vase? Oh, do you deliver?”
“We do deliver, and yes, you can pick out any vase you’d like,” Harper said, approaching with a wide smile. “Deliveries will go out early this afternoon, unless you need another day.”
The young woman smiled back. “This afternoon is perfect.”
“Great, the vases are all over here,” Harper said, as she motioned for the woman to follow.
Standing behind the counter was someone I’d never met before. She looked to be in her early twenties, with blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail, and very blue eyes that I could see all the way from across the room. I made my way over to introduce myself.
“Hi, I’m Declan.”
The young girl’s face lit up. “It’s so nice to meet you, Declan. Harper’s been talking about you a lot today.”
“She has?” I asked with a smile.
The girl giggled, looked over to Harper, then back to me. “I’m Lucy Miller, I work part time for Harper, along with my brother, Nik, who does the deliveries. I’ve been working here the past two summers when I’m home from college.”
“That’s nice. You’re from Moose Village, then?”
Lucy nodded. “Our family moved here about six years ago. My mother inherited the ice cream shop on Main Street from her aunt. Now, she and my father run it.”
“The Sweet Spot?”
Her smile grew. “Yep. It’s been there forever. My mom remodeled it, so it looks more like the way it did when it first opened in the 1940s.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m glad to know it’s in good hands. I have a lot of happy memories at that place.”
“I hope you have more to come.” She gave me a sly grin. “Did you know that Harper has a weakness for ice cream?”
Glancing over to Harper, I couldn’t help but smile. “Does she now?”
“Yep, and I even know her favorite flavor.”
I focused my attention back on Lucy. “I don’t suppose I could pry it out of you?”
She giggled. “I’ll offer it up freely. She likes the triple-chocolate moose.”
I winked at the girl. “I owe you one.”
Waving me off, she replied, “I’m just glad to see Harper so happy. I think this is the happiest I’ve ever seen her since I started working here. I’m going to guess you have something to do with that.”
“I sure hope so,” I replied, stepping aside so Lucy could help a customer. Deciding to get out of everyone’s way, I headed to the back and looked around. The tables were cleared off, unlike before, when they were covered with vases and flowers. The table closest to the front of the shop did have buckets sitting on it, each stuffed with various flowers. Next to those sat a bundle of the tissue paper used to wrap up bouquets.
Staring at the flowers, I picked one up and brought it to my nose, inhaling deeply.
“Peruvian lily.”
Harper’s voice caused me to turn and smile.
She pointed to the flower in my hand. “That’s what they’re called. Or Alstroemeria. They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”
I nodded. “Yeah, it really is. Smells good, too.”
Laughing, she walked up, pulled out a carnation, and smelled it. “These were my grandmother’s favorite. She loved carnations.”
“Busy day so far?” I asked, running the lily in my hand down the side of Harper’s neck.
She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. “It has been busy.”
Leaning in closer, I whispered against her ear, “Tell me Lucy is only working half a day.”
“Lucy’s working a full day, but she leaves for lunch when I close the shop. Her brother Nik will be here later this afternoon to take out any deliveries we have.”
“So…we’ll have some alone time?”
Biting down on her lower lip, Harper nodded.
“When do you close for lunch?”
“In about fifteen minutes.”
I nodded and kissed her gently on the cheek before stepping away and glancing at the flowers. “What’s going on here?”
Harper seemed dazed momentarily, then shook her head and looked at the table. “Just making some bouquets for the front end.”
“Can I have a hand at it?”
Harper’s eyes lit up. “You sure can! You’ve already proven good at this, so let’s see what you come up with using these flowers.”
“Is that a challenge, Ms. Browning?”
She wrapped her arms around my neck, lifted onto her toes, and kissed me. “Yes, it is, Mr. Gallagher.”
“Challenge accepted.”
“Harper?” Lucy called out. “I need your help up front.”
Pouting, Harper let go and took a few steps away from me. “You okay back here by yourself?”
I nodded. “Yep. Don’t worry about me or the flowers.”
She looked at the flowers then back to me. I could see the curiosity on her face for a moment, then she smiled, turned on her heels, and left me to it.
“Oh my goodness!”
I glanced up to see Harper standing there, a stunned expression on her face. My heart stopped momentarily as I looked back at the arrangements of flowers on the table. I’d put some in vases, and others in tissue paper and bags. They looked good to me…but I wasn’t the one who did this for a living.
“Is that a good ‘oh my goodness,’ or an I’m-going-to-have-to-redo-all-of-these ‘oh my goodness’?”
She slowly shook her head. “Declan, you’ve done an amazing job. Look at these arrangements! Are you positive you’ve never done this before?”
I shrugged. “I guess I just have an eye for colors. My grandmother used to say that when she saw my coloring books.”
Harper laughed as she made her way over to me. “Well, you have an eye for flower arrangements, too, that’s for sure.”
“Closed for lunch?” I asked, pushing the last of the lilies into the vase I was working on. If my Marine Corps buddies could see me now, I’d never live this down.
“Yes, I just locked up after Lucy left. She’ll be back in an hour.”
Smiling, I took her hand in mine and pulled her to me. “There’s a lot I can do to you in an hour, but we should leave some time for actually eating lunch.”
Her breathing picked up as my mouth found the sensitive spot behind her ear.
“What to do with you…what to do…?”
“Declan,” she whimpered, as her body leaned into mine.
My hands moved to her hips, then to the button of her jeans. She’d looked adorable earlier when she came out of her bedroom dressed in white jeans and a blue shirt that made her gray eyes look pale blue.
“Kick off your shoes, Harp.”
She held onto my shoulders and did as I asked. Her eyes never left mine as I pulled her pants down, then off each leg. Lifting her shirt over her head next, I let my gaze slowly move down her body. She stood there in nothing but white lace panties and a matching bra. My heart hammered in my chest as I drank in the sight of her.
“Fuck, you’re so beautiful.”
She moved nervously from foot to foot until I cupped her face and kissed her softly. Turning her until she was up against the table, I slowly drew away. Her chest rose and fell as she watched me take a few steps back from her. I pulled my shirt off and dropped it to the floor to join her clothes.
Harper chewed on her bottom lip while she watched me take off my pants.
“No boxers, huh?” she purred, when I stood before her naked.
“Decided to skip them this morning. Easier this way.”
She smiled.
“Sit on the table, Harper.”
Her eyes turned dark with desire as she slid up onto the table. I walked over, spread her legs open, and moved closer. Leaning down, I took one of her nipples into my mouth and sucked.
Harper dropped her hands behind her on the table and arched her body toward me. “Oh God, Declan!”
Using my fingers to work her other nipple, I felt her legs wrap around my body as she moaned in pleasure. I loved that her body was so sensitive to my touch. Moving my mouth up her chest to her neck, I captured her lips with mine.
The kiss was full of passion. I’d never been as hard as I was right now. It took everything I had not to plunge into her and fuck her senseless. There would be time for that later. Right now, I wanted to take my time with her. Ring out as many orgasms as I possibly could.
Slipping my hand down between her legs, I circled her clit, causing her to jerk her hips. “Does that feel good?”
“Yes!” she gasped. “More. Declan, I need more.”
Slipping my fingers inside her, I felt her clamp down and pull me in. With a chuckle, I whispered, “Greedy girl always wants more.”
“Yes,” she half moaned, half pleaded.
I dropped down to my knees, pulled her to the edge of the table, and covered her pussy with my mouth.
“Oh God!” Harper cried out, her hands tugging and pulling as she brought me closer. “Yes! Yes! Declan, oh God, that feels so good!”
I smiled, even as I kept working her clit with my tongue. The urge to reach down and pump my cock was strong, but I wanted to focus on Harper. I’d be taken care of soon enough. This was her time.
“Fuck,” she whimpered, as she ground her pussy against my face. “I’m so close. Declan!”
Slipping another finger inside her, I licked and sucked her clit until she came undone.
“Yes! Yes! I’m going to come!” Harper cried out, digging her fingers into my hair as she screamed my name. I could feel pulsing against my fingers, and I moaned, which caused her hips to jerk as she cried out my name even louder.
She started to push me away while she scrambled back on the table. “I can’t take it…”
I stood, pulled her off the table, and spun her around. “Hold onto the table, Harper. I’m gonna fuck you now.”
She whimpered as I rubbed my cock through the wetness of her pussy. Placing my hand on her lower back, I lined up and pushed inside, causing her to let out a small cry.
“Shit, are you okay?” I asked.
Harper pushed her ass back against me. “It feels good. Declan, move! Please!”
Grabbing her hips, I slowly pulled out, then pushed back in.
“Yes!” Harper cried. “That feels so deep. God, it feels so good!”
“You like it this way, huh?” I asked, as I repeated the move, thrusting harder and faster each time.
Harper dropped her head and moaned as she tilted her ass up. I wouldn’t last long like this, but I needed her to come again.
“Touch your clit, Harper.”
She mumbled something I couldn’t understand but didn’t move her hand to her clit. When I gave her a small smack to the ass, she cried out.
“Touch yourself, Harp.”
Doing as I asked, she started to rub her clit while I picked up my pace.
“That’s a good girl,” I praised, as I fucked her fast and hard.
“Declan!”
“Fuck, Harper…I need you to come, baby. I can’t last much longer.”
She moved her hand faster, and I could feel my balls pulling up. I was going to come, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
“Harper!” I cried out as I felt her start to squeeze my dick.
“Yes! Yes! I’m coming!” she yelled, as she threw her head back. I grabbed her ponytail and thrust faster…
Then my orgasm hit me so hard, I swore I blacked out for a few seconds.
“I’m coming, Harp!”
Dropping over Harper’s back, I struggled to catch my breath. I was careful not to put too much of my weight on her since she’d collapsed onto the table. She was also struggling to breathe as we just lay there. The smell of sex and flowers mingled in the air, and I closed my eyes to take it all in.
“Holy. Crap,” Harper gasped between breaths. “That was…incredible.”
Kissing her back softly, I smiled. “It was pretty damn amazing.” I gently pulled out and helped Harper to stand. “Was I too rough? I kind of lost my mind there for a few minutes.”
She shook her head. “It was so good, Declan. It felt like you were…” Her words trailed off.
Taking her hands in mine, I asked, “It felt like what?”
A blush moved up from her neck, into those beautiful cheeks.
“Talk to me, Harper.”
“Well…it felt like you were…claiming me. And it reminded me of a dream I had about you.”
“You’ve dreamt of me, huh?”
She smiled and looked at the floor while attempting to cover herself with her arm and hand.
I reached up and pulled both arms down to her sides. “Don’t hide your body from me, Harp. I love it so much.”
Chewing on her bottom lip, she met my gaze. “I still have a hard time remembering I’m not that overweight young girl who no one ever looked at twice.”
I brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “I never saw you like that. You’re more than the size of your clothes.”
Grinning, she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around my neck. When I picked her up, she wrapped her legs around my waist.
“I had a dream that you and I made love, and afterward, you wrote ‘mine’ on my upper thigh.”
I lifted my brows. “Do you want to be mine, Harp?”
Her eyes flickered around my face before connecting our gazes once more. “I am yours, Declan.”
I lifted a hand and traced my finger along her jawline. “And I’m yours, Harper.”
She kissed me before putting her feet back on the floor, taking my hand in hers, and walking us toward an oversized chair off to one side of the back room, where a small sitting area was set up. There was a love seat, the chair, and a small table.
“Sit down, Declan.”
Doing as she asked, I sat. Harper straddled me and began rubbing herself against my dick. I wasn’t the least bit surprised when I felt myself getting hard once more.
“That’s it, baby, use me to make yourself feel good.”
Harper’s hands gripped the chair on either side of my head as she rubbed harder. It was crazy to think that I could come this way, without even being inside of her, but if she kept it up, I knew I would.
“I need you, Declan,” she whispered, reaching for my cock to line me up. She slowly sank down, and we both moaned when she started to rock.
“God, Harp. It feels so good with you on top. Take what you need.”
Dropping her head back, she rocked her hips and touched her breasts, and it took everything I had not to come. I loved watching her move.
Her eyes opened when she brought her head back down. Our gazes met, and she placed her hands on my chest and rode me faster.
“Fuuuck,” I cried out, closing my eyes and trying not to spill inside her before she came.
“Touch me, Declan. Touch my clit.”
My eyes snapped open, and I did as she asked.
“Yes! Oh yes, that feels so good. I’m going to come!”
“So am I, baby—so am I.”
We came at the same time, and it was one of the best orgasms I’d ever had in my life. I had a feeling every time with Harper would be better than the last.
She fell forward and rested her head against my chest. “Now I’m exhausted and just want to crawl into bed.”
I laughed softly while running my hands over her back. “Should we go upstairs and clean up?”
“Mmm, I’m so comfortable with you still inside me.”
Kissing the top of her head, I said, “You’re possessing me body and soul, Harper Browning.”
She drew back and looked at me, whispering my name. “Declan.”
When I lifted my hand and touched the side of her face, Harper leaned into it and slowly let out a breath.
Her eyes closed briefly as she said, “This feels like home.”
Looking at her beautiful face, I felt a bubble of emotion build in my throat. I tried to speak, but my voice cracked.
Harper opened her eyes and smiled down at me.
Even in the military, I’d had the feeling of searching for something my whole life. Only to realize now that that something was Harper Browning. And I had no intention of ever letting her go.
Leaning forward, I kissed her and whispered, “That’s because it is home.”