Chapter 4
Harper spent all night thinking about Anders and how he made her feel. Being around him made her smile. Butterflies would take flight in her stomach. Words would sometimes fail to form when he turned that gorgeous blue gaze toward her. There were many nights when she fell asleep to the vision of his face. In her dreams, he would hover over her, his body sliding against hers as his thick cock stretched her wide.
Sometimes, she wondered if she was allowing her imagination to run a bit too wild.
Yes, he flirted and smiled, making her feel as if she was the only person in the room, but she’d seen him flirting and interacting with others. Was she treated any differently? Looking back, she believed she was. When she walked into his bar, he spent more time with her than anyone else. If anyone tried to interrupt their conversation, his gaze would turn dark and steely, as if daring them to say another word.
A smile came over her face as she climbed out of bed to get ready for the day. It was time to put Operation Cupcake into effect. Since he loved those decadent caramel apple delights so much, she wanted to make it so that he craved her more than he did those treats.
Harper showered and dressed, making sure to moisturize her skin. Since it was the weekend and she needed to do some shopping, she put on a peach sundress and brown sandals, pairing her outfit with some colorful blue and bronze jewelry. As she looked in the mirror before leaving, she knew she looked cute as hell.
A text came in on her phone, and before she looked down, she knew who it was. Anders always checked on her each morning. Even if to only say good morning. He was sweet to her like that. Before she climbed into her car, she leaned against the door and responded to him.
A: Hey beautiful. How’s your morning?
H: Hey yourself. I’m going shopping. Need a few things for the house. Plus, it’s Cassie’s birthday soon. Gonna pick up her gift. You can even tell her it’s from both of us.
A: You’re too good to me. What would I do without you?
H: Good thing you’ll never have to find out.
Harper knew what her words meant, but she thought it would go over Anders’s head. Of course, he didn’t know what she was up to, but he would soon find out.
A: Will I see you later?
H: Do you want to?
A: Always. Let me know when you return home.
Harper hugged the phone close to her chest. Warm feelings coursed through as she thought of his words. If she had her way, Anders would be hers sooner than he knew. Finally climbing into her SUV, she drove to the closest mall, Apple Blossom, in Winchester. It has the perfect mix of stores, and while she shopped for Cassie’s gift and some knick-knacks for her house, she would get herself a little something as well.
Although it wasn’t her job to shop for the employees of Callahan’s, she wanted to do something nice for the people who had done so much for her over the past couple of months. They had been her lifeline as she dealt with the continued fallout with her family. The phone calls from her mother, the snide comments from her father, and the complete silence from her brother made the situation even worse.
The thoughts swirled through her mind as she walked past the stores. With a few bags in her hands, she was now on her way to a store she rarely visited. A store where she could buy some items that were more in tune with the real her. The woman she rarely showed to anyone else.
Her dress style was professional during the week and while at the office. Suits. Dark colors. Sleek jewelry. It was the persona she crafted for herself over the years to thumb her nose at her father. He always complained that she would never get far in her own firm. That she needed him and his connections to truly be respected. At first, his words hurt. She did everything in her power to make her father proud. Taking on the hard clients. Winning case after case. Even taking on high-profile clients who would give her more visibility in local media.
Then she realized that none of that mattered. She could take on cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court and her father would still question and minimize everything she was doing. It would never be her accomplishments that would make him finally believe she was worthy. He wanted her under his thumb. In his firm. Where he could control which cases she worked on, removing the potential for the ‘riffraff’ to be in her orbit. Even though she was happy with her career and made excellent money, her father did not care. And never would.
The day she had that epiphany, she almost wanted to pack up her stuff and leave. Why stay in a place where her own family thought she was a failure? She wasn’t. No one else would look at her and have those thoughts. From the outside looking in, people would view her as someone who had it all. But, after another grueling call with her mother and hearing her complain about Harper’s lack of marriage prospects, children, and again telling Harper that her father only wanted what was best for her, which was working at his firm, she had reached her limit.
Then she got a text from Anders.
It had nothing to do with the anger or frustration she was feeling, but his simple words — “Hey, beautiful. Coming this way tonight?”
That’s it. Those six words stopped her in her tracks. If she left, the one person she would miss the most would be Anders. It took her only a few seconds to respond. “You know it. Have a drink ready for me. I’ll see you around 7.”
He meant more to her than she could have expected or anticipated. She was not willing to lose any of that. Or him.
Finding the store she’d been looking for, she stood straighter and walked inside. A small smile lifted her lips as she thought about surprising Anders. He wouldn’t know what hit him, which is exactly what she wanted.
Thirty minutes later, she had everything she could have hoped for and a bit more. She glanced down at her watch as she made her way to the other side of the mall. She would put her bags in the car and call Anders to see if he wanted to go to lunch before he went in tonight.
“Hey beautiful.” The words and the voice shocked her so much, she almost jumped out of her skin.
Her hands immediately started fumbling with the bags, shifting them so that the name of the store she’d just left wasn’t visible. “Anders? Um. Where did you come from? What are you doing here?” Yes, she sounded panicked. Because she was. It was too soon for her secret to be out.
He stood in front of her in all his glory. The smirk on his lips said he knew she was up to something, but the less she gave away, the better.
“I didn’t know it was a secret. You told me where you were going to be. So, I figured I would come to see you.” He looked down at the bags in her hands. “Want some help with those?”
“No,” she practically yelled. At the odd look he gave her, she smiled to cover up her over-the-top response. “I got it. I have a good system for how I’m holding them. Plus, I’m done here. I’m sorry to tell you, but this was a wasted trip.”
“No, it wasn’t. Maybe I wanted you to go shopping with me.”
Harper laughed. “You don’t shop. I honestly don’t know how you get your clothes. But I know you never come to the mall.” She turned away with a smile. Anders walked beside her as they headed towards the mall exit. Even if he wanted to grab some things, she would not carry around these bags while they did it. And she sure as hell would not hand them over to him. All she needed was for him to look inside and see what she’d purchased.
“Well, I do need to pick up some things. Are you going to help me?” He glanced over at her.
“Yes, I can help. But not here. You’re not a mall type person. If you’re asking for my help, then I’m going to make sure you get it.” They drove back to her place so she could leave her bags inside her condo and park her car. She then directed Anders to drive to a place she knew of that catered to men who dressed in a specific style.
Jeans, yes. But high quality. T-shirts, absolutely. But the fit almost looked tailored to the person’s body. Button-up shirts, plenty. Dress pants that fit his long, muscled legs perfectly, without a doubt. Maybe she would even convince him to get a nice black suit. Every time she saw him, he wore jeans and a T-shirt. Not that he didn’t look sexy as sin, because he did.
If she were honest, she wanted to see him without the clothing. Naked. Sweaty. Underneath her. On top of her. Even thinking about it was getting her hot and bothered.
“Hey, Harper. Sweetheart, you good?”
She shook her head to clear out the vision of the two of them entwined together, writhing in need, fucking each other’s brains out. “Yeah, I’m good. Just thinking about how I want to see you dressed.” Or undressed, she thought to herself.
Anders glanced over at her and smirked. Of course, he knew she was hiding something from him, but just didn’t know what. Earlier today, when he caught up to her at the mall, she tried to hide the bag with the store name emblazoned on it. Little did Harper know, he already knew that store well. Over the years, he had bought many items for his lady friends from that store. And they had fun showing off their own purchases, right before he removed the material from their bodies and fucked them into oblivion.
No one ever said he was an angel.
His sweet tooth was for more than cupcakes. He loved the taste of a woman’s skin. The sound of her moans and whimpers as he stroked inside her. How their nails clawed his skin as he brought them pleasure.
Then he stopped himself. Was Harper buying those outfits for another man? Was she planning to wear them for someone else? Someone who wasn’t him? His hands gripped the wheel tighter. Over his dead fucking body.
But he also wondered why else would she hide the bag from him? The only conclusion was that she was trying to keep it a secret. But they didn’t keep secrets between the two of them, so that made him want to know even more.
“So, what did you buy today?” He needed to know if she would tell him.
“Just some stuff for Cassie. Um… some other small things. Nothing big. Just, um… some stuff for me. Oh, this is the place. Turn here. Park anywhere.”
Anders was curious. “Have you been here before?”
She nodded. “My mother comes here for my brother and father. It’s one of her favorite local places to shop for them. If my mother likes it, then I know it has to be quality stuff. Figured it would be a good place for you as well.”
“So, you’re taking me to places you shop at for your family? Should I feel special?” He was only half-joking. He pulled the car into the parking spot and turned off the engine. Glancing over at Harper, he waited for her to respond.
A warm feeling coursed through his veins. This woman made him happy by doing the simplest things. Even sitting here on a Saturday afternoon about to do the one thing he hated most—shopping for clothes—he was just happy to be with her. He fought the side of him that wanted to scrap the gentlemanly behavior and fuck her raw for days straight. No matter how much Anders wanted to stake his claim, he wasn’t sure Harper was ready for him.
“You should,” she said. Her tongue came out to lick her plump lips. She gave him a slight smile. “I only do this for the men I care about. And you’re someone I want to take care of.” Harper did not mean to give so much away, but the words came out of her mouth, and she couldn’t take them back.
He leaned back. “Harper, unless you want me to turn this car around and take you somewhere no one will hear you scream, I suggest you stop giving me that look. Get your sexy ass out of the car. Come on,” he sighed, “let’s get this over with so we can discuss more important things.”
Hand on the door handle, she gasped. “Hold on. Did you just call me sexy?” Because his words had definitely done something to her, and she would have no problem letting him do anything and everything he promised.
“You know you are. Don’t act brand new with me. Come on. Let’s go inside before I lose myself and give you what your eyes are begging for.”
Shook from his words, Harper could do nothing but open the door and do exactly what he told her to do. But now that the cat was out of the bag, maybe it was time to move things along. As she walked into the store, Anders brought up the rear. She couldn’t help but put a little more swing in her hips. Things were definitely about to get interesting.