36. Harper
HARPER
Ifollow Luke’s taillights down the dark county road toward Blackthorn Ranch, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles ache.
My heart won’t stop racing. Every nerve ending in my body is alive, hyperaware, buzzing with anticipation and something that feels dangerously close to panic. Not the bad kind—the kind that comes from standing at the edge of something you can’t take back.
What am I doing?
Fuck—I know what I’m doing. I’m going to let Luke bang me all the way to heaven.
The thing is I promised I’d be his, and it sounded like a forever thing.
I bite my lip. Luke Bennett, mine forever? Last week I’d have dry-heaved at the thought. Now? It feels inevitable—as long as I can keep from strangling him.
Seriously, though, I want him. I want him so badly. Fighting it like I have been seems stupid now that he’s had his hands in my pants. Now that I’ve heard the depth of his wanting me. Because it’s deep—deeper than I thought anyone would ever want me.
Luke’s truck turns off the main road onto Blackthorn’s long driveway.
I follow, my headlights cutting through the darkness.
The main house is mostly dark—just a few lights on upstairs.
Luke doesn’t pull up to the front. Instead, he drives around to the back of the house, parking near a side entrance I’ve never noticed before. Private. Secluded.
I park beside him and kill the engine, and for a second I just sit there, breathing hard, trying to steady myself.
Then Luke’s at my door, opening it, his hand extended.
I take it.
His fingers close around mine, warm and sure, and he pulls me out of my squad SUV and into his arms. His mouth finds mine again—brief, claiming, a reminder of what’s coming.
Then he pulls back and leads me toward the entrance. “This way.”
The door opens into a small hallway, dimly lit. Luke closes it behind us, and suddenly the world narrows to just the two of us—his hand in mine and the sound of our breathing.
He leads me past the entryway into what looks like a living room.
It’s not the main one in the front of the house.
It’s a bit smaller and cozier, but just as nicely appointed.
The furniture looks comfy and plush. There’s an enormous screen on one wall, and another wall of windows that probably looks out onto the ridgeline.
Past the room, there’s another through a set of double doors. The bedroom. It’s masculine in color, with heavy wooden furniture. It’s very tidy. I don’t see any clothing tossed around, no shoes lying haphazardly.
The bed is enormous.
That’s where this is going to happen.
Luke closes the door behind us and locks it. The sound of the bolt sliding into place makes my pulse spike.
He turns to face me, and the look in his eyes is pure hunger. He steps closer, his hand coming up to cup my jaw. His thumb brushes across my lower lip, and I can’t help the small sound that escapes me.
“You’re shaking,” he says softly.
“I know.” I want this—I want him—so badly.
“Nervous?”
“A little.” I meet his eyes. “It’s been a long time.”
Something flickers in his expression—understanding, maybe. Or possession. “How long?”
“Two years.” Maybe closer to three if I’m being honest. The last time was a disaster. I took a weekend trip to Missoula, where no one knew I was Sheriff Garrett’s daughter, to hook up with a guy I met through an app. It was awkward and forgettable, and I drove home feeling emptier than when I left.
Luke’s hand grips the back of my neck. “Jesus, Harper. You’ve been walking around this town for two years, untouched, and I didn’t know?”
“You know now.”
“Yeah, I do.” He leans in, his mouth hovering just above mine.
I can feel the heat radiating off him. My body is screaming for him to close the distance, to touch me, to take me.
But he doesn’t. Instead, he pulls back just enough to look into my eyes, and when he speaks, his voice is a command that goes straight through me. “Strip for me, sunshine. Slowly. I want to see every inch of what’s mine.”