Chapter Sixteen #2
Charlie tried to recover, but all she could think about was the feel of Harper’s lips against her own. Why had she stopped? “Hmm, what?” Charlie wasn’t sure her voice was going to work, but it thankfully did, even if it was low.
“Hmm, you.” She still hovered too close but never close enough.
Charlie didn’t know what that meant, so she cupped Harper’s face. She didn’t pull her the last fraction of an inch, but she did run her thumb along her jaw.
Harper licked her lips. Charlie applied the lightest pressure against the back of Harper’s neck, and thankfully, finally, Harper’s lips were upon hers again. She’d missed this since last night.
Harper’s knee slotted between her thighs, and Charlie’s head tipped back against the wall as she sucked in air at the delicious pressure and reveled in the feel of finally having Harper’s body fully against hers.
Harper didn’t let Charlie’s broken kiss last for long.
She angled her head to capture Charlie’s lips again, and everything in her turned into a marshmallow riding a mechanical bull.
It didn’t seem fair that her body reacted so strongly to Harper’s touch when it wasn’t even directly against her skin.
And it wasn’t just her touch. The feelings in her belly had started from the second she’d seen Harper. She ran her fingers through her hair and delighted at the sounds that escaped her throat.
Franky, however, seemed to think she’d been ignored for too long. She grumbled and nosed her way between them. Charlie sighed before she said, “I know it’s for the best, but why are you so nosy, Franky?”
Harper tilted her head until only their foreheads rested together. “She clearly needs more attention than we’ve been paying her.”
Franky grumbled again and pushed her head at Charlie’s hand before bathing it in kisses.
Charlie yelped as she pulled her hand away and wiped the back on Harper’s shorts.
She loved Franky but did not appreciate those kisses nearly as much as Harper’s.
“I would amend that to I am not paying enough attention to her.” Her jerking away also had the unfortunate consequence of pulling her away from Harper, and she missed the intimate connection of their foreheads.
“Fair. I have been with her all morning, and I took her to her absolute least favorite place in the universe, so she probably wants some love from her new favorite human.”
“Why are you so cruel to my poor baby? She’s just trying to live her life. Aren’t you, Franky? And she had to drag you to see the mean doctor.” Charlie dropped to her knees to give Franky the love she needed. She pressed a few kisses into Franky’s neck.
She felt rather than saw Harper squat next to them, and then, Harper’s fingers were on her neck, kneading.
“I know. I’m so cruel. Poor Franky leads a very hard life, doesn’t she?
I make sure she gets annual exams and vaccinations and her nails trimmed.
Worst mom of the year award candidate here.
” She tapped her thumb against her chest. She was smiling, but it was her fake smile, not the real one, and everything felt a little off.
Was she regretting coming along? Sometimes she was hard to read, like she was always a little on the verge of running.
What was she afraid of? Was it a mistake having her meet Charlie’s parents today?
Though it was supposed to be about Harper giving her a little support, not about meeting her parents.
Charlie grabbed Harper’s hand with the one not scratching behind Franky’s ear. “Are you okay? It feels like something shifted.”
Harper’s brows furrowed, and she pursed her lips before shaking her head. And the good smile appeared. The one that told Charlie everything was okay. Probably. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I just feel a little…I don’t know how to describe it. But I’m here. I want to be here.” She squeezed her hand.
“Are you sure you’re ready for all of this? Hell, any of this?” Charlie forced herself to fill her lungs despite the strong urge to hold her breath.
“I’m sure.”
“Really sure?” Charlie studied her face, looking for any signs that she wasn’t.
“Yes.” Her smile faltered just a little, and Charlie’s heart dropped.
“But sometimes I…have to…I don’t know how to put this.
I never thought I’d consider dating again.
Ever. I was done with relationships. And I’m sure I want this, but sometimes I get a little…
awkward? Anxious?” She looked at Charlie with nervous eyes.
“I don’t know exactly how to describe it.
But this thing”—she ticked her finger between them—“is something I want. It just isn’t at all how I thought things might go, you know? ”
Charlie knew that Harper hadn’t dated seriously since she’d lost her wife, but she didn’t know that Harper had never intended to be with someone again.
It was a little nerve-wracking, but she wasn’t going to walk away from something that could be pretty darn good.
Especially not when Harper was insisting that she wanted it too.
Charlie was just going to have to dig deep to find some more courage and patience.
“I get it. Sometimes you just scare me because I really like you. And I want this to have a chance to be something.” Charlie swallowed hard at the vulnerable truth in her own words. She felt like she was exposing herself bare, and it was terrifying.
But her words seemed to soften Harper’s face. “Good. Because I really like you too. But my knees can’t stand squatting like this anymore, and I’m going to have to stand up.”
Charlie chuckled at the quick change of subject and stood as well.
“You’re very cute.” She squeezed Harper’s hand for a brief second and kissed her lightly.
“We should probably hit the road. I don’t think traffic is going to be crazy, but I don’t want to be late, either.
” She was nervous enough about seeing her parents for the first time in years.
She didn’t want to add stress about being late to the mix.