Chapter 59
The Day of Reckoning
Nico
Eli takes Harper’s blindfold off as Luke goes over to take the pizzas out of the oven.
She blinks at the light and her chest rises and falls like she finished a marathon.
If I could walk, I’d lift her into my arms and take us both to the shower to clean up.
Spend some time holding her close, checking in with her to make sure she’s truly good.
Instead, Jack offers her his hands to help her off Caden and Eli. He walks with her over to the sink and grabs a washcloth to clean her up. She glances over at me with a worried gaze. Caden and Eli leave the room, probably to wash up.
When Jack finishes, Harper grabs a washcloth and gets it wet. She presses a kiss to Jack’s lips before coming over to me.
“How’s your knee?” She kneels beside me and cleans my cock with the washcloth. My brain stalls because she’s still naked and gorgeous and entirely focused on me. My cock hardens. I take a deep breath and focus on her eyes.
“It’s fine, sunshine.” I brush her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Are you okay?”
She smiles and raises her warm brown eyes, and it’s like being bathed in sunlight. “I’m good. I love being here with all of you.”
Her cheeks stain pink as she dips her head. I tip her chin up.
“I love you, Harper.” I’ve never said those words to another girl and hope to never have to say them to anyone besides Harper.
She leans forward and presses her lips to mine. Softly, sweetly. “I love you, Nico.”
She backs away and looks around to find my boxers.
Fuck, this girl, she’s everything to me.
She helps me put them back on, being careful of my knee.
Eli brings over her panties and she stands to let him help her into them.
He kneels at her feet and looks at her with this soft look that I’m sure is on my face when I have her attention.
When I offer her my shirt, she smiles as she slips it on over her head. Her eyes shine at me for a moment, bathing me in her love before she turns to look at the others. Luke hands her a plate. Their eyes lock, and for just a heartbeat that old jealousy arises again.
Fuck, I have to let that shit go. The guys are right. Harper’s right. The only thing jealousy will lead to is tearing this thing down, and I don’t want that. I have everyone I care about in this room, besides my family.
This is why I came back. To get the girl and have my friends. And having both ties us all together in a way that if I had Harper to myself would never have happened. I can imagine all of us growing old together. Raising our children. Being there for Harper and each other every day of our lives.
It sounds like a good dream to have.
Harper sits next to me at the table. Jack gives me a plate of pizza and the rest all find a spot to sit. Everyone has their boxers back on. It’s time to eat and talk.
“Do we trust the person helping with Harper’s father’s computer?” Jack leans back in his chair and looks around at all of us. I straighten.
“We don’t even know who they are, but if they’re connected to Harper and her parents, we should at least give them a try.” I shrug. “After all, it’s better than wiping the computer and losing everything Sean worked hard to obtain.”
“What if someone put the program on after Harper’s dad was gone, so if anyone tried to recover the data, they’d be able to get in first?” Eli takes a drink of his soda.
“How would they know my code word though?” Harper picks off a pepperoni and pops it into her mouth. “The questions they asked and the things they knew are things someone who was around when I was younger would know.”
Something about that far off look makes me wonder if she knows who it might be.
“What proof do we have that your father is dead?” Luke asks.
Harper turns to him with her lips parted and her eyes widened. There’s also that little spark of hope in her eyes. It’s not unreasonable, but with so many claiming he’s dead...
Fuck, if we find out he’s really dead, it’s going to crush her.
But if he’s been alive all this time and stayed away, how would that make her feel any better?
I slide my hand over hers and she turns hers over to weave our fingers together.
I don’t know how to protect her heart from the reality we have to deal with.
“My father asked Luke’s about Sean.” Eli runs a hand through his hair. “William says he knows where Sean is. I assumed that means he knows where he’s buried.”
“Or it could be that he saw Sean disappear like into a lake or a fire.” Caden taps his finger on the table. “Which means he could have escaped. Which would explain the laptop being here. If our fathers wanted to destroy the evidence, they would have obliterated the laptop. Not just crushed it.”
“You’re right.” Eli leans back. “They wouldn’t have left anything that might be evidence later.”
“Which brings us right back to why now.” Harper shakes her head as she takes a bite.
“It can’t be a coincidence that my father wanted to move back now.” I scratch my chin. “Things were fine in New York and our family was good. We all had our lives. But he decided he had to be back here.”
Harper squeezes my hand. “I’m glad you’re back.”
My heart warms.
“What tipped them off that evidence still exists?” Jack stares at the door leading to the living room. “Maybe that’s a question for our new friend?”
Harper turns to look at the door. “Do you think they might have had something to do with it?”
“Only a few people knew the evidence existed,” Jack says. “Obviously your dads and possibly mine and Eli’s. Harper’s parents. And this mystery person.”
“So the mystery person,” Luke continues, “could be attached to either Harper’s family or our fathers.”
Everyone falls silent, contemplating that, as we eat pizza. We don’t have a lot of people we can trust right now. But I’ve felt that way for years being in New York without these five people in my life.
Harper’s always felt isolated, but it’s a new feeling for Luke, Eli, Caden, and Jack. Not that they trusted people, but they at least could rely on some of the people that worked for them.
Before they had someone to lose.
Harper sighs and pushes her plate away. She ate one piece and left the other untouched. “For now, we have to assume this person is friendly. My father—” she swallows, “must have told this person my word so I would trust them.”
Jack nods. “We should get back...”
The others all stand and take the plates to the dishwasher. Harper stays next to me. For a moment, she just sits there looking a little lost. A lot of shit has been thrown her way lately.
When she shakes it off, she gets up. Eli comes over with the pill bottle.
“Maybe I shouldn’t take them?” I meet his dark eyes.
Eli takes Harper’s empty chair and gives me a look. “You’re in pain, Nico. Your whole face is tense. The pain isn’t permanent and we won’t let you take more than you need to take the edge off, but you should really get some sleep. These will help.”
He rattles the pills in the bottle. My mom drinks to cope with her life. I don’t know if she’s what I would consider an addict, but there might be tendencies there. I set my mouth in a line, prepared to tell him no. There’s too much to do.
“Nico,” he says with a sigh. “You need to rest. Take your pain meds. She’ll worry otherwise.”
My gaze seeks Harper out. She stands in Caden’s arms with her head pressed against his chest, his arms draped loosely around her while he talks to Jack. Eli’s right. She’ll worry over me. Not that I mind, but we need to focus on what we came here to do.
I hold out my hand, and he drops the pills into it. When I take them, he hands me a glass of water to wash them down. I’m grateful for them all. If I were still in New York, I’d be on the couch with my mother hovering over me.
Luke comes over to help me stand. He glances at Eli. “Bed?”
Eli nods.
“Fuckers. Someone at least bring my laptop until I pass out.”
“On it.” Harper smiles and goes into the living room to grab my laptop.
When she leaves the room, I ask, “Are you really going to tie her to the bed?”
Eli smirks as he walks with me to the door. “Of course. You can sleep or participate. Whatever you need.”
I smile, considering all the possibilities. And then acknowledging that I’ll probably be mostly sleeping.
“It’s not forever.” Luke’s words catch me off guard. He pushes the door open before he continues, “The injury. The brace. It’s not forever. You’ll be back on the field by fall. We’ll all work with you to get you back into shape once you’re cleared.”
I nod, knowing he’s right. It just sucks right now. I use my crutches to get to the stairs. Eli steps to one side of me and Luke steps to the other, lending me their strength to get me up the stairs. I put my arms over their shoulders as Harper carries up my laptop and the crutches.
When we get to the top, the guys release me, and I take my crutches, making my way to the master bedroom with Harper behind me.
When I get to the bed, I sit against the headboard and bring my leg up with me. Harper’s the only other one in the room. She sets my laptop on the nightstand and takes my crutches to lean them against the wall close by.
“Can I get you anything else?” She looks around the room and grabs an extra pillow laying on the chair to put under my knee. Sitting next to me, she smiles. “What do you need, Nico?”
She means what do I need to be comfortable. But when she looks at me like that, my brain short circuits.
“Just you, sunshine.” I clear my throat. “We’ve had it rough. I’ve been going through a lot since I got back, and dealing with the fact that you aren’t just mine was one more thing to deal with.”
She looks down at her hands in her lap.
“But it’s been dealt with.”
Her wide eyes lift to mine.
“I mean it, Harper.” I take her hand in mine and entangle our fingers. “We’re so much more than a couple, and your love is big enough to hold us all in your heart. I’ve held onto a piece of you for so long. Thinking about the girl you used to be and how you used to be mine. All mine.”
She doesn’t say anything, but she squeezes my hand.
“I love who you are now. I love how you care for all of us. I love you, Harper.” Swallowing, I rest back against the headboard. “You connect us all in a way that goes beyond lust and longing. I want to be your friend again and have your trust—”
“You do, Nico. I trust you and I love you.” She climbs onto the bed and straddles me, settling her pussy against my cock with only the thin layers of my boxers and her panties between us.
My cock hardens beneath her. It always will for her. It’s just the nature of my love and lust.
She glances over her shoulder at my leg. “Is this okay?”
“Everything’s perfect with you, sunshine.” I thread my fingers into her hair and draw her down to me, kissing her gently. “You’re perfect for me.”
She kisses me, long and deep. My hands remain in her hair even as her hips begin to rock against mine. I smile against her lips.
“Needy?”
She whimpers and looks down between us. “Yes.”
“Take what you need, sunshine. I’m all yours.”
Her eyes darken and she reaches between us, sliding my boxers down as she takes my mouth again. This time I take over, deepening our kiss. Tasting her and the sweetness of the soda she drank.
I could spend my life basking in her warmth and drowning in her kisses. She shifts and pulls her panties to the side before she drags the tip of my cock along her pussy, notching it against her entrance.
She draws back and our eyes meet and lock.
“I love you, Nico.” She sinks down over me. Warm, wet heat surrounds me. I focus on the pleasure in her eyes. The gasp on her lips. The rise and fall of her breasts.
Part of me can’t believe I was willing to miss this. To stay away because somehow that would be better? Nothing is better than the way my heart beats for her. The sound of I love you from her lips. The way she lights up a room like no one else.
Her slick pussy slides up and down my cock as her breathing coats my lips. Our eyes remain locked, so fucking connected that no one can tear us apart again. I won’t let it. I’ll hold on so tight. No one will ever come between us again.
When I reach between us and circle her clit, her mouth softens.
“Nico,” she whispers.
“You want it, don’t you, Harper? That sweet release.” I rub my cheek against hers as her eyes close and she increases her pace. “Take it from me. Come around my cock and make me come with you, sunshine. It’s all I ever wanted. You’re all I ever wanted.”
She arches as she finds her release. Her lips part, but no sound comes out. Her pussy pulses around me, stroking my cock, drawing me in deep. I take her mouth and thrust into her a few times with my hips before following her into ecstasy. Flooding her insides with my cum.
She holds her breath before she releases it, sagging against my body. I kiss the pulse in her neck. It beats as hard as my heart does.
For a few minutes we stay like that, breathing each other in as our breathing slowly returns to normal.
She sighs and snuggles against me. “I wish it was easier right now. That we could go back to playing and not having to worry about what or who’s coming after us.”
I rub my hand down her back and take a deep breath. “It would be nice, but we’ll always be complicated, sunshine. We don’t know what challenges the future holds. But we’ll have each other.”
Being in an unconventional relationship will definitely make college more interesting.
She pushes upright and her eyes search mine. “We’re in this together. As long as we all stay together, we’ll be fine.”
I smirk and sink my hand into her hair. “We’re together, sunshine. I won’t let us fall apart. No more jealousy. I’m yours. You’re ours. That’s all that matters.”
She kisses me and my cock twitches to life inside her. This girl.
“I should go...” She cocks an eyebrow, but doesn’t move.
“You should.” I adjust my hips and thrust a little deeper inside her as my cock hardens.
“Soon.” She smiles and kisses me again, taking her time as she rolls her hips against mine. I help her take my shirt off of her and then we’re skin to skin. The others will wait. Just one more taste.