Page 56 of Sheltered
Harlow remained silent a beat as thoughts raced through my head about what I could have possibly said at lunch that Harlow liked enough to want to come here. Nothing came to mind. Fortunately, Harlow put me out of my misery when she shared, “You introduced me to your sisters as your girlfriend.”
I wanted to say that was all the explanation I needed, but it wasn’t. “Well, you are, aren’t you?”
Another dazzling smile spread across her face. “We didn’t exactly have a specific discussion about it, so it was nice to hear you admit that to your family.”
“You didn’t think that was up for debate, did you?”
She shook her head. “Not necessarily. I just wasn’t prepared for how hearing you say that today would make me feel.”
Not wanting her to think this was all one-sided, I revealed, “If it’s anything like the way I felt to hear you tell me I had your heart, I can understand.”
Her eyes were shining, the look on her face indicating just how content she was. “I really like what’s happening between us, Blaze. I love the way you make me feel whenever I’m with you, and I want to make sure you get some of that same feeling in return.”
I touched my lips to hers in a chaste kiss. “I do, baby. I absolutely get the same feeling from you. Of course, I’m not going to turn down any attempts you want to make to go above and beyond that.”
Determination washed over her, and a moment later, her eyes slid to the side to glance down at my bed. When she returned her seductive, heated gaze to mine, I expected Harlow to act. I thought she’d say or do something, but she didn’t. She let the tension between us build with nothing but the heat of our stares.
Just before I thought I might break from the intensity of it, the fingertips of one of Harlow’s hands pressed in firmly at the back of my head while her other hand slid down and rested lightly against my chest. Then her mouth was on mine, and she was giving me everything.
The warmth of her kiss mixed with the scent of her, and I didn’t stand a chance. I was lost in her, fascinated by how one woman had the power to make me feel all that Harlow did.
I’d seen so many of my buddies from work fall for wonderful women. It was as though they were all under some undeniable spell that I couldn’t begin to grasp until now, until I met Harlow. I finally understood.
With one arm still wrapped around her waist and the other in her hair, I lifted her off the ground and turned us slightly. I fell to my back in my bed, taking Harlow with me.
She didn’t protest.
In fact, no sooner did I land on the bed with her on top of me, she parted her thighs and straddled me. God, there wasn’t much I wouldn’t do to have us both completely naked right now, so I could feel the weight of her naked body on top of me as I slid inside her.
Harlow deepened the kiss, taking just as much as she gave. The two of us stayed like that for a while, both consumed with one another and unable to resist each other. I relished the moment for all that it was.
That was something I’d learned recently. No matter what I was doing, if I was with Harlow, I never felt the need to rush anything. Not just intimacy, but everything else as well. I didn’t mind spending longer than needed at a restaurant to have lunch with her, simply because we were caught up in our conversation.
Harlow had taught me to appreciate the little things I would have easily overlooked otherwise.
And because she’d done that, I had forgotten to expect the unexpected with her. While I’d been perfectly content kissing her on my bed, Harlow had other things in mind. After some time, she tore her mouth from mine, looked down at me, and whispered, “Blaze.”
The need was dripping from that single word.
I lifted a hand to the side of her face, tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, and replied with a smile on my face. “I like the way you show your appreciation.”
“I want more,” she breathed, her voice desperate.
My arm tightened around her. “What?”
She swallowed hard and licked her lips. “I want you to touch me.”
I lifted a brow. “You want me to touch you?”
She nodded.
Needing her to be clear, considering my hands had done a lot of exploring with her already, I asked, “What exactly do you mean by that?”
A rush of air left her lungs. “God, this is embarrassing.”
I traced my finger along her jaw, my fingers eventually threading into her hair. “Baby, it’s not. Whatever you want, whatever you need, I’ll give it to you. But I need you to tell me what that is, because this is new for us.”
Nodding her understanding, she rasped, “I want to feel your hands on my skin.”