Page 90 of One More Chance

Leading me to the edge of the bed, she steps to the side, patting the mattress and instructing me to sit. After I’m seated, she immediately straddles me, her knees resting on either side of my hips. She wraps her arms around me, and I return the gesture, the pads of my fingers rubbing against the silky texture of the black lace covering her lower back and sides.

She leans in closely, her cheek barely grazing mine, and presses light kisses along my jaw. I still, the gentle touch causing ripples of sensation down my spine. By the fourth kiss, my breaths have gone shallow and she rubs her teeth against my skin.

I press my eyes shut as a groan escapes me. “Harper, wait,” I say, gripping her bicep just above her elbow and pushing her back from me.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, startled by my sudden reaction.

“Nothing. Well, something. Listen, just hear me out, okay?”

“Okay, yeah, of course. Tell me what’s wrong?” she says.

I inhale the deepest breath my lungs can manage, never taking my eyes from hers, then exhale. “Come with me?” The question falls from my mouth sounding more like a plea than anything else.

“What?” she asks, shaking her head, startled by my question yet again.

“Don’t go home. Come with me to California. That’s where I have to go next. Come with me. Travel with me.”

Harper’s face is twisted up in confused emotions and I don’t blame her for that.

I hold my breath, her eyes searching my face. I’m not sure if she believes I’m actually saying this but I hold firm all the same, hanging on the silence between us, desperate for her answer.