The slow pull of their bodies, the feel of her nipples scraping his chest as he drove inside her sweetness, would forever be ingrained in his memory. He’d never grow tired of this. Of them. Of her.
But all too soon, need took over. He released her mouth and stared into her desire-laden eyes as he upped their pace, thrusting long, deep, and fast. Just how she liked it. So did he.
Harper was panting now, and when he shifted his hips and changed the angle, she gripped his forearms and cried out as she bucked wildly beneath him, climaxing around him.
It was too damn amazing. She obliterated his control.
Holding her hips, he stared into her eyes as he drove inside with a hard, deep thrust and followed her over with one hell of a fierce release.
When his sight returned, along with some measure of strength, he quickly flipped onto his back, bringing her with him. They stayed that way for a long minute, working to get air into their lungs.
They’d shared a whole hell of a lot more than their bodies just now. It hadn’t been planned. Just sort of happened, and asscary as it all was, he was determined to ride it out. Stay put. Keep her in his life.
“You were amazing,” he said, kissing her head.
“Me?” She lifted up to glance down at him. “That was not all me, Caspian.Youwere the reason that was so good.”
He shook his head. “Wewere the reason that was good. We’re good together.”
“I agree.” She smiled and settled back down, snuggling close. “I could get addicted to mornings like this.”
He smiled and hugged her closer. “Me, too.”
She sighed. “If I didn’t need food, I’d stay in bed here with you until Sadie came knocking for us.”
He laughed. “I could definitely see her doing that if we didn’t show up for breakfast like we’d planned.”
“Yeah.” She groaned. “What was I thinking?”
“That you’re ready to take your life back,” he said, kissing her head again.
She nodded. “You’re right.” Then she pushed out of his arms and sat up. “But I don’t see any harm in us getting a quick shower first, do you?”
“No, ma’am. No harm at all.” He grinned, following her to the bathroom. “Just pleasure.”
***
An hour later, Harper sat at the kitchen table savoring the last bite of her French toast as the conversation swirled around her. Sadie and Dale were discussing their next move, the tension in the room rising. Cas was beside her, his hand resting on the back of her chair in a way that was both comforting and grounding, like always.
Her thoughts drifted back to last night, how Cas had made her forget about the crazy turn her life had recently taken, by fulfilling her need for him, making her wild with hungeruntil she’d cried out his name. It had been amazing and tiring, and she’d actually slept the whole night. For some reason, she thought for sure her old nightmares would return. But not one reared its ugly head.
When she woke up this morning, she didn’t even want to open her eyes. She’d wanted to stay there, wrapped in his arms, in his warmth and strength, and never leave. But, damn, was she ever glad she’d blinked her eyes open and found Cas smiling warmly at her. Then he kissed her softly, sweetly, making her feel so incredibly special. Last night had been amazing, but this morning had felt different, more profound than anything she’d ever experienced.
Being with Cas wasn’t just comforting, it was as if they’d connected on a deeper, almost unspoken level that went beyond words. She felt humbled by the intensity of their bond, blessed to have found someone who truly understood her, and yet, a flicker of fear lingered. The stakes were higher now—not just with their pursuit of the truth, but with the heart she’d taken a chance and put on the line.
“I just wish we had those missing diary pages,” Dale said, his somber tone breaking through Harper’s thoughts. “It feels like we’re so close, but still missing the most important piece.”
Sighing, she nodded in agreement, tracing the rim of her coffee cup with her finger. Those torn-out pages had haunted her too. It was as if the truth was just out of reach, taunting them with its absence. If only they knew who had taken them.
She straightened her back as a thought hit her. “Sadie, did your mom ever mention anything about Andrew, Mary’s brother? Did he have any furniture that’s still in the house?”
Sadie thought for a moment. “Actually, yes. I remember my mom saying that the credenza in the living room used to belong to Uncle Andrew. It was his pride and joy or something.”
Hope flickered through Harper “What if Andrew was the one who tore out those pages? He might have wanted to protect Mary or even hide the truth himself. Sure, he could’ve burned them. But, what if he didn’t? What if he stashed them somewhere safe?”
Cas sat up straighter as he appeared to catch onto her line of thought. “That credenza has a lot of drawers and compartments. It’s worth checking out.”
Sadie’s eyes lit up with realization, and she quickly stood, gesturing for everyone to follow her into the living room. “Let’s take a look.”
