He swallowed, finding his throat parched. She was right, and not just about his woodworking. He felt that way about her, too. He wanted her in every possible way, yet he knew one wrong move, one step too far, could leave him hurt. Ruined.
But she was here now, and she was doing anything but ruining him.
She was uprooting him. Planting him in new soil. And whether he liked it or not, he was growing.
He kissed her because he didn’t know what to say, what else to do. He felt her tense under him in surprise, then melt quickly after, abandoning the laptop beside her on the step. “You know me better than I know myself sometimes,” he whispered against her jaw, fingers tracing the knots of her spine through thick wool and soft skin.
“I am good like that, aren’t I?” she teased, brushing the overhanging hair from his brow. “Now, the website. How terrified will you get if I start talking about pay-per-click search campaigns and TikTok promotion?”
“Extremely terrified, but go on. I’m listening.”
“And what’s this here?” asked Fraser, jabbing at a cut-out photo of colourful, glittery balloons, pinned beneath a sticky note that read:Launch Party. “I don’t like the word ‘party’.”
They had moved from the step over to the busy cork board, Harper perched on his chopping block while she adjusted her plans in red marker.
“Don’t worry, old man.” She grinned. “It won’t go on until the wee hours. We can make sure you’re home by ten.”
“Still past my bedtime.” He was unable to keep his touch from trailing over her curves, from the side of her hip, into the small dip of her waist, to her ribs. He wanted her. Badly. He’d never thought the words “closed-loop marketing” or “native advertising” would sound so sexy, but watching Harper shine in a universe she’d clearly grown comfortable in was…
It was inspiring, but it was also really fucking hot. More so because she’d done it for him. She’d said marketing wasn’t her passion anymore, but she’d imagined a world where Fraser’s work mattered – “art”, she was calling it, which he’d never considered it as before.
At his touch, she edged closer, finally abandoning her Sharpie to stand and press her back against his stomach. “Andy liked the idea of a grand reopening for Flockhart’s. You could make it a joint event. There’s lots of space in the B&B’s dining room, and I think it’s important in a community this close that you collaborate. I said the same thing to Andy.”
“It’s not a bad idea. Not at all.” He hooked his hand around the nape of her neck, desperate to feel her mouth on his but unwilling to stop her in the middle of a conversation that might just change the rest of his life.
“You could partner with the nature reserve in charge of the Fairy Trail, too,” she pointed out. “Imagine if you could have your own little stall to sell the figurines along the walk on sunny days?”
“Don’t you think we’re getting ahead of ourselves? People might not even want my tat.”
“Don’t call it tat,” she warned. “You have a gift. People will love it. This town is all about supporting different, unique, one-of-a-kind things.”
“I suppose that’s why I’m so obsessed with you,” he muttered against her lobe.
She shivered, more so when he pressed his body against hers and let his lips trace the space behind her ear, then the beauty mark by her jaw. Her cold, gold hoop earrings grazed his skin, teasing him. They hadn’t touched like this since she’d stayed at his house, and fuck, he’d missed her. Dreamed about her. Had woken up this morning hard and desperate to be inside her again. He’d even blurted her name when he’d used his hand to climax in the shower this morning.
His cock hardened. She turned her head and grinned up at him, shimmying her hips so her full ass rutted against it.God, help me, he thought. It was all he could do not to fall to his knees and take a bite.
“Are you trying to use sex to get me to stop talking about you?” she whispered.
“Maybe a little bit.” He swept her hair from her face so he could see her better, so he could memorise the way she looked in this moment, hold onto it once it had passed. Eyes the colour of the serene forest around them. Freckles uncovered on her cheeks. She was even more beautiful without makeup, all rosy patches and little blemishes, some scars left behind by stories he hadn’t yet heard. He traced the one that ran into her hairline, then moved his thumb to press against her lush bottom lip. “Maybe because I’ve been thinking about you. Constantly. I missed the way you feel against me. Around me.”
She blushed, but a wicked glint shone in her eye. The next second, he felt her palming his length through his jeans. His hips bucked, his self-control hopeless and weak when it came to her. “Maybe I’ve been thinking about you, too.”
“Oh, aye?” He cocked his head. “What have you been thinking?”
“I’ve been thinking about this.” She traced the leather edges of his belt, pressing when she reached the skin above it. Electricity bolted through him, from his belly button down to his cock. He felt like he might combust if she didn’t touch him properly soon. “And I’ve been thinking about how sexy you are. How strong and gentle, all at once. How good you make me feel when your hands are on me.”
“My ego can’t handle so many compliments.”
She turned and began unbuttoning his shirt at a devastatingly unhurried pace. When the cold autumn air kissed his bare chest, she traced the rim of his nipple until he was certain his skin was throbbing. Everything was throbbing. His entire being cried for her.
“I was thinking about how this time, I don’t want you to be gentle with me,” she whispered. “Maybe I want you to bend me over this chopping block and slam into me until we both come.”
“Fuck, Harper.” His fingers coiled into his palms at the image. Not even he could conjure something so sexual, so raw and primal. He’d never had a reason to until he’d met her. Now, it felt like they were in a race only she could ever win. He wasn’t used to being rough.
But for her, he might try.
He grabbed her hips, firmly enough that she gasped, and turned her back around so she was facing his block. She kicked the cork board away, bracing against him as he kissed her throat until the skin turned pink.
