She blew out a breath and sorted her words. “In the past, I’ve been,” Used. Cheated on. “hurt and judged for not fitting someone else’s idea of perfection. That’s made me wary.”
“A guy hurt you?” His voice sounded like a growl. So protective.
And that felt…wonderful.
“My ex-fiancé. He was unfaithful. Said it was my fault.” She rolled her head forward as Seth cupped her bottom and massaged with confident, firm squeezes and rubs. The closeness of his body comforted her, made her feel safe. “Chad said if I wanted him, I had to change.”
“How?” There was that growl again, as if the suggestion was preposterous.
“Lose thirty pounds. Ditch my friends at the café. If I did that, his family and friends wouldn’t stare, or think,” The pain of Chad’s rejection stabbed her chest. It shouldn’t but it did. “Or think less of me.”
“Fuckwit.” Harper didn’t need her sight to imagine the way Seth’s jaw had hardened.
“Sounds like your ex was insecure or after a power grab, probably both.” Seth widened his hands on her bottom and pulled her lower body forward, planting a kiss on her belly. “You paired up with an arsehole. He hurt you. It happens.” He kissed her again, farther down on her pelvis. Just a couple of inches lower and he’d— She bit her lip. Concentrate on his words. “But, Harper, there are plenty of guys out there chasing a happy-ever-after, too. He wants to find her. The one. The woman he’d get into a bare-knuckled fight over with his best friend. He’d steal for her, kill and raise an army to defend her. And he’d do it all for the promise of what’s in her smile and her voice.”
Her belly dropped just as his warm breath floated over her pussy. “For a woman like you.”
Her heart leapt against her ribs. Holy cow.
He didn’t give her time to speak, but sucked her clit into his mouth. Her head fell back as she bucked against him, but his hold was too strong as he locked one arm around her. He drew the sensitive nub between his teeth and, with the faintest pressure, flicked the pulsing nerves with his tongue.
“Oh God.” A power-storm of pleasure flowed from her clit deep to her pussy. Like watching a gathering squall as the clouds tumbled and grew darker, she felt the shudders growing in depth until lightning bolts of fulfillment struck her core. But her empty pussy ached for his hardness. She needed to feel him inside her, taking her while she was looking right into his eyes.
“Please, Seth. Let me see you.”
Seth’s body rubbed against hers as he rose. She heard the chair’s castors, clothing moving, the zipper of his jeans and then a packet ripping. “I thought I could hold out, go at least one more round, but I’m going to bury myself inside you, Harper.”
He ripped the eye mask over her head. She blinked against the soft glow from the lamp on the nightstand. Seth’s expression was intent, his gaze hot with need. He reached around her and undid the scarf. “Wrap yourself around me.” The muscles in his arms bulged as he lifted her against the flat door of the closet. She splayed her hands over his back, feeling the muscles move under her touch as she folded her legs around him.
He filled her in one swift motion. She cried out, sinking her nails into his shoulders as he stretched her impossibly sensitive flesh. And it was wonderful. That burning feeling of being taken grew deeper with every hard thrust.
She wanted more, trying desperately to tilt her pelvis so he could sink deeper inside. The cool laminated wood of the wardrobe met the heated flesh of her back. She felt sweat trickle down her neck as the sound of Seth’s groans turned louder, rougher.
“Christ, woman, you do it for me.” The muscles of his neck strained from holding her while driving inside her. His steel-hard cock grazed her swollen tissues, building the fierce urgency taking over her.
Then he went still. “Look at me.”
Her gaze flew to his.
She studied the clear blue depths, seeing the frankness and the determination. And something more. But, she wasn’t sure. At least, she wasn’t confident enough to give it a name.
“I’m saying this now so there’s no confusion. I’m pretty sure I’ve found my woman, Harper.”
“W-what?” She couldn’t breathe. Her mind whirled under the avalanche of his declaration. “Did you pick this moment on purpose?”
“I know, perfect timing, but no, while I appreciate having you in a vulnerable position”—he thrust in a few inches, wringing out a deep moan from Harper—“that wasn’t my plan. But at least I’ve got your attention.”
A sense of rightness overcame her. This was Seth, the man who’d arranged for his brothers to install cameras to ensure her safety.
Protecting the woman he’d fight for. Raise an army for.
She was that woman.
“I’m thinking I might have found my guy, too.”
His face turned blurry as wetness pooled in her eyes.
“No tears. Never tears when it feels so right,” he growled.