“I’m not worried,” I deniedpromptly.
Bellamy smirked at me, one corner of his mouth tilting up. “Sure.” I narrowed my gaze on him and he laughed. “It’s okay,Sweetheart.”
I blew out a breath. “How could you tell?” Iasked.
He shrugged. “You keep asking when they’re gettingback.”
I flinched. Yeah, because I wanted to wait until they were back before I dropped the bomb about Grayson’s mom seeing me at the Cancer Care Center. I bit my lip and looked away, but Bellamy’s fingers touched my chin, turning my faceback.
“Maybe this will help take your mind off things,” he whispered just before he moved forward and kissedme.
I sighed into the surprise kiss, closing my eyes and automatically reached up to curl my arms around his neck. I hung there, suspended against his broad chest, letting my fingers reach up and twirl around the ends of his curls where they touched his shoulders. My body shuddered as Bellamy moved in impossibly closer, pushing me up against the wall so that there was no space between either ofus.
His strong hands reached down, finding the underside of my thighs and he lifted as I leapt, spreading my legs to circle him as the fabric of the slip dress moved up, parting the way to let him move closer. I shivered against him as I let him keep me pinned between his chest and the wall. I kissed him reverently, soaking in the attention, the addictive feeling of being loved by him. Kissing Bellamy was always hot. Sparks shot through my abdomen, skimming up my chest and into my quickly flushing face. I inhaled his scent—slightly cinnamon tinted, but I could also smell paint on him. I relished in it, loving what made himBellamy.
“Harlow…” he whispered, pulling back for abreath.
I shook my head. I didn’t want to breathe, didn’t need it as much as I needed his mouth on mine. I pulled him back down, reclaiming his lips with my own. I let my tongue touch his bottom lip and then delve further into the recesses of his mouth. My heart pounded against my ribcage—giving a whole new meaning to the termribcage.
I groaned low in my throat, rubbing against him before stopping. As much as I loved kissing him, this was neither the time nor the place for more, no matter how much I wanted it. I pulled back with a disgruntled sigh. Bellamy let me, resting his forehead against mine as we caught ourbreaths.
“I’m sorry,” I said, pantinglightly.
Bellamy shook his head, his forehead brushing back and forth at the top of mine. “Don’t be,” he said. “You’ve gotta getgoing.”
He slowly released me, letting my legs drop back to the ground. I had to press my spine against the wall to keep them steady for a moment while I readjusted and calmed my raging libido. Who knew living with five guys and starting a relationship with not just one of them, butallof them, would do this tome?
“I’ll see you when I get back, though?” I asked. It was a dumb question, I knew I would, but sometimes, old fears resurfaced and I wondered if they wouldn’t magically disappear from my life as though they’d never existed in it, never driven me away from the wreckage of my past and the sad, lonely existence I had onceled.
He nodded, stepping back. There was a tugging in my stomach as I watched him go—as though there was a string inside me attached to him and it pulled tighter and tighter with every step he took that led him further away fromme.
I stood, alone, against the wall outside my bedroom, floored by how different my life was. I had noticed when I went back to Alex's Diner, but here I was both confused and happy. Confused, perhaps,becauseI was happy. I wasn't sure. What I was sure of: what I had with these Iris Boys, I wanted to protectit.
"Harlow? You ready?" Knix's voice from the front of the house calling me brought me back to reality and out of the musings in myhead.
"Coming!" I called back, grabbing the shoes waiting just inside the door to my bedroom and slipping them on before I headed hisway.
Knix stood by the front door in a handsome black and white suit. His collar was open, revealing a small expanse of tan skin at the base of his throat. "Wow." I gaped at him, but the comment came from his mouth, not my own. I looked down at myself and then back athim.
Knix smiled and stepped forward. "You look beautiful, LittleBit."
I stared up at him. "So do you," I replied a bitbreathlessly.
He chuckled. "I'll take that as acompliment."
I nodded. "Good. I meant it asone."
“Ready to go?” heasked.
I nodded and when he stuck his arm out for me, I took it, letting him lead me to the door and down the front steps to the dark SUV he and the guys shared. Knix opened the passenger side door for me, releasing my arm and taking my hand, helping me up into the cab of the vehicle. For a moment, he paused just outside the door, and before he closed it, he leaned forward, letting his lips touch a chaste kiss on mycheek.
It was so quick, I blinked and it was over and he was closing the door and striding around the front of the SUV. My eyes watched him hungrily, confused and more than a little giddy. I gulped down a breath as the driver’s side door opened and Knix climbed into the seat. I stared out of the windshield as he turned the ignition over and pulled out of the driveway. After a few minutes of silence, he switched on the radio—something low and jazzy—and then reached for my hand. The second his fingers closed around mine, something inside my chest unfurled and Isighed.
Comfort, happiness, and love echoed in the interior of the car, though neither of us said aword.