AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her father is going to ask, how do you know? And when I tell him about Harper’s hobbies, he’ll ask, “How do you know those are her hobbies?”
I watch the cogwheels in his brain go round and round, praying for a miracle to happen so I don’t get to that point.
As he opens his mouth to speak, the door bursts open, and Harper storms in. I notice that one of her shirt buttons has fallen off, and her chest is heaving while her breathing comes out in short pants.
“Mom! Dad! What are you doing here?”
Elizabeth looks like she’s been caught doing something illegal while her father’s expression doesn’t change. Harper was right when she said putting up a front would not save me.
The man isn’t soft on his daughter, so why would he go easy on me?
Harper marches to my desk and bangs her fist on the table. “I told you that you would meet him on my own time. Why did you have to come here?”
“When?” her father demands. “After your wedding? I needed to see for myself, to make sure he had what it takes to make you happy. I don’t intend to walk you down the aisle to marry someone who thinks money is everything. You have enough of that—from what you’ve made for yourself and from me.”
He’s a brute, but he loves her dearly.
“Well,” Harper props her hands on her hips as her gaze cuts to mine. “Gabriel makes me happy. He makes me the happiest woman on earth. There, are you satisfied?”
I do? I make her the happiest woman on earth?
“This is a workplace,” she walks back to the door and opens it, “please leave. We will arrange a time that works for both of us to come see you. Okay?”
Grudgingly but respecting their daughter’s wishes, mother and father file out of the office. Harper’s mom stops at the door and turns to me. “I hope to see you at our house soon. There is so much we have to discuss.”
Harper closes the door after them and sighs, running her fingers through her hair. “I am sorry you had to deal with that. They told me they would wait and…I don’t know. I should have known they would try to get you alone.”
“Oh no,” I shake my head, standing up and crossing the space between us in strides. I take her into my arms and tilt her chin so her eyes stare at mine. “You don’t have to apologize. Your parents were lovely. They might have grilled me a little, but it’s because they love you.”
She snorts. “Fancy way to show it.”
Brushing a strand of her hair out of her face, I lower my head and touch my lips to Harper’s. “I know we were having a conversation, but I’ve been wanting to do this for a while.”
She smiles and splays her fingers on my chest while her other hand goes around my neck. “I’m not complaining.”
“Good,” I murmur, nipping the corners of her bottom lip and sucking on it. “Because I plan to kiss you for a very long time. I won’t stop until we both need to breathe.”
“Again, I’m not asking you to stop.”
That’s all I needed to hear. I kiss her hard on the mouth, slipping my tongue past her lips to taste her intimately. Harper returns the kiss with the same enthusiasm, standing between my legs and pressing herself against me. Her body brushes against my crotch, and I get hard immediately, grabbing her ass and pushing against the curve below her stomach.
I want more. I want all of her. I kiss her neck with every intent of marking her skin with my teeth and soothing it with my tongue, but something lingers at the back of my mind, forcing me to stop.
“I need to tell you something,” I whisper, pressing my forehead to hers.
“What is it? No condoms? You can be creative, can’t you?”
I take one step back, reaching for her hand. Then, I say the words that I know will change the course of our relationship.
“I think I’m falling in love with you, Harper.”
Her mouth hangs open briefly, so I kiss her again. “You don’t need to give me an answer now, but I think this was inevitable. We make too good of a match for me not to feel this strongly for you.”
“I—”
I place a finger on her lips. “I don’t want you to say it because I did. Think about it, okay?”
She nods, and I lean in to kiss her soundly on the mouth.
