Page 32 of Tears of Gold

I move my hand to his shoulder and lean into him. Our lips connect with a soft, warm greeting, and he sighs into me, his body relaxing. His tongue flicks across my lip, and I open wider. Accepting my invitation, he slides into my mouth. Our tongues meet, hot and curious, and his short beard tickles my cheeks. My hands rove across his wide shoulders, and I pull him tight against me, wanting to absorb his warmth and something more.

Harper runs his hands up my back, digging his fingers deep. Suddenly, he grabs me by the waist and drags me up to kneel over his lap. He crushes me deeper into our fiery kiss, his mouth writhing over mine to possess me and I squeak as the ridges of his blades press into my abdomen. He chuckles, unbuckling the leather and shrugging free of the brace before pulling me back into him.

My ears burn as his hard length rises excitedly, digging into my thigh under the crushed dress. A minute later, I draw back, gasping for air. He chases me, unwilling to lose me even for a second, and when I arch against the humming energy flooding my body, he leans me back and kisses his way down the exposed vee of my chest. My skin feels hot and tight in the wake of his lips.

Although I’m leaning away from the desk, I trust his strong arm around me to hold me. My trust for Harper burns steadily, heating me with the desire for more. I want to feel his hands all over me, intimately, like when he adjusted my dress out on the street, but I can’t bring myself to say the words out loud in the quiet room.

He breaks the silence first with a low moan. “Shit, Ava, to have you in my arms is a dream come true.”

I shiver with a silent laugh. “Have you been dreaming of me?”

“Damn right I have.” His hand at my back slides into my hair, forcing my head forward to meet his lips. I melt into him with a happy murmur, and his male musk fills my nose, heightening my awareness of how closely we press together.

Harper’s chest heaves with his jagged, lustful breaths as I drink my fill of his mouth. He caresses his way down my calves and tugs my shoes off, letting them fall to the floor with a thump. His fingers tease across my ankle bones as he peels off my socks. Then he shifts, standing up and lowering my feet to the ground without letting me go.

I cling to his neck, not trusting my legs to hold my weight as he gently slides his hands around me and tugs on the zip at my back. The metal whizz sounds loud in the silent night as he exposes my back. I quiver all over, my skin pebbling from the chill and my senses wired to his every move. Harper slides his fingers under my sleeves and lowers them down my arms before returning to my chest and gently peeling the tape from the inside of both breasts.

My breath catches as his hands brush against my tender skin. He wrestles the tighter fabric down over my hips, and the dress pools on the floor, leaving me standing in my briefs which I think are damp from more than the pipe water. Harper reverently touches the backs of his hands against my full breasts, and my heart flip-flops as he meets my erect nipples.

Goosebumps on my arms catch under his big hands. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispers against my ear, closing me in his warm embrace. As we kiss, he backs me slowly across the room and into the bathroom. He leans into the shower to turn the water on. “Wait right here,” he instructs.

My heart pounds as I watch him go, a dark silhouette illuminated by a handful of pink light, wondering how I got so lucky to find a guy like Harper this far from home.

I turn my wrist to the water to check the heat and adjust the taps in the dark. When Harper returns with some folded blankets, he stands on the toilet and fits one blanket over the small upper window. Then he hops down and turns on the light. His eyes rove over me, and I blush under his heated gaze, feeling a little exposed.

Harper undoes his belt and lowers his pants and underwear in one go. He kicks off his shoes and socks and walks toward me. My thoughts scatter as his bare self approaches, and the embers in my core blaze seeing his rigid cock. Stepping closer, he bends and tugs my underwear off. He tests the water again and gently pushes me in, the hard part of him scraping deliciously across my hip.

He tenderly strokes my skin as the water rushes over us, then holds me from behind, resting his head on my shoulder. I wonder for a minute if he means to make love to me after all, but he’s quivering all over as if he can barely contain himself. I slide around in his embrace and wrap my arms around his neck. Looking up into his bright, sheened eyes and feeling the solid thing between his legs brushing against me, I realize he’s savoring this moment.

I reach up to kiss him, and his intensity notches up immediately, sucking on my lips like I’m dessert. My hands tremble as I run them down his slick body and take his dick between my fingers. A moan escapes him, whispering across my lips before it’s lost in the running water. Blood surges beneath his skin, hardening his cock under my touch. My adrenaline fades, replaced with an equally energizing quicksilver singing in my veins. Harper’s little grunt of satisfaction as I touch him is music to my ears.

“You’ve no idea how much . . . how long I’ve waited for this, Ava,” he murmurs against my ear, nipping the soft skin. His whispery breath on the sensitive area sends mini tremors to my toes, and I whimper. He strokes my nipples, and I gasp.

Harper bends his head into the curve of my neck and nips his way down my clavicle, sucking gently on my skin. “How are you so fucking sexy?” The warm water slicks over us, whispering over my stimulated nerves.

Moments later, he takes my nipple between his teeth, and my senses dissolve in a confetti of pleasure. I could never imagine making the noises that throb through my throat as he licks my straining points. A swelling sensation moves from my belly to between my legs, and I cry out as his hands and mouth tease me into a vortex of rising pleasure.

Harper’s breath comes fast and shallow, and he presses his cock against my thigh, gyrating lightly against my skin. “Do you see the effect you have on me, baby girl?” he murmurs into my breast.

The water cools, and Harper turns off the taps. I can’t remember if we’re clean or not, but I’m definitely warm. He bundles me into a blanket, then sweeps my feet from under me and carries me into the tiny bedroom, startling a tiny laugh from me. Nuzzling into my neck, he roughly drops me onto the mattress on the floor and kneels over me, his mouth hungrily devouring my lips.

His rigid cock lies teasingly against my soft pubic hair, and I arch against it, hungry for him. I try to ignore the slight headache pressing against my temples. I want to enjoy losing my virginity, and what a night of adventure to do it. I push against Harper, ready to be one.

“Be mine, Ava?” Harper rasps, kissing my neck sweetly.

I open my mouth to say yes when I see Erritt’s face hovering over me instead of Harper's. I gasp and grab at my head and chest as my brain throbs and my heart spasms with several sharp pulses.

I scramble out from under Harper, gasping for air. It’s a memory, just a memory—

“Ava?”

I whimper and massage my head with one hand, panting with shock. This isn’t my first time making love, is it?

Harper rocks toward me, concern blazing in his wide brown eyes. “What’s wrong, baby?”

I push one hand against Harper’s shoulder to keep him at bay while I nurse the inferno inside my forehead with the other. When did I have sex? And with who?

Erritt and Skye’s faces flicker into my mental view. A flash of images pile on top of each other in my mind’s eye, heavy with poignancy, and a moan escapes my dry mouth. I shiver, covering my bare chest with one arm as the past rushes in on me without mercy.