Page 16

G rayson managed to swallow his beer without choking. He’d suspected something like that was going on in Harlow’s mind. He just hadn’t expected her to say it so bluntly, but he liked that she had.

“But I have a condition,” she said before he could think how to respond. “That is, if you’re interested.”

Oh, he was. “And that would be?” Pink tinged her cheeks, and he wanted to tell her that she was adorable, but he doubted she’d appreciate his noticing she was embarrassed. They needed to talk about her ex so he could learn everything about the man, but that could wait. She’d put sex on the table, and that was far more interesting.

“It has to be a short-term fling. As soon as I have my son back, it ends.”

“I can live with that.” He was pretty sure he could, but something told him this might be a woman he’d have a hard time giving up.

“He’ll have to be my sole focus when that happens, so I can’t—”

“I get it, Harlow. Of course, Tyler is what’s important. But I have a condition, too.”

“What would that be?”

He grinned. This was going to be fun. He set his empty bottle on the table, then patted his leg. “That you come over here, sit on my lap and kiss me.”

“Now?” she squeaked.

“Yes, right now.” They weren’t going to have sex tonight. Her question had come out of the blue, and he couldn’t be certain she’d actually thought it through. Before they took it that far, he needed her to be sure she wouldn’t regret it. He sure wouldn’t, but he didn’t want any remorse on her part on his conscience.

That didn’t mean they couldn’t fool around a little with the added benefit of easing her into being intimate with him. She stared at him as if she was trying to read his mind. Or maybe she was having second thoughts. He hoped not.

With the speed of a sloth, she rose, took a tentative step toward him and stopped.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said. “You can walk away right now, and we’ll still be friends.”

“I want to,” she whispered.

He held out his hand. “Then come to me.” When she placed her hand in his, his damn heart thumped in his chest. That was a first. He’d never in his life had such a strong reaction to a woman. Yeah, it was going to be hard to walk away when she decided it was time.

Something to think about later, but for now, he pulled her onto his lap. Even though she’d been the one to start this, she was as skittish as a feral kitten. “Hey, look at me,” he said when she stared at the floor. He put his finger under her chin and lifted her face. “You’re in control here. You have all the power. You can just sit here, and we’ll talk if that’s what you want.”

“I want to kiss you.”

“Then do it. My mouth is yours.” She’d been so bold when she’d propositioned him, but now his kitten had lost some of her confidence. He wanted ten minutes alone in a room with Pressley for mentally beating this beautiful woman down until she took to hiding herself. He decided right then that he was going to do everything in his power to give that back to her. He’d help her find that woman again.

Her gaze dipped to his lips, and he breathed in her scent as she leaned closer. Did her skin taste like vanilla? He’d like to know. “Are you going to kiss me or not?”

“Yes.”

And then she did, tentatively at first, just a brush of her lips over his. Her eyes were open and staring into his as if gauging his reaction. Then she pressed her mouth harder against his as her eyes slid closed. When her hands traveled over his shoulders and then to the back of his neck, he almost growled his approval.

He tapped her leg with his fingers. “Straddle me.”

“Much better,” she said with a little giggle after she’d straddled him. She lowered her mouth to his again, this time with more urgency, any hesitation on her part gone. Her hands fisted his T-shirt, as if she needed the material to anchor her to him.

It was in his nature to be in control, but he’d told her she had the power, and he was curious to see how far she’d go. So, he lightly rested his hands on her hips and didn’t explore her body like he wanted to.

He let her have her way with his mouth, and they made out like teenagers. He couldn’t remember when he’d last spent this much time kissing a woman without the intention of taking her to bed. Not today anyway.

She made a little noise like a kitten’s growl, and it was the sexiest sound he’d ever heard. A minute later, he made his own sound, a hiss when she wiggled her bottom over his lap. She had to feel how aroused he was, and when she squirmed again, he tightened his hands on her waist to still her.

“Easy there, kitten. I’m holding on to my control by a thread, but you’re testing me.”

“What if I want to break that thread?”

“There’s nothing I want more, but not today.”

She put her hands on his chest and pushed away. “I’m sorry.”

“For?”

Her gaze skittered away from him. “I practically attacked you.”

“I think we just did a lot of kissing, no attacks involved.” He wasn’t going to allow her to fade back into her shell thinking she’d done something wrong. He brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “God, you’re beautiful.” Especially now with her cheeks flushed, her lips swollen and damp, and with desire burning in her eyes.

“But you don’t want me. That’s okay.”

When she tried to get off him, he clamped his hands down on her legs. “Make no mistake, Harlow. I want you.” He lifted enough to press his erection against her, letting her feel the truth of that. “Just not today. I want you to take some time and be real sure this is what you want.”

“I wouldn’t be sitting on your lap if I wasn’t sure.”

“You tell me that the next time we’re together, and I’ll have you naked so fast you’ll think I’m a magician.” She might think she was sure, but he wasn’t going to risk any morning-after regrets on her part.

“A magician, huh?”

“Yes, with magic hands and other parts of me.” He rocked his hips again.

“When?”

“Soon.” He trailed his fingers down her legs then back up that silky skin, and a groan lodged in his throat when she shivered. He was a saint for managing to keep his hands from slipping under her T-shirt and filling them with breasts that he was sure would be a perfect fit. It was time to end this little session before that thin thread did break. “But right now…” He stood and let her feet fall to the floor. “Let’s go downstairs.”

As he followed her down the stairs, his gaze slid down to her long legs, legs he now knew felt like silk under his fingertips. And that perfect ass. He wanted his hands on those round globes, too. He shook his head as he squeezed his eyes closed. If he wasn’t looking at her, maybe he could get his raging lust under control. And… He missed a step and stumbled down the stairs, taking her with him.

Somehow, he managed to keep them both upright as they bounced their way to the living room floor. When they came to a stop, he was wrapped around her, his front to her back. And… Damn it, their position did absolutely nothing to fix his problem as his erection was happily aligned with the crevice of her bottom.

“Well, that was fun,” she said as she glanced over her shoulder at him with a grin on her face.

“Are you okay?”

“I am. Really.”

You can let go of her now, Montana. He reluctantly dropped his arms and stepped back. “Sorry about that. I guess I tripped.” More like his brain was too busy imagining how his hands would feel on her to worry about messaging his feet on the mechanics of walking down the stairs.

He put his hand on her lower back. “Come sit at the island while I fix us some lunch.”

“I can help.”

“Thanks, but I got it. We’ll talk while I make us a grilled cheese sandwich.” He wanted to take care of her, to feed her, to make her laugh, to show her that not every man was like her ex. “What would you like to drink?” He pulled a stool away from the island for her.

She slid onto the seat. “Water’s fine.”

“Told you we timed it just right,” Cooper said, as he and Liam walked in from the deck and saw Grayson at the stove.

Grayson pointed a spatula at them. “I do have a front door that comes with a doorbell.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Cooper glanced at Harlow and winked. “You’d never guess it, but he loves us.”

“True that.” Liam settled on the stool next to her.

Grayson sighed as he gathered up more bread and cheeses. “You both only love me because I feed you.”

“Also true,” Liam said. “Not our fault you’re so good at it.”

“Is there a reason y’all are here besides to eat my food?”

Cooper nodded. “Yup.”

“Okay, but let’s eat first, then we’ll talk.” He didn’t want to ruin Harlow’s lunch. When he glanced at her, she softly smiled. He smiled back.

“Oh, boy,” Liam muttered. He and Cooper shared a look.

Yeah, oh, boy was right. He was falling for her, and his two best friends saw it clear as day.