Page 35 of Take the Blame (Seaside Mergers #3)

Looking him in the eye, I suddenly felt shy which made me realize that was not my usual response around this man.

Normally, I felt like I could say just about anything and he would accept me.

That I could be the raw Alta and he’d still smile that annoying smile that was sometimes just as exhilarating.

I ducked my head. Even if he normally accepted me, I wasn’t sure how he’d react to my newfound truth. A cool finger curled along my cheek, pulling my gaze up to meet his. His eyes looked black in the nighttime, appearing as if he could read my mind from staring into mine so closely.

“Why, Alta?” he repeated.

I swallowed, my voice a hoarse whisper. “I like when you react to me.”

If that was only the half of it.

Even before Harper had ever touched me, I’d found some secret satisfaction in him telling me he thought my ideas were good, thought I was smart, thought I was anything . And oppositely, I felt lower than ever when he thought of me negatively.

And ever since he’d touched me. Made me feel like I was on fire for him. I’d developed a need to gain any sort of approval from him. Even more, to make him react as much as he made me.

“I like making you feel things,” I added quickly.

He looked almost confused staring at me. And for some reason he was frowning. “Because you want to return the favor?”

I frowned too, my teeth sinking into my lip. For some reason that felt wrong. Like that was totally not what I was going for, but it was the only plausible reason in my mind. The only one that made sense anyway.

Yet, instead of verbally confirming it, I leaned up and kissed him.

I hated the confused look on his face. I wanted to bring back that dark and hungry one from before.

If I was finally getting to see Harper’s serious side, I’d much rather it be him seriously thinking about how to eat me like dessert than whatever the other side of it was.

So I pushed my own confused feelings aside and focused on the feeling of Harper’s lips on mine.

It was the right move. Because the man knew how to use them.

His lips left me burning as he totally possessed my mouth.

I circled my arms around him, pushing hands up his back or under his shirt or along his neck.

The longer we kissed the further his body sank over mine.

And the more I could feel of him the more frenzied I became.

Rocking hips, arching back, wrapping legs around his waist. I couldn’t help myself as I pushed myself closer and closer to him. Every new touch of his body simultaneously didn’t seem like enough and like it could satiate me forever.

“Alta,” he growled as he ripped himself free. “We can’t. I don't have a condom.”

“We don’t need one.” The words came out breathy against his mouth as I panted. “Birth control. And I’m clean.”

“Aren’t you going to ask about me?” he said.

“I assumed you would tell me.”

“I’m clean—but that’s not really the issue here.” A sigh slipped his lips as I blinked at him waiting for said issue. “I want to, but not here, we can wait.”

Leaning up I bit his lip before sucking it into my mouth to soothe. “Earlier you said you wanted dirty. Make it dirty, Harp.”

“Fuck,” he groaned, his head resting against mine as he breathed. “I don’t want to push you, Alta. ”

“I’m the boss, remember? I’m the one doing the pushing,” I said. “What’s really the problem, Harper?”

I could hear his swallow thick in his throat. “I—You just stopped glaring at me recently. I’m not trying to break your trust here. And I’m pretty sure taking you unprotected on a hay bale is the least trustworthy thing I can do.”

Something urgent seemed to keen my senses, his words coming off as major alarm bells in my brain.

Pushing up on my elbows, I looked at him. He tried to hide his face, but I stole his moves and used my fingers to guide those eyes back to mine. And right there in them I could see it. Clear as day.

“Oh, Harper.” My chest felt like it was opening a crack. I ran my palm up his stubble, hoping to soothe his worry. “ I trust you . I would not be doing any of this with you if I didn’t. Just because you get under my skin sometimes doesn’t mean I don’t.”

“Al—

My lips stopped his words. I kissed him softly this time. “I’m pretty sure I trust you too much. You see me as I am Harper. And now I want you to take me as that too.”

“You’re playing dirty,” he croaked breath coming out in a long huff.

“Exactly what you told me to do,” I said. “I’ve always been good at following directions.”

He chuckled. “You don’t fight fair at all.”

I felt my own mouth quirk. I could tell he was giving in. “Then just hurry up and give me what I want already.”

“Alta this is not how I planned this for us.” My heart soared just at the thought that he had plans for us, even though I would like nothing more than to mess them up.

“You’re one of the few people who knows how selfish I can get, Harp,” I admitted. “Right now, I want to be selfish with you. I want you to treat me like only you can. Like the girl that only you see. I know you know what I’m saying. Please, Harper? ”

Warm brown eyes touched me with something other than the heated gaze he’d been giving me all night. As he watched me, I felt that chasm in my chest more pronounced than before, yet instead of feeling empty and wrong, it felt like it was being filled. Filled up with him.

And it felt like my breath was being stolen away with my heartbeat as the next words he spoke sounded a lot like, “Lay back, sweetheart.”