CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Home. Luke had thought of this house and what it held more times than he could count in the last six months. The bones were the same, but the passing of time was evident in the small details.
A lot had happened in six months. And he wasn’t sure how he felt about some of it. He wasn’t sure how a lot of people felt about it. Harper had been unusually quiet during the ride home. He didn’t know how Joni had come into the picture, but he did know what it meant. Harper knew about Karen.
The tickle of panic he felt when he saw Joni and Harper together hadn’t subsided yet. His worlds had collided, and he wasn’t sure what the ramifications would be. Seeing Joni at breakfast with his family, with Harper, had knocked him back. He never expected that relationship to resurface. Being around her was like being catapulted into the past. The words she’d said at Karen’s funeral still cut at him. Her words were his thoughts. And now an apology? Joni owed him nothing. He was the one who owed the apology — to Joni and to Harper.
He had been an ass, thinking he could keep his past separate. Didn’t Harper deserve to know why he could never offer her more? It had been selfish and stupid to think that he could keep her in the dark. And now there was a distance between them.
He had tried to set up his apology on the drive home. “So. Joni?”
But Harper wasn’t biting. “Yeah,” she nodded. And that was it.
At least home was still intact.
The flowerbeds were neatly trimmed and hidden under a fresh layer of mulch for the winter. Harper had dotted colorful annuals among the greenery this summer, sending him a picture a week of her efforts. The pumpkins and mums that she put out for Halloween still flanked the front door. The new front door, Luke noticed, clenching his jaw.
It was a near perfect replica of the original. Frank had done a good job of finding the right one. But it was a reminder to Luke of the danger he hadn’t been able to protect Harper from.
Harper turned her key in the lock and glanced over her shoulder. “I can’t wait to see this reunion,” she grinned.
He tugged her blonde tail, bringing her back to face him. “Kiss me first.”
She took her time, stepping into him and winding her arms around his neck.
His grip on her hair tightened, tilting her head back. His mouth found hers already parting. His lips fused to hers, binding them together with breath and taste until he couldn’t tell where he stopped and she started. He invaded her mouth, taking what he wanted most — her surrender. He would never get enough of her flavor — sweet, with a belt that knocked him back every time.
The second his mouth closed over hers, he felt the current course through them. Need matched need and he knew, no matter what, their bodies still craved each other. There was no hiding it. No denying it.
He needed Harper Wilde like he needed his next breath.
“God, I missed you.” His lips moved over hers.
She was silent, but her fingers dug into his collar and held.
He tasted again and when he felt her tremble against him, he forced himself to pull back before he shredded her pants there on the front porch. He groaned. “Inside, baby.”
She sighed and nodded. “Dogs first. Then upstairs.” She turned back to the door. “Are you ready for a slobbery reunion?”
Harper was smiling, but there was a coolness back in her eyes.
It was a challenge. He would take down that wall brick by damn brick until there was nothing separating them.
Maybe he couldn’t love her the way she deserved, but he could give her everything else.
Harper opened the door to seven legs of chaos. The second Lola realized he was there, her excited woofs turned to whimpers and wriggles. Her tail whipped so hard Luke was afraid it would strip the wainscoting from the wall. He dropped to his knees and Lola jumped, putting her front paws on his shoulders so she could nibble his nose.
Max pawed at his back, yips shaking his tiny body. Luke grabbed the little dog and held him to his chest. He thumped Lola in the chest. “I heard you saved Mommy’s life, pretty girl.”
Lola dissolved into shivers of joy. She launched herself at his shoulders again, bowling him over onto his back.
“I think they missed you,” Harper said, laughing softly.
“I missed them. Almost as much as I missed you.” He climbed out from under the pile of dogs. “I need a shower after that welcome.”
He pulled her to him. “Will you go to bed with me?”
She cuddled into him. “Of course.”
