Laughing, I shake my head. “I lost my virginity during a summer trip in Italy when I was seventeen. Kenzie wasn’t anywhere near me. I’d have to hit rock bottom to go near her like that.”
Harper’s laugh fills the small coatroom, the sound bouncing off the wall she leans against. Her blue eyes sparkle with relief, and the tension visibly melts from her shoulders as she smooths her hands down the silky fabric of her bridesmaid dress. “I know it’s crazy, but I’m actually really relieved.”
“That’s why you’ve been avoiding me?” I can’t keep the disbelief from my voice.
My brow furrows as I study her face, searching for some explanation that makes sense. A knot forms in mystomach at the thought of all the days we’ve wasted over a misunderstanding that could have been cleared up with a simple conversation.
“I’ve been keeping my distance because I felt something the night we spent together.”
I smirk. “Yeah, that was kind of the point. If I’m not mistaken, you felt something twice.”
It makes her smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “You know what I mean. It was intense, like something was starting between us. So hearing you only want a fling with me hurt.”
“Who the hell said I only wanted a fling with you?”
She grimaces, scrunching her nose. “Kenzie said she heard you say that to Asher.”
“Her eyes are brown because she’s full of shit.”
“I don’t know what to believe, Ford. I know you’re not Asher, but I feel like I can’t trust anyone anymore. My sense of security has been shattered.”
I back her against the wall, my hands trembling slightly as they find her waist. Her blue eyes widen, reflecting the dim light from under the door. My heart hammers against my ribs as I lean closer, close enough to smell her perfume—the same vanilla and jasmine she’s worn since college.
“I told Asher no when he asked me to be his best man,” I whisper, my voice catching. “Couldn’t stand there watching him get something he didn’t earn, something I’ve wanted since—” I swallow hard, unable to finish.
Her fingertips brush my cheek, then slide to the back of my neck. When our lips meet, her mouth opens beneath mine, warm and urgent. Her fingers fumble with my belt, then my slacks, each button a promise. She breaks away, her breath hot against my ear.
“Now,” she breathes. “Right here.”
I can’t deny her. The silk of her dress bunches between us as I fumble with my belt buckle, the metal clinking in the quiet room. Her breath catches when I lift her, her weight settling against the wall with a soft thud. Our bodies connect, and her gasp brushes my ear.
Her perfume mingles with the musty scent of wool coats surrounding us. The metal hangers rattle slightly with each movement. Beyond our sanctuary of fabric, music pulses through the walls—a reminder of how close the others are.
My heart hammers against my ribs as I listen for footsteps in the hallway. The door handle could turn any moment. Her fingers dig into my shoulders, leaving half-moon imprints through my dress shirt.
“Ford,” she whispers, her voice breaking on my name. Her ankles lock behind me, the straps of her heels grazing my skin.
Her forehead presses against mine, our breath mingling in the narrow space between us. The rhythm between us quickens. A hanger clatters to the floor. She buries her face in my neck, teeth grazing my skin.
Her body clenches around me as she comes, and I claim her mouth to muffle her moans. Having her pussy squeeze me feels like heaven, and I pounder harder into her. I want to make sure he feels everything I’m offering and more.
Harper whimpers, but I don’t relent. My orgasm hangs just on the horizon, and she tightens around me again, the moan deep and vibrating as our tongues dance.
Time suspends. The world narrows to just us—her trembling against me, and I come hard inside her, filling her as we both pant, spent.
We hold each other in the aftermath, neither willing to let go first. Small aftershock spasms nearly make me hard again, and a bead of sweat traces the curve of her collarbone, disappearing beneath the neckline of her dress. “Did that prove it?”
“That you’re good at that?” Harper asks before swallowing. “You’re really good at that.”
Her praise makes me happy, but I shake my head. “Once wasn’t enough. Twice isn’t enough. I want you, Harper. I want you so damn bad.”
She searches my eyes. “This is real?”
“It’s never been anything but real for me, Harper.”
Chapter 36
Asher
