“Rusty? What do you mean?” he asks, his eyebrows pulling inward.
“He pulled me out of the car. He’s the reason I got a second chance at–”
I’m cut off when we hear a bin close and both of us snap our heads toward the sound, finding Rusty at the side of the house, wiping his hands across his faded black jeans.
“Sorry, kids. Didn’t mean to…”
He stops talking when Keaton walks right up to him and wrenches him in for a hug.
I watch my brother express his gratitude in a way I have never seen before, and when they pull back from each other, both holding the other’s shoulders, Keaton nods at him, rasping, “Thank you…for what you did for her.” He jerks his chin toward me.
And with just those few words, Rusty knows exactly what he’s talking about, as he pulls him in again and taps his back.
“I wish you never had to thank me for anything, son.”
Alow, drawn-out laugh sounds in front of me when I almost stumble down the illuminated stairs at The Barbed Cherry.
“Asshole,” I mumble, locking eyes with Harlen’s heated deep blues. He’s casually resting his weight on the wall at the bottom. His arms wrap over his tight chest, his veiny biceps flexing against his white t-shirt. He is the definition of sex with his golden windswept curls, and tanned, glistening skin. He’s too goddamn pretty for his own good.
“Not all of us are used to riding on a bike for fucking hours, Harlen,” I state matter-of-factly.
He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip and pulls it into his mouth, his eyes glinting in the darkness, only turning hungrier. “I know how you can get some practice, but you and I both know you sure as fuck won’t be able to walk afterwards,” he says with confidence.
I scoff, grinning, taking the last landing of the stairs and striding two steps right into him. I hook my fingers into the top of his black ripped jeans, then I shake my long locks out behind me, exposing the skin on my neck. Rising onto the balls of my feet, I whisper right over Harlen’s smiling lips, “Is that right?”
His eyes flick between mine in challenge before he drops them to my lips and slides his calloused hand up my neck and to my chin. Thumb caressing the sharp bone at my jaw, he tries to push his lips against mine, but I step back and drop to my ankles in front of him. He looks down at me, and I look up at him, not once taking my eyes off him when I slip my hand into my shoe to pull out the spare key I keep beneath the innersole of my Chucks.
He’s shaking his head when I rise to my feet and move toward the door, working quickly to unlatch both locks. I can feel him close on my heel when I haul it open.
Shoving through, I attempt to lock him out with a grin on my face. But like the last time, back in Shadow Heads at the dance studio, he’s too goddamn quick. His long fingers wrap around the edge, halting my attempt at being a brat.
I smirk through the gap, the space just enough for us to be able to breathe our playful words over each other's lips.
His thumb pushes against my bottom lip, pulling it down slightly, and I smile when he whispers, “Don’t you even think about it.”
This feels like a whole lot of deja vu.
I lick my lips, stepping closer and raising my chin in perfect defiance. “Oh yeah, why not?”
When he smiles this time, it’s so bright, so content, so happy as his eyes flick down to my lips before moving between my gaze eagerly. “You want me to answer that this time, don’t you?” he asks, his voice low.
“You don’t want me to answer that.”Memories, so sharp, so vivid float through my head.
I smile. “Nah, how about you show me…” I let my hand slip from the door, and within seconds, Harlen is through it, hauling me over his shoulder and spanking my ass.
I squeal.
So. Fucking. Freely.
He’s perfect.
HARLEN
Her body trembles when I slip her off my shoulder and place her on the edge of the shimmering stage.
My hands grab her ass as I pull her into me and our lips crash together. Her arms drape over my shoulders, and the heels of her Chucks dig into my lower back, edging me that bit closer.
Our lips meld together, our need for each other evident in the urgency of our slamming, joined pulse. My palms slip beneath the hem of her tiny cropped black t-shirt in an instant, sliding up the length of her ribs as I continue to push my lips to hers.
