God. When I’d first met her, she was so tortured and sad and serious. Now look at this woman. Something in my heart hurt, realizing she’d probably never had this kind of carefree laughter. She’d grown up way too fast with parents suffering a disease and later got into an abusive relationship with a man that used her kindness as a weapon.
I forced myself not to think about that and stared at the beautiful, smiling woman in front of me.
“Princess, I’m savoring.”
She made it to the kitchen, put the table between us, her chest heaving, her eyes bright with pure, unfiltered joy. This woman. This beautiful, broken, healing woman wasplayingwith me.
I faked left. She bought it, darting the opposite direction.
Wrong move.
I caught her around the waist before she made it two steps, and she squealed so loud, I was pretty sure her neighbors heard.
“Caught you,” I growled against her ear.
“That was cheating!”
“That was strategy.” I threw her over my shoulder in a fireman’s grip, and she beat her fists against my back, laughing, kicking her feet in mock protest.
“Wait!” she gasped between giggles. “Wait, wait, wait! I almost forgot! I have a surprise for you!”
“Don’t need a surprise.” I palmed her ass, gave it a squeeze. “I need to be buried inside you.”
I continued stalking toward the bedroom while she squirmed, her delicate frame draped over my shoulder like she weighed nothing.
“No, seriously! Please!” She was laughing so hard, she could barely get the words out. “I put so much time and effort into the surprise. Ipromiseyou’re going to love it!”
I paused mid-stride. Sighed. Years I’d waited. What was another few minutes?
“You’ve got thirty seconds.”
“I need at least two minutes!”
“Sixty seconds. Final offer.”
“Deal!”
I rounded the corner into the bedroom and tossed her onto the mattress. She bounced once, twice, her dark hair fanning out around her like spilled ink, those green eyes sparkling up at me.
I reached for the hem of my shirt.
“Nope!” She scrambled up onto her knees, pressing her palms flat against my chest. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist you wait outside.”
I let out a low growl. “Harper.”
“Knox.”
“I’ve spent the entire night making conversation with people, trying not to get a raging hard-on in front of all of them.” I stepped closer, forcing her to tilt her chin up to maintain eye contact. “My patience is gone.”
She laughed—actuallylaughed—and patted my chest like I was an overeager puppy. “Trust me, big guy.” She hopped off the bed, planted both hands on my chest again, and started pushing me backward toward the door. “You’re gonna want to wait for this.”
And then she shut the door in my face.
I stared at the wood grain.
Here I was. Six foot four. Two hundred forty pounds of muscle and tattoos. A man who had killed. A man other inmates crossed the yard to avoid.
Bested by a five-foot-four woman who weighed a buck twenty, soaking wet.
