Everyone turns to look at us. Oops. “Bedtime for Harper. Happy New Year!”
Eli’s laughter follows us as I stomp up the stairs, Harper hanging limply over my shoulder. Glancing at my watch, I gently pat Harper’s ass as we enter the bedroom. Thirty minutes of edging before we ring in the New Year. Perfect.
A mouthful offur on New Year’s Day is not the way I imagined starting off the new year. Blinking my eyes open, I squint as I inspect the bed for Harper. One hand curled under the pillow, the other reaching out for my hand, his lips still parted with sleep. I’d edged him forever last night until he threatened to murder me if I didn’t make him come at that exact moment.
Unafraid of his fury, I’d held off for a couple more minutes, earning me that coveted cry ofDaddywhen he finally came. As quietly as I can, I carry a still-half-asleep Honey out to the backyard of the beach house. She stares up at me in abject confusion for a moment, before yawning and doing her business. In the kitchen, I quietly make two cups of hot chocolate for me and Harper, then fill Honey’s dog bowl with food. The entire house is quiet, everyone is sound asleep from a raucous night celebrating New Year’s.
Satisfied we’ll get a few dog-free moments now, I return to the bedroom with the steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Harper is leaning up on his elbows, sleepy eyes blinking at me. He makes grabby hands for the steaming mug. I chuckle and hand him the mug, setting mine down on the nightstand to join him in the bed. He lets out a blissful sigh when he drinks a few sips, then also rests his mug on the nightstand.
I lie down on the bed, hands tucked under my face. Harper mimics me with a teasing grin.
“Happy New Year,” Harper says, voice still gravelly.
“I think we celebrated early this morning.”
Harper bites his lip. “That we did.”
I hook my finger in the band of his sweatpants, tugging him closer until we’re nose to nose. “I’ve got a question for you.”
Up close Harper’s eyes are sea-glass green, with little flecks of yellow around the edges. The most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. His fingers sneak under my shirt, cold against my overheated skin, but they warm the longer he rests them there.
“I might have an answer.”
Typical. I press a soft kiss to his jaw, hiding my grin in his hair. “What would you think about me moving in with you?”
Harper’s fingers pause in their restless exploration of the small of my back. His fingers tap against my back a few times, before picking back up where they left off. He lets out a little puff of air against my head.
“Did you just invite yourself to live with me?”
I kiss his ear and splay my hand against the curve of his ass. “Maybe.”
“I have some conditions.”
I pull back to look at him. “Let me hear it.”
He squints at me, seeing what he can get away with. “You’ll cook dinner every night.”
“Done.”
“And you’ll do the dishes.”
Easy. “Done.”
“We’ll play basketball whenever we want to argue.”
I swallow roughly. “Okay.”
Harper turns his head to kiss my bicep, fluttering his eyes at me. “You’ll take a bubble bath with me once a week.”
“Jeez, Harper. Do you have any tough requests?”
His chin trembles just a little, eyes going uncharacteristically misty. “You’ll love me forever?”
I roll us over so I hover over him, caging him between my arms. He relaxes under my kiss, still-sleep-warm mouth tasting like mine. When I pull away to kiss his brow, there’s a dreamy grin on his upturned lips. That’s also mine. Everything about Harper is mine.
“I’ll love you forever and a day, punk.”
Harper thoughtfully taps his chin with one elegant finger. “You can move in, then.”
