Page 22 of Dirty Whispers

"Yeah." She hesitates, biting her lip. "I mean… It's only three years. It's not the end of the world."

"Baby." I hold my hands palms up, inviting her to take them. "I want you to choose whatever will make you happy. But I know that you like to calculate things. Check them out. Ponder. And I need to be sure that you have every scrap of information that might be relevant to your decision."

Her eyes sparkle. "Do you think I'm missing some information?"

"I just want to double check." Lifting her right hand, I kiss the back of it gently, then even more carefully kiss the tip of her poor bitten ring finger.

"I'm not a fancy educated man. I'm just a car guy. But I am a good communicator, I think. So I'll ask you flat out: what can I do to make a life for you here?"

I hate the way her bottom lip trembles. "I don't know," she whispers. "I mean, it's only been a week. This is all happening so fast. And I'm kind of at a stage in my life where…you know. It's hard to know what I want."

"See, that's why I think I could be really good for you." Glancing around, I see a few older guys at the counter enjoying their coffee, and even though I don't think they can hear us, I still lean in and whisper. "Harper, if you come live with me, you won't have to pay rent. You won't ever have to worry about money again. You can study as much as you want, work as much as you want, do anything you want. You'd be absolutely free."

Her mouth drops open in surprise. "But…I mean… I would have to pay my share."

I shrug, squeezing her hands. "If you want to, and it makes you happy, fine. But it's not necessary. You could spend your entire day reading and studying, or volunteering, or working… The possibilities are endless. Bottom line, you can do whatever feeds your mind and soul without having to worry about cash."

"How is that fair?"

"Fifty years ago, that's what all men did for their partners." My head shakes. "I'm not saying that I want any super traditional relationship from fifty years ago. I'm just saying that in our case, I want to provide for you. I'm ready to settle down. Marry up. Whatever you want." My throat feels constricted and I have to clear it. "Harper, you're the one. And in a perfect world I know I would date you for at least a couple of weeks before telling you that. But the world isn't perfect. And the thought of you living so far away for three years makes me queasy."

Her tongue darts across her lips as she stares down at our clasped hands. Then she whispers, "Thank you for saying all that. I just need a bit more time to think."

"I understand."

Releasing her hands, I take a sip of coffee. "So, in the interest of spending more time together, could I possibly make you dinner again this evening?"

"Sure."

I pay the bill, then help her pack up her things. We drive past Nikki on the library bench and toss her the keys to Harper's car so she can drive Jocelyn home. I need Harper with me tonight. If there's anything I can do to sway her decision, I need to pull out all the stops now.

By the time we get to my place and are having a blast making sloppy Joes, I can feel Harper relaxing.

We settle on the couch after dinner, my arm around her. "We can do anything you want tonight, darlin'. A movie. Snuggling in front of the fire. Card games."

She laughs. "You know, I've always wanted to learn how to play euchre. Or bridge. But for now…"

I love that she leans over and kisses me first.

My hand is already gripping her waist, then nudging up to caress her soft breast through her t-shirt. "I can feel an important detailed chart in your kiss, baby. It includes a diagram of every part of your body I need to worship right now."

"Griffin." Her voice is barely a breath as her lovely, deep, blue eyes turn serious. "Even if all this turns out to be just a few weeks of fun, you wouldn't be angry if I left when our work is done, would you?"

Her body lands on top of mine as I pull her to the floor. "I will never be angry with you. Especially not for following your heart."

Sitting up, I pull off her t-shirt and bra, then kiss a circle between her breasts. "Your heart is pure. So follow it. Always."

She blinks up at me, her eyes slightly misty. Nodding, she forces a smile. "My heart said that I should go out with you when I didn't even know you. So I guess it's doing something right."

My forehead presses to hers. "I think everything you do is right. Then again, I'm a little biased, because…you know… You're my favorite person ever."

Harper laughs, then gasps as I peel off her jeans and underwear. Then I grab the remote from the coffee table and turn the TV to the fireplace channel and strip while she nods her approval. "Well, you're certainly efficient."

"No time to build a fire. Besides, you're super-hot already."

Her eyes roll, then she moans slightly as my lips fasten over her nipple and my hand slips between her legs. It feels like the cloudiness of her questioning has mostly dissipated, and the sun is beginning to come out. Like she trusts me. Like she knows that I'll do anything for her.

Her hand grips the soft throw rug as I kneel between her legs, draping one thigh over the couch, and the other over my shoulder.

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