Page 18 of Dirty Whispers

A chill chases down my spine. I keep hinting that Harper would like it here in Old Hemlock Valley, but she hasn't given any kind of answer.

"Come here, gorgeous." I pull the blanket over her as she snuggles right into my side. "You know I'm going to try to talk you into staying here," I whisper into her hair.

"You don't even know me yet." Her warm breath mists across my chest and into my heart.

"I think I know everything about you that matters, and I'm already falling hard." She makes a tiny noise that could be a giggle, or possibly a snort. "So unless you're already married…"

"Of course not."

"…Or have thirty-three kids…"

"I like kids," she drawls sleepily, "but I draw the line at twenty-three, thank you very much."

"It's going to sound cliché as hell, but it's amazing living out here in the mountains. You said you've moved around a lot. Do you think you could ever see yourself living in a small mountain town?"

Her chin lifts, and she looks at me very carefully. "You've been lonely out here, haven't you, Griffin?"

"For the company of an amazing woman? Yes."

As Harper slowly gets up and finds her clothes, I feel like that was the wrong answer, somehow. Crap.

"I have to go. Early morning with the girls tomorrow."

"Shall I go with you? I don't like you driving on these dark roads alone at night."

Harper's sweet smile puts me at ease. "I'll go slowly, and call if I get lost, okay?"

I throw on shorts and a t-shirt and walk her to the door. "Okay. I'll be waiting for your text to say you got home safely."

"Sure."

We stop in the doorway for a goodnight kiss, and I pour all my feelings into the touch of my lips on hers. Within a minute we're both nearly panting again, and I'm thinking about taking her back to the bedroom.

"Mmm." Harper places a hand on my chest and gently but decisively pushes away. "I really need to sleep. Big day tomorrow."

"Okay." I want to tell her that I'll miss her. That I'll be thinking about her until I see her again. That I want to lock down our next date already, and I want it to last a hundred years.

Instead, I just kiss her forehead. "Talk to you real soon, gorgeous."

Watching her perky little ass sway as she walks to her car, I suddenly feel like a complete loser. Women hate the stench of desperation. Has she guessed how desperate I am to keep her forever?

We seriously click during the dirty stuff.

I'm just making a filthy mess of the serious stuff.

11

HARPER

All morning, I try to lose myself in the lovely quiet comfort that usually overtakes me when I'm immersed in my notes. Luckily, it's my turn to work at Corina's Coffee this morning, so I have a large table on which to spread out my books and supplies.

Like the extra space you'd have in the new apartment, if you decided to take it.

Yes, thank you, brain.

While I organize, sort, and color code our findings from the past few days, I'm constantly listening to the cheerful public conversations of the other customers.

Mountain people definitely discuss the weather more than any other group I've ever encountered. I guess it makes sense: apparently the weather is quite unpredictable here, because the rolling hills determine which way the wind will turn. One of the most popular topics of conversation is debating how often the local news station predicts the weather correctly compared to some of the old timers in town.

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