Page 106 of Redeeming Harmony

“You’re welcome.”

They lapsed into silence.

“Nathan, why didn’t -”

“Harper, I -”

They both stopped, and he made a go on gesture.

Hating how pathetic she sounded, Harper said, “Why didn’t you come by the house after the clinic closed?”

“Sorry, I had a game night planned with Wyatt and the others. I couldn’t get out of it because we were gaming against another team. Anyway, I didn't have time to stop in when I finished the surgery and my last appointment. I meant to text you once I got to Emma’s, but I forgot my phone at the clinic.”

“Oh,” she said. “Okay. I texted you but thought when you didn’t reply that…”

“What?” he asked.

“That you were pissed at me about the Winston thing.”

“No,” he said. “It wasn’t your fault. That guy was an asshole who doesn’t deserve to have dogs. I’m glad I could help you keep him. But I’m sorry. I should have made the time to stop in quickly before I left for Emma’s.”

She shook her head. “No, we’re not. I mean, you aren’t required to…”

She took a deep breath, recentered herself, and said, “We’re not dating. You aren’t required to check in with me or share your plans. But I wanted to say thank you for saving Winston. If you hadn’t been there…”

She didn’t want to cry. She fucking hated to cry, but the shitty day, the worry that Nathan was upset with her, and the subsequent relief of realizing he wasn’t, caught up to her, and she couldn’t stop the tears. Nathan immediately pulled her chair close before tugging her out of it and pulling her into his lap.

She buried her face in his throat, inhaling the delicious scent of his warm skin as he rubbed her back. “It’s all right, honey. It’s okay.”

She put her arms around his shoulders, holding him tight as he continued to rub her back until the tears finally stopped. She wiped her face and sat up, cupping his face and staring solemnly at him. “Thank you, Nathan.”

“You’re welcome.” He pressed a kiss against her mouth, a sweet one that threatened to bring the tears on again. She took the kiss deeper, pushing her tongue between his lips, tasting every part of him as he grew hard beneath her ass.

His thumb rubbed across her cheekbone. “Will you stay with me tonight, Harper?”

She nodded and slid off his lap. He took her hand, and she jumped when there was another loud crack of thunder, and the lights went out, plunging them into darkness. Lightning lit up the sky only a few seconds later, and she stared up at Nathan’s face in the brief flash of light.

Nathan flicked the kitchen light on and off before shrugging. “Guess the power is out.”

Still holding her hand, he led her to the bedroom. They undressed in the darkness before Nathan pulled back the covers. She climbed into bed, lying on her side to face Nathan when he slid in after her. Without the faint glow of streetlights through his window, the room was a comforting cocoon of inky darkness. They were chest to chest, her leg slung over his hip, and his arm around her waist. Their noses touched, but it was impossible to make out his features in the dark.

A cat jumped on the bed, walking across their bodies before sniffing Harper’s hair. A scratchy tongue licked her forehead, and paws kneaded her arm before the cat lost interest and jumped off the bed.

She shifted closer to Nathan. She needed every part of her body touching him, needed to feel his warm and solid strength. He rested his forehead on hers, the booming thunder and the icy pellets of rain on the roof making it impossible to hear each other.

It didn’t matter. Harper didn’t want to talk. She wanted to touch, to taste, to make Nathan feel good. To make him understand how important he was to her. She pressed a kiss against the corner of his mouth, her hand sliding between them to wrap around his semi-hard dick. She stroked him into a full erection, pressing soft and gentle kisses against his mouth. She wiggled her other arm free from beneath her and traced her fingers over his chest, stopping to circle one flat nipple.

She couldn’t hear his low groans, but she felt them. They reverberated out of his chest as she stroked his cock and sucked on his perfect bottom lip. She kissed her way down his body, wiggling out of his grasp when he tried to pull her back up. She needed this. She needed him in her mouth, needed his taste on her tongue, his hands in her hair.

She didn’t tease or torment. She took Nathan deep, stroking the thick vein on the underside of his cock with her tongue as she sucked. His hand cupped her head, urging her to open wider, to suck harder. She obliged, sucking until her cheeks hollowed. She took a deep breath and relaxed her throat, then deep-throated him. Her nose touched his pubic hair, and this time his groans could be heard even above the crashing thunder and icy rain.

She released him, smiling at his hoarse cries of protest, and then deep throated him a second time. He cried out, his hips surging forward, his body shuddering under her hands and her mouth. She pulled her head back before sucking him again, humming softly while her hands gently cupped his balls.

His hands pulled her closer, his hips rising and falling as his moans and cries grew louder.

“Harper!”

She pulled back, staring up at the dim outline of his face in the darkness. “Yeah?”

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