Page 70 of Unmasking Love
Harper is tall and I love how we line up perfectly. As I round the foot of bed I catch the shape of her breasts under the sheet and my mouth waters remembering the way I sucked on them in the early hours of the morning. How her skin was the delectable combination of sweet and salty.
She stirs when I slide into bed.
"Morning," I whisper with a kiss to her forehead as she snuggles into me. She pops her leg up over my lap and I feel her smile against my chest when her thigh rubs against my erection.
"Good morning," she sighs contentedly and I hug her closer. Her cheek rests over my heart and I swear I can feel it lifting towards her. Like it wants her to cradle it.
I would give anything to stay snuggled in bed with Harper all day. I want to keep her with me. Stay near her.
"So," Harper says as she slowly traces her fingers up and down my chest. Along the scar but not lingering on it. "What are your plans for today?"
"Our plans," I correct her. "I was thinking we'd get dressed and you can come with me to practice. Then we can see where the day takes us."
"Sounds delightful." She lifts her chin and rests it on my pec. I tuck mine and I get lost in the way her brown eyes sparkle with flecks of gold. I barely register that her face is balanced on the empty space in my tattoo. My markings pale in comparison to the way our bodies react to each other and it has become a non issue. "One problem." Harper says and I draw a blank not knowing what problem there could possibly be.
"What's that?" I ask.
"I didn't pack any clothes." She giggles and I find myself chuckling along as I remember how I all but carried her out the door after we sixty-nined in her bedroom.
"That's right. Well, let's get up and have breakfast and we can stop at your place before practice."
"Sounds like a plan."
***
We're back at Harper's house and I'm seeing it with new eyes. She lit up as she explained her plans for the renovation and I am still wondering why she hasn't done it yet.
I also wonder what she would think if I suggested we do it together.
We've been dating less than 12 hours but I already feel like building a home together is the right thing to do.
This home could be ours.
I don't need some fancy house with brand new everything. I want a home like this with history and character.
One that feels like her.
With a built-in sense of belonging.
I haven’t had that feeling in so long. I haven’t let myself. But two nights with Harper, half a day as her significant other, and everything has changed.
I take a closer look at her kitchen and living room while she gets dressed. I'm not an architect but her vision seems clear enough to me. What is crystal clearto me is how I want her to live at my place while the work is being done and then we could move in here together when it is finished.
When can I suggest this plan to her?
Harper walks out of her bedroom in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. It lifts to show a sliver of her stomach as she pulls a brown sweater over her shoulders. She slides thick socks into a pair of fleece lined slides and smiles up at me. She can make anything look good. But this look, casual, softens her. I fucking love her short skirts and tight tops and can definitely get down to business with her in those but this outfit says she’s comfortable.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
I open the car door for her and wait to close it until she's settled. I can tell she wasn't used to it. Dad always made a point to open Mom's door when we were younger. Only allowing me to do it when I started driving. When I started riding my bike everywhere in San Jose he joked I should clip on my date's helmets instead of opening the door.
He's good like that. Making light of a situation. Mom worries. I'm intense, focused, and driven. Leaning more towards Mom’s disposition but with an emphasis on control she doesn’t possess. Dad will crack jokes and tease us both.
I need to tell them I'm playing on Sunday. They're at their second home in Arizona. They snowbird there on and off throughout the winter. My parents met in high school, and after living together in St. Paul, they moved to Warrod when Dad got a job coaching a football team there. Mom got a teaching job at my school so we'd have the same schedule. It made getting to practices easier.
With Harper in the front seat I’m realizing that I haven’t brought someone to practice with me since my parents came along during juniors.
