Stealing Harper (16 page)

We hung up, and I jogged back into the house and into the living room, where I wrapped my arms around Princess from behind the couch.

My lips skimmed that sensitive spot behind her ear before I whispered, “Can you do me a favor?”

Her head had rolled to the side, and her arms were covered in goose bumps. “Anything.”

“Go pack a bag for a few nights and meet me down here in ten minutes.” Lightly nipping on her ear, I lowered my voice even further. “You won’t need many clothes.”

Her eyes flew open, and she turned to look at me, an odd expression passing over her face. “Are we going to your house?”

I wanted to ask what had freaked her out so much but decided I might not want to know since Brandon was at my house. Whether it had to do with him or not, I’d been making sure he and Harper didn’t see each other anymore and really didn’t want to discuss him with her. “Nope, but it’s a surprise, so I can’t tell you.”

Her face relaxed, and she rolled her eyes with a light laugh. “You and your surprises. Okay, ten minutes, and I’ll be ready.”

While she was packing, I called Brad and told him about the appointment, the sex of the baby, and made sure everything was all right at the house. By the time I was hanging up, Princess was coming down the stairs with a
very
small bag, and I couldn’t help but smile. Apparently, she’d taken my words seriously.

Since we’d gotten together, Harper and I hadn’t slept together . . . in any way. We would curl up on her bed in my parents’ house and talk until she fell asleep, and I’d quietly make my way back to my room. I knew my parents didn’t care—after all, she
was
already pregnant. But even though she’d taken time between breaking up with Brandon and telling me about the baby, I was terrified of pushing her away like I’d done so often during the school year. And she hadn’t asked if I would stay with her, so I’d continued to let her sleep alone.

But this weekend, I had other plans. I know I’d told her not to bring many clothes, but that’d been a joke. All I wanted was to fall asleep with her and wake up the same. If she was still uncomfortable, I’d gladly sleep on the floor if that’s what she needed. But I figured it might be uncomfortable for her either at my house with her ex, or at my parents’ with them there. So I was taking us for a weekend of just us. And hoping I didn’t screw it up.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, and slowly scrambled out of my truck once I was parked, unable to take her eyes off the restored Victorian house in front of us. The sign out front showed it was a bed-and-breakfast. “Chase, I don’t know how you’re ever going to be able to top today. Finding out we’re having a boy, buying me a car, joining our bank accounts, and this?”

“I promise I’ll always try to top this, but I did want today to be perfect.” Kissing her forehead softly, I grabbed our bags and went inside to check us in. As soon as we were in our room, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close, waiting until her eyes met and locked with mine. “I know what I said earlier, but don’t think we have to do anything this weekend. All I wanted was to have three nights of just you and me; I don’t expect anything.”

“I know you don’t”—her voice was breathy as she grabbed for the bottom of my shirt and lifted it until I had to take over for her—“but I want this, too, Chase.”

I sucked in air though my teeth when the tips of her fingers ran gently down my bared chest and stomach until they came to rest on the top of my jeans. Her eyes clouded over when she ran her fingers just inside my waistband, only to remove them and reach for the button. I would do anything to have her this way, but I needed to know she wouldn’t regret this later. Grabbing her hands, I stilled them and bent slightly to look at her. “You’re sure, Harper?”

She huffed softly, and her head tilted to the side as she pointed to her rounding stomach. “Um?”

“Just because we’re having a baby doesn’t mean we have to do anything.”

“Chase. I didn’t mean it like that. But yes, I am sure. Now stop trying to stop me and let me love you.”

Shaking my head, I let out a short laugh and rested my forehead against hers before straightening and letting go of her hands. Her fingers and knuckles brushed against my growing erection as she undid each button and slid my jeans down before doing the same with my boxer briefs. I swear I groaned at one point. How was something as simple as her taking my pants off already having me breathing roughly? As soon as I kicked my pants away, I was grabbing for her shirt and giving her the same torture she’d just given to me. My knuckles skimmed across her small baby bump, and when the tips of my fingers caressed up the side of her breasts, I was rewarded with hearing her breath catch and her body instantly become covered in goose bumps. It took everything in me not to touch her where my body was craving, but I was happy to see I wasn’t the only one struggling with keeping still as I pulled her shorts and underwear off her body. Her hands were clenched into fists, and if I hadn’t looked up to see her gray eyes turn to liquid silver and her teeth sink into her soft bottom lip, I would have been afraid I’d been rushing things again.

Stepping away from her, I shamelessly ran my eyes over her beautiful body, and once again my chest filled with love when they caught sight of my work on her hip, and her little Gummy Bear bump. She finished her visual exploration of me seconds after I’d finished mine of her, and I bent down to press my lips to her growing belly and tattoo before standing to take her lips in mine. She moaned, and her hands came up to my neck as she deepened our kiss. Lifting her gently, I carried her over to the bed and deposited her in the middle before crawling on top of her.

Minutes that felt like hours—and still not nearly long enough—were spent touching every inch of each other with hot kisses and memorizing hands. As I made a trail of openmouthed kisses up her body, she grabbed my cheeks and begged me not to make her wait any longer. She grabbed my length and guided it to where she wanted it most, whimpering softly when I pushed inside her. Her eyes had fluttered shut momentarily, and opened on a gasp when I slid out and back in. I made love to her slowly, letting my lips graze hers softly before making their way back down to worship her neck and breasts, and when her head dropped back, and her body tightened as she came, I rolled us over so she was on top and lowered her body to kiss her again as she continued to move on me. Her breathing picked up again, and she intertwined our fingers, holding our hands down firmly on the bed as she sat up slightly and rolled her hips against mine over and over. I gritted my teeth and removed one of my hands from hers to grip her hip and help in her movement as she cried out her next orgasm, and I followed her into it.

“C
HASE, WHERE’S MY
baby mama?”

I turned to look at Brian and laughed. “Probably out with my mom and sister.”

“Well, get her ass in here! I miss my baby boy.”

“Bri, she was just here a couple days ago.”

He looked at me like I was missing something. “Yeah . . . and?”

“And apparently nothing,” I snorted, and looked back down to the rib cage of the girl I was working on. “You doin’ all right?”

“Uh-huh!” she said tightly, and blew out quickly.

“If you need me to take another break, just let me know.” She’d already taken one, and all I was doing was a name. I could easily have this done in ten minutes, fifteen tops. But not even halfway in she said she was going to pass out, and she needed ten minutes just to calm down. I’d advised her not to get her first tattoo on her ribs, but people will do what they want.

“N-no. I’m—I’m okay.”

Hell no, she wasn’t. I lowered my voice as I continued on, trying to calm her. “We’re almost done. Promise.”

The bells above the door sounded and I glanced up to see a Kat Von D look-alike walk into the shop.

“You lookin’ to get work done?”

“No,” her husky voice said confidently as she walked right up to my station. “I’m Trish, and I start today.”

I nodded but kept working. “Chase, good to meet you. Brian just stepped into the back for a second. He can show you around.” Other than Brian, Jeff, and me, we’d had one other artist, Frankie, but the guy was usually so stoned out of his mind he couldn’t work even if he did show up. Jeff had finally gotten rid of him a few weeks ago, but we’d been struggling with just the three of us, and he’d hired someone new while Harper and I had been in Dana Point. He hadn’t said anything about its being a girl, though.

“Hey, homie!” Brian called out to her as he walked back in. “You bring your stuff with you today?”

“It’s on the way, I left it in my girl’s car, and she had to run an errand. She’ll be here in a minute.”

“All right, well I see you met Chase. Chase, this is the new chick.”
No shit.
“Let me show you around the shop and get you in your station.”

Thank God I’d pulled the needle away from the girl I was working on, because Trish touched my shoulder, and I jerked away from her hand. “Good to meet you, buddy.”

“Yeah.”
Fuck. Hot chick working here?
I honestly didn’t care if she was a model; it wouldn’t change the fact that the only person I wanted was Princess. But I knew from our conversations she still didn’t really believe that I’d wanted only her since I met her. And I just hoped this didn’t make her insecurities with our relationship grow.

I finished the small tattoo, covered it, and got her out the door before I went to where Brian and Trish were hanging out. As soon as I sat on Brian’s counter, the door opened again, and Trish smiled wide as she ran over to it. Following her path, I saw a butch-looking girl standing there only to catch Trish as she crashed into her and kissed her hard. I blew out a relieved breath and smiled to myself.
She’s gay. Thank. God.

“That’s hot,” Brian said next to me, and I looked at him like he was insane.

“Bri, the other chick looks more like a guy than you do.”

“Don’t be jealous of my hair, bro. You just wish you could pull this off.”

“You look like Troy Polamalu. Trust me when I say I’m not jealous.”

He kicked at my leg and nodded when the girls walked up to us.

“Brian, Chase . . . this is my girlfriend, Erin. Erin, these are some of the guys.”

Erin set a box I’m guessing had Trish’s needle in it on the counter and roughly shook our hands. “You guys take care of my girl for me.”

“Will do.” The door opened again with a girl and a guy walking in holding hands. I stood and began to make my way toward them, turning toward Erin and Trish as I passed. “Good to meet you.”

After I handed a couple books of our work to the newlyweds wanting matching tattoos, Brian came up beside me, and whispered, “Dude, she looks like Kat Von D. Shit, that’s hot.”

“I’m gonna tell Riss you’re hard for our new girl.”

“Dude . . . Riss would think she’s hot, too. She’d appreciate my taste in women.”

I snorted. “Yeah, all right.” Marissa was cool, but Brian had cheated on her right after they got married, and while I can’t imagine why she’d stay with his lying ass after that, she was always getting on Bri whenever he checked out girls. He was terrified of losing her, we all knew that, so I knew he wouldn’t touch another girl again. But he had that look-but-don’t-touch philosophy, and I knew one day it was gonna set Riss off all over again.

We shut up when Erin and Trish walked past us with their arms around each other, and as they got to the door, shared a
long
kiss good-bye.

“Still hot,” Brian whispered, and I just shook my head.

“B
RO.”
T
RIS
H LOOKED
at me and laughed through her smile. “That’s it! I gotta meet her.”

“I don’t know.” I raised an eyebrow and sucked in air through my teeth. “You might try to take her from me. Lord knows Brian’s already claimed the baby as his.”

“The baby
is
mine!” he said loudly and caught the wrapped-up burrito Jeff tossed over to him.

We’d just barely opened the shop, and I had clients coming in a little over an hour, but other than that, we were dead. As was common in the early afternoons. Trish had been working for a few days, and after Brian and Jeff had told her about their wives, they’d turned it around to me and Princess and basically told her everything about our relationship up ’til now. And I mean
everything.
But with how much the other guys loved her, too, Trish was dying to meet the girl who changed me.

“Get my baby mama here!”

Jeff swallowed the bite of taco he’d just taken, before adding, “If Brian gets this baby, can your next baby be mine?”

“So dumb. I don’t know how your wives or Princess put up with you guys.” But I still pulled out my phone and gave her a call, and when she answered, I couldn’t stop the wide smile that crossed my face at hearing her voice, and Trish started razzing me with Brian about it. “Hey, Princess, can you come by the shop?”

“I’m going to dinner with Bree in a little over an hour, but I can swing by really quick. Did you need me to bring you anything?”

“Just yourself. Brian’s mad because you haven’t been around.” I didn’t mention he was currently giving me puppy eyes. I rolled my eyes at him and shoved him away as he tried to take the phone from me. “And we have a new artist, she wants to meet you after hearing all our stories about you.”

She laughed softly and sighed. “I was just there last week! I’m leaving right now; see you in a minute.”

I mouthed to the guys and Trish that she was coming. “I love you.”

“Love you, too, Chase.”

I would never get enough of hearing her say that.

Trish and I were in my station, and I was telling her about how I’d come to give Harper her nickname, when my girl walked in. God she was gorgeous. Her stomach was getting bigger, and I loved it. Ever since the bed-and-breakfast, we spent every night in each other’s arms, and I would always pull her shirt up so I could trace random patterns across her growing belly. To be honest, it was the best part of my day. She’d already be asleep since I worked late most nights, but she’d wake up so we could talk an hour or so about everything and nothing and just enjoy each other without anyone else around.