Filed to story: Reclaimed Book by Roxie Ray
My dragon whined. I wanted to move closer, to reach out and touch her.
Then do it, I thought.
Trust me. Trust us, Harley.
But I didn’t want to pressure her. This was her choice. Her life.
Silence grew between us. After what felt like years, she finally set her wine glass down and lifted those pretty blue eyes to meet mine. “If we try again, we have to take it really slow.”
My dragon wanted to spread his wings and soar. “We can take it slow.”
“We’ll see how things go,” she continued. “Until the businesses are legitimate. At least.”
“Deal.”
She laughed. “Is that what this is? A negotiation?”
“You’re a tough one to crack,” I teased. “What can I say? I accept your terms.”
“They’re not terms!” She was laughing louder now, almost giddy, and delight flooded through me. “It’s just the reality.” Then she stood and sauntered into the kitchen. “Another glass of wine? Should we celebrate?”
“We should.” I followed her into the kitchen and stepped behind her, pressing my chest to her back, caging her in against the counter. Her hands trembled and fell still on the wine bottle.
Leaning down, I nosed at her temple, inhaling that sweet, delicious scent that was all her. I exhaled, my lips close to her ear, and her whole body shivered against mine.
“Stephan,” she whispered.
God, I loved the sound of my name in her mouth. It was the only sound I ever wanted to hear.
“Slow, I promise.” My voice was a low rumble deep in my chest.
She turned around and looked up. Her blue eyes were sharp, pupils slightly dilated. Her plush lower lip was dark, like she’d bitten it.
I set one hand at the curve of her waist and squeezed gently. It was the perfect fit, like our bodies had been meticulously crafted for each other.
Then Harley set both hands on my stomach, right above my waistline. She slid her hands up, flat over my abs, my chest, until she reached my shoulders. Sighing, she wound her arms around my neck and parted her lips.
What else could I do?
I kissed her.
Gripping her waist, I stepped forward until she was flush against me. Her lips opened, and she let out a soft, delicate sigh that I swallowed hungrily. I kissed her hard, desperately. It’d been ten years since I’d tasted her lips. I’d forgotten how good they tasted, how soft they felt-I’d forgotten the pressure of her body against mine, her sweet sounds, her warm skin. It was better than I could’ve dreamed. My dragon demanded we get closer, kiss harder. I wanted to kiss her breath away. I wanted to lick every inch of her skin. I wanted to drop to my knees and taste her center. I wanted to make her come harder than any man she’d been with, and I’d make it happen right here in the kitchen in front of the big glass windows.
I needed her. And finally, after all these years, I had her.
Maybe not all the way. Maybe not forever. But for now, I had her, and I was in heaven.
Harley raked a hand through my hair, then broke the kiss with a sigh. “Slow, Stephan.”
“This is slow,” I growled.
She laughed, and it sounded even prettier up close. “Dylan will be back soon. Will you help me clean the kitchen?”
It took every ounce of self-control I had, but I let go of her perfect waist and took a small step back. “What do you want to tell Dylan?” I asked.
“Nothing tonight,” she said. “But I don’t want to hide anything from him. He’d figure it out, anyway. He’s too smart.”
“Just like his mom.” I tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
“I hope so,” she whispered.
HARLEY
“There you are! Jeez! Girl, you’ve even been blowing off my texts.”
I tucked my phone between my ear and shoulder and leaned back against the side of the bed. I was sitting on the floor of my bedroom, still in my pajamas. Cassidy was on her long, traffic-filled commute to work, so it was the best time to catch her on the phone.
“Sorry, sorry,” I said. “Let’s just say, things have been interesting.”
“Interesting? You better tell me what’s going on. I can’t believe I haven’t been getting live updates.”
I chuckled. “Something happened last night.”
“What kind of something?”
I lowered my voice. Stephan was probably downstairs, but I didn’t want to risk him overhearing. “Stephan said he wants to try again.”
Cassidy shrieked into the phone so loud I had to pull it away from my ear. “I knew it. He’s still obsessed with you. Oh my god, what did you say?”
“Well, his businesses are still less than legit.”
“Illegal stuff?” She sucked her teeth. “That’s a disappointment. You don’t want Dylan around any of that mess.”
“Right. But, he claims to be getting out of all of it. Going clean.”
Cassidy paused. “And if he goes clean…”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I told him we need to go slow.”
“Hang on. Need to go slow? As in, present tense? As in, you’re going for it now?”
“I think so,” I whispered. “He kissed me last night.”
Cassidy let out another tea-kettle shriek. “Just a kiss?”
“It’s not just a kiss!”
“You were always comparing your exes to him. Don’t you think you deserve to have a good lay for once?”
“Cass!” I laughed. “I’m not twenty anymore. This is about more than the sex, you know.”
“Duh. But you talked about how good the sex was a lot.”
Heat crept into my cheeks. “I mean, I know, but now… He’s different now, Cass. He’s so good with Dylan. And he’s really straightforward and honest. It seems like…”
