My eyelashes flutter closed as the pad of his thumb traces the curve of my bottom lip, and I sigh in contentment, never having felt this before. My name has never sounded better, and a small smile pulls at my lips at the sheer look of relief that seems to flood through him at the sight of my smile. And in an instant, his lips are on mine again. And while tomorrow morning’s impending regrets flash through my mind like a warning sign, I’m inundated by everything Harley. Tomorrow can wait.

Chapter 26

I shiver as calloused fingers, rough and demanding, contradict the softness of his touch, burning my skin and bringing goose bumps to erupt all over from my head to the very tips of my toes. My back arches in response to his lips, warm, soft yet firm and unrelenting as they torture the sensitive skin at the base of my neck. At first his kisses are gentle, like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings. But then they become urgent, needy, his lips almost bruising me as if to leave his mark so that I’m forever branded by him. Never before have I felt such desire, such inexplicable need and want. With each kiss, his lips creep closer and closer to mine. My hands find his hair, fingers tangling through his curls as he claims me completely.

“Harley!” I cry out, breathlessly, my voice raw and hoarse.

***

I startle, my eyes flying open, and I gasp when I’m met with nothing but silence and darkness. Confusion overwhelms me as my heart races and my chest heaves with every labored breath I try to take. Clutching the sheets, I lift my head and look around to find the room dimly lit from that almost nonexistent glow of morning, just before the sun rises, casting the space around me in a shade of gray so hazy it’s like a smokescreen.

What the hell?

With trembling hands I scrub my face in the hope it will help to provide some semblance of clarity, help bring me back to the present, but nothing more than clouded, pixelated memories from the night before keep flashing through my mind, and I don’t actually know what to think. A vision of Harley and me in the bathroom pops into my head, one where my nails are scratching down his back so hard blood is drawn to the surface.

I close my eyes tight, trying to rid myself of that image. But then I’m consumed by another explicit vision of the two of us in the shower and, at that thought, I begin choking on my own breath, coughing and spluttering. Pushing up from the pillows, I bang on my chest as I continue gasping for breath, which is precisely the moment I come to realize that I’m stark naked on top, with only a bed sheet draped over my just as naked bottom half.

Christ.

I grip the sheet tight, pulling it up to shield myself, and just as I finally catch my breath, my eyes adjust to the muted light enough to make out the outline of the very tattooed, very naked body lying on the bed next to me. My jaw drops as I grip the sheet even tighter, but I can’t help but get a closer look at the man sleeping obliviously beside me. Face down, his pert backside barely covered by the mess of sheets, his head is turned to me, his eyes closed, eyelashes fanning over his cheeks. His pouted lips are slightly parted, his hair a chaotic mess of wayward curls sticking up in almost every direction.