Her head fell back onto her shoulders, screaming toward the ceiling as she cried out. The second her body started to tighten around his cock, his orgasm slammed into him like a freight train. Full steam ahead and nothing to stop it.
They fell apart in each other’s arms, Harper’s mouth landing on his. Her tongue moving against his as her hips slowed. She was still pulsing around him, wringing out every last drop of his release.
Her mouth disappeared from his as she collapsed against him, her head resting on his shoulder. He pulled his hand from between their bodies, grabbing her hip again as the other moved up and down her back, his fingers tracing her spine.
Her skin was damp, sweaty from their bodies moving together and from her hair that was still dripping wet. She shivered, snuggling into his chest and seeking his body heat. He spotted a blanket on the cushion next to them and snatched it up, wrapping it around her shoulders.
“Come on, let’s get you warm and dry.” He shifted on the couch, pulling from her body before he stood. Getting her in a hot shower would’ve been the best option, but as the sky was still lighting up every few minutes, that wasn’t going to happen.
Her legs banded around his waist, her arms tightening around his neck as she held on to him. He headed for the bathroom, setting her down on the counter before flipping the switch on the wall.
They both blinked in the light, Harper taking just a little bit longer to adjust than him. He reached to the side, turning on the faucet in the sink so the water would heat up.
“Don’t move.”
“Couldn’t even if I wanted to.” She shook her head, giving him a sleepy smile.
He leaned in, giving her a kiss on the nose before he pulled away, disentangling himself from her legs and stepping out into the hallway. He grabbed a pink washcloth and a fluffy blue towel from the linen closet before he went back to Harper in the bathroom. The water jetting out of the sink was starting to steam and he stuck his hand underneath, gauging the temperature before submerging the washcloth. He rang it out, lifting the folds of the blanket still wrapped around Harper.
He touched her knee, pushing her legs apart so he could run the warm cloth up the inside of both of her legs, taking special care in the middle. When he was done getting her cleaned up, he tossed the cloth in the hamper before stationing himself between her still spread thighs.
He reached for the tie at the back of her head and with gentle fingers he slowly worked it down her wet hair. When it was free, he grabbed the fluffy blue towel, and soaked up as much of the water as he could. And then he was spearing his fingers in her hair, loosening the strands and massaging the pads of his fingers against her scalp.
Her eyes fell shut almost instantly and she groaned. “God, that feels good.”
She melted against him, her head falling on his shoulder as he continued to work her over. She was practically purring after a few minutes. “I think I’m going to fall asleep just like this.”
“Did I exhaust you with our sexual acrobatics out there?”
“That and I haven’t been sleeping all that well. I can’t lie on my stomach anymore and it’s hard for me to get comfortable. And…I don’t like you not being next to me.”
His ministrations paused for just a second, more than slightly taken aback by her words. “I don’t like it when you aren’t next to me, either.”
One of her hands palmed the back of his neck, her fingers moving against the very base of his hairline. Her head moved from where it rested on his shoulder and she pressed her lips to his jaw.
“I love you,” she whispered between steady breaths, her exhales hitting his skin. And then she moved her head up, looking into his face. “Earlier…you said you had no regrets in regards to the baby.”
He dropped his hands, one bracing her hip while the other ran across her stomach. “I don’t.”
Her eyes had followed the path of his hand, watching as his palm moved back and forth. “And what about with us?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you have regrets when it comes to us?” she asked again, still not looking at him.
“Harper.” He reached up, touching her chin and gently forcing her gaze up. “Why are you asking this?”
“I shouldn’t have run from you. I shouldn’t have left you in May.” Her voice caught on the last word and the pain in her eyes was bleeding into his heart. “I hate that we missed time because of me.” Tears ran down her cheeks when she blinked. She shook her head, closing her eyes.
“Hey,” he whispered. His hand at her hip slid around to the small of her back and he moved in closer. “Look at me,” he demanded firmly, and her eyes opened immediately. “Harper, you can’t play this game. Everyone makes mistakes, honey. Everyone has those moments they want to take back.”
“I know that…I…” She blinked again, more tears falling from her eyes. “I ran because I knew. I knew I was in love with you then and I didn’t know how to deal with it. I told you before…Liam, forty-eight hours in and you had the power to destroy me. I was terrified.”
“I screwed up, too, you know. That night on the balcony…letting you walk away.” He took a deep breath and let it out on a sigh. “I let my pride get in the way. I didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know how to react, and I messed up. But in the end, no matter all of the mess-ups and mistakes, we were going to end up here anyway.”
“How do you know that?” She wiped at her eyes and sniffled.
“Because there isn’t any other option. Harper, this thing with us, it’s never happened to me before, and I know it will never happen for me again.”
“You know what your sister said?” She gave him a watery smile as she reached up and ran her fingers across his jaw.
Oh great. What had his sister said? “I have no idea. When it comes to Adele there is no telling what will come out of her mouth.”
“She said this was fate. That it was just a matter of time before we crossed paths.”
“Did she now?” He raised his eyebrows now more than interested in what his sister had spouted off.
“Yes. She explained that even if we hadn’t met in that bar, our paths would’ve crossed because of the fact that Abby and Logan are together. So whether it was in Nashville, or at the Stampede party…or wherever, we would’ve found each other.”
“And what else did my brilliant sister say?”
“That pregnant or not, you would’ve wanted to be with me.”
That was a fact. “Yup, Adele is one of the smartest women I know. Don’t tell her I said that, though. She already thinks she’s smarter than Logan and me. She doesn’t need to know it.”
“So you believe in fate?” she asked.
“Not before. Not before you walked into that bar. But there were a number of things I didn’t believe before I met you.”
“Such as?”
“That you can love someone so much it physically hurts. That you can know within an instant that they’re your future. Adele’s right. I would’ve found you sooner or later, and I would’ve wanted you then, too. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
“I wonder if I wouldn’t have run then? If it was later, you know? Because maybe I wouldn’t have been terrified…and I wouldn’t have hurt you.”
“Maybe…” He said the word slowly. “But when it comes right down to it, it doesn’t matter. We were supposed to meet then, Harper. We were supposed to meet in that bar. And you were supposed to come home with me that night. Because if we changed anything, we wouldn’t have this baby.” His palm still covered her belly, his thumb moving across her skin.
“No, we wouldn’t.”
“So I wouldn’t go back…I wouldn’t do anything differently. Not a second. You leaving, as much as it sucked…as much as I hated every moment of it, maybe it needed to happen. Maybe it means no running in the future.”
“You’d know where to find me now if I did. There’s nowhere to run to.”