“Well, guys, I’m whupped.” Fletch stood.

“Me too.” Eli pushed to his feet.

“I ain’t ready to go home,” Abe said. He looked at Ike. “You wanna hit Buckeye Joe’s and see if anything’s goin’ on?”

“Sure. Ain’t like I gotta get up early and go to church.”

More laughter.

Bran wondered if Abe’s new fascination with Buckeye Joe’s had anything to do with his ex-wife’s interest in the place. According to Harper, Janie had become a regular—and she’d regularly called Harper to drink with her.

Harper strolled out of the house after the guys left. Wrapped in a blanket, she stopped on the opposite side of the bonfire from where he sat.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey.”

“Thanks for cleaning up.” He finished his beer. “It was a ton of work. I appreciate it. You can put the hours on your time sheet, if you want.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t show up today as your hired hand, Bran. I’m here as your . . .”

Silence.

“As my what?” he prompted.

She sauntered forward. “As the woman who wants you to keep her warm.”

Bran opened his arms. “Come here, my woman, and snuggle up on my lap.”

A wide grin split her beautiful face and she practically ran to him. She sat facing the fire, nestling the back of her head into his neck and draping her legs outside his.

He tucked the blanket around her. “Better?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

They watched the orange and yellow flames dancing up the long chunks of wood as the embers glowed red.

After a bit, she sighed. “There’s just something mesmerizing about a bonfire, isn’t there?”

There’s something mesmerizing about you.

“Bran, I have a confession to make.”

“Okay.”

“I broke into your grandparents’ house today. Well, technically I didn’t break in because the door wasn’t locked, but Lainie and I got to talking, and we were both curious, so we just sort of . . . went in.”

Any anger he expected didn’t surface. He didn’t say anything because he didn’t know what to say.

“Are you mad?”

He brushed his lips over her temple. “No. I guess I’m figuring you’re gonna chew me out for letting it sit empty.”

“It is a cool house. Much bigger on the inside than I imagined. It would take a lot of money to get it updated, so I do understand why the repairs might seem daunting.”

“But?”

“But. It’s where you grew up. It just seems to be waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me . . . how?”

“Waiting for you to settle down and decide to make it your home again. Most people never have that kind of chance.”

Such a sweet, romantic notion from a woman who defined practical. It made his heart ache to hear Harper’s sentimental side and realize how she longed for a home of her own. Once again he was at a loss for words. He couldn’t tell her about the strange mixed emotions she aroused in him, but he could show her. He kissed her temple and said, “Can you get up for a second?”

“Oh, sorry. I’m probably giving you a cramp, sitting on your lap.” She scrambled off and almost planted her face in the bonfire.

He snatched her back by grabbing her hips. “Steady, sweetheart.”

“I think my legs fell asleep.”

“I’ll wake ’em back up.” Bran quickly unbuckled his belt and dropped his jeans and his boxers to his knees. Then he sat again, grateful that he’d chosen a chair with lower arms. He slapped his bare thighs. “Okay. Now you can sit on my lap.”

Harper whirled around, her eyes immediately zeroing in on his erection. “My, my. What a hard, hot poker you have there, Mr. Turner.”

“All the better to stoke your fire with, baby.” He used the edges of the blanket to tug her closer. “Straddle me. I want to see your face bathed in firelight as I’m inside you.”

Her eyes softened. She lowered herself onto his legs carefully.

Bran lifted her dress out of the way and shifted his hips, sliding her forward. The head of his c**k brushed the warm wetness at her center.

Harper pressed into him, taking him inch by inch. Once his c**k was buried fully, she closed her eyes and her head fell back.

He hooked his finger into the front of her dress and tugged the material until her bra appeared. Another tug and her ni**les poked out. His mouth opened over the pale peach tip and he sucked, loving the way the bud responded. Loving her surprised gasp and the not-so-subtle way she attempted to get him to take more of her delicious nipple into his mouth by arching her back.

She pulled herself closer. With her hands on his shoulders, Harper gained extra leverage and did a twisty roll with her hips.

“Keep doin’ that, sweetheart.” He returned his focus to her luscious tits. Man, he could not get enough of them. In his mouth. In his hands. Gliding his c**k between them. Nuzzling this softest part of her drove them both crazy.

“I thought you wanted to see my face by firelight,” she said softly. “Because you seem to be focused on my chest. Again.”

Bran’s gaze snapped up and her nipple slipped from his mouth with a soft pop. “But I am looking at you. You’re beautiful, Harper. Just like I knew you’d be.” His fingertips stroked the delicate line of her collarbone. “Much too pretty for the likes of me.”




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