Page 27 of Laying it Bare on the Run

An hour later, we headed inside, stopping at the laundry room first to grab our stuff before continuing on into the living room. Harper helped me fold the clothes and separate them into two piles – her clothes and bath stuff and mine. We set the piles at the one end of the couch and curled up on the other one. After surfing through a few channels, we settled on a romantic comedy.

When the movie was over, we grabbed the laundry and started down the hallway.

“I’ll set these things on the bed in Kaylie’s room, slip into the pajamas, and then meet you in your room, I guess.” Instead of sounding sure, Harper’s voice held traces of doubt.

“I’d like you to sleep in my room. But if you’re starting to have reservations, I understand.” I was sure my expression didn’t hide my disappointment. I wanted her in my bed but only if she was absolutely certain and comfortable with the idea.

“I want to sleep there too. I’m just really new to this and . . .” She sighed before blowing out a puff of air. “I don’t know. Am I acting like a little hussy saying I’ll meet you in your room rather than you saying to meet you there?”

“Meet me in my room, Harper.” I winked at her.

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head and walked into my sister’s old room.

Twisting to the left, I stepped into the room across the hall from her. After setting the items on my bed, I tucked my clothes into my drawers, leaving a pair of running shorts out to wear to bed. I planned to wash my uniforms tomorrow since I liked to wash them in their own load. Strolling into the bathroom, I hung up one of the towels on the bar behind the door to use later and placed the rest of the stuff on the metal rack above the toilet.

When I walked back out to my room, I smiled at Harper who was standing just inside my door. I gestured to my bed. “Crawl in and get comfortable. I’m gonna grab a quick shower, if that’s alright with you.”

“Since I’m sleeping in here, I think I’d prefer if you did shower. We were outside most of the day and it was hot.” Her lips twitched.

God, I loved that sass. She was so fucking perfect. I had to make her mine. “You’re lucky we just met or I’d take care of that feisty attitude of yours.”

I didn’t miss how her eyes dilated with my words. Hmm, Ireallyliked that. But I chose to ignore it. Her body might have been on board with what mine wanted but her mind was a little behind. “I won’t be long.” Snatching the pair of running shorts I had left on my bed, I strolled into the bathroom before she could catch sight of my growing bulge. After stripping out of my clothes and tossing them into the hamper, I adjusted the water and hopped into the shower. While I quickly washed my body and then hair, I frowned at my excited dick. I couldn’t go out there already hard. Snuggling with her was sure to add to my growing problem.

As awkward as it was – but it wasn’t like she was going to walk in on me – I decided to rub out a quick one before I crawled in bed with her. Lathering up my right hand, I braced my left one on the shower wall. Wrapping my soapy hand around my cock, I stroked up and down my length, my thoughts drifting to the gorgeous girl in my bed. It didn’t take much imagining as just her coming to my room had my dick throbbing in my hand. So I squeezed harder and tugged with much more force. Within moments, the familiar sensations of my impending orgasm started humming at the base of my spine. Someday soon, I hoped to have her pussy wrapped around my dick instead of my hand. That fantasy had the vibrations racing toward my balls at warp speed before exploding out of me with such force my cum splattered along the wall.

Once I caught my breath, I twisted the shower head to wash away the evidence of my masturbation. Then I rinsed my hand and down my legs before shutting off the water and stepping out to grab my towel. After I had dried off, I hung up my towel and wash cloth and then tugged on my shorts. Next, I brushed my teeth. But before heading back into my bedroom, I snatched the box of condoms out of my cabinet. I wasn’t being a dick nor expecting anything. But I wanted to be prepared if things grew intimate between the two of us. And I definitely didn’t want to stop in the middle of foreplay to run in here for one. It was highly unlikely she was on the pill, so I grabbed one of the packets and then walked out to my room.

My eyes settled on Harper. She was tucked into my bed like she belonged there. Huge grin on my face, I strolled over to her. When I got to my nightstand, I tossed the foil packet onto the top by my phone. Since she was lying on her stomach, an idea popped into my head. Instead of crawling in behind her, I sat down beside her and placed my hands on her shoulders before kneading the tense muscles there. Her skin was so soft and silky, I barely repressed a groan.

I wished I could say the same for Harper. She released a low moan. “Oh God, Cannon, that feels so good. The hot showers I’ve been taking aren’t doing anything for soothing my sore muscles. Thank you so much for doing that.” Another sexy moan escaped her lips.

Well, it had sounded like a good idea in my head. But her little sighs and whimpers were making me grow hard again. Ignoring, my twitching dick, I ran my hands all along her shoulders – dipping my fingers under the material as far as I could – and down her upper arms, squeezing the stiff muscles. I doubted she had a single muscle in her entire body that wasn’t tense. I worked my hands down her back – unfortunately this time over her top – to right above her ass cheeks and then back up again, alternating between massaging and rolling my hands along her.

She sighed loudly and shoved herself into the mattress.

My hands on her skin was so incredible I could only imagine how my lips would feel trailing over the same silk. My mouth tingled with the thought. So after about fifteen minutes of touching her with my hands, I couldn’t resist putting my mouth to her any longer and hoped I hadn’t read her sighs and whimpers incorrectly. Pushing her top down slightly and brushing her hair to the side, I pressed my lips to the skin I had revealed at the back of her neck and along her collarbone. And fuck me, I was right. This was even better than feeling her skin with my hands.

Harper agreed. “Cannon. Please don’t stop. Your mouth feels, oh God.” She ended on another one of her sexy groans.

“I thought touching you with my hands was perfect, Harper.” I traced my lips as far down her back as her top would allow. “But caressing your skin with my lips is pure heaven. But you tell me if you want me to stop, if you don’t want this, and I’ll just continue with my hands. I won’t deny you that.” I prayed she wouldn’t deny me tasting her all over but I would stop in a heartbeat if she asked, even though my dick – which was hardening painfully in my shorts – would be pissed at being deprived, again, of sinking into her pussy, and settling for my hand.

“I don’t want you to stop. But I’m scared.” She whispered into the mattress.

I froze at her words and my cock wilted. I didn’t want to frighten her, only to give her pleasure. Gently rolling her over to face me, I crawled over her and propped myself on my forearms to gaze down at her expression. However, I didn’t find fear in her features but maybe some guardedness. “Are you scared of me? I would never hurt you.” I asked, even though I didn’t believe that was exactly what she had meant.

Her blue eyes studied my hazel ones for a moment, searching for something, and I hoped she found it in their midst. “Not intentionally. But what if I give you too much? I’ve lost everyone I love. I don’t have anyone anymore. What if I’m attracted to you because you are my knight in shining armor providing me a safe haven? And what if you’re drawn to me only because I’m a damsel in distress? My head is a mess and I don’t know what feelings to trust because they are all on overload and I haven’t had a chance to fully process them yet.” She heaved out a huge sigh and gazed at me with so much turmoil swirling in those blues.

It bummed me out she thought that I was attracted to her because of her circumstance but her worries were valid – not true but valid. “I can’t speak for how you are feeling but I can tell you how I am. Your situation may have brought us together but it plays no role in my feelings for you. I may want to protect you but that is only because I care about you. And I want to have a relationship with you because I find you incredibly beautiful, fun to be around, smart, brave, sassy, should I go on?” I smirked at her.

She closed her eyes as if trying to center herself.

“Do you really believe you’re attracted to me because I swooped in when you needed someone or are you just worried it could be? I think if you search your feelings you’ll find that while you were smart to consider that possibility, it’s only that. While that idea is not something that is far-fetched, I truly think you are attracted to me as I am to you and it has nothing to do with your situation.” I kissed her forehead.

She blinked her eyes open and stared at me. “I think it was just a worry of the possibility. You might be right. I really like you and while I am thankful for everything you’ve done for me, I don’t think that’s the basis for my attraction. Because when I’m with you I hardly think about what’s going on in my life outside of us. And I meant it when I had said I was worried if I had climbed into your bed, I wouldn’t want to leave it. And I don’t.”

“So, just so we’re clear; you hesitated climbing into my bed last night because you knew you wouldn’t want to leave it, not that you weren’t sure if you liked me or not?” I shot her a mischievous grin before pressing a light kiss to her cheek.

Her responding shiver made my dick perk up again. I lowered my head and kissed her. “Well, then quash those rioting thoughts. Do you like my hands all over you?”

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