Page 78 of The Attraction

“Ready for bed, birthday girl?” I ask, trying to keep it light even though we can both feel the heaviness between us.

“I’m tired. I think I might just sleep in here tonight.”

And straight away, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck spike up and my temper start to climb.

“Not happening. You’ll just wake in the night, and I’ll end up in here anyway. You will sleep with me, you need me.” I reach out to take her hand, but she pulls it back so quickly.

“I don’t need you,” she proclaims. “I chose to sleep in your room, but I can do this on my own. I have been surviving for twenty years without you, so like I said, I don’t need you. Good night.” Her words are all bluff, and I can see the anxiety of sleeping on her own written all over her face.

As she starts to close the door, I push my hand against it to stop her.

“Don’t do this, Harper, don’t shut me out. I know you are scared, but please just let me hold you. At least for tonight.” I’m trying so hard not to yell these words and have kept my voice as calm as I can, but it’s a struggle.

I can see in her eyes the internal fight she is having with herself. But her fear overcomes her stubbornness, and she lets go of the door and starts to push past me.

“Fine, but only because I want birthday sex.” The sassy attitude she puts on as a front to hide her insecurity comes out, and I step back, letting her past me.

Taking a deep breath to control my displeasure at her words, I do the same as her and resort to my default to distract her from thinking about her fears.

“Okay, cookie, as you wish.” I turn and follow her, listening to her groan at my name for her.

“I’m not food, for Christ’s sake,” she grumbles as she crawls into her side of our bed. Yes, it’s no longer my bed. From that first night I opened my arms to her, it was forever ours.

“Maybe I’m hungry?” I tease, watching her roll her eyes at me.

This is the game we play. We skirt around each other with banter, but tonight, it just feels different. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to back down. If Harper wants to go head-to-head, then I’m ready for the challenge.

“Then you better start working on finding something to feast on.” The fire behind her eyes is building. She may not want the love that I’m offering, but she is hungry for the high my touch can give her.

“You are full of sass tonight, aren’t you?” I stand beside her and look down on her beauty. This is not how I wanted tonight to go.

I need to take control.

“Maybe it’s because I know it irritates you.” And she’s right, but I’m not going to agree with her and let her win. If she thinks she can piss me off so it will be easier when she tries to walk away, then she’s wrong. If I only get one more night, then I’ll make sure I show her how I really feel. The hot and heavy she wanted didn’t work this afternoon, so now we do it my way.

“Oh, you can try to annoy me all you like, but that’s not how this night is going to go. It’s your birthday, and you deserve to be treated like the goddess you are. So, relax and let me worship you,” I say, dropping my sleep pants to the floor and stepping out of them. Without any underwear, my cock shows her how much it appreciates seeing her lying in our bed. Reaching for my phone on the side of the bed, I hit the playlist I made for her birthday night, because it’s just another way of telling her how I feel without having to say the words.

The words of “Room for 2” by Benson Boon start to fill the room, and I can see the shift in her. She knows what I’m trying to say to her, and as much as she wants to push me away, her heart is already mine.

She can try to wrap herself up and pretend it isn’t happening, but tonight, I’m laying myself bare for her, and she can make the choice to truly feel it all or not.

As I kneel on the bed beside her, I can see her chest rising to take a deep breath, trying to stay calm, but the closer I get to her, the light sheen of sweat that she always gets when she is turned on starts to cover her body, and that’s all the sign I need.

My fingers start working on the silk pajama shirt, opening one button at a time but in no rush.

“I love these,” I purr, running my finger down through the opening I have just created in her shirt. “These are the same ones you had on that first night you showed me your true self.” Leaning over, I start to kiss down that same opening as I push each side of the top back. “When you showed me what beauty you had been hiding from me.” Her breathing hitches as my tongue starts to slide toward her right breast. “And what a sensual, sexy woman was waiting for me.” I circle her nipple with my tongue and then take her breast into my mouth, sucking it as I bite down on the nipple with just the slightest pressure, but enough to bring that moan from her that always does things to me.

The sound of the pop as I release it has her hand rising on instinct to my head and wrapping my hair through her fingers, trying to hold me there for more, but I have a whole body to memorize tonight, and I’m only just beginning.

I pull back from her and slide each arm out of her shirt. Her eyes are fixated on my cock that is lying on her bare stomach as I lean over her to get the second breast. And then her back arches like she’s on autopilot for me to pull the shirt out from under her where she was still lying on top of it.

“You have the most perfect breasts. Just how I like them.” I stroke my thumbs over her nipples as I cup them in each hand, leaning forward again and peppering each breast with kisses that sometimes involve the softest nip with my teeth.

“Forrest,” Harper calls out my name the more I move my hands around her. “You need to fuck me!” Her voice is getting more urgent, but it makes no difference because I’m not racing forward, no matter what she demands.

“Oh, we did that already twice today. Tonight is different.” Reaching up and kissing her ever so softly, I take her bottom lip between my teeth and pull it toward me, before letting it slip free. “Tonight is about feeling… every… damn… piece… of me.” I release her breasts and place my hands on either side of her face. “Including my heart.”

I slam my mouth down on hers as I swallow down her gasp, not giving her a chance to reply. She grabs at my bare back, and neither of us are holding back as she opens up for me so I can explore her mouth with my tongue. Dueling like we are both trying to take the lead, but she has no chance against me tonight.

---