Page 38 of Missing

"Orlando, where are you going?" Harper called out just as I was about to round the corner.

I froze, my heart thudding against my ribcage. "What?"

"I thought you were at least going to come in and show me the parts I needed to read?" she replied, a hint of confusion lacing her voice.

"Right," I said, attempting to hide my nervousness with a smile. "Of course."

Returning to her doorway, I couldn't help but notice the way her shirt clung to her curves, or how the soft glow of the hallway light illuminated her green eyes. Shit, why did she have to look so damn good?

Harper stepped aside to let me in, and I could feel her gaze on me as I entered her room. It felt like being under a spotlight, every nerve ending suddenly hyper-aware of her presence.

Harper's fingers closed around the door handle, pulling it shut with a soft click that echoed in the otherwise silent room. I couldn't help but feel as if we were cocooned in our own little world, separate from everything else going on outside.

"Take a seat," she said, pointing to her bed. There was something alluring about the way she'd casually tossed the blankets aside earlier, leaving the sheets rumpled and inviting. With a nod, I sank down onto the mattress while she handed the book back to me.

Flipping open the book to the marked pages, I felt the weight of Harper settling in next to me. The warmth radiating from her body seeped through my sweats, and damn if it didn't make my heart race like crazy.

"Okay, so this part right here..." I trailed off as her leg brushed against mine, the sensation sending a bolt of electricity up my spine. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to jump her right then and there. But I had to keep it together. For her sake, for my sake, for everyone's goddamn sake.

"Orlando?" she asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah," I stammered, forcing myself to focus on the words printed on the page. "Sorry, got a bit distracted. Anyway, this section is what you need to know when it comes to Dante."

"Got it," Harper nodded, leaning in to get a better look at the textbook. Her scent filled my nostrils – sweet and intoxicating she smelt like Vanilla and Lavender. She was so goddamn close, and I couldn't take it anymore.

"Harper," I whispered, my voice barely audible even to myself. She turned her head to look at me, and for a split second, our eyes met. It was all the encouragement I needed.

Reaching out, I gently tilted her face upward, my fingers brushing against the soft skin of her jaw. She didn't resist – if anything, she leaned into my touch, her green eyes wide in anticipation. The air between us crackled with electricity, a desire to ignite like a spark to tinder.

"Fuck it," I muttered, just before our lips met in a searing kiss. It felt like coming up for air after being submerged for far too long, and God, how I never wanted it to stop.

Chapter 34

Harper Hillstrom

Icouldn't help but stare into Orlando's piercing green eyes as he leaned in to kiss me. I knew I should've stopped him, but the second his lips found mine, I was powerless to do anything but lose myself in it.

"Orlando," I whispered against his mouth, feeling a dizzying mixture of fear and excitement.

His hand slid up my side, and I shivered at his touch, knowing that what we were doing was dangerous but unable to pull away.

My arms reached out and wrapped around his neck, drawing him closer as I slung a leg over his lap and straddled him. We sat on the edge of my bed, our bodies pressed together, and I could feel the heat radiating off him. The fire burning between us threatened to consume everything in its path.

"Fuck, Harper," he groaned as our mouths moved together in a dance of passion.

The tension between us was electric, a storm brewing beneath our skin and threatening to break free. Orlando's arms snaked around my lower back and pulled me close, his hard length pressing against my heated centre as he drew me in as close as he could get me. It was as if we were two magnets drawn together by an invisible force, unable to resist the pull that bound us together.

"Orlando," I whispered, my voice trembling with desire.

The world seemed to tilt on its axis as Orlando suddenly leaned back, breaking the sweet connection of our lips. His warm breath fanned across my face as he whispered "Sorry" and gently pressed his forehead against mine, piercing green eyes searching for something within me.

"Hey," I murmured, fingertips tracing the curve of his jaw, "don't be sorry." My chest ached with a fierce longing that demanded more. "And don't stop." Without hesitation, I leaned in to capture his lips once more in a searing kiss that ignited every nerve and set my heart racing.

His strong hands gripped my waist like a lifeline. The emerald depths of his eyes flickered with a question, one that we both knew the answer to but were too afraid to voice.

"Please," I gasped between feverish kisses, craving the unspoken bond that threatened to shatter the walls I built around myself.

As if awakened by the desperate plea in my voice, Orlando sprang into action, standing up and hoisting me onto him with an urgency that left me breathless. I wrapped my legs around his waist, delighting in the feel of his hard muscles beneath my thighs. He spun us around and leaned down towards my bed, never once breaking the heated kiss we shared.

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