Page 42 of Burned By Sin
“Famished,” I reply, watching her bend over to spread it out. Her dress rides up, and every ounce of decency I have wrestles to keep my eyes elsewhere. I’m not Rhys. I don’t take what isn’t freely given. But as soon as Harper gives me permission, I’ll have her beneath me, panting my name and clawing at my shoulders.
“Clayton,” Harper says, giving my bicep a playful shove. I blink, realizing I’d completely zoned out. “The basket?” She gestures to where it’s nestled in the crook of my arm.
“Oh right,” I give myself a little shake. Come on Clayton, keep your head. Lowering to sit at the edge of the blanket, I leave space forthe basket between us. My cargos can take a little dirt, they’ve been through worse.
Harper unpacks everything, each item more of a surprise than the last. Two mini bottles of rosé, a spread of cheeses and crackers, and chocolate-dipped strawberries. Addy seriously outdid herself.
“What is all this in aid of?” I finally ask, the question burning in my mind. “Is Addy advocating for us?” It’s a mischievous question, and Harper knows it. Giving me a sly smirk, she half shrugs.
“She’s groveling, not that she has any need to. I’m the one who was out of line.” My brows raise at this. I was under the impression that the two had grown really close.
“Dare I ask what happened?”
Harper shakes her head and I drop the subject. Either way, I owe Addy big time. Truth is, I couldn’t have pulled this off alone. I barely had enough gas money this week, and I’ve been living out of Rhys’ refrigerator rather than face the red light of doom on the cafeteria scanner. Just the thought of being back in this position and living day to day stings, but I shove it away. My mom is in the clear. That’s all that matters.
And besides, Harper’s not the kind of girl who cares about price tags. She blushes at the smallest compliments, lights up when I call her beautiful, and leans into me like my presence is her go-to comfort. I rest back on my forearms, pretending to admire the view whereas I’m stealing glances at her. The vibrancy of our natural surroundings emphasizes the green of her eyes, the pink in her hair glowing warmer under the dome’s light. Strands slip forward as reaches for the rosé and carefully lifts the miniature bottle to her mouth.
She’s at ease here, because it’s quiet. It’s peaceful and so far removed from the academy we’ve come to know. Her bare knees brushing the blanket, her dress fluttering in the artificial breeze. A soundless kind of joy radiates off her, one that I could watch forever. A smear of liquid glosses her lower lip, and all I can think about is howeasy it would be to lean in and taste it. Noticing I’m not eating, Harper leans over to lift a strawberry to my mouth.
“Try one,” she insists, watching me closely. I take a slow bite, my lips brushing her fingers on purpose. A blush instantly coats her cheeks. Attempting to sit back on her patch of the blanket, I grip Harper’s hips and pull her closer, tucking her into my side. She lies back on the arm I tuck behind my head, our gazes caught on the dome ceiling without really seeing it. Nudging Harper, I open my mouth for another strawberry, and she complies with a giggle. Music to my fucking ears.
For the first time, possibly in my entire life, I relax. Whole bodily and mentally. I release myself of the thoughts that plague me, the guilt I carry like a dead weight on my shoulders. Here in this dome, I’m just a jock who’s acing his classes, part of the basketball team, and with an incredible girl feeding him strawberries. I’ve paid my dues, I’ve suffered for long enough. For once, I get to be that guy.
“Can I ask you a question?” Harper’s voice breaks through my thoughts. I smirk, resting my jaw against her temple.
“Technically you just did.” She smacks my chest playfully, her hand lingering to stroke the cotton of my t-shirt nervously. I sober instantly. “Ask me anything.”
“I, um, I get the impression that you weren’t very social before I came along. Like, with the ladies.” Harper turns her head to the side, pretending to study the landscape, and I get the impression that her cheeks are on fire. I’m glad she’s not watching for my reaction, because my eyes are wide and my brows are pinched.
“What are you asking me exactly?”
“Well, I was curious if you… had you… been with a girl…before me?” Harper’s voice goes all high-pitched at the end, whilst I lay there mortified. It’s as if someone has taken a vacuum to my dick and attempted to shrivel it into dust.
“Was I that bad at it?!” I choke, dislodging Harper’s head. She sitsupright as I do, placing her hand on my chest. I was right, she’s flushed red like a beetroot.
“No! No, no. Oh god, forget I said anything,” Harper ducks her head, nuzzling it in my shoulder. I can’t forget it now, my poor dick is all sad and droopy. “I just wanted to find out how many girls you’ve been with, that’s all. It was incredible, I promise.”
Slowly, I come back to myself. Being with Harper was incredible. The way she clung to me, panting and shaking. How her body reacted. I don’t need to be told that she enjoyed it with words, I felt her satisfaction. Wrapping my arms around her, my hand strokes her upper back.
“Maybe next time, just ask for a ballpark figure,” I murmur by her receiver. Harper chuckles a shrill laugh that’s bordering on hysterical, and I decide to save her from any more embarrassment.
“When I left the JDC, I lost my way. Like most guys would after being locked up with other dudes, I reckon. I met young women online or at bars, all the hazardous stuff you should avoid doing. But it got old real fast and instead of making me feel better, I just felt more hollow inside. So, I promised myself that the next time I took a woman to bed, it’d mean something. That there’d be actual feelings involved.”
Reaching up, I cradle her jaw and coax her to look at me. Her green eyes dart everywhere but mine until I finally catch them.
“And have you? Had actual feelings for anyone since?” she whispers.
“Not until you.” Her lips part slightly, her breath brushing across my face until it’s swallowed by my kiss. I take her mouth leisurely, my tongue teasing hers in lazy, unhurried strokes that have her melting into me. I don’t rush, not when she deserves someone who will devote every second to pleasing her. Reaching up to free her braid, I let the pink curls tumble loose between my fingers. Her vanilla shampoo mixes with the crisp sweetness of rosé still lingering on her tongue, and it’s intoxicating.
I push the basket aside, the motion careful yet charged. Lowering her onto the blanket, I brace my forearms on either side of her head.Her chest rises and falls in quick, shallow breaths, her green eyes darkened to a stormy jade. She’s stunning. Wild and soft all at once, hair fanned out like a halo, her mouth kiss-swollen and glistening. I kiss along her jaw, down the graceful curve of her neck, feeling her shiver under my lips. Her fingers slide into my hair, tugging lightly as she exhales my name like a secret.
“What about you?” I ask, a crooked grin finding its way back. It’s a pretense for the jealousy I’m about to feel. “I’m guessing there’s an army of exes I should be on the lookout for?”
“Nope.” She swallows, her eyes flicking away. “I’ve never had an official boyfriend.” My eyebrows rise before I can stop them. In one sense, her declaration fills me with some internal hope. Firstly, because her and Wavershit clearly haven’t decided anything officially, which means I am still in with a chance. But it also hits me with a huge amount of pressure to get this right, to not fuck this up and give Harper some jagged sense of what a relationship should be.
“I’ll never rush you, Harper,” I say quietly. “But I want you. I want to hold you when you sleep, help you study, watch you succeed and fail, and still get up again. I want to be your everything.” I feel the shift between us before I see it. Her desire and her fear. Her eyes glisten, and I realize I’m leaning too close. The last thing I want is to make Harper feel cornered. So I shift, rolling us onto our sides, giving her space while keeping my arm beneath her head and my other hand resting lightly on her hip.
“What about…” Her voice trails off, barely a whisper.
