A Million Kisses or More (20 page)

While she was tucking in the blankets around him, he gave her a lazy smile, “I wish you could join me. I like waking up with you in my arms.”

“Me, too,” she managed, though she was sorely tempted to climb between the sheets and join him there anyway. Brushing his hair out of his eyes, she studied his handsome face and wondered why the fates decided to bring him into her life now instead of at a more opportune time. Pressing a kiss against his forehead, she let her lips linger a moment as she simply breathed in his warm, masculine scent. Wanting to know how much of the earlier conversation he had overheard, she asked, “Harrison?”

“Hmm?” he murmured, his eyes closed, his breathing deep and even.

“It’s nothing,” she murmured, chickening out. “Get some sleep.”

“He’s right, you know,” he mumbled rolling onto his side so he was facing her. “You do have a very sweet pussy.”

“Harrison!” she gasped in a loud whisper, her cheeks on fire even though he unknowingly answered her question. “Is that what this was all about?”

“I’m a jealous beast,” he muttered, his voice trailing off to nothing as his eyes slid closed.

Ana pressed her lips together to keep from laughing even as she pressed another kiss against his hidden dimple. His answer was sweet but it was ridiculous because there was no reason to be jealous; she was his. “I’m going to take another quick shower and then spend the day with Jolie.”

“Thank you,” he said, but the words came out slurred.

Closing her eyes against the onslaught of emotions this man was generating within her, she gave him one last kiss before she left, gathering up her borrowed clothes along the way and heading to the bathroom. After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, she headed back downstairs.

“Hey, kiddo,” Ana called out as she walked into the living room. Jolie was laying on her stomach with some cartoons playing on the television. At the sound of Ana’s voice, she looked up and gave a brilliant smile and Ana almost felt like her normal self. “It looks like it’s just you and me today. How do you feel about making fairy wings?”

*****

Harrison listened to the shower, imagining the water sluicing over Ana’s naked skin. It had been cowardly to feign sleep after taking her so fiercely against the door but every time he looked at her, Asher’s voice filled his head. He shouldn’t have paused outside of the kitchen when he went to check on Jolie. Then he never would have heard his cousin’s words. Once he realized there had once been something between Ana and Asher, he had raced up the stairs, thrown on some clothes, checked on Jolie, and raced back down. He had arrived just in time to hear her tell his cousin that she would have been worth the wait and that she was unbelievably happy with him. It had eased some of the jealousy that had brewed within him.

Harrison also remembered the first time Asher had talked about her because it had ended with Asher getting a fist in his face.

“I just met this incredible girl, Harry,” Asher said, leaning back in the chair and putting his feet up on the table. Taking a sip of his beer, he continued, “She’s gorgeous, with legs that seem to go on forever and breasts that would make a grown man weep.”

“Great,” Harrison replied without enthusiasm. Having just recently moved back home and into an apartment, he was still trying to adjust to his new life as a single father. He didn’t have time for his cousin’s latest conquest, some poor girl who didn’t know that Asher enjoyed the chase and the surrender but nothing more.

“I swear this girl has more passion in her blood than any of the dozens of women that I’ve been with.” At Asher’s words, Harrison rolled his eyes. He didn’t doubt the numbers, he just didn’t want to hear about them. Despite Asher being a year older than Harrison, his cousin was still a player and would probably always be a player. It didn’t hurt that his cousin had the uncanny ability to make money in whatever venture he undertook. With unimaginable wealth, Asher enjoyed a plethora of willing bed partners and Harrison couldn’t imagine any woman being able to tame him. “But here’s the pisser, Harry. She’s sixteen years old.”

The beer he had just swallowed shot out of his mouth as he stared at Asher. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

“I wish I was,” Asher said with such sorrow, Harrison almost believed he was sincere. “The most gorgeous girl in creation is….”

“Is fucking jail bait,” Harrison growled. Asher opened his mouth, undoubtedly to extoll this child’s virtues when Harrison held his hand up. “If you say one more word, I will arrest you.”

“I haven’t slept with her,” Asher pouted. “Even I wouldn’t go that far. But the moment she turns eighteen….”

Before he knew what he was going to do, Harrison was out of the seat and Asher was on the ground cupping his jaw that Harrison had slammed his fist into.

Harrison stared up at the ceiling, flexing his fingers as if it had been just moments ago he had punched his cousin and not six years. He should have punched Asher again. Hell, the next time he saw his cousin, he just might do that. But that didn’t stop the residual doubt from asking why. Why would Ana choose him over his cousin? She was the one woman who might actually be able to tame Asher and yet she wanted him, a middle class cop with a young daughter.

Punching his fist against his pillow, he squeezed his eyes shut and told himself not to dwell on what ifs, not when Ana was with him. Now that he knew she was Annie, he remembered a second altercation he had with his cousin from about three years before. Asher had come over in a foul mood and started throwing back beers as if they were water.

“I’ve waited three years for her,” Asher growled. “And the little tease still won’t spread her legs for me. I’m going to have her on her back….”

He didn’t have the chance to say anymore because he was on the floor, glaring up at Harrison. “Why the fuck did you punch me?”

At the time, Harrison hadn’t known why he had punched Asher, only that he had felt it was absolutely necessary. He was definitely going to have to punch Asher the next time he saw his cousin.

Chapter 9

Sitting on the floor in Harrison’s living room, Ana helped Jolie put the finishing touches onto the costume. After making the wings last week, Ana thought it would be fun to go full on fairy so she bought a sparkly dress at a consignment shop on Tuesday. As soon as Jolie woke up Saturday morning, Ana had her put it on and then she did the girl’s hair and makeup. There was plenty of glitter and Ana hoped Harrison didn’t mind the sparkles. With the wings, Jolie looked like an adorable fairy and Ana didn’t think it was possible for the girl’s smile to get any bigger. Her own heart swelled with emotion to see such happiness in Jolie.

Watching Jolie as she spun around the living room, getting glitter everywhere, Ana knew that she always wanted to be a part of the little girl’s life. Somehow, as she was falling in love with Harrison, Ana had fallen in love with his daughter. How was it possible to love a child so much? How was she going to survive a year without them?

How was she going to survive a year without the feel of Harrison’s body over her, in her? She had thought she knew what to expect but a dildo just could not compare to a living, breathing,
warm
man. His weight drove him deeper than anything she had ever tried and it felt… it felt incredible. It was little wonder why all of the coeds went a little insane when it came to sex, even if they had never had sex with Harrison. Even if she had known what she was missing, she was glad there hadn’t been anyone before him. Still, going back to a cold and inanimate object was going to suck, at least for the year she was away from Harrison.

“Next Halloween, I want to be a zombie fairy,” Jolie sung, dancing around the living room. “How cool would that be?”

“It’d be pretty cool,” Ana agreed, a pang of conscience hitting her in the solar plexus because she wasn’t going to be around. Well, she could fly back for the weekend. It would be worth it. Hell, if she could, she’d fly back every weekend but that wasn’t practical. She was only an intern and she had her budget planned down to the last penny. Holding her smile in place, she added, “I’ll keep an eye out for vintage dresses when I’m in California. I’m sure I’ll be able to find the perfect outfit.”

Jolie’s smile faded a little as she plopped down on the couch next to Ana. Heaving a sigh, the little girl met Ana’s eyes, “I wish you weren’t leaving.”

“Me, too, sweetie,” Ana agreed, leaning her head against the couch and smiling at Jolie. “But I’ll be back in no time. The year will fly by and when I return, you’ll be another year older.”

“But not too old for fairies and zombies.”

“Never,” Ana agreed.

Someone knocked at the front door but instead of waiting for Ana to get up and answer it, the person entered. Ana’s eyes widened as a stunning brunette appeared, her hair and makeup immaculate. She had a pixie cut and since her features were so delicate, she looked extremely feminine. The coat was tailored to fit the woman’s slim body and it was obviously expensive. She would have fit perfectly into the clients Ana’s mother worked with. Tilting her head to the side, she called out, “Hello?”

Jolie’s face lit up as she flew off the couch and towards the woman. “Mommy!”

“Hey, baby,” the woman said, bending down and hugging Jolie. She didn’t cringe even a little at the amount of glitter that was surely getting all over her expensive coat, which impressed Ana. Most of her mom’s clients would have freaked out at even a speck of glitter. “I was supposed to pick you up at your grandparents’ house. What happened?”

“Ana has been watching me on the weekends while daddy sleeps,” Jolie explained. Pointing towards Ana as she remained in the living room, she continued, “Look! She made me into a fairy.”

“I see that,” the woman said. Carrie. Harrison said her name was Carrie. Carrie looked up and saw Ana sitting on the floor wearing Harrison’s sweatpants and sweatshirt and immediately, her face darkened with suspicion. Arching an elegant eyebrow, she asked skeptically, “Are you the babysitter?”

“Actually, I’m the neighbor,” Ana answered, her heart pounding furiously in her chest as she pushed herself to her feet. Trying not to feel intimidated by the woman who was probably prom queen in high school, the woman who had once shared Harrison’s bed, she said, “Um, Harrison never said anything about you having Jolie this weekend.”

“I talked to him about it ages ago when I had to reschedule at the last moment,” Carrie murmured. She had a tentative smile on her lips, as if she was still trying to figure out who Ana was. “He probably forgot, though that’s not like him at all.”

Wincing inside, not entirely sure what to do, Ana asked, “Do you mind if I go upstairs and check it with him?”

The woman’s smile faltered but she shook her head. Setting Jolie down, she smiled at the little girl. “Not at all. It will give me and Jolie a chance to pack her bag.”

“Cool,” Ana murmured, offering Jolie a smile before she turned around and raced up the stairs. She hadn’t expected Harrison’s ex-wife to be so beautiful. In some ways, the woman reminded her of her mother: elegant, polished, and utterly gorgeous.

Seeing Jolie and her mother, Ana thought about her own mother. Now that she’d had sex, she understood the temptation so much better. It was easier to imagine her mother getting in over her head and making bad choices. Ana just wished her mom hadn’t pretended to be something she wasn’t, though she imagined all parents wanted their children to see them in the best light. Logically, she knew that she wasn’t being fair to her mother but she couldn’t help it. A part of her was still that fourteen year old girl watching her imaginary world crumble to dust.

She could hear Carrie and Jolie chatting downstairs as Jolie told her mom about her week at school. The conversation was so
normal
, she almost didn’t want to stop eavesdropping. At the same time, it kind of hurt because it was so similar to what she had had growing up. Pushing the memories of a happy childhood deep down where they wouldn’t affect her, she stopped outside of Harrison’s bedroom and took a deep breath. She’d think about her mother some other day, maybe when she was fifty and her fourteen year old inner child finally grew the hell up.

Not bothering to knock on the door, she entered Harrison’s room and went straight over to the bed. Kneeling so her face was next to his, she had to smile because he looked so young and peaceful. Even with the ancient memories plaguing her, she was able to appreciate just how very handsome he was, with his dark hair and the shadow of a beard along his jaw. If she didn’t have to wake him up, she’d spend the rest of the afternoon watching him sleep. Brushing his hair off his forehead, she whispered, “Harrison? Harrison, you have to wake up.”

His lips curved into a smile but he didn’t open his eyes as he asked, “Aren’t you supposed to wake me with a kiss?”

Despite her pounding heart and the sick feeling in her stomach, she gave him a light peck. Keeping her lips against his, she whispered, “Your ex is downstairs. She says she’s supposed to have Jolie this weekend.”

His eyes shot open and he looked at Ana with panic. “Crap, I completely forgot.”

Sitting up, letting the covers slide off his torso, he scrubbed his fingers through his hair and Ana’s mouth went dry. In the muted light, he looked like an underworld god and she just wanted to worship him. Squeezing her eyes shut, she managed to stand up and turn around. “I’ll let you get dressed and….”

She squeaked as he grabbed her and pulled her onto the bed. In the next moment, she was on her back as he loomed over her, a wicked grin on his lips. “I still want that kiss.”

“I kissed you,” she said, her words coming out breathlessly.

“A real kiss, Ana,” he said as he lowered his head. Before he kissed her, he whispered against her lips, “Kiss me like you mean it.”

“I always mean it,” she breathed against his mouth, the world fading to nothing in the background.