The Sweetest Things (4 page)

“I mean...unless you want to make up for it now.”

“
Koz—”

“I wouldn’t mind some chest snuggling.” He narrowed his eyes on her breasts. “You’d have to lose the shirt and bra though...wouldn’t be proper with the shirt and the bra.”

“My God!” Harper gasped, finally breaking and falling onto her bed face first, her whole body shaking with laughter. “What is wrong with you?”

“Don’t mock me, woman! This is serious.” Konstantine waved the bra in her face again. “Do you know I could probably fit this over my head and have room to spare?”

She just laughed harder.

“Look at this!” Taking the bra, he put one cup on top of his head. “See?”

Harper rolled off the bed.

“Do you not understand that all these years, I’ve been searching for the perfect pair of breasts to happily die with my face buried between, and now I find out
you
have them and I was never told?”

She finally managed to gasp out, “I...hate...you...”

With a small grin that turned into a full-blown chuckle, Konstantine placed the bra back in her drawer and reached down to scoop her off the floor, putting her gently on the bed. He adjusted her until there was enough room for him to climb onto the mattress beside her. Then, without another word, he put his head in the very place he’d been yelling about just a few short seconds ago and sighed.

Oh, God, it felt good. Damn good. Better than anything Konstantine had ever imagined. He could stay right here forever, not once getting bored—not even a little. The only discomfort he had was the fact that his cock had rocketedp the moment he touched the little lace haven she had hidden away, but he didn’t really give a shit at the moment. For one, he was in Harper’s room, on Harper’s bed. And two, Harper was in Harper’s room, on Harper’s bed, and he had his face halfway buried between two of the most luscious tits known to man. He hadn’t been joking—he could die happy now.

As a kid, curiosity had led him to dig around in her room, looking for what he’d heard so many of the older boys his age talk about. It was silly, but that same mindset had gotten him determined to know if
his fantasies were the same as reality.

The girl next door
wasn’t some psuedo description of Harper. It
was
Harper. She was the one woman a man searched for his whole life, not realizing he’d found her until she landed in his lap. But the one thing that Konstantine adored about her the most was the fact she was his best friend. She knew him better than anyone else—even Owen. The irony of that wasn’t lost on him. He wanted Harper forever, as his wife, waddling around with his babies filling her belly.

Konstantine was old enough to know by now what the consequences were when a man let something this wonderful slip through his fingers. He’d watched Ivan do it with his mother. He had no intentions of repeating his father’s mistakes. Traveling had been amazing, the deals he’d closed unimaginably good, but there was only one time he was ever truly happy while out of the country—when he was listening to Harper’s voice or seeing her face.

He’d never had to force a woman into his arms, never had to beg for attention, and somehow that made him crave the chase even more. Harper’s dry humor and quick wit had been his saving grace on many occasions. Her ballsy attitude and inability to lie hadn’t done anything but make him regret that he couldn’t have her in on many of his conferences for Vetrov Corp. Harper was it, whether she knew it or not.

“Um,” Harper said slowly. “Comfortable?”

Konstantine wrapped his arms around her, burrowing deeper. “Yup.”

“Koz—”

He squeezed her. “Shush.”

“You’ve been in town for four hours, and you’ve managed to piss me off, dig through my underwear, embarrass me, and cop a feel. Now you’re
shushing
me?”

“Yup.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m in the middle of enjoying the bounty God has put before me. You’re ruining that.”

“I’m ruining that?”

“Yes.”

“I go back to my original theory that you need mental assistance...quickly.”

“You’re talking. Why are you still talking?”

“Konstantine—”

He sat up. “Listen, Sweets. I didn’t travel almost ten hours to sit in my corner office and do business for my dad. Or to slap fight with Owen out of boredom and because his huge head is one tempting target. I didn’t even come back to kiss up to Miss Elena so she could make me my favorite blueberry muffins.”

“You didn’t?”

“No.” Konstantine shook his head. “I came back so I could take as many opportunities as possible to feel you up and enjoy every moment of it. Mainly because over the last six years I’ve become a sex depraved pervert with nothing better to do during his vacation than proceed with all the evil plans that the teenage me—who gave you your first kiss—made.”

Harper blinked. “I think I liked it better when you were silent and trying to molest me.”

“Oh.” He shrugged. “Good.” Without saying anything else, he took up his previous space once again.

***

He’d brought up the kiss. Why’d he have to bring up that goddamned kiss? Harper had shoved that one moment to the darkest, deepest recesses of her mind, determined to forget it ever happened, and yet here they were. She was starting to panic the more they stayed like this. Her nipples were getting harder, the lips of her vagina now wet and sticky.

She could remember that day like it had happened just a few short minutes ago. But she didn’t
want
to think about it, did she? Harper didn’t want to recall the smirk on Koz’s face when he told her it was time to pay up. She didn’t want to think about the way his mouth felt brushing over her own, the gentle swipe of his lips making her face warm, the heat spreading all over in a matter of seconds.

She didn’t want to consider the curious grin Konstantine had shot her after pulling back, his blue eyes asking her if he was doing it right. Harper hadn’t known one way or another but it had
felt
right. That was all that mattered at the time.

Kissing someone, aside from the occasional affectionate peck she gave her parents or Owen, had been different but nice. A little too nice if the way seventeen-year-old Konstantine’s hands had come up to frame her face was any indication. And when she’d opened her mouth...

“Stop thinking so hard,” Konstantine suddenly groused, pulling her thoughts back. “You’re ruining things again.”

 Harper rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry if my using silent brain power is messing up your attempts to fondle me.”

“They aren’t attempts.” With one huge hand, he reached up and palmed her left breast, briefly squeezing. With a grin, he let go. “See? I actually
did
that.”

It was totally justified when she kicked him off her bed.

“Ow.” He sat up. “Rude!”

“Oh, shut up and come downstairs to eat before I decide to throw you out a window.”

“You know, all these threats of maiming and physical disfigurement are just making me horny.”

Harper sucked in a deep breath. “Well, then, you better find out what one of your catwalk exes is doing. Because I’ve seen your cock,
once,
and what I witnessed was not enough to ever make me want to pants you again.”

His eyes narrowed on her. “We were ten and it was cold!”

She snorted. “It’s even colder in my bedroom.” With that said, she walked out, expecting him to follow.

***

Konstantine watched her stroll out of the room, his head cocking as his stare suddenly focused on the queen-sized bed in front of him. A small smile curved his lips. “Not for long, Sweets. Not for long...”

“So...you two fucked yet?”

Harper couldn’t answer her sister-in-law’s question. It might’ve had something to do with the piece of cookie lodged in her throat. When she finally stopped gasping for air, and the good Lord’s face didn’t seem to be off in the distance behind her closed lids, she rasped, “What...is...wrong...with...you?”

Janet blinked. “Oh. I’m sorry. Are we pretending you
don’t
want to fuck him?”

Eyes closing, Harper groaned, “Why are you in my establishment?”

“Because happy hour doesn’t begin for a while, I don’t wanna go back to work yet. and look”—she spread her arms out, pointing to several trays that lined the island of Sweet Treats
—
“Cookies!”

“If I find you wine, will it hush you?”

Janet shrugged. “Probably not.”

“Jesus,” Harper muttered then moved around her kitchen, taking out what was needed for her next dessert.

“Okay, do we need to step into the confines of the cone?”

“Please don’t talk about the cone.”

“Oh, we’re talking about the cone.” Janet grabbed a stool and sat.

Harper could feel Janet’s gaze following her all around the room until she finally threw up her hands. “Okay! Cone of silence!”

The other woman clapped. “Yes!” She waved a hand. “Talk to me.”

Sighing, Harper leaned against one of the islands. “I dunno what it is but he—”

“Makes you wanna fuck him?” Janet nodded. “I totally get it, homie.”

“You’re married.”

Her sister-in-law looked from side to side. “Did I lose my eyesight on my wedding day? I don’t remember losing my eyesight on my wedding day.”

“No, but
I
almost lost my eyesight on your wedding day.”

Janet smirked. “That’s what happens when you don’t knock.”

“
Normal
people save the honeymoon sex for the actual honeymoon.”

“Yeah, normal people oppressed by traditionalism. Which is exactly why I didn’t wear white that day.”

It was Harper’s turn to smirk. “Yeah,
that’s
the reason why you didn’t wear white.”

“See?” Janet nodded. “Oppressed by traditionalism. It wouldn’t have been so strange to you if you weren’t.”

“I don’t like it when you make me think. Stop making me think!”

Chuckling, she said, “So then stop thinking and fuck Koz.”

“Its not that easy.”

“Why not?” And Janet looked genuinely confused when she asked that. “All you need is a room and condoms. Both of which are optional if you’re anything like your brother.”

“Lord, take me now...”

Janet suddenly gasped. “Oh, my God! Are you having problems? You know...” She did some weird side-to-side motion with her neck. “Getting there? I mean...they have products to help with that.”

“This conversation is officially over!” The last thing Harper was having trouble with was arousal around Konstantine. Four days and the man had her on edge like a puberty-stricken kid. Her home suddenly felt too small. Used to being her own company, having Konstantine around the house was doing some strange
things to her libido.

She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t examined why her relationships never worked out. Harper knew
why. Because no one could ever replace her Koz. He was goofy and funny and intelligent and loving and strong and just goddamned amazing. Every relationship she’d attempted had failed because each one of them saw what she refused to—there was something more between her and Konstantine.