Unsung (18 page)

As for her mother, well, that was going to take a little bit more time. But he was making pretty good progress with her, considering it was only the first night.

They left just before eight thirty, laden with multiple Tupperware containers filled with roast beef, mashed potatoes, grilled zucchini, and apple pie. Luna lay in Liam's lap during the five-minute ride to her house, him scratching her belly as she lay on her back entirely blissed out at his attention.

Harper pulled up in front of her apartment building and put her Cruiser into Park. Liam's gaze focused on the building in front of them where about thirty little apartments were stacked three high and ten across on ten-foot-high pylons. The sun was setting over the beach that stretched out behind it.

“So this is home,” she said as a sudden wave of nerves overtook her. She knew what was going to happen when they went inside and she was both excited and maybe just a little bit scared. “It's kind of small, but I wanted to live on the water and the options in my budget are somewhat limited.”

“I'm sure it's perfect. Lead the way.”

Harper grabbed the food while Liam got his bags. Luna was on a retractable leash, and she walked over as far as it would stretch to a patch of grass next to the parking lot. She did her business before walking over to the stairs and waiting for Liam and Harper.

Liam followed behind Harper and Luna as they made their way up the three flights of stairs. The entire time all she was thinking about was the fact that he could probably see right up the skirt of her dress.

Good thing she was wearing sexy panties, because…well…obviously. He was probably going to be seeing them in a matter of minutes.

Oh, would you look at that her palms were sweating, so much so that she dropped her keys when they got to the door. After a good ten seconds of fumbling with them she managed to get them in the lock.

When they walked inside, Harper let Luna off the leash—who immediately headed for the back bedroom to most likely put herself to bed—before heading for the kitchen. “Make yourself comfortable.”

Bags hit the ground and Harper was fully aware of Liam's boots as they walked around the hardwood floors of her apartment, taking everything in.

The walls were a light green, soft enough to not overpower other things in the room while bringing in the tones from random accents like the painting above her TV and the floral pillows on her overstuffed gray couch.

Two bookshelves took up the corner in the right filled with books, random knickknacks, and picture frames. The shag rug on the floor was salmon—another color pulled from the painting and the pillows—and teal curtains hung from the window on the other side of the TV.

The only thing separating the living room from the kitchen was a bar. Two backless stools sat in front of it, and on the far right side a variety of mismatched and beyond varied wineglasses—that she hadn't used in months—hung from little brackets attached to the cabinets above.

More light filled the rooms as Harper flipped a switch in the kitchen, heading for the refrigerator in the corner. Her kitchen was small with bright lemon yellow walls that she painted herself because she loved the way they popped with the black and white tiles that covered the counters.

It had taken her months to figure out the right feel to the kitchen. The perfect find? An antique cherry wood table, with four matching chairs, that sat in front of the white French doors. More teal curtains were in here, pulled to each side and tied back with a yellow sash that matched the walls in the kitchen. On the other side of the doors was a back deck that overlooked the water.

That was where she spent most of her evenings, her feet propped up on the railing as she watched the sunset. Small space or not, she'd made it her own…made it her home. And now Liam was in it.

He was here.

Harper pulled away from the refrigerator, closing it behind her as she headed for the living room. Liam was standing in the middle of the room and filling it in only the way that he could.

“I like it.” He nodded, still looking around. “It feels like you.”

“Yeah?” she asked as she leaned against the door frame, fiddling with the ring on her finger. Spinning it 'round and 'round.

“Yeah.”

“Well, that's good. Because that's your bed.” She let go of the ring as she pointed to the sofa. “In the spirit of appeasing my mother and all with separate sleeping arrangements.”

To be honest, Harper was beyond shocked that her mother hadn't brought that subject up again before they'd left for the night. Didn't matter that she'd embargoed certain topics from her mother earlier before picking Liam up from the airport. Another off-limit topic was marriage or discussion of the future. If Harper and Liam hadn't discussed it yet, it wasn't going to be brought up over dinner.

Nor would it be discussed now for that matter. Liam's eyes narrowed and the banked heat that had been simmering since she'd picked him up from the airport blazed over in an instant.

“You know,” he said as he stalked toward her, shrinking the space between them, “getting your mother's approval means a lot to me. But I'm going to tell you right now, being in the same town as you and not being in your bed would be beyond difficult for me. But being under the same roof? Impossible.”

He was right in front of her, the smell of his cologne overwhelming her in an instant.

It was a scent that she'd been dreaming of since the last time she'd seen him. A scent that had filled her head the entire time they'd spent in the car. A scent that had her heart beating fast and her head swimming in the best kind of way.

One of his hands went to her waist and was now sliding around to the small of her back as he pulled her from the wall and right up against him. Her hands went to his hips, an attempt to steady herself, but her hands on his body was a surefire way to get her entirely unsteady. Add to that the fact that he was pressed up against her.

And there went touch. It belonged to him as well.

“That so?” she somehow managed to ask as she looked up at him.

“Honey.” His voice dropped low when he said
honey
. That one word filling her ears and moving to her chest before it spread through her entire body. “The only person who is going to stop me from finally waking up next to you tomorrow morning is you.”

Bye, bye hearing. It was his.

“Me?”

“Yeah. You. Do you want separate sleeping arrangements?” His voice somehow dropped even lower with the last question and the words vibrated through her.

“No.” She shook her head.

“And what do you want?” He moved so that their faces were only inches apart. His green-gold eyes were all that she saw, taking over her sight as well.

Such an easy answer. “You.”

“Good.” And just like that his mouth was on hers and she was opening up for him immediately, needing his taste on her tongue.

He'd taken over all of her senses. She was gone. He owned her. But she'd already known that. Had known that when she'd first met him.

“I need
you,
Liam,” she whispered against his mouth.

“You got me. Now where's your bedroom?”

L
iam followed behind Harper, his hand firmly in hers, as she led him to her bedroom. There were more French doors in here as well, and a quick glance showed they led out to the same back deck as the ones in the dining room. The setting sun filled the space with a warm light.

Pinks, reds, and oranges streamed through the glass panes and reflected on the walls. Besides the queen bed, that was the only thing Liam took in as his gaze was now fixed solely on the woman in front of him.

Good Lord she was stunning.

His hands were on her body again, moving up and down her sides as he pressed his lips to hers. And then he got to that spot under her ear, opening his mouth over that patch of freckles that he loved to taste so damn much.

“I don't understand it.” Harper gasped, her hands fisting in his shirt.

“Understand what?” He moved his lips down and across her jaw, kissing every spot he could get to.

“I feel like I've been missing this for years. Missing
you
for years.”

He pulled back, his hands going to the back of her head, his fingers spearing through her hair. “I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I missed you even before I met you.”

She gasped at his words, her hands tightening at his sides. “You never cease to amaze me, Liam James.”

“And I'm never going to stop.”

“Promise?”

“I swear.” He moved one of his hands down through her hair, pulling his fingers through the strands as he traced her spine. “I got you a little something, too, you know.”

“You what?”

“A gift. I couldn't help myself. I saw it and I knew I needed to see it on you.” He reached for his front pocket, fishing out the necklace that he'd dropped in there only moments before.

He pulled his hand up, the delicate silver chain dangling from his finger. The pendant at the end swayed back and forth, the amethyst stone and the ring of tiny diamonds that surrounded it catching in the sunlight that streamed through the open windows.

Another gasp escaped Harper's mouth as her eyes moved from the necklace to him. “It's beautiful.”

“Of course it is; it matches your eyes. Now turn around.”

She did so, gathering her hair to the side as he unclasped the chain and looped it around her throat. When it was in place he leaned forward, kissing the back of her neck. She dropped her hair as she spun to face him again.

“Thank you.” She reached up, fingering the pendant. “But I didn't get you anything.”

“You're wrong there, honey. You're giving me the greatest gift of all.” He reached out, his palm going flat on her belly. “This baby.”

“Liam.” She stretched up, pressing her mouth to his.

“I don't want anything else,” he whispered against her lips. “Well, besides seeing you wearing nothing besides that necklace, that is.”

“I think that can be very easily arranged.”

“Good.” But he knew for a fact that as soon as he started to strip Harper out of her clothes he was going to be good and fully distracted, so he started to undress first.

He reached behind him, grabbing a fistful of shirt and pulling it over his head as he kicked off his boots. But before he could reach for his belt, Harper's hands were there, sliding the buckle out and pulling down the zipper of his jeans.

He needed his mouth on her, and the second his lips brushed over her neck she let out a soft sigh, her body melting into his. And just like that he got a little waylaid from his mission, and it didn't help that Harper was now pressing herself firmly into his erection.

Focus, man. Pull it together.

He reached up, palming one of her breasts and she cried out as her body stiffened.

His head came up immediately and he cradled her face in his hands.

“Sorry, they're just really sore.”

“Harper, don't apologize.”

“I just…I know how much you like them.” Uncertainty flickered through her eyes and it almost did him in. “I don't want you to be disappointed if it's a little different this time around.”

“Disappointed?” That word should never,
ever,
be equated to sex with her. “Not possible.”

“Liam, that's not true. I'm pregnant and my body is changing and—”

“Do you trust me?” He cut her off as he leaned forward and nipped at her bottom lip, their eyes not breaking contact.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Good. And you should know,” he said as he dropped his hands to the skirt of her dress, slowly working the fabric up, “I was amazed by your body the first time I saw it.” The skirt was at her hips and he tugged, pulling it past her ribs, and her breasts, and over her head. “And if anything I'm even more enamored with it now. And you know why?”

He dropped the dress to the floor as his eyes raked over her body, taking in everything. Her breasts were currently decorated with a cream and black lace bra, and matching panties covered her hips.

“Why?” she whispered, her hands falling to her sides.

He reached behind her back, unhooking her bra and pulling it from her arms before he fell to his knees. “
Because
it's changing.” His hands slid across her hips as he pulled her close and pressed his mouth to her belly.

Her fingers were in his hair, her nails lightly raking against his scalp.

“You. Are. Perfect.” He kissed a circle around her belly button between each word. And he had to stop himself from saying the rest of the sentence that was on the tip of his tongue.

And. You. Are. Mine.

She was concerned that things would be different this time around? That there was a chance he'd be disappointed? Well, that was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard in his life.

For one, he still held firmly to the fact that she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Two, absolutely nothing was going to change that. Three, she was carrying his child.
Their
child. If that wasn't the sexiest thing in the world, he had no idea what was.

And four…well, he was in love with her. In love with
everything
about her, from her body to her mind and
all
that there was in between.

Speaking of between…

He hooked his fingers in either side of the fabric of her hips before he pulled down, sliding her panties down her legs. And then his mouth was at the very core of her, doing everything in his power to make her lose her mind.

It didn't take very long before her unsteady breaths started to fill the room, and when his tongue found her clit she was gasping his name.

“Liam, I…I can't…can't do this standing up.”

“Lie down.”

The second she was flat on her back on the bed he had both of her legs over his shoulders and he picked up right where he'd left off.

He had her coming across his tongue twice before he moved his mouth up, trailing his lips across her stomach and her ribs before he was on his feet. He pushed his jeans and boxers down, pulling his socks off as he freed his legs.

Harper was lying at the center of the bed, and he kneeled down, the mattress dipping as he pulled her legs apart.

“What do you want to do about protection?” He had to ask before they went any further, before he lowered himself on top of her and completely lost his mind.

Her eyes dipped to his cock for just a second before she looked back up at him, the sexiest grin tilting her mouth. “Well, I know your swimmers are overachievers, but I don't think you're going to get me pregnant again.”

“Not what I was talking about.” He shook his head as he touched her knees, his palms sliding up the inside of her thighs.

Maybe touching her wasn't going to help him in staying focused. Who was he kidding? She was naked—except for that necklace—and spread out in front of him. He was lucky he was stringing sentences together at this point. And really the thought of being inside of her with nothing between them was enough to obliterate his brain.

He'd
never
had sex sans condom.

“I'm clean.” He forced himself to look at her eyes as opposed to her gloriously naked body. “I haven't been with anyone else since well before you and I was tested before that.”

“I'm clean, too. They did a full blood work up at my first doctor's appointment.”

“Good,” he said as he leaned over her. He pressed his lips to her belly again, lingering there for a minute before he moved up her body. He spread more kisses across her ribs, stopping when he got to her breasts.

His gaze met hers as he lowered his mouth to one of her nipples and ever so slightly ran his tongue across it. This time she didn't stiffen or flinch in pain. Quite the opposite in fact, her eyes closed as her head fell back onto the pillow and she moaned his name.

He repeated the move on her other nipple making her body writhe. He spent a minute or two showing her breasts the admiration they deserved, gently palming both as he ran his fingers and mouth across the softest, sweetest skin known to man.

“So beautiful,” he whispered as he brushed his lips over the swells. “Every. Single. Inch. Of. You.” And then he was moving up past her neck, and
finally
ending at her lips.

He settled between her thighs as they both staked claims to each other's mouths. Harper's hands were on his back, moving lower and lower until she grabbed his ass and thrust her hips up. She apparently wanted him inside of her just as desperately as he wanted to be there.

He pulled his mouth away from hers, looking down and finding her gaze.

“I need you, Liam.” That was the second time she'd said those words tonight and they'd killed him both times.

Killed. Him.

Everything about her killed him, and what she did next was no exception. She reached down, stroking his cock before she guided him inside of her. He slid in the rest of the way, ever so slowly until she was wrapped around him to the hilt.

Good God, he wasn't going to survive this. What he
was
going to do was lose his damn mind. Nothing had ever felt this good. Nothing. Ever. In the history of anything.

He pulled out before he flexed his hips and slid back inside of her. A soft moan escaped her mouth as her body arched off the bed. The movement offered her breasts up and who was he to deny himself?

He lowered his mouth and gently swept his tongue across first one nipple and then the other. Her hands were in his hair, holding his head to her breasts. He slowly rocked his hips moving in and out of her at a torturous pace.

“Liam,” she gasped as she lightly tugged on his hair.

He pulled his mouth away from her chest and looked up at her. She dropped one of her hands, running her fingers down the side of his face and across his jaw, her nails rasping his beard.

“Harder.” Her eyes darkened as she said the word.

Harder
? Okay, so she
was
trying to kill him. It was taking everything in him to not lose every ounce of his control.

“I don't want to hurt you.” He turned his head and kissed her fingertips.

“You won't.” She pulled her legs up, her thighs cradling his body as she planted her feet on the mattress and thrust her hips up against him.

“Harper,” he groaned, dropping his head and trying to hold on.

But there was nothing for it. She grabbed his hand, putting it on her hip and making him squeeze tight as she continued to forcefully move against him.

When he looked up at her again he caught her gaze, and the need in her eyes was too much for him, but the next words out of her mouth were what really sent him over the edge.

“I trust you.”

He covered her mouth with his, breathing in her gasp and the moans of pleasure that followed. His hand on her hip tightened and he held on to her as he moved.

As
they
moved.

Together
.

Neither of them held back, both of them taking every ounce of pleasure that they could find in each other. He was doing everything in his power to hold on to his release and wait for hers, but he wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer.

It was all
too
good.
Too
perfect. Moving inside of her. Breathing her in.
Finally
being with her again. Finding what he'd been desperately missing. Finding her.

When he pulled back and looked down at her—at her black hair spread out across the pillow, at those violet eyes that were lost in pleasure, at the flush that was covering her skin, at her mouth that was gasping for air in between moaning his name in pleasure—his control snapped.

And not a moment too soon, either. Her hands were on his ass again and she was moving wildly underneath him. He levered himself up on his other arm and thrust into her powerfully.

Over. And over. And over again.

Harper's back was arching off the bed as she cried out his name. Her body pulsed around him and he let go, spilling inside her. Neither of them stopped moving until they were both good and truly spent. And as his hips slowed he leaned down, pressing his mouth to hers.

“You were right,” he whispered between kisses.

“About?”

“It
was
different.” He pulled back just enough so that he could look into her eyes.

“And it's more.” She smiled up at him.

“So much more,” he agreed.

Harper's pregnancy wasn't a secret to any of her friends. After she'd told her parents she'd gone and revealed the news to everyone else. In a few weeks' time it would've been difficult to hide as she would be showing. Not to mention there were certain things she wasn't doing…like drinking coffee or alcohol. Dropping those two habits was more than noticeable.

It wasn't like Harper had a problem with alcohol or anything. She could be in social settings and not have a drink, but she would normally indulge in more than a few glasses of wine a week.