Forever Lucy (Lucy & Harris 5)

Prologue

Lucy

The smell of freshly ground coffee filled my senses, and I moaned. As I stretched my arms, the sheets fell to my waist, and I slowly lifted my lashes. The bed beside me was empty, but the scent of coffee seemed like it was right under my nose. Raising my head, I looked around and found Harris standing in the doorway. At the sight of him, my craving for the steaming mug of coffee in his hand vanished, replaced by a stronger, more demanding one for the sexy man before me.

He was only wearing a pair of sweats that sat low on his hips, showing off his washboard abs and that delicious V. I licked my lips and rubbed my thighs together, my panties already damp as I raked my eyes over the rest of him. His hair was messy from where I had run my fingers through it before falling asleep in his arms the night before. There was a day’s worth of stubble on his strong jaw that I desperately wanted rubbing against the sensitive skin of my inner thighs.

His aquamarine eyes were full of hunger, and his lips twitched with the beginnings of an amused smirk, teasing me with just a hint of his dimples. “Good morning, fiancée.”

Hearing that word made something contract inside of me, and I could feel my skin begin to glow with happiness all over again. He seemed to see the change I could feel in myself because his breath caught, and he pushed away from the doorway to cross to our bed. Putting his mug on the nightstand, he fell onto the bed beside me, his lips already seeking mine.

When he finally lifted his head minutes later, I was gasping softly, but I couldn’t stop the joyful grin that lifted my lips. “Good morning, fiancé.”

He pushed himself up onto his elbow and smoothed my wildly curly hair back from my face. “So…” he started but quickly trailed off, his eyes going to my chest that was covered in one of his old T-shirts. But he couldn’t miss the fact that my nipples were diamond hard and aching for his touch.

I skimmed my index finger down his chest, loving it when I saw goose bumps pop up on his arms. “So…?”

“Nat called me earlier…” He trailed off again, but he didn’t really need to finish this time.

I bit back a groan and buried my face in my pillow. “Can’t we just take a few days to enjoy being engaged before all of that starts?” I grumbled.

Hell, we had only gotten engaged the night before. I was still floating on cloud nine from how happy I was, and I wasn’t ready to face the craziness of actually planning a wedding yet.

“She said the sooner we start, the easier everything will be for everyone.” He tried to soothe me. “The moms want to throw us an engagement party.”

“But we haven’t even picked a date,” I half whined, half sighed, knowing I was going to be outnumbered no matter what I said, and resigning myself to the chaos that was about to ensue.

He laughed and touched his lips to the middle of my forehead. “That’s the easy part, sweetness. Just pick a day you’re happy with, and we’ll plan around it. See? Easy.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Sure. Easy.”

Harris rolled me onto my back and settled between my spread legs. I moaned when he pressed into the perfect spot that made me forget about the madness our lives were about to turn into and hooked a leg over his hip. “I’m serious. Pick a date. Any date. I don’t care when or where. I just want to marry you, Lu.”

Happiness swelled inside of me all over again, and the date spilled out of my lips before I could even think. “March 26th.”

He lifted himself up onto his arms so he could look down at me better. “That’s a random date.”

My teeth sank into my bottom lip, and I shrugged my shoulders, turning my gaze away from his so he wouldn’t see my embarrassment. But this was Harris, and he wasn’t about to let me hide away from him. Grasping my chin between his thumb and index finger, he tilted my head up so that our eyes met and locked. “Why that date?”

I released my hold on my lip and licked away the small sting I had caused it, taking my time to gather my thoughts before I answered him. I could have lied and said it was just a date, but the truth was so much more than that.

“Lucy?”

“It was the date I first realized I loved you as more than just my best friend,” I confessed when his eyes silently implored me. “I was eleven, but I knew I loved you. That I would always love you.”

His eyes melted, but his lips lifted into a cocky grin, flashing both those sexy damn dimples at me. “Okay, then. March 26th, it is.”

I pushed at his shoulders. “Be serious.”

“I’m very serious. We’re getting married March 26th. Even if that means we have to wait until next year.”

My eyes widened. “Why would we have to wait until next year?”

He sat up quickly and then stood. “Nat, your mom, and Emmie will be here soon. Get your sexy ass up and put on some clothes. Marcus has the day off, but he hasn’t left for his run yet.”

“Wait,” I called after him as he picked up his mug and headed for the door. “Why would we have to wait a year?” He kept walking. “Harris!”

At the door, he turned, and I saw the sheepish expression on his face. “The moms want a big wedding.”

Oh dear Lord. Apprehension filled me, and I got a sick feeling in my stomach. “They do?”