That she was right there.
I shoved the urge down and gave her what I knew she needed.
My hands moved to her hips, and I rode my palms up, cupping her ass so I could angle her just right.
Hitting her clit with each roll of my hips.
I was so hard I swore I was going to lose it right there.
Her nails cut into my shoulders and scratched at the back of my neck, and she whimpered, her back arching off the wall. “Kale, oh God . . . again.”
I dipped down and bit her tit through her dress.
Harley Hope caught fire.
Trembles rocked through her body, vibrating through me.
Her pleasure.
The sweet, sweet heat.
I could feel it radiating from her body and into mine. And I didn’t even care that I was in physical pain or that I was going to go home with the worst case of blue balls I’d ever endured.
Because watching her glow?
For a moment, the girl free and riding on ecstasy?
That was all that I needed.
She whimpered and moaned these tiny, perfect sounds, trying to keep quiet as she flew.
A stark reminder that we needed to hide.
That there was some pussy bitch out there who wanted to hurt them. Maybe not physically. But the kind of wounds he wanted to inflict cut just as deep.
I was right there to catch her when she came back down.
She was gasping tiny, uncontained breaths, her chest heaving from the wall as she struggled to find her control.
Swallowing hard, she stared at me through the shadows with a mix of awe and regret. “I lose myself when I’m with you. I am so sorry.”
I think I’m already lost.
I didn’t say it. I just peeled myself from her body and carefully set her on her feet. I touched her face. Softly. Hoping she got it. “For once in your life, Hope, I think it’s time someone took care of you.”
She set her hand over mine, pressing it tighter into her face. A blaze of affection smoldered in her eyes as she looked at me. “It feels good, Kale. You feel so good. You make me want things I know I shouldn’t ask you for.”
A smirk ticked up at the corner of my mouth. “I certainly hope it feels good. Wouldn’t want my knightly duties to be lacking, would we?”
The redness bloomed, the freckles across her cheeks sparking against her soft, soft skin.
I ran my thumb over her swollen lips. “And believe me, Hope. You have me wanting things I know I shouldn’t ask you for, either.”
I looked around the enclosed space, the house blanketed by the deep, deep night. “I don’t want to do anything that hurts you.”
And I didn’t even know what I was referring to. Putting her in a situation that might cause trouble with her ex or putting her in a situation where I bailed.
Because there I stood, tempted to tell her that her son terrified me but that I wanted to wrap him up and protect him anyway. Wanted to tell her I was terrified of failing again. That I might not be enough when I’d been struggling to be that man for all my life.
Instead, I backed away, still looking at her, my smile gentle. “Now go . . . sleep. Rest. You deserve it.”
She gulped around the emotion that rippled between us.
I shoved my hands in my pockets so I wouldn’t reach out and take more and headed back out the door.
“Thank you, Kale,” she whispered, her soft voice riding on the night, hitting me from behind where she’d followed me out.
From the gate, I glanced back at her, at her silhouette on her porch.
The girl the best thing I’d ever seen.
“Good night, Princess,” I called quietly into the night.
Then I turned and forced myself to get in my car, start it up, and drive away.
15
Hope
I didn’t even have to look to know who it was when I heard the rustling in the foyer.
“Oh, now you decide to show up,” I called, glancing at her when I felt the force of energy burst in the room.
Jenna stood in the archway to the kitchen, arms stretched out and braced on the jambs, grinning from ear to ear. She glanced around at the disaster that had become my kitchen. “Looks to me like you had it all under control.”
Under control.
Right.
I didn’t think I’d ever felt so out of control in all my life.
Without an invitation, she waltzed in and went straight for the coffee maker. “Besides, some people need a little nudge in the right direction.”
I eyed her as I slid the wrappers over the lollipops. “And just what direction do you think you’re sending me?”
She poured coffee into a big mug and then grinned at me from over her shoulder. “With the way that man looks, I’m hoping to the moon. Or maybe the stars. He does have big hands, after all . . . you know what that means.”