Defender (Seattle Sharks 9)

“Just…” I shook my head. “Just a lot. Look, why don’t you go back to working on your dissertation, and I’ll shower off this bad mood?” I brushed a kiss across her forehead and walked past her into the hallway.

“Is Lukas pissing you off?” she asked, following me down the hardwood expanse.

“No.” I entered my bedroom and peeled off my drenched shirt. “Why?”

“Just figured if I guessed enough, I’d eventually land on the reason.”

As much I found her reasoning amusing, I knew I’d snap at her if I didn’t get my emotions under control.

“Harper, you don’t want to do this. Give me a few minutes to shower, and I’ll come out and then we can talk.” My shirt landed in the hamper. After kicking off my shoes, my socks joined the shirt.

I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower to warmup. I loved having a stone-walled shower, and that quick warm up made sure the mosaic floor didn’t freeze my feet.

Once the shower was running, I went back into my bedroom to see Harper still standing there, her arms folded under her incredible breasts.

Her lips parted as her gaze raked me up and down, lingering on my stomach.

And boom, my dick was swelling. My body was so attuned to hers that the moment I detected a hint of her interest, I was ready to go.

“Seriously, butterfly. I’m no good to you like this. I’ll be out soon.” I turned and left her standing there for fear I’d get my hands on her.

All afternoon I’d been seething over the list Paulson kept—over the possibility that my name was on it. I’d thrown punch after punch into the bag, hoping it would absorb my frustration, but I’d simply slipped further and further into my head, until I felt like a bundle of raw, exposed wires.

The last thing Harper deserved was for me to put my hands on her with anything but her on my mind.

My shorts and boxer briefs hit the floor and I walked straight into the shower, closing the glass door behind me. The hot water beat into my muscles as I stood under the powerful jets, hoping the warmth would relax the tension in my shoulders.

I’d already soaped my hair and body when I heard the glass door open and shut.

My eyes flew to Harper’s as she crossed the small space beautifully, gloriously naked. Her hair was piled on her head, so obviously she wasn’t here for a scrub-down.

“Shhh,” she whispered as her hands came to rest on my chest. “I’m not here to talk. You can still get your spa time in after, I promise.”

Shit.

“Harper, this isn’t a good idea.”

“Why? Because you’re in a mood?” She stepped forward, and I retreated until the backs of my knees hit the deep stone bench that ran the length of the shower.

“Because I like to be gentle with you, and right now I’m not sure I could be.” Damn, her nipples were hard little points as she leaned into me.

Her hand drifted from my chest, down my abs, until she wrapped it around my hard cock. “Feels like you could be a lot of things to me right now.”

She ran her thumb over my tip, swirling over the sensitive head, and I rocked into her with the jolt of pleasure that shot up my spine.

“Fuck,” I muttered.

“Yep,” she answered softly, pressing her lips to my neck.

“Harper—”

“If you say one more thing about being gentle…” Her nose scrunched. “Well, you’ll regret it. Somehow. I want you, Nathan. I can handle whatever you have brewing in that head of yours. I just need you.” She stroked my cock as her teeth grazed the skin of my chest.

I didn’t fight her when she pushed me to sit on the deep bench, or when she dropped to her knees between mine.

“Harper,” I groaned as she sucked me into her mouth. Fuck, that was amazing. She was amazing.

One of her hands gripped my base while she worked over my shaft, her mouth sliding and sucking up and down my length. Her mouth was hotter than sin and softer than silk, robbing me of every thought besides the motion of her tongue and her hollowed cheeks as she sucked me harder.

“Fuck, baby.” My fingers wove through her hair, riding along with her as she took me deeper, until I was on fire for her.

That familiar pressure built, and I fought it back. As much as I loved her mouth, I needed to be inside her, to bury myself in her tight heat. To get as close to her as I could.

“Harper.” I urged her up, and she released my dick with a little popping sound that almost had me coming from that alone. “Holy shit,” I ran my thumb over her lower lip. “You are incredible.”