Harley stops in front of the tree, staring up at our wooden palace. One thing you should understand is this treehouse is not some shoddy house made of old planks. It’s round and somewhat regal, more like an apartment with two bedrooms, a living room, and a mini kitchen. It even has its own source of power. For my tenth birthday, my father granted my wish and hired a builder to custom design the house Harley drew for us in her sketchbook. This place is as much hers as it is mine.
After my mom left my dad for another man, I think he wanted a reason to create some distance between us. He wanted to be alone, to shut all of us out and drown himself in his work. We’re alike in that respect. I did the same thing after Harley moved to Los Angeles. I knew she wasn’t coming back, so I followed in the old man’s footsteps. Bourbon became my drink of choice. Women were nothing more than playthings on retainer for my enjoyment. And my team of coders filled the rest of my time. I was content, to some extent, until the scandal rocked my world. But I’m glad it happened.
Harley kicks off her heels into the grass. “Don’t let me fall,” she says over her shoulder.
“I’ll always catch you,” I promise. Always.
I slide my hand to her hip, walking up the narrow steps behind her. My heart thumps in my chest, beating harder as we make our way to the top. Harley flings the door open, and before she steps inside, she turns around to face me. She takes a deep breath, her blue eyes wide as she looks up at me. The world stops and then spins on its axis as our eyes meet.
A small balcony snakes around the edge of the house, giving me enough room to hug her back to my chest, inching us toward the edge of the railing, so we can gaze upon the property. Harley gasps when she takes in the sight of the estate. Birds chirp in the trees above us, singing a tune only they can understand. Everywhere you look, there’s nothing but perfectly trimmed shrubbery between us and the main house.
From thirty feet above ground, we have it all. A world we created together a long time ago.
“You and me, Queen,” I whisper against her ear. “Finally.”
She leans her head back against my shoulder and peeks up at me with those blue eyes that slice right through me every time. “I lied earlier,” she says, snapping me back to reality.
My heart goes apeshit, and I feel like someone just punched through my back and straight through my heart.
“It’s not what you think.” Harley rakes her nails down my arms so painfully slow my cock springs to life. “A part of me agreed to this marriage because I wanted to work with you, because I wanted my dad to see me as a real person. But you were right.” Her eyes lock onto me, pinning me in place. “I did this for you, Nate. As much as I thought I hated you, I also cared about you. For a long time, you were my only friend. The only person I trusted. And I knew you were acting like a jerk on purpose. It’s your defense mechanism, your shield against the world. This is our second chance, something I never thought we would get, and this time, I don’t want to waste it. Not a second.”
With that, I fist her hair between my fingers and bring her mouth to mine, prying her lips apart with my tongue like my life depends on her next breath. Like I need her to survive. She tastes like candy and champagne. Her sweet perfume fills my nostrils, masked by the inky scent of charcoal that’s forever burned into her skin. Harley McQueen consumes me, completes me in every single way. My beautiful artist, my creative best friend who envisioned this life for us with the flick of her wrist. I love her more than I crave her body, love her more than I love anything in this life.
And I want to tell her this. All of it.
Every single thing I love about her.
When the timing is right.
Harley peels her lips from mine. “Take me inside, Nate.”
Five steps later, we’re inside the house, and I push her back to the door, pinning her arms above her head as I kiss her lips. She moans when I touch her, everywhere I touch, from her mouth to her cheeks, down to her jaw and her neck.
“Nate,” she moans against my lips as she spreads her thighs for me.
She looks wild and beautiful, her blonde curls fanned out around her face, her eyes hooded and filled with fire. I’ve never seen Harley like this. So free and open, ready to give me all of her. And I love it. I lift her right leg, and she rubs my backside with her foot, begging for more of my erection that pokes through my dress pants. She rocks her hips like an animal, creating some friction as she rubs her pussy against my cock.