“It’s hopeless.”

“It’s not.” He reaches for me, placing his hand against my cheek. It’s cool and feels comforting. I’m warm from the tears and sadness. “I swear, it’s not hopeless. Sasha and I have a plan and it will all turn out fine.”

I turn my head to look at him and his mouth is there. A slight brush of his lips against mine. I open for him and his tongue flicks in, searching for more contact. Caressing me.

He kisses me for real this time.

There’s no hesitation.

Only devouring.

He kisses me like he’s the wind. Like he’s the sea. Like he’s the desert.

He kisses me and he tastes like freedom.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

James

Her sweet mouth might break me. Her soft fingers reach for my cock, squeezing it like she’s desperate. Her slim hips angle towards me as I press against her. I lift her shirt over her head and relish the blush that forms on her cheeks. Her breasts firm up, her nipples peaking as I look at them. She unbuttons her shorts and lets them fall down her hips until they hit the floor.

“Fuck,” is about all I can manage. This girl is perfection.

And then she reaches for the rumpled dress shirt of Vincent’s that I’m half wearing. She unbuttons it from the bottom up and then her fingertips brush against my shoulders as she slides the shirt down until that too drops to the floor.

She unbuckles my belt next, letting the two ends fall alongside my hips as she works the button and the zipper of my trousers. A hand reaches inside and wraps around my cock. I tilt my head back and close my eyes. “Put me in your mouth, Harper.”

I keep my eyes closed as I feel the soft heat of her breath when she comes closer. The first swipe of her tongue across my tip makes me moan. But when she opens her mouth and allows me to fill her up, pushing my cock to the back of her throat—I lose myself. Fuck.

I grab her head and pump into her. She gags and tries to pull back, but instead of letting her get away, I stop moving so she can recover and keep me in her mouth. “Shhh, my lionfish. Just relax.”

She gets it under control and flattens her tongue against my shaft, moaning. The fucking moaning kills me. Her vocal cords vibrate, sending the sensations right to the most sensitive part of my cock.

Her hand cups my balls, kneading them and caressing them, and I take that as her signal that she’s ready to proceed. I pump a few more times in her mouth, and then, just before I know she’s going to gag, I pull all the way out and squat down to give her a kiss. “I love you.”

She kisses me back, her hands greedily reaching for my cock now that it’s out of reach.

“I want to make you come, James.”

“Baby, I’ll come for you any time, any place.” I stand back up and put my cock in her mouth.

And this time I take her hard. I fuck her mouth and make her drool. She doesn’t hold back. Not one bit. She takes all of me. She takes everything I give her. I press my balls up to her chin and then I come as she swallows me.

When she’s done, I take her hand and pull, forcing her to stand. And then I grab her around the thighs and lift her little body up until her pussy is right in front of my face and her legs are draped over my shoulders. She moans just thinking about what I’m going to do. She’s dripping wet before I even get started.

I press her back against the wall and lick her, angling her hips so I can get at her pretty little ass. I lap at her clit, flicking it back and forth. And then I drop one leg from my shoulder so I can pump her pussy with my fingers.

“Oh, fuck,” she says. “Holy fuck. I’m gonna come, James. I’m—”

Her words make no sense after that. It’s just a bunch of noises, coupled with her little hands fisting my hair as she bucks her hips against my face.

When she’s slack and quiet I set her feet back on the floor. Her legs are weak, so I take her over to the bed and lay her down on her back as I climb in next to her.

“I want us to run away,” she whispers, nuzzling her head into my neck.

Our lovemaking mood is broken, so I just hold her for a moment. “You have to trust me. I can’t be responsible for everyone, Harp. But I can be responsible for us.”

“Something bad is gonna happen. I feel it. And then I’ll be all alone.”

“I promise,” I say, bringing her hand to my mouth and kissing it. “I promise to live. I promise to be there for you when this is over.”

She struggles under my embrace and climbs on top of me. My cock is still hard, but she pumps it a few times to see if I’m still interested.

I am. So I wrap my large hands around her tiny waist and place her on top of me, urging her to begin. She eases down slowly, then lifts up. “I don’t believe you. I don’t think you should make promises you can’t keep. And if you die, James, I will die with you. Even if I live, I will die with you.”

“Stop,” I chastise her. “I don’t want to hear that kind of talk.” I play with the blonde strands of hair that are falling down the side of her frowning face. She’s not convinced. “I came back for you, didn’t I? I promised to come back and I did. And it’s only been nine days. I’m early, baby. I over-delivered.”

That makes her smile a little and I reach around to cup her ass, lifting her and letting her drop as she slowly rides my cock. Her long hair brushes against my chest and sends chills up my whole body. I fucking love this girl.

“Hold on,” I tell her, grabbing her waist again and flipping us over. She spills out onto the sheets beneath me, her legs wrapped around my hips, her arms around my neck. “I want to fuck you from behind.”