Stealing Harper
Page 24
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How she hadn’t figured out I was a tattoo artist yet made me laugh at the time, but I was glad I got to see her reaction, glad that she was fascinated rather than disgusted. I wasn’t bringing in money like Brandon, and while I loved what I did, I know some people looked down on it. Instead, the biggest smile I’ve ever seen crossed her face, and her stormy eyes got even wider when I brought down the sketchpads, and she’d spent hours going through them.
“Seriously? Rude.” Her fingers came up to just behind my collarbone, and I swiftly moved from under her hands and knelt on the couch so I was facing her and pressing her hands down into the cushion.
“Now that’s not nice. Your pressure-point training isn’t fair.”
“It’s perfectly fair! It’s the only way I can win at anything around you guys! All any of you have to do is pick me up, and it’s over.”
I raised an eyebrow at her seconds before I let go of her hands, grabbed her waist, and hauled her over the couch. She gasped, and I could tell she was getting ready to let me have it. Those hands of hers went up to hit another point I’m sure, but I let my body stretch out on top of hers, and her mouth snapped shut, her hands stilled on my chest. I leaned in close to whisper not even an inch above her lips. “Good girl. Now, if you’re done trying to hurt me, I’m gonna go back to what I’m working on.”
She nodded, and I sat up and prayed she didn’t notice my hard-on. I picked the sketchpad up off the floor and got comfortable. Harper stood up, but I grabbed her hand and brought her ass right back next to mine, keeping my eyes fixed on the pad of paper on my lap.
“I said I was going back to what I was working on, not that I was ready for you to leave my side.”
“Chase, I’m just going to—”
“Sit here with me.”
Even though I was still grabbing one of her hands, the other came up to our joined hands, and she started nervously playing with her fingers. “So it’s okay if I watch you?”
I finally looked up into her wide gray eyes, and said softly, “ ‘Okay’ is an understatement. Please don’t leave.”
Her only response was to remove her hand from mine, bring her legs up onto the couch, and rest her chin on her knees as her gaze went to the pad of paper. They widened even more, and her face lit up. God, I seriously loved her reactions to my work.
Bree walked in as soon as I started back drawing, and I was glad she hadn’t come in while I was lying on top of Harper. I could only imagine how that would have gone over. “We’re having a movie day since it’s all stormy outside. Any requests?”
Princess shook her head as she studied the latest piece, and I smiled. “Whatever you pick is fine, I’ll be working.”
Mom and Dad walked in with bowls of popcorn, and the three of them went about deciding what to watch first. Harper’s eyes never left the paper; I’d have to draw something for her one of these days.
Harper fell asleep just minutes into the second movie, and I knew I should get down on the floor so she could lie down, but having her right next to me for the last couple hours had been more than perfect, and I only got her for one day out of the week; I wasn’t about to give that up. I grabbed the pillow next to me and put it on my left leg before gently pulling her down. She went easily and immediately curled up against me. Her arms and legs were covered in goose bumps, so I took the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over her. She grabbed at it subconsciously and pulled it tighter around her before stretching out and drifting back off. She looked so beautiful when she slept, and I wished I hadn’t wasted time that first night with her, I wish I had woken up so I could watch her just like this. I could spend every early morning for the rest of my life watching her sleep, and it still wouldn’t be enough.
One of her hands came out from under the blanket to grip the pillow, and the blanket slid down to just under her perfect br**sts. I almost covered her back up since I knew she’d been cold, but I let my gaze travel up her throat to her face; her mouth was barely open, those incredibly long eyelashes I loved were resting against her cheeks, and her long hair was falling wildly around her face, shoulders, and chest. I knew I’d never forget this moment, but I never wanted to forget exactly how she looked that very second. I flipped the page on my sketchpad and took a deep breath before starting to replicate everything that was my princess. I just hoped she didn’t wake up and freak out about this.
The movie was almost over by the time I was finishing and a loud explosion caused Harper to jerk awake.
“It’s just the movie,” I said low to reassure her, and let my fingers trail across her cheek. “Don’t move yet, Princess.”
“Don’t move? Why?”
“I’m almost done; give me another minute or two.”
She stilled but thankfully didn’t ask any more questions. I finished up the drawing and slid out from under the pillow to kneel on the ground in front of her. Her breath caught and her eyes heated and I couldn’t help but look down to that perfect lip that I’d just spent time re-creating. I wanted to kiss her so freakin’ bad; this beautiful girl had no idea what she did to me. It was no longer a matter of just wanting to kiss her, I needed to kiss her, needed to know exactly how those lips would feel against mine.
“Why couldn’t I move?”
Her words broke through, and I stopped my advance on her, “Oh, um. Well . . . here. Just don’t freak out, okay? I wasn’t trying to be creepy.”
“Seriously? Rude.” Her fingers came up to just behind my collarbone, and I swiftly moved from under her hands and knelt on the couch so I was facing her and pressing her hands down into the cushion.
“Now that’s not nice. Your pressure-point training isn’t fair.”
“It’s perfectly fair! It’s the only way I can win at anything around you guys! All any of you have to do is pick me up, and it’s over.”
I raised an eyebrow at her seconds before I let go of her hands, grabbed her waist, and hauled her over the couch. She gasped, and I could tell she was getting ready to let me have it. Those hands of hers went up to hit another point I’m sure, but I let my body stretch out on top of hers, and her mouth snapped shut, her hands stilled on my chest. I leaned in close to whisper not even an inch above her lips. “Good girl. Now, if you’re done trying to hurt me, I’m gonna go back to what I’m working on.”
She nodded, and I sat up and prayed she didn’t notice my hard-on. I picked the sketchpad up off the floor and got comfortable. Harper stood up, but I grabbed her hand and brought her ass right back next to mine, keeping my eyes fixed on the pad of paper on my lap.
“I said I was going back to what I was working on, not that I was ready for you to leave my side.”
“Chase, I’m just going to—”
“Sit here with me.”
Even though I was still grabbing one of her hands, the other came up to our joined hands, and she started nervously playing with her fingers. “So it’s okay if I watch you?”
I finally looked up into her wide gray eyes, and said softly, “ ‘Okay’ is an understatement. Please don’t leave.”
Her only response was to remove her hand from mine, bring her legs up onto the couch, and rest her chin on her knees as her gaze went to the pad of paper. They widened even more, and her face lit up. God, I seriously loved her reactions to my work.
Bree walked in as soon as I started back drawing, and I was glad she hadn’t come in while I was lying on top of Harper. I could only imagine how that would have gone over. “We’re having a movie day since it’s all stormy outside. Any requests?”
Princess shook her head as she studied the latest piece, and I smiled. “Whatever you pick is fine, I’ll be working.”
Mom and Dad walked in with bowls of popcorn, and the three of them went about deciding what to watch first. Harper’s eyes never left the paper; I’d have to draw something for her one of these days.
Harper fell asleep just minutes into the second movie, and I knew I should get down on the floor so she could lie down, but having her right next to me for the last couple hours had been more than perfect, and I only got her for one day out of the week; I wasn’t about to give that up. I grabbed the pillow next to me and put it on my left leg before gently pulling her down. She went easily and immediately curled up against me. Her arms and legs were covered in goose bumps, so I took the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over her. She grabbed at it subconsciously and pulled it tighter around her before stretching out and drifting back off. She looked so beautiful when she slept, and I wished I hadn’t wasted time that first night with her, I wish I had woken up so I could watch her just like this. I could spend every early morning for the rest of my life watching her sleep, and it still wouldn’t be enough.
One of her hands came out from under the blanket to grip the pillow, and the blanket slid down to just under her perfect br**sts. I almost covered her back up since I knew she’d been cold, but I let my gaze travel up her throat to her face; her mouth was barely open, those incredibly long eyelashes I loved were resting against her cheeks, and her long hair was falling wildly around her face, shoulders, and chest. I knew I’d never forget this moment, but I never wanted to forget exactly how she looked that very second. I flipped the page on my sketchpad and took a deep breath before starting to replicate everything that was my princess. I just hoped she didn’t wake up and freak out about this.
The movie was almost over by the time I was finishing and a loud explosion caused Harper to jerk awake.
“It’s just the movie,” I said low to reassure her, and let my fingers trail across her cheek. “Don’t move yet, Princess.”
“Don’t move? Why?”
“I’m almost done; give me another minute or two.”
She stilled but thankfully didn’t ask any more questions. I finished up the drawing and slid out from under the pillow to kneel on the ground in front of her. Her breath caught and her eyes heated and I couldn’t help but look down to that perfect lip that I’d just spent time re-creating. I wanted to kiss her so freakin’ bad; this beautiful girl had no idea what she did to me. It was no longer a matter of just wanting to kiss her, I needed to kiss her, needed to know exactly how those lips would feel against mine.
“Why couldn’t I move?”
Her words broke through, and I stopped my advance on her, “Oh, um. Well . . . here. Just don’t freak out, okay? I wasn’t trying to be creepy.”
