posted by Kaylie Newell on Uncategorized

2 comments

Harper had touched him before thinking about it. And now that her hand was resting on his arm, or more specifically, the ridge of his taut bicep over the ski jacket, she didn’t want to move it.

Justin cocked his head to the side, but otherwise stayed very still. “It is beautiful, isn’t it?”

Harper studied the back of his neck. The way his sun-streaked blond hair curled over his ears and down toward the nape. He was so close she could have leaned forward and placed a kiss there. She could smell the sunscreen on his skin. Could almost taste it. God, she’d missed him.

Slowly, he turned. His normally baby blue eyes were all black pupil, the blond lashes framing them, unusually thick. Harper had never fancied herself the kind of girl to fall for the typical ski bum. But Justin was so much more than that. He was devilishly handsome, for sure, but he was also a gifted athlete, a kind person, a good friend. And he’d loved her. She’d never doubted that. So why hadn’t he waited?

Still, she couldn’t seem to take her hand away from his arm. She looked down at it as if it was staying there on its own, a naughty appendage that refused to listen to reason.

“What are you doing, kitten?” Justin’s voice was as smooth as the velvet ribbons tied to the garland behind them. It was also laced with something else that set a small fire burning in her lower belly.

“I…don’t know.”

“Because I can’t be held accountable for what I might do if you don’t take a step back.”

He was teasing her. But not entirely. She could tell she was treading thin ice here. But the truth was, she couldn’t help it. Maybe she didn’t want to help it.

“I have to know something, Justin.”

He took her hand off his arm and held it in both of his, staring down at her knuckles which he rubbed gently with his thumb. “I know what you’re going to say.”

Closing her mouth, she stared up at him. She wanted to hear this.

“I never should have given up on us, Harper.”

She felt her mouth hanging open. Felt herself leaning toward him like the magnet he was. She never thought she’d hear him say it. Never in a million years.

He looked at her then, very serious, every trace of joking aside. “This has been the longest four months of my life.”

Reaching up, she ran her fingers along his brow, cupped his face in her palm, watched him close his eyes for a second at her touch. “Do you have any idea how much I’ve wanted to hear you say that? Why now?”

He tugged at a strand of her hair. “I think I’ve known for a while now. It was just a matter of seeing you again, I guess.”

The fire which had started burning in her lower belly a minute ago was now heating her through. Her knees were shaking, threatening to give way and dump her bum flat on the floor. Could this really be happening? She’d thought about it so often since they’d broken up. And now he had his arms wrapped around her, had his lips poised just a few inches from hers. The lodge was seductively quiet, the light soft and romantic around them. It was a hundred times better than she’d imagined.

And then he kissed her. No, make that a thousand times better. His lips were soft and warm, the stubble around them tickly and delicious. His tongue explored her mouth in a way that made her want to come undone. He tasted so good, so familiar. Pulling her closer, he moved his mouth down her neck, stopping to nuzzle behind her ear.

She felt a sound bubble up in her throat and he pulled away smiling. He was so sexy, so confident, that she literally had to remind herself to breathe.

“There it is. The signature Harper Smith purr.” He put his mouth on hers before she could argue, and mumbled against her lips. “I’ve missed that, kitten.”

She tilted her head to the side, letting him drag kisses along her jawline. Letting him take possession of her heart again, feeling reckless and terrified. But most of all, feeling in love.

“What about school, Justin?” she heard herself say in a ragged voice. “What about us?”

Wrapping his hands in her hair, he bent to put his forehead on hers. A gesture that brought her back to their first date when he’d kissed her until her stomach had quivered, and she’d finally realized what all the fuss was about.

“You’re worth waiting for, Harper.” And then with a wink that was tempting as a box of peppermint chocolates, he added, “Maybe I’ll have to learn to surf.”

The End

 

*Thanks for hanging out with me these last few weeks!  Hope you enjoyed Harper and Justin’s journey to a Christmas reconciliation Winter Break, along with many other fabulous reads from the Beachwalk authors, will be available for free download in December!  Look for Holiday Kisses, coming soon-

Don’t forget to stop by Ashlynn Monroe’s blog tomorrow for the conclusion of her story, Reunion- http://www.ashlynnmonroe.com/apps/blog/