Three days after returning to their world and having returned to her apartment, Harper had not seen or spoken with anyone, except for her father, whom she called immediately from a payphone. The only person she'd seen more than once was her landlady, who happened to be on her way to housing court on the same day Harper appeared in her bedroom.
Fortunately, Harper returned just in time. Already, a mound of bills and notices had gathered on her front step. And it was only after she spoke with her landlady that she discovered she had been gone for over three months. She had the impression that it had been longer.a
What she found most amusing was that everything in her apartment was exactly how she had left it. It was like she hadn't gone anywhere at all, as though she hadn't been gone for months. The unwashed plates in the sink, the unfinished pancakes she had the day after she and Lucas had spent the night together, even the linens and pillows were in the same position as she had left them.
"Please accept my heartfelt condolences again for your loss, Harper. I'm sorry, I didn't know," her landlady said when they met again on the second day over coffee to discuss the plans for her apartment. "You could have called or texted me, you know. You should know that you're like a second daughter to me. Let me know if there is anything else I can do."
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Robins," she had told her landlady.
Since she had misplaced her phone somewhere between her world and Nebiru, her father, who had taken on the incessant urge to check on her every couple of hours, had not only taken care of her phone bills, but he had also gotten her a new phone. Her father had told her that she needed it so that she could call anyone else she needed to reach out to.
But who should she contact, when the only person she had ever felt truly close to was Kendall?
Her heart fell, and for the first time since learning of her closest friend's death, she broke down and wept. She cried so hard in her bed that she was too exhausted to think and fell asleep.
When she woke up the next day, she unexpectedly thought about him.
And she despised herself for thinking about him every second after that, cursing herself for wondering where he was and what he was doing.
When Gwinifer instructed them to think about home, they were probably thinking about different places.
*Without a doubt*!
In the late afternoon, as she stood in the middle of her apartment, getting used to the silence around her, she could hear the sounds of cars driving and honking in the distance, the sound of faint footsteps from the neighbors above her unit, and the sound of birds chirping in a nearby tree. All of these sounds, and others, seemed suddenly weird and foreign to her.
She fought back tears that were building at the corners of her eyes as she gazed up at the empty ceiling. She couldn't believe she was finally back, and she couldn't believe how she actually felt like a stranger in her own world.
And she felt very alone. Darn, she felt so painfully alone.
Sniffing, she looked at her bags in a corner.
She would be leaving Seattle and everything behind her the next day.
She had gotten an email from Green Life informing her that her contract with them had been terminated due to her failure to show up for work for a month. Furthermore, she couldn't believe they had waited a month for her.
When evening came, and she had nothing else to do, she returned to her room, which was nearly devoid of any trace of her existence. Most of her belongings had been packed up for the movers who would be transporting her remaining possessions to her new home.
She was staring at her empty bed when a knock on the door interrupted the silence in her apartment.
She quickly wiped her tear-stained cheeks with the back of her hands and snatched her rent money from an envelope to give to her landlady. She wiped her eyes, brushed her hair with her fingers, making sure she didn't look like she'd been crying all day, and answered the door.
"Mrs. Robi－" She gasped. Her heart felt like it was about to spring out of her chest.
"Harper."
It was Alex who looked so fresh and, as Gwinifer had said, looked unbelievably attractive.
"You, uh, cut your hair," was the only thing that came out of her mouth out of everything she could say.
Alex smirked. "I've, um, shaved too," was the only thing that came out of his mouth out of all that he could have said.
Harper smiled to hide the feelings of bewilderment, shock, and a slew of other emotions that were swarming her face. "Um, come in." She pulled the door wider to let Alex in.
"Nice place. I had no idea you were such a minimalist," Alex commented as he took a look around the place.
Harper wanted to tell him she was leaving, hence the space and lack of stuff. "How did you find out..."
Alex smiled as he turned to face her. "I may have been a slave in Nebiru, fighting for a particularly evil demon, but back here, I'm a Carmichael. I have all sorts of resources available to me."
Harper's brow furrowed, dubious, but she shook it off. "So, um, coffee?" she asked instead, a nervous expression on her face.
He locked his eyes on her. "No."
"Hmm... How about a cup of tea?"
"No," he replied, never moving his gaze away from her.
"Okay."
"I didn't come here for a cup of coffee or tea, Harper." He approached her and cupped her face between her palms, closing the distance between them. "I've come for *you*."
She wanted to protest, but instead, a moan escaped her lips the moment she smelled his aftershave and his scent, which she had grown to like.
Then he kissed her on the lips. *Hungrily*.
He had been waiting to kiss her since he returned.
Harper didn't like to admit it, but she had missed him as well. And it was all apparent in the way she kissed him back. She had missed the sound of his voice, his intense eyes, and the way he looked at her. She had missed having him around, and she had missed the way he looked at her as if she were the only one in the room.
She moaned into his mouth.
He felt his cock start to grow tight in response to their kiss. As they kissed, their need for one another increased immensely, and they became more and more eager to reconnect in every way possible.
Harper's heart began to race, and she felt as if her skin was on fire with desire.
"Do you want me, Harper? Do you want *this*?" Alex breathed against her lips.
"Yes," she replied, her voice barely audible above a whisper.
They made their way toward Harper's room, their hands wandering all over each other's bodies and their tongues still firmly lodged in each other's mouths. Once inside, Alex slid his hands beneath Harper's shirt and ran them all over the front of her bra. Harper sighed in reaction to his touch as he rapidly reached for her back and unsnapped her bra, pushing it away.
Alex couldn't take it any longer. He came to a halt in front of Harper's desk, pulled Harper's shirt over her head, and then slipped out of his shirt.
"I missed you so much." He eagerly squeezed her breasts and rubbed his thumbs over her nipples. "I'm sorry I couldn't find you sooner."
Harper fumbled with his belt as he greedily kissed her neck. She didn't give a damn if he didn't show up on the first day. In fact, she wasn't expecting him to find her—she wasn't expecting *this*.
Alex growled. He slid her panties and pants down and kissed her again before breaking the kiss. In one swift motion, he turned her around so that her back was facing him, and then he bent her over the edge of the empty desk and licked the length of her spine.
Harper bit her lower lip, waiting to see what he would do next.
He took a moment to slip his tongue down to the small of her back. He licked the sensitive spot and just loved how Harper twitched in reaction to the feeling he was causing. He went to lick her backside until it was directly in his face. With deliberate slowness, he dragged his tongue down to her clit.
"Ah!" Harper's body tensed as he repeatedly licked the inside of her clit with the tip of his tongue.
Her cries grew louder and louder as he dragged his tongue across her slit, aiming to lick up as much of her sweet juice as he could. The way she tasted had been a long time coming for him, and he had missed it greatly. Her legs shivered as Alex began to lap his tongue as fast as he could to soak up every bit of her wetness.
Then Alex came to a pause and said, in hushed tones, "Sorry, Cuddle Bear, but I want you to come while I'm inside you."
Harper sighed, clearly frustrated.
He scooped her up and placed her on her bed. He climbed on top of her, and they kissed hard. Harper's body shuddered as she felt his erection pressing against her, sending waves of lust surging through her.
Harper was so captivated that she could already feel her juices dripping down the inside of her thigh. As they continued to kiss frantically, she grabbed Alex's hair. Alex rolled her on top of him, sensing her need for control.
After that, she kissed his nipples, then ran her tongue down to his rock-hard abs. When she neared his erection, she took a second to suck his navel before moving her tongue even more slowly down his thigh.
"Oh, fuck, Harper… You have no idea how much I've been looking forward to today," Alex declared, a little too loudly.
Smiling, she taunted him by slowly stroking his cock up and down. She began softly, then picked up the pace when she noticed him taking a deep breath in ecstasy. Finally, she took his hard length into her mouth. She sucked him hard.
"Oh! Fuck! Harper!" Alex moaned loudly.
Harper caught a glimpse of his face as she licked him while stroking his shaft, and noticed his eyes were closed.
She took him farther down her throat and sped up her rhythm, feeling a little more daring. When she had teased him enough, she got on top of him, placed his throbbing cock into her slippery slit, and thrust hard.
While she straddled him, she could feel the heat of his long erection penetrating deep inside her body. While riding him, she rubbed her breasts against his face.
Alex pushed his hips upward, trying to get as deep inside her as he could. As she gyrated her hips on top of him, he groaned against her breasts. Finally, he captured one of her nipples with his mouth and sucked it while she continued to ride him.
Harper was riding him all the way to the edge. He didn't want to come yet, so he pushed her under him and flipped her around. He settled himself on top of her, stroking her hair as he did so. "I'd like you to make a loud moan for me, Cuddle Bear. Ready?"
Harper was so consumed with need that she could only nod. He dragged one of her legs to the side and spread her out under him. She let out a gasp of pleasure as he entered her hard once more. When she felt his free hand move to her clit, she cried. With her legs spread wide, he rubbed her bud with his forefinger, all while thrusting deep inside her slick walls.
"Alex! I'm…Alex!" Harper was panting profusely now.
While maintaining constant eye contact with her, Alex carefully licked his fingers and then began to make exquisite motions on her clit, stimulating it in every way he could think of.
He hovered just over her, watching her expression as he gave her almost unbearable pleasure.
Harper was on the verge of exploding. She could feel the pressure rising through her body as she bit her lip, from her nipples to her stomach, to her clit, and ultimately deep within her core.
Then she cried out loudly as her body was rocked by a shattering orgasm.
Watching her give in to her climax threw Alex over the edge, right along with her. And his climax was so intense that he was practically shaking as he came. It took him a while to collect his breath and regain his control after having such an exhilarating sensation with the woman he loved.
For a brief moment, he just remained inside her, staring into her eyes and feeling overwhelmed with happiness that he had found her and was once again with her.
Eventually, he slowly withdrew from her and lied next to her. He gently took her into his arms and kissed her on the forehead. For another brief moment, they shared a tender kiss. Harper rested her head against his chest, her sigh of satisfaction echoing in his ears. They remained entwined with one another, simply pleased to be back together after all that had happened.
After a while, Alex lightly kissed Harper's lips and asked, "How was it? Our first intimate moment together since I regained my memories."
"Wait－What? What did you say－" Harper immediately drew back and stared at him, her eyes wide with shock. “You－?!”
Teasingly, he smiled at her. "Hello, *Ms. Fritz.*"