Chapter 85 HARPER
The pleats of my skirt slid higher against my waist as I wrapped my legs around Mark’s neck, my calves locking behind his shoulders. His hands skimmed over my thighs, thumbs pressing lightly into my skin as if he was mapping every inch of me. He peppered slow kisses along my inner thighs, taking his sweet time to reach his main prize. My toes curled at the tingling sensation, breath hitched in anticipation.
We’d ended up sneaking through the back of his house, where no one would see us, ducking into his room because Sam was still at home. His bed felt like a more comfortable and far more secretive option than doing anything risky in his car. The thrill of it lingered even now, buzzing beneath my skin.
A gasp slipped past my lips when his finger slid inside me. Slowly, he worked it in and out, setting a pace that made my stomach tighten. My eyes watered as sensation flooded me, my thoughts dissolving into nothing but warmth and pleasure, like I’d floated too high and lost sight of the ground. His rhythm shifted from slow and sensual to faster, more breathtaking, each movement calculated to undo me. I bit back a moan as my hips began to move on their own, matching him instinctively.
My legs tightened around his neck as I pulled him closer, my thighs trembling. He didn’t seem to mind the pressure at all. If anything, it only encouraged him. His fingers slipped free, and before I could even register the loss, his mouth replaced them, reclaiming that sensitive spot with practiced ease.
We’d done this countless times before, but every time felt different. Every time, he still managed to pull that same wave of euphoria out of me, hitting all the right places as though he’d memorized them. His tongue flicked against my clit expertly, sucking and teasing with a devotion that made it feel like this was exactly what his mouth had been made for.
“Oh… oh,” I muttered, my voice barely holding together as I tried to slow myself down. I didn’t want it to end too soon. This was one of the perks I enjoyed most about Mark being my boyfriend. And the fact that he’d never done any of this before me, since I was his first girlfriend, made it feel almost unreal. The thought alone sent another shiver through me.
He chuckled softly against me, the sound muffled with his face still pressed between my legs. “Babe, you’re going to choke the life out of me before we even get to the main part,” he said, easing back just enough to look up at me.
I let my head fall against his pillow, half relieved and half disappointed. “I just can’t help it,” I sighed, trying to steady my breathing.
He started trailing kisses upward, from between my thighs to my stomach, then higher still, until his mouth found mine. The faint, salty taste of me lingered on his lips, and I didn’t bother pulling away. Instead, I threaded my fingers through his hair, deepening the kiss without thinking twice.
“You sure about this?” he asked quietly, his lips brushing my jaw as he tilted his head to kiss the curve of my neck.
I leaned away just enough to give him better access, but his question snapped me out of the moment. Mark had always been careful. Too careful, sometimes. He was more than willing to take things slow, even willing to wait entirely if that was what I wanted. Yet something in me, whether it was guilt or simply the heat of the moment, always pushed me to reassure him that I didn’t mind how far we went. Still, every time things reached this point, I found myself hesitating.
It wasn’t because I’d never done this before. It wasn’t because I cared about staying a virgin. I just didn’t want to do it with just anyone.
I wanted it to mean something.
I wanted the first time to be with someone I loved completely, someone who loved me just as deeply. Someone I could close my eyes with and picture an entire future beside. Someone I had real chances of settling down with. And even though Mark fit into the category of loving me, even though he treated me better than anyone ever had, I couldn’t see him in that future no matter how hard I tried.
I forced the thoughts away, reminding myself that Mark had everything I claimed to want. Whatever I felt for Tyler was nothing more than a stupid crush, something fleeting and irrational. Mark had potential. He wasn’t into other girls. He barely even wanted to hang out with anyone if I wasn’t coming along. He had plans for his future, ambitions that stretched beyond the present, and he was smart enough to build a solid career without struggling.
There was nothing wrong with him. And if there ever was, I knew he’d fix it the moment I mentioned it.
So why was I always holding back?
I knew the answer, even if I didn’t want to admit it. If Tyler had been in Mark’s place, I wouldn’t have hesitated at all.
Mark’s mouth closed around my nipple, pulling me back to the present. I hadn’t even realized when he’d rolled my sweater all the way up, but I didn’t mind. I sucked in a breath as his tongue flicked over sensitive skin, sending a fresh rush of sensation straight through me. His eyes lifted to meet mine, holding my gaze as he continued, one hand sliding between us to undo the button of his trousers.
My pulse spiked, and I worked to keep my expression neutral. I watched as he leaned back to pull his sweater over his head, then stood to push his pants down his legs. His thumb hooked into the waistband of his boxers, ready to lower them, but something shifted in his expression. A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes, and I knew he was about to stop himself.
I sat up instantly and crawled toward him, kneeling on the bed before pulling him down into a kiss. Slow at first, then more insistent. When he was back on top of me, the familiar barrier of fabric was gone. Instead, the warmth of his skin pressed against mine, his hardness settling between my legs, pulsing with need.
“I can wait a little longer,” he whispered, propping himself up on one elbow as he brushed my hair away from my face. “If you don’t feel comfortable enough yet, then we can just…”
I cut him off by pulling him down into another kiss, hungry and rushed, trying to convince him and myself that I was ready. The voices in my head argued relentlessly, each one making valid points. Mark loved me. Mark was good to me. Mark was patient, considerate, and willing to wait.
Yet, I felt obligated not to deny him, not after everything he’d given me.
I closed my eyes and braced myself, lips still moving against his as he shifted to align himself with me. I felt the tip press gently, teasing, just on the edge of slipping in, when a loud knock echoed through the room.
“Hey, dweeb, are you in there?” Megan called.
“Your teammates are about to leave. Everyone’s looking for you.”
Mark scrambled off me instantly, mouthing a quick apology. Relief washed through me, so strong it nearly made my knees weak, but I masked it by helping him straighten himself out.
“And if Harper’s in there with you,” Megan added, “because I can’t find her with the rest of the guests downstairs, then this message is for her: It’s besties before testes, you horny little—”
She burst into laughter and walked away before finishing, her footsteps fading down the hall.
Mark chuckled as he tugged his sweater back on. I finished tucking my own sweater into my skirt just as he pulled me into his arms.
“I guess some other time then,” he said softly, kissing me slow enough to make my toes curl all over again.
I melted into him, partly from relief and partly as a silent reward for his magic hands.
“Maybe next time, don’t be so teasing,” I joked.
“With you, I never want to rush anything,” he replied. “So I guess that lesson won’t be learned anytime soon.”
I laughed and kissed him again, warmth spreading through my chest this time instead of confusion. As I rested my forehead against his, a rosy feeling settled in my stomach.
Maybe, just maybe, I could finally forget about Tyler.