Midnight Kiss

Chapter Six

(Word Count: 2300)

When the elevator door sealed, it locked out all the noises of the world, leaving only the two of them in the small area. Harper stood in front of him, twiddling the hem of her coat and chewing her lip to help sooth her quickening breaths. Never in her existence had she felt more like a virgin, despite not being one for ages.

This would be her first time exposed and in the arms of a man she worshipped, and nothing made her more innocent or naïve in the ways of sex than that single fact.

Harper looked down as his hand brushed against hers and intertwined their fingers, moving them up to settle against her stomach, then tugged her body tight against his own. James nuzzled into her hair, a faint hum dancing off his lips.

The subdued tone brought a calm Harper's chaotic mind, and she leaned her head against the crook of his neck, allowing her body to relax. This was James. This was a man she knew every day of her life. James was someone would be there when she awakened the next morning and call her after work later that evening.

He wouldn't sleep with her then disappear from her life.

Him disappearing was her biggest worry, but Harper couldn't continue living or not living her life based on all the fears she had. She couldn't keep hiding away in her tiny apartment, watching the world pass her by because she feared taking a chance.

When the elevator door opened, neither one of them made a move to exit. He still gripped her body against his with his fingers still clutching her own. "I can just walk you to your door. We don't have to sleep together tonight if you aren't ready."

Harper made a move to twist around in his arms, feeling them loosen around her and his hand letting hers go so she could face him. "I'm ready."

"You're shaking," James pointed out. "I should have asked this before, but you have done this before, haven't you?"

When the elevator door began to close behind her, James' hand reached out to stop it.

Harper didn't know she'd been shaking until he pointed it out, but now that he had, she was acutely aware of it. "Yes, I've done this before. Just not with you. It's a good nervous, I promise."

The muscles in James' face seemed to relax, and he took her hand once more and led her out of the elevator. Her apartment was across the hall, so Harper took the keys from the side pocket of her purse and stuck it in the lock, giving it a turn until she heard the click.

She turned around again and settled her hand on James' cheek.

James regarded her, looking for any sign that she was ready for what was about to come next, and she did everything in her power to paint every one of her features with the reassurance he needed. He seemed satisfied by what he found, gliding his fingers up her arms, to her neck, then into her hair before closing the small distance.

The way his touch felt against her skin and the way his breath heated her forehead caused Harper's heart to skip a beat. Every moment before a kiss felt like it was the first moment- the first kiss- everything leading up to it being played in slow motion for her to savor. 

When his lips made their way to hers, they ravaged her, leaving her weak in the knees and soaring up to cloud nine, never wanting to return. Every kiss made her feel protected, cherished and desired, and Harper knew he was the only man who could ever give her those things and never try to take them away from her.

His fingers tangled in her hair escaped and James pushed her back further until she landed against the door in a quiet thud. A groan escaped her mouth as his tongue slid in and he slid her coat off her body in a slow seduction.