Hard Knocks: An Ultimate Novella by Lori Foster Read Free Book Online Page B

jaw, his throat. “Say what you need to say.”
    “I love you.”
    She went so still, it felt like he held a statue. Ignoring her lack of a response, Gage cupped her face. “I love you, Harper Gates. Have for a while now. I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner. I’m especially sorry I didn’t figure it out before I took off for Kentucky.”
    Confused, but also defending him, she whispered, “You were excited about the opportunity.”
    She made him sound like a kid, when at the moment he felt very much like a man. “True.” Slowly, he leaned into her, pinning her up against the door, arranging her so that they fit together perfectly. She was so slight, so soft and feminine—when she wasn’t giving him or one of the other fighters hell. “I thought it’d be best for me to concentrate only on the upcoming fight, but that was asinine.”
    “No,” she said, again defending him. “It made sense.”
    “Loving you makes sense.” He took her mouth, and never wanted to stop kissing her. Hot and deep. Soft and sweet. With Harper it didn’t matter. However she kissed him, it blew his mind and pushed all his buttons.
    He brushed damp kisses over to the side of her neck, up to her ear.
    On a soft wail, Harper said, “How can you love me? We haven’t even had sex yet.”
    “Believe me, I know.” He covered her breast with his hand, gently kneading her, loving the weight of her, how her nipple tightened. He wanted to see her, wanted to take her in his mouth. “We can change that later tonight.”
    “I’ll never last that long.” She stretched up along his body, both hands tangled in his hair, anchoring him so she could feast off his mouth.
    No way would he argue with her.
    Everything went hot and urgent between them.
    He coasted a hand down her side, caught her thigh and lifted her leg up alongside his. Nudging in against her, knowing he could take her this way, right here, against the door, pushed him over the edge.
    Not what he would have planned for their first time, but with Harper so insistent, he couldn’t find the brain cells to offer up an alternative.
    “Are you sure?” he asked, while praying that she was.
    “Yes. Now, Gage.” She moved against him. “Right now.”
    * * *
    H ARPER GRABBED FOR his T-shirt and shoved it up so she could get her hands on his hot flesh, so she could explore all those amazing muscles. Unlike some of the guys, he didn’t shave his chest and she loved— loved, loved, loved —his body hair.
    God, how could any man be so perfect?
    She got the shirt above his pecs and leaned in to brush her nose over his chest hair, to deeply inhale his incredible scent. It filled her head, making her dazed with need.
    When she took a soft love bite, he shuddered. “Take it easy.”
    No, she wouldn’t.
    “We have to slow down or I’m a goner.”
    But she couldn’t. Never in her life had she known she’d miss someone as much as she’d missed him when he’d left. Now he was back, and whether he really loved her or was just caught up in the moment, she’d worry about it later.
    She needed him. All of him.
    She cupped him through his jeans and heard him groan. He was thick and hard and throbbing.
    He sucked in a breath. “Harper, baby, seriously, we have to slow down.” Taking her wrist, he lifted her hand away. “You need to catch up a little.”
    “I’m there already.” She’d been there since first deciding on her course of action for the night.
    “Not quite.” Gage carried both her hands to his shoulders before kissing her senseless, giving her his tongue, drawing hers into his mouth.
    She couldn’t get enough air into her starving lungs but didn’t care. Against her belly she felt his heavy erection, and she wanted to touch him again, to explore him in more detail.
    He caught the hem of her T-shirt, drawing it up and over her head. Barely a heartbeat passed before he flipped open the front closure on her bra and the cups parted.
    Taking her mouth again, he groaned as