Samantha Wattson was just emerging from the shower when she heard her phone start to buzz on the marble countertop. She wound the towel around her body and lunged forward to grab the contraption just before it bounced itself onto the cold hardwoods below. The smile that popped up on her face when she saw Harry, her boyfriend's name, pop up on the screen must've been blinding.
I don't know why you couldn't have come to the venue this morning rather than doing whatever you're doing.
She giggled.
You left me exactly 20 minutes ago.
She set her phone down while he responded, taking a few moments to moisturize her face.
It was 22 minutes ago if we're being exact.
Samantha couldn't help but smile again. She knew he was annoyed about having to leave her that morning. She had to admit, being apart from him for any period of time was also hard for her. But she had a few errands to handle today which meant Harry was on his own at the venue until she finished.
He pouted about it all morning. Typical.
She was just finishing getting her jeans on when her phone buzzed again.
Can't wait to get you back to the room tonight. I'm gonna kiss every inch of your body.
Samantha tapped her screen to respond.
Rufus needs food, do you still want the organic stuff? I know you hate it when he has loose poo.
She set her phone down as she pulled her shirt on, grabbing it when she heard it buzz again.
Did you read what I said? I'm not letting you out of my grasp once I get off this stage.
Oh and I'm gonna grab some protein powder while I'm out. Any flavor you fancy?
She giggled, almost able to feel Harry's irritation through the phone.
Vanilla. Maybe I'll sprinkle it all over you and lick it off.
Samantha turned her nose up.
Really?
Gimme a break. I was trying to be provocative. You're ignoring my advances.
Samantha felt her heart squeeze in her chest. The last year with Harry had been like a dream. The two of them were so in sync and in love that some days she pinched herself to make sure she wasn't actually in a dream. She had never felt more appreciated or appreciative in her life. They had come so far from their first meeting sometimes even she was shocked to realize just how amazing things were.
She sighed out a deep breath.
I love you.
His response came almost immediately.
I love you too
She smiled as she set her phone down, looking up into the mirror, she leaned forward to being her makeup. Just as she lifted her mascara to her eye she heard her phone buzz. She looked down at the phone to see Harry's name.
Please hurry. We miss you.
A picture of Rufus followed.
She tapped her screen to respond.
Maybe I'll save some stuff for later while you're on stage. I'll see you in an hour.
-------------------
Samantha made it back to the venue just in time to catch Harry's final song soundcheck. She found a spot in the sound booth area, smiling at Harry's sound engineer as she leaned against one of the boards. Within seconds she was lost in his voice. Lost in his movements. Lost in him. Even the slight readjustment of his earpieces made her heart swell to twice its size.
God, he was so talented.
She lifted her hand, her fingertips pressing to her lips as her emotions almost became too much. Harry was still grumpy some days but she wouldn't have had it any other way if she was being honest. Because even in his grumpiness he was loving and attentive. He'd made it clear over the last year where his priorities lay and the top of the list was where Samantha resided. Despite his busy career that seemed to have exploded now that he had returned, he still made sure Samantha knew she was what was important to him.
As if he could feel her emotions, Harry looked up from his microphone, his eyes meeting hers as a slow smile stretched over his face. Samantha removed her hand from her mouth and waved gently. He then went back to his singing, belting out a note that made her heart flutter in her chest.
Once the song finished, he turned to his band. After a few verbal notes about how he wanted it to sound during the show, he turned back to the microphone,
"Paging Samantha Wattson." His deep voice echoed through the empty venue, "Ms. Wattson there's a very important message waiting for you at the microphone. Please make your way there in the next five minutes."
"Subtle..." Samantha heard Harry's sound engineer say quietly as she walked by. She turned back to see him flash her a cheeky grin before he turned back to his work.
Samantha made her way to the stage, waving and saying hello to several crew members as she walked by. Rufus was perched at his usual spot, laying peacefully off to the side at the top of the stairs. He stood when he saw Samantha, lifting his nose to accept her ear scratches.
Harry frowned,
"So I come after the dog...is that it?"
Samantha nodded,
"Absolutely." She teased as she leaned down to kiss Rufus' nose. He layed back down.
Samantha walked the rest of the way to Harry. She greeted him with a soft kiss,
"How'd soundcheck go?"
Harry flashed her a knowing look,
"I'd say pretty well considering it looked very much like you were crying earlier..."
"I wasn't crying."
"Weren't you?" He asked as he turned back to put his microphone on the stand.
"No. I was...it was..." She realized she had no explanation so she gave up. Samantha walked up behind him. She slid her hands onto his hips, "I'm so proud of you." She whispered into his ear after lifting herself onto her tiptoes.
Harry turned to her, one eyebrow cocked,.
"Yeah?"
She nodded, keeping her hands on his hips as he turned around. She studied his swallows, something she'd done so frequently over the past year that she knew their every line and dot,
"Yeah." She finally lifted her eyes to meet his, "The last year has been..." She let her sentence trail off.
Harry lifted his hands to rest on her shoulders,
"Busy? Stressful? Terrifying?"
She giggled,
"Terrifying?"
He shrugged as he giggled himself,
"Well that fan chase was a little scary." He pointed out, remembering a few weeks ago when he and Samantha had been spotted out getting smoothies only to be chased back to the truck by a swarm of fans.
Samantha shook her head,
"It was surprising." Her smile faded as she looked back on him, "This has been the best year of my life."
Harry had no response, other than to lean down and press his mouth to hers.
Two years ago, he'd been sure life as he knew it was over. He was so deep in the despair of losing his fiance, Gwen, that he had pushed everyone who loved him as far away as he could get them. He had resigned himself to living in the tomb he'd created full of all of the things Gwen had loved so much until the universe took mercy on him and his breaths stopped.
But the universe had other plans. Plans that even he couldn't have fathomed for his life.
Samantha Wattson had barged into his life and his heart and she refused to allow him to wallow in self pity any longer. She challenged everything in his world. He found it annoying and irritating until he found himself falling for her.
And now, a year later, he couldn't have imagined how well things would turn out.
He pulled his lips from hers as he lifted his hands to her cheeks,
"Last week of shows." She nodded. He pushed his forehead to hers, "Then we go home." She nodded again. It felt so good to be close to him.
Just as they were shutting out the world, someone knocked Harry's drummer, Sarah's, cymbals over sending a crash reverberating through the venue.
Harry let out a frustrated sigh as he turned to see Sarah standing behind them. She looked sheepish as she stepped over her drum kit,
"Sorry." She apologized.
Harry shook his head,
"Everybody on this tour is fucking fired." He whispered under his breath.
Samantha giggled. She gave him a soft pat on his butt,
"One more week."
Harry gave a slight nod of his head, frowning just slightly as he and Rufus followed her off stage.
-------------------
Samantha watched Harry's show from the sound booth. Her phone buzzed and buzzed in her pocket, as it usually did. But she never moved her eyes from Harry. Whatever was happening on her phone, it could wait.
She made her way to the backstage area once the show was over, smiling and waving whenever fans recognized her and called out her name. She and Harry didn't flaunt their relationship but they also didn't hide it and fans had started to recognize her as someone special to Harry once she appeared holding his hand in a few paparazzi shots.
Harry was in his dressing room when she finally got backstage. He'd already peeled himself out of his performance garb and was wiping the beads of sweat off his tanned skin. Samantha took a moment to admire her incredibly hot boyfriend before she announced her arrival in the room. Harry was just pulling the towel from his face, which broke into an instant smile the moment he saw her standing in the doorway,
"Miss me?" He asked, cheekily as he leaned over to peck a kiss to her lips.
Samantha nodded,
"Absolutely."
Harry took about an hour to sign a few things people had waiting for him. He handed off his clothing to get washed, gave some notes to his tour manager about things that needed to be fixed for the next show, grabbed Rufus' leash and then he planted his other hand in Samantha's as they walked towards the van to take them to their hotel.
Samantha snuggled into the crook of his arm. She smiled when she felt his nose nuzzle into her hair. She patted his thigh,
"You were really good tonight."
Harry pressed his lips to her temple,
"I saw you dancing."
Samantha squeezed his knee,
"We have a 30 minute drive to the hotel."
Harry's fingertips traced the edge of her top,
"I can get a lot done in that amount of time."
Samantha eyed the driver,
"Chill." She whispered.
Harry sighed in frustration before groaning and turning his head to look out the window,
"I feel like no one on the planet wants me to have sex." He grumbled.
-------------------
Harry tugged on Samantha's hand as he led her down the hallway to their room. Emma had called a few minutes before the van pulled up to the hotel and even though Harry had spent a few minutes outside with his fans, Samantha was still on the phone with her. He shook his head as he stood in front of their door arguing with the room key that didn't want to work.
Samantha finally took the key from him. She slid it into the door, handing the key back to Harry after the light turned green.
He rolled his eyes as he held the door open for her.
Samantha nodded,
"I can do that."
Emma continued to fire off instructions while Samantha did her best to keep them filed away in her brain.
Harry let out a deep sigh, trying his best to make sure Samantha heard him. His frustration grew when she barely acknowledged him. He shook his head after a few more attempts didn't work. He finally threw his hands up in frustration,
"Lemme know when you're done, I guess."
Samantha barely heard him, waving her hand as she finished her conversation.
She had definitely lost track of time over the next 30 minutes with Emma on the phone. She glanced around the room after hanging up. Harry was nowhere to be seen. Considering the size of the room it took her a good couple of minutes to visit each one before finally resorting to calling out his name,
"Harry?"
"In here." She heard him say from the bathroom.
Samantha could see the slight amber glow coming through the slight opening of the door. She pushed it open, gasping slightly when she saw the entire thing. Every candle in the bathroom, which was shockingly a lot, was lit up. There was a chiller with champagne and two flutes next to the bathtub full of bubbles and a tray of strawberries.
Harry pushed the door closed behind her. He turned to slide his arms around her from behind. He quickly took the phone out of her hand,
"I'll take that." He said as he turned her phone off.
Samantha couldn't take her eyes off the gorgeousness in front of her,
"You did this?"
He nodded, snuggling her into his chest,
"I did."
"Ho-when?"
"While you ignored me on the phone." He answered, reaching his fingers around to start unbuttoning her shirt.
Samantha felt terrible for ignoring him when she knew full well she'd promised no business tonight. She frowned,
"This is really romantic."
Harry turned her around slowly to face him. He lifted his hands to push her hair off her shoulders along with her shirt,
"I have a lot to make up for."
Samantha's frown deepened,
"You don't."
Harry reached down to unbutton and unzip her jeans,
"I do. I have yet to make up for how much of a twat I was when we first met."
Samantha took his hands before he pushed her jeans off her hips,
"Hey." She said, calling his attention to her. When his eyes met hers, she continued, "You have nothing to make up for."
Harry blinked a few times,
"Get in the tub. Meet you there in a couple minutes."
Samantha nodded, watching as he turned and walked out of the bathroom.
She was just finishing pouring the champagne when Harry walked back into the room completely naked. She smiled, once again admiring the amazing body walking towards her. She handed him his glass of champagne after he got comfortable in the tub.
He took a sip, staring at the glass for a moment before meeting her gaze,
"Champagne makes me burp." He admitted.
Samantha giggled,
"Good to know. I won't hold it against you."
"I might hold it against me." He said. Samantha could feel his fingers creeping onto her thigh under the water, "Burping isn't exactly the romantic situation I wanted to go for this evening."
Samantha leaned forward. She reached up to trace his face with the pads of her thumbs,
"What was the situation you wanted to go for this evening?" She asked softly.
Harry wound his arms around her under the water. He pulled her into his lap causing the water to splash up into his face. Samantha giggled as his eyes closed and he sputtered out some water he'd swallowed,
"Romance might be hard in here. We aren't the most coordinated people."
She reached up to try and help him wipe some of the bubbles off his face. Harry finally opened his eyes. He lifted his hand to set his glass down and then rested it against her cheek. His face rested into a calm smile,
"I love you." He said softly.
Samantha felt her heart skip a beat,
"I love you too."
"When this is over...what do you think about moving in with me?" Harry watched as Samantha's face morphed into shock. He raised his eyebrows after she stayed silent for a bit longer than he'd expected, "Nava?"
She finally sputtered out a sound, though nothing resembling any words,
"I...really?" She finally said.
Harry nodded,
"Yeah. I mean...I don't know why you're so shocked. When we're home you're there all the time anyway and we're always in the same hotel room. Aren't we living together already?"
Samantha nodded,
"Yeah...it's just...are you sure you want me to move in with you?"
Harry studied her face closely. He knew she would overthink it. She overthought everything. But he'd been thinking about this for quite some time and it was the right move. It was most definitely what he wanted.
Harry nodded,
"When we get back, we can go to your apartment, pack up your stuff and move you in that night if you like."
Samantha couldn't help the smile that must have blinded him because it hurt her cheeks,
"Mia needs some notice."
Harry frowned,
"She's doing well enough now she can afford that place on her own. Her second shop is about to open."
"I know. I just don't wanna leave her in the lurch...ya know?"
Their eyes met then, both of them falling silent as they sat with the idea. Harry pushed his hand around to the back of her neck. He pulled her down, his mouth connecting with hers moments later. Samantha felt his tongue trace her bottom lip, urging her mouth open a bit more. Once she obliged their tongues tangled in a deep, intense kiss.
Harry pulled away just slightly, his eyes opened to see hers still closed,
"Think we should take this outta the tub and into the other room."
Samantha nodded,
"Ok."
He slapped at her butt under the water,
"Meet you in a bit."
Samantha pressed her mouth to his again. Harry held her hand as she stepped out of the tub, watching intently as she grabbed a robe and left the room. He shook his head in disbelief. He would always be in awe of this girl.
-------------------
Harry slid his hands under Samantha's body, his fingers digging into the flesh of her ass while he sheathed himself inside of her. She arched her back into his chest, her eyes falling closed while she bit her lip to keep from crying out.
Goddamn, she felt good.
He dropped his mouth to her neck, pressing his lips there until he'd sucked a tiny purple mark to her skin.
Samantha's fingers dug into his hips before winding around to his ass. He felt her tip her hips up towards his as she pushed his ass down,
"Mmm, baby..." She whimpered into his ear, sending his senses into overdrive.
Harry brought his head up. He pushed his forehead to hers, his breaths hot across her eyelids while he pushed as deeply into her as he could. He never would have expected to fall in love with her even more every time they were together, but that's definitely what happened. When he and Samantha were connected it was like nothing else existed. And he was powerless to stop any of it. He would keep falling in love with Samantha...over and over.
Samantha loved the feel of Harry's weight pushing her into a mattress. It was a welcome occurrence at the end of a long day. A reminder that she was united with someone else on this earth. She was part of something special. Something not everyone had. When they weren't together, memories of their intimacy put dreamy smiles on her face and goosebumps across her skin. Samantha was more in love with Harry than she had been with anyone or anything in her life.
Harry's whole body was electrified, his thrusts becoming less exact as he both felt and heard her chasing her release. He pressed his hands into the mattress on either side of her head, his lips capturing hers in a deep kiss,
"Come for me." He whispered as he pulled away.
Harry watched while she writhed beneath him. Every jolt of her body, every movement only served to drive him closer to his own climax. Samantha was never more beautiful to him than when she was in the throes of a euphoria that had been brought on by him.
He felt her nails dig into his ass, her hips grinding against his as she cried out. Despite Harry's intense desire to watch her, he found himself losing his grip moments later. His eyes shut under the magnitude, his body shaking violently before his arms could no longer hold him and he collapsed on top of Samantha.
He came out of his blissful haze to the feeling of her pressing soft kisses to his temple, cheek and neck while she softly whispered that she loved him.
-------------------
Samantha finished buttoning and zipping her jeans the next morning. She turned towards the mirror as she gathered her hair into a loose ponytail. She giggled softly when she heard Harry singing in the shower.
He'd been in a particularly good mood that morning, no doubt brought on by their activities last night.
She was just getting her shoes on when he emerged from the bathroom in nothing but a towel. She looked up, her heart skipping a beat when she saw small droplets from his wet hair drop onto his skin and slide down. Samantha walked towards him, her hands tracing up and over his shoulders as she came up behind him. She admired the sinewy strength of his back muscles while he rummaged through his suitcase for something to wear and then she pressed a kiss to the back of his shoulder.
Harry raised his eyebrows but didn't turn around,
"Good morning, Nava."
She cuddled into his back, breathing in his musky scent,
"Good morning."
He turned around, his hands lifted to rest on her hips. He tipped his head up for a kiss, which she obliged. When she pulled away he took a breath,
"Are you about to tell me you're not coming with me to the venue again?"
Samantha sheepishly avoided his gaze,
"I have to do all the things I didn't do yesterday."
Harry frowned,
"I knew bad news was coming."
Samantha danced her fingertips up his chest,
"Buuuut..." She started, "We could have breakfast together in that little cafe downstairs. I already scoped it out and there aren't any fans waiting."
Harry nodded, side stepping her on his way back to the bathroom,
"We should take advantage of that while we can."
Samantha finished getting herself ready while Harry got dressed. He ran a hand through his mess of curls but that was as far as it got as far as him styling anything.
Just as he reached down to grab both of their bags, Samantha's phone rang. Her eyes widened when she saw the number.
Harry turned to look at her,
"Ready?"
Samantha nodded, her eyes glued to her phone while she tried not to tip him off that anything was awry.
"Sure." She looked up at him, "I'll meet you at the bus downstairs. I'm gonna ummm..." She glanced around, "Make sure we didn't leave anything behind."
Harry didn't seem to notice a thing. He agreed quickly, grimacing under the weight of their bags as he left the room.
Samantha quickly tapped the answer button on her phone,
"Hello?" She said as she pushed the phone to her ear.
"Is Samantha Wattson there?" A friendly, female voice asked on the other end.
Samantha sat down on the edge of the bed,
"This is she."
"Ah, lovely." She took a breath, "Samantha this is Lorena Dobbins at HarperCollins, we spoke a few months ago. I've just been thinking about our phone interview and I'd like to get you in here for an in person interview."
Samantha felt herself hop onto her feet as she let out a silent whoop of excitement. HarperCollins was the biggest publishing house in London. She'd sent her resume in before Harry had started the second leg of his tour in the United States. She never expected to get a phone call back, but they had called her a few weeks later requesting a phone interview. Lorena had been so nice and Samantha left the interview feeling hopeful but after no contact from them Samantha was sure they'd gone with someone else.
Seeing Lorena's number pop up on her phone just now was definitely a nice surprise,
"Sure. I'll be free any time next week."
"Alright, I will call you then and give you a more nailed down time and date. I'm looking forward to seeing you."
"Ok, thank you for calling Ms. Dobbins."
Samantha took the phone away from her ear. She tapped the hang up button. Her eyes darted around the room as she fought to control her heartbeat.
She felt her phone buzz in her hand. She glanced down at the screen to see Harry's name and a text.
Hey. I'm at the bus. You lied. There are fans here.