I checked my reflection in the mirror one more time. After I got done talking to Karma, I excused myself to sneak away to the restroom. I didn't need to take a piss. What I needed was to stop looking at Harper. No matter the circumstance, she always took my breath away. She was wearing a black and red dress today, with her hair up in a high ponytail and light makeup on her beautiful face. She was stunning.
One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was remain in my seat when she was paying her respects to Karma's mom. When they asked if anyone wanted to say a few words, she went up and shared a story about Mrs. Fitzgerald. She had cried the entire time and it killed me. I wanted to go up there with her. I wanted to stand beside her and wrap my arm around her waist. I wanted to show her the comfort she needed. More than anything, I wanted to—
Knock-knock-knock
I cleared my throat. "One second," I called out.
"It's me."
I pushed myself off of the sink and stared at the door. It was...her. There was no mistaking that soft voice. With shaky hands, I reached for the handle and opened the door. Her eyes were red-rimmed and watery. And she looked exhausted. Fucking beautiful and exhausted.
When she pushed her way in to the bathroom, I stepped back. She shut the door behind her and turned towards me.
"Are you okay?" I asked her quietly. I knew this day was going to be hard for her. It was hard for everyone. Ever since we found out about Karma's mom, Harper has had a very rough time with it. Especially since she was still on the outs with her own mom.
When she didn't answer, I asked again. "Princess, are you alright?"
She put her slender fingers to my lips. "Don't—don't talk."
She pulled my lips to hers and I groaned against her mouth. My arms wrapped around her like they had a mind of their own. I tilted my head to the side, my tongue sliding against hers. I had no idea what caused her to do this, but I wasn't going to ruin it by asking.
When I felt her hands working my belt, I knew what she wanted—and I was more than prepared to give it. Harper reached for the bottom of my shirt, untucking it from my pants. That's when I fucking lost it.
Within seconds, pants fall to my ankles. I picked Harper up and sat her on the edge of the sink. Never breaking the kiss, my hands slid up her soft thighs until I found her panties. I tugged the black lace down her legs and tossed them aside. No more waiting.
I pushed inside her wet heat with one hard stroke. She gasped as I filled her, her head falling back against the mirror. I gripped her hips as I continued to drive into her. God, she felt amazing. I pulled her up so I could kiss her again. She seemed to want it just as bad as I did. She wrapped her arms around my neck and sucked on my tongue. I lifted her leg a little so I could go even deeper inside her.
"Oh, fuck." I felt my orgasm building. It had been so long since I'd been inside her. Too long. Weeks. One thing I loved about our relationship was that we had a healthy sex life. We probably averaged four or five times a week. Sometimes more. I would never get enough of her.
"Jackson..." her soft moan was enough to push me over the edge. But I wanted her to come first.
I reached down between us and started to rub her clit. She cried out as she came. I pressed my lips to hers to muffle the sounds. The last thing we needed was for someone to know what we were doing. I slowed down a little to let her ride out her orgasm. Unable to wait any longer, I thrust my hips forward harder. When she came apart for a second time, the feeling of her core clenching my throbbing dick had my head falling back and I released myself inside of her.
Feeling unbelievably sated, I rested my forehead against hers as I tried to catch my breath. Fuck, I missed her. I misses us. But I knew not to get my hopes up. I withdrew from the warmth of her body and stepped back before I helped her off the sink. In the dense silence, I pulled my pants up as she fixed her dress. I bent down to retrieve her panties and handed them to her.
"Thanks." Her face was flushed; like it usually was after we made love. "I—uh, don't know what that was." She looked everywhere but at me. "I just...needed you." The last part was barely a whisper. It was almost like she was ashamed that she sought me out for sex after ending our relationship.
I chucked as I fastened my belt. "A little break-up sex? I have to say I've heard that it's better than regular sex. I have to agree." I leaned against the wall and studied her worried expression. "It's alright, princess. I know this changes nothing between us. Don't fret. I'm still yours. I'm going to wait for you—no matter how long it takes." I reached out and stoked her cheek. "Besides," I whispered, "you know I could never deny you."
She nuzzled my hand a little. Then a split second later, she realized what she was doing and pulled away. "I should get back out there before they come find us. Lanie will be pissed." She took one last glance at me before she left me alone in the bathroom.
Well...that was definitely unexpected. There was a little voice in the back of my mind telling me this was dangerous. It kept telling me that, if shit like this kept happening and we didn't get back together, it was going to be a fucking painful nightmare. But I couldn't think about that right now. Right now, I just wanted to bask in the amazing bliss I was currently feeling.
When I finally stepped out of the bathroom, I saw Nate running down the hallway at me with a panicked expression.
"Jackson! I need your help."
I frowned and placed my hand on his shoulder. Christ. The man looked like he was going to pass out. "Relax, mate. What is it?"
He was out of breath and his tone was frantic. It was almost too hard to follow what he was saying. "Karma. She asked for aspirin. So, I got it. Came back. Gone. She's gone. I looked, but...nowhere. Gone."
Goddammit, Karma. The thought of her taking off had crossed my mind, but I didn't think she would do it. When we talked earlier, she was telling me how guilty she felt about her mother. I offered to take her out after the reception to get her mind off things and she accepted. Why did she take off now?
I pulled my phone out of my pocket. "Take a breath, Nate."
"Don't bother," he hissed. "I tried calling her multiple times. She's not answering."
"I know she isn't. I wouldn't be either." I opened Google Maps on my phone and pulled up her location. "She's at Central Park."
Nate's mouth dropped open. "How do you know?" I showed him my cell phone screen. "You tracked her phone?"
There was an odd note in his tone and I didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. "Uh, yeah. When I stopped some guy from trying to take her home that first time, I turned her GPS on when she was passed out." I lowered my voice. "You know, just in case."
Nate stared at me and I wondered if the guy was going to punch me. I wouldn't really blame him. He was worked up and I kind of violated his girl's privacy. I had good intentions, but still...
"Nate, I'm sorry that I did that, but—"
He pulled me into a tight hug. I was so surprised, it took me a minute before I clapped him on the back.
"Thank you," he said raggedly. He pulled away and gave me a single nod. "Let's go get her."
I grabbed his arm when he started to pass by me. "Wait. Let me go alone."
He shook his head. "No. I'm going, too. This has got to stop. What if she does this shit again and something happens to her?"
I thought about putting myself in his situation with Harper. Yeah, I would lose my fucking mind if it had been her. But in this case, I think I knew got to get through to Karma. I just needed Nate to let me try.
"Give me a chance," I pleaded. "Let me go to her and talk to her."
"I can't sit here and wait, Jackson."
"Then go home. I'll bring her there." He hesitated and I added, "Trust me, Nate. I can help her."
He covered his face with his hands and exhaled a heavy sigh. I could only imagine what was going through the guy's head. He finally lowered his hands, and the pain in his eyes said it all.
"Okay, Jackson. But this is it. If this doesn't work, I'm going to get her the help she needs."
I gave him a sharp nod. "Agreed."
I started heading towards the door when something occurred to me. I turned around and started walking through Lanie's house to look for Harper. I found her instantly. She was standing by Danielle. As if she sensed me, she turned her head and met my stare. I motioned for her to come over and she did immediately.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
I kept my voice low. I knew Nate didn't want many people knowing too much about Karma's situation. "It's Karma. She took off."
Her eyes went wide. "What? We need to find her. What if she—"
"I know where she is. I'm going to get her now." I averted my gaze. "I know our situation, but I thought you would want to know what was going on."
Her face softened. "Of course. I appreciate you telling me. Please let me know when you find her."
"I will, princess." I walked away from Harper and snuck out of the house.
I hurried to my car and started heading to Central Park. Well, here goes everything.