A Million Kisses or More (31 page)

“Ana,” he murmured, startling when he saw her mom already sitting there sipping from her coffee cup. Taking a step backwards, not taking his eyes off the woman who was utterly stunning despite it being so damn early, he said, “I should go put a shirt on.”

“There’s no need,” Ana said.

At the same time, her mom looked at her with an arched eyebrow, “I didn’t realize you had a guest last night, Anavrin.”

Ana shrugged her shoulders as she walked over and grabbed Harrison’s hand. Dragging him over to the table and making him sit down with all of that beautiful naked skin on display, she said, “I called him after you went to bed.”

“I see,” Heather murmured, glancing back at Harrison, who still hadn’t taken his eyes off of her. Ana would have been jealous if she hadn’t noticed the slightly ill look Harrison had on his face as he studied her mom. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Again.”

“You, too,” Harrison muttered, grabbing a fork and stuffing eggs into his mouth. It was a little disconcerting seeing him so nervous but at the same time it was kind of endearing.

“So, what do you do for a living?” Heather asked, her charming smile the one she wore with her clients while she decided whether or not she’d work for them.

“I’m just a cop,” Harrison answered between bites.

“Don’t let him fool you, mother,” Ana said with a huge grin. Resting her hand on his forearm, she leaned closer and lowered her voice like she was about to spill a huge secret, only this secret should be told to everyone. “Harrison is a writer. In fact, he’s my favorite author.”

Heather arched that perfectly arched eyebrow and murmured, “Really? What have you written?”

“Mom,” Ana said, that silly grin still on her face. “Harrison is Harris Fallen. He writes the
Justice Kane
novels.”

Heather’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. “Helen told me about those books, though I have to admit I haven’t had a chance to read them yet.”

“I’m just surprised you’ve heard of them at all,” Harrison said with a self-deprecating grin, though he still kept stealing glances at Heather every so often.

“Now that I know the author, I’ll have to make a point to read them,” Heather said with a kind smile.

They ate in silence for a few more moments when Ana remembered the song Harrison had mentioned last night, only the other version that no one else seemed to remember. Picking up her orange juice, she casually asked, “Mom? Which album has the acoustic version of
Eternal
?”

Harrison started to choke on his eggs, his eyes flying to Heather. Heather’s face turned bright red as she stared intently at her coffee and Ana wasn’t sure what to think. Pounding on Harrison’s back, she asked, “Well?”

“It’s not on an album,” Heather muttered, her gaze skittering towards Harrison and then just as quickly skittering away. “It was something your father gave me when I had you.”

“Do you still have it?” Ana asked, glancing back and forth between her mother and Harrison. Frowning at their odd behavior, she asked, “What’s going on here?”

“Nothing,” Harrison said quickly, chugging down his orange juice.

“Nothing,” Heather said as well, picking up her coffee mug and twirling the hot liquid without drinking it.

Not believing either one, she asked, “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” Harrison said, forcing his lips into a tight smile, which made her think that maybe he
was
attracted to her mom and he was just trying to be kind. Heather was less than fifteen years older than Harrison and she looked even younger than that. Ana also had to admit that her mother was beautiful, perhaps one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen.

There must have been something in her expression because her mom scowled. Heaving a sigh, Heather turned to Harrison and asked, “You’ve seen the video, haven’t you?”

At first, Ana was tempted to laugh but Harrison’s cheeks became even redder than her mother’s, which confused her. It wasn’t enough to stop her from appreciating the moment because a blushing Harrison was a hell of a thing to see. With his morning scruff, the blush made him look freaking adorable. With a quick nod, he said, “Yes. The, um, uncensored version.”

With a groan, Heather covered her face with her hand and Ana was even more lost than she had been moments before. “What’s the big deal about the video? I mean, I’ve seen it and while it’s… risqué it isn’t
that
embarrassing.”

“That was me in the video,” her mom said under her breath.

Ana’s lips parted in surprise and then she nearly dislocated her jaw when she remembered Harrison’s words. “What did he mean by uncensored? Please tell me he didn’t mean what I think he means, mom.”

“I was young and in love,” Heather said in self-defense instead, not telling Ana what she wanted to hear. Pushing away from the table, she muttered, “I’m going to grab my phone. It has that song on it.”

When she left, Harrison couldn’t quite meet her eyes, obviously uncomfortable. Crossing her arms on the table, Ana leaned forward and asked, “Just how bad is this video?”

Looking at her ear, he said, “Nothing is left to the imagination.”

“And how do you know it so well?” she asked.

“You really, really don’t want to know,” he muttered, stuffing another spoonful of eggs into his mouth so he wouldn’t have to answer any more questions. It was a fair statement, and one that was most likely true, but she was insanely curious. Did her mom actually do that on tape? How stupid in love had she been?

“How bad?”

“You were conceived during the filming of that video,” her mother said, walking into the kitchen with her eyes on her phone as her fingers moved over the screen.

“The video is only fifteen years old,” Harrison said.

“He used personal footage for the video,” Heather explained. Glancing up, she looked at Harrison, who was fidgeting slightly in his seat. “The uncensored version was only meant to be seen by two people but the asshole who put it together sold it to some sleazy porn site. Here’s the song as it was written.”

Her mother’s disjointed speech was replaced by the haunting sound of a solo guitar and a man humming. Soon, words followed, words that were pulled from the depths of the man’s very soul. As perfect as the released song was, it couldn’t even begin to compare to the acoustic version. After it was over, the three of them sat in silence for a long, long while, just absorbing the moment.

Clearing his throat, Harrison said, “That’s the song you hum all of the time.”

Slowly, Ana came out of her reverie and looked at Harrison, not knowing what he was talking about. When she just continued to stare at him, he continued, “I knew it sounded familiar but I couldn’t quite place it since it’s so much slower when you hum it. It’s amazing, Ana.”

“It is,” Heather murmured almost to herself. With tears in her eyes, she caressed the screen with her fingers as if it was her lover’s face.

“Don’t leave yet, mom,” Ana said, her voice, low and full of emotion.

Blinking, Heather looked up at Ana and shook her head, “That’s the man I love more than life itself and he is slowly killing himself. This might be my last chance to save him, if he’ll let me.”

Without a word, Ana went to her mother and hugged her tight, forgiving her for all of the deceptions through the years and asking for forgiveness for being such a brat growing up. One of these days, she and her mother were going to have to sit down and talk, really, truly talk. There was so much she didn’t know about her mother and she realized how very sad that was. Wiping a few tears from her eyes, she whispered, “Give him my regards.”

“Not your love, Ana?” Heather teasingly asked.

“Not yet,” she answered, the honesty tearing through the walls of her heart. What if she never got the chance to meet him? “Hopefully someday.”

“I should go and let the two of you have some time,” Harrison said, pushing away from the table and standing up. Despite the turmoil, Ana could still appreciate his naked chest even if it was completely inappropriate to do so after everything.

“No, stay,” Heather said, holding out her hand. When he reluctantly took it in his, she offered him a shaky smile, “Take care of my daughter, Harrison, because I do have the resources to make it hurt should anything happen to her.”

Harrison’s eyes widened but he smiled in appreciation and understanding. “I might give you a call when my daughter starts dating.”

Chapter 14

Harrison woke up Christmas morning with Ana wrapped in his arms, knowing life couldn’t possibly get any better. It didn’t matter that she was leaving in a week because she would be back. As much as a year without her was going to suck, he had an entire lifetime to look forward to when she returned. With his book nearly a third of the way done and the rest mapped out, he was going to take the time spent apart to finish writing. Hopefully he’d publish it before she came back and he’d get a start on the next book. Honestly, it would be okay if this was going to be the last
Justice
novel since it definitely had a more uplifting ending than the previous book.

His thoughts drifted to the necklace he had bought for Ana for Christmas, the small diamond in the center of two entwined gold figures. When he saw it, he knew it was perfect for her and hopefully she’d think of him when she wore it. It wasn’t as flashy (or expensive) as the necklace Asher had bought for her but that was okay. At least Ana wouldn’t give it back to him and tell him to stop trying to buy his way into her pants.

Ana pressed her nose against his neck and he felt her smile as she murmured, “Good morning.”

“Merry Christmas,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head. By some silent, mutual agreement, they decided not to talk about the fact that she was leaving in a week. That didn’t mean he didn’t feel every second that ticked by. He knew she did, too, because sometimes he would catch her watching him, a sad smile on her lips. Whenever that happened, he’d pull her into his arms and just hold her, as if by holding her, he’d keep her by his side forever.

Her hand slowly drifted over his chest towards his cock. “Hmm,” she murmured, curling her fingers around his erection. “Merry Christmas.”

“So it is,” he managed to gasp as she ran her hand along his shaft.

“I hope you don’t mind an early Christmas gift,” she purred, kissing her way down his body and then back up, barely paying any attention to the cock that was begging to be sucked.

“Ana,” he growled, his eyes squeezing shut as she lazily climbed on top of him. Sliding his shaft into the heated depths of her pussy, she slowly rolled her hips, making love to him with hardly any movement at all. Her slight weight felt wonderful as she ground herself against him, her breasts flattened between their bodies. She trailed playful kisses along his throat, the underside of his jaw, as she slowly drove him to madness.

As incredible as it felt to be barely moving in her body, he wanted more.

Flipping them over so he was on top, he pulled almost all of the way out before he slammed back into her. He knew that she loved the slightly rougher movement, her back arching and her breasts thrusting out every time he crashed back into her. Grabbing her hands, he wrapped her fingers around two slats of the headboard, watching as her eyes dilated even more.

“Hold on, my love. If you let go, I’ll stop,” he said with a seductive grin. Over and over, he brought her to the brink until she was begging for release, tears rolling down her cheeks, sweat glistening on her skin. Her fingers were still wrapped around the slats, her knuckles white, as he once more pushed her to the edge. This time, he kept going until they were flying.

Exhausted, he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling as he tried to catch his breath. She always asked him how he was able to eat so much and not weigh a thousand pounds. Yet she didn’t seem to realize that she was the reason he was able to stay fit. Before she came along, he hadn’t eaten nearly so well, but he had worked out more often. Now, while he still hit the gym at the station once or twice a week, it was the extra time he spent in bed that burned off all of the extra calories.

He watched as she slid out of bed, too spent to grab her back. Besides, he enjoyed watching her, the way she moved, the way she was so comfortable in her nudity. And he loved her naked body. Smiling over her shoulder at him, she went over to the window and spread open the curtains, letting the sun bathe her in its winter light. Her nipples were hard and begging for his mouth and if he had an ounce of energy, he’d be on her, devouring those pretty breasts. With a grin, she turned back and faced the street. If he had lived anywhere else, he would have grabbed her back and wrapped her in the blankets, not wanting anyone else to see what belonged to him. But since he lived in the middle of nowhere, he simply smiled because he loved how she looked in the morning light.

Her brows furrowed together as she asked, “Harrison, where’s my car?”

After just congratulating himself on living on a private street, he wanted to kick himself. Flying out of bed, his heart hammering in his chest at the thought of someone stealing her car, he stopped when he got to her side. Sitting in her driveway was a very shiny, very expensive, sporty convertible, a large red ribbon tied around it. His heart sunk as he realized who it was from and he wondered how his gift could ever compare to a car.

Swallowing thickly, knowing his next words could damn him, he said, “It’s a pretty safe bet that it’s from Asher.”

Her scowl deepened even further as she turned on him. Fury was coming off her in waves and for a moment, a split second really, he worried that she was pissed at him. But this was Ana; she wasn’t moved by pretty but hollow words and expensive gifts. Her lips pressed together as she ground out, “But where’s
my
car?”

“I could make a few phone calls,” he offered, slowly rubbing his hands up and down her arms. Then it occurred to him that his cousin might be out there watching the window for her reaction. Taking a quick peek out, he pulled her back into the room and closed the curtains tight. Holding her, he added, “He couldn’t have gotten rid of it without your signature but if he did I can arrest him for theft.”