27. Harper

27

HARPER

I tried to roll over, but failed miserably. Having only one arm worked in funny ways. For example, it really made for a good story, but also made it impossible to do things on my own. Groaning, I flung my good arm out to the side to grab anything to help hoist me upright, but instead met a hard body.

"Highlander?" I grumbled.

"Not exactly."

I knew that voice. With my eyes still closed, I prodded the hard male specimen, making sure everything was as it should be. Yep, it was definitely him. "You have clothes on."

"Well, I don't generally stay naked unless I'm in bed."

I pried one eye open and blinked at him. "You are in a bed."

" Your bed," he pointed out.

"I thought that would give you even more reason to be naked."

Rolling his eyes, he turned on his side, propping his head up on his hand. "How can you be thinking about sex right now?"

In truth, I wasn't. But the last time I saw him, he was naked, and that's what ran through my mind when I felt his body next to me. Alas, we were not naked in his bed, and the last few days were not some terrible dream. My body really did hurt, and the hole in my arm was one hundred percent real.

Well, technically, it wasn't a hole anymore. They fixed my bones and stitched me up. I was no longer holy. I was just me with a lot more cuts and bruises. Speaking of which, one of those bruises was making me very uncomfortable.

"Can you move me?"

He sat up immediately, his eyes roaming over my body. "How?"

"That way," I pointed to my right.

"Does it hurt?"

"Everything hurts," I grumbled. "But I finally got a fish out of it."

"High price to pay for a fucking fish. You could have just asked me for one. You didn't have to take such drastic measures."

"No pain, no gain," I said as he slid his hand under my body and wrapped the other around me.

Gently, he shifted my weight. I wasn't going to lie, I held my breath and closed my eyes for most of it, but when it was over, relief flooded me.

"Better?"

"Lots." Except, now I had to pee. Fuck. "Um…I need you to roll me back."

"But you just had me move you."

"And now I need you to roll me back."

He shot me an irritated glare. "Harper."

"I need to pee, okay?"

"Then just say so," he grumbled. "Do you think I don't know that people other than me urinate?"

"I know you know, but we don't know each other like that, and I never want you to know me so well that you know my pee schedule."

"You have an actual schedule?" he asked, grinning at me.

"I could."

"Lock would love you."

He helped me to sit up, then got me to my feet. I sucked in a breath as the massive bruising on my side burned, but tried to hide how bad it hurt. The last thing I wanted was Edu to see me at my worst. I wanted him to still see the woman he talked dirty to in bed. This was killing any fantasy he had of me. Soon, he would leave me for someone who didn't have a sewn-up hole in her arm.

"You okay?"

"Of course I am," I smiled.

"Why are you grimacing then?"

Was I? "It's because I have to look at your face."

"Wow," he chuckled. "You're kind of mean when you're in pain."

"I'm not in pain. I'm perfectly fine."

"Is that why you needed help rolling over? Or why you're trying to smile at me?"

"I'm not trying anything. And the only reason I needed help rolling over is because my arm doesn't work."

"Whatever you say, Pookie."

I made it to the bathroom on shaky legs, and didn't want to admit how relieved I was to sit on the toilet. I was way too tired to ever want to get up again, but I would push through it if it meant ensuring Edu wouldn't see me as incapable of doing anything.

"Are you doing okay in there?"

"Geez, I'm just peeing. I'm fine!" I shouted, wincing as I held my side. Fuck, that really hurt.

"You've been in there for five minutes."

"You're timing me? You know, you can go somewhere else. I'm pretty sure I've got this."

"Yeah, your brother told me you would say that."

"Where is dear brother, anyway?"

"He went to work. You're stuck with me."

I stared at the door in horror. He was going to be with me the whole day? I couldn't have that. "Don't you have to get to work?"

"I took a few days off."

"For what?" I screeched.

The door flung open, making me gasp. I immediately cringed from the sharp inhalation, which only had Edu marching over to me. "What hurts? Do you need medicine?"

"No, I told you I'm fine. "

"You're grimacing."

"Because I stubbed my toe," I lied.

"How can you stub your toe sitting on the toilet?"

"Can you stop mentioning that I'm on the toilet?"

His brows furrowed as he stared down at me. "Why do you care if I say toilet?"

"Because I'm on the toilet and I don't think it needs to be mentioned! You shouldn't even be in here!"

A sexy smirk slid over his face, which only further pissed me off. "Harper…I've done some very dirty things to you."

"I'm aware," I huffed. "I was there, remember?"

"So, why is this a big deal?"

"Excuse me for wanting privacy on the toilet. You know, I'm not one of those people who would ever barge in on you while you're on the toilet. There are boundaries. And we're not even dating. I think this crosses more than a few lines."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Oh, please. I'm not watching you pee or intruding on your space. I'm here to help you."

"Well, I don't need your help," I snapped. "I'm perfectly fine on my own."

"Are you?"

"Yes. I don't need a babysitter."

"That's not exactly what I was doing."

I huffed in irritation. "Yeah, I can see that."

His whole body stiffened. "Fine. I can leave."

"Thank you," I said sarcastically.

God, I was being such a bitch, but I couldn't stand for him to see me like this. I still wanted to sleep with the man, and he wouldn't want me if he kept seeing me as such a weakling.

As his boots marched away, I desperately wanted to call out to him and tell him to stay, but my pride wouldn't let me. The door slammed shut and I was alone. Sighing, I decided there was no time like the present to pee. I had to get off the toilet and find something to eat before I could take any pain medication.

Oliver had said he would pick it up, and knowing him, it was laid out on the counter with very specific instructions. I just had to make it there.

"You can do this," I muttered to myself, hauling myself off the toilet by the towel bar. I gasped when it nearly came off the wall. Oliver was going to be so pissed at me. I gingerly pulled up my underwear, cursing when one side got wedged up my ass because I was only using one hand.

"Stupid fucking underwear. I might as well be wearing a thong."

Finally, I got it where it needed to be and let my T-shirt fall to mid-thigh. I didn't really care that I could only get a T-shirt on, but walking around with my underwear showing wouldn't be very comfortable with Oliver.

After washing my hands, I hobbled out of the bathroom, taking a rest against the doorjamb. Just that little bit really took it out of me, but I was determined to do this on my own, and that meant getting my own fucking pills.

"You can do this, Harper."

I shoved off and headed down the hall. The more I walked, the better it felt. My muscles desperately needed the exercise, but I was afraid of doing more than necessary without Oliver around. As expected, Oliver had the pills laid out on the counter for me. The only problem would be getting the damn caps off. I tried holding onto the bottle with my bad arm and holding down the tab, but I had no strength to achieve my goals.

Next, I used my teeth, gnashing at the bottle. I could feel the lid giving as I twisted it with my teeth. In my excitement, I jumped, squealing in glee. The bottle slipped from my fingers and I watched in horror as all the pills went flying in slow motion through the air.

"No!" I cried out, then watched as they all scattered on the kitchen floor. I slowly lowered myself to my knees, holding onto the counter as long as I could. "Ow, ow, ow!" I cried out. I took a deep breath once I was on my knees, then leaned forward and started scooping them into a pile. The movement was killing me, only making me more aware of all the bruises and cuts along my body. "I hate you. I hate you!" I screamed at the pills .

"Want some help now?"

I slowly looked up into Edu's smiling eyes. But it wasn't all fun and games. There was a dark anger simmering behind those brown orbs, and they were telling me I had fucked up big time.

I swallowed hard, hiding my wince as I sat back. "How long have you been standing there?"

"The whole fucking time."

"But…you left!"

"No, I made you think I left. Do you really think I'm that big of an asshole?"

I rolled my eyes, hating that he was just as good as in my fantasies. "No," I muttered. "But a girl can hope."

He walked forward and bent down on his haunches in front of me. "You hope for assholes?"

"When they'll prove me wrong? Absolutely."

He stared at me for a good, long while. My whole body was really starting to hurt, and it was getting harder to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. My knees were killing me. My side ached, and my arm throbbed. I really fucking needed my pills.

"Are you ready to tell me why you want me to leave so badly?"

I couldn't hold it back. My nostrils flared as the tears spilled down my cheeks. Edu reached forward and swiped them away, staring at me like he could see through me.

"Because you won't want me anymore."

"Why would I not want you?"

"Well… this is temporary. And before…well, I was…more flexible," I hiccuped. "The things we did?—"

He burst out laughing, which only made me start crying harder. He wrapped his arms around me as he continued to laugh and I beat him with my one good arm.

"Harper, why the hell would I be here if I was only going to walk away?"

"Because you told me you would!"

"Yeah, when this is over," he said, his face suddenly turning serious. "Fuck, I still want you. Just because you're a little banged up doesn't mean I'm gonna drop you and go find the next flexible woman on my list."

"You have a list?" I shouted.

"No, I don't have a list," he sighed. "I was just making a point."

"Not a very good one," I muttered.

"Oh, and your point was so much better? You can hardly move, but you refuse to accept my help because you think I might drop you for a better lay?"

"It could happen," I snapped.

He stilled, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess it could. But it's not happening anytime soon."

"Why's that?"

He hauled me to my feet and walked me over to the chair at the kitchen table, gently pushing me into it. "Because I just bought a bunch of books that will tell me all your desires, and I'm not walking away until I've had a chance to try what's inside."

I nearly swallowed my tongue at the heated look he shot me. If the bulge in his pants was anything to go by, he was ready to go right now. "I'm not really in the mood."

"I wasn't suggesting I take you right now, Harper." He turned and got down on his knees, picking up every single pill, counting them out to make sure he had them all. When he was done, he shook the bottle in front of me. "Next time, have someone fucking help you."

"Someone might not always be around."

"Well, I'm around now. And if I'm not, fucking call me."

"Isn't that being too needy?"

"Christ, Harper, you were in a car accident. It's not like you're manipulating me to get what you want. You're allowed to ask for help."

I wished that I knew the way his mind worked. Maybe my line of thinking was foolish to him, but the way he acted—like this could end at any time—I wasn't sure how he would respond to me. It wasn't like he had visited me in the hospital.

And that was something else that I was hiding from him. The whole time I was there, the only person I really wanted was him, and he hadn't shown up once. I suppose I should feel grateful that he was here now, but the harsh reality that he hadn't bothered to come really twisted something inside me.

Telling me once again I wasn't worth it.

"Do you want to go back to bed?" he asked.

"No, I can't lay down for another minute."

"Then I'll get you set up on the couch. Give me a minute."

I watched as he walked away and busied himself with making the couch comfortable. He was a good man for coming over here, and I'd enjoy his company for as long as he gave it. But I would not fall under any illusions that he was here for any reason other than to help out. One day, he would walk away, and I would have to find a way to deal with the ache I already felt blooming in my chest when it was over.

"You need to go for a walk," he snapped.

"And I will, but not right now."

I was crabby. Fuck, I slept so badly last night, and all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. But Edu was being a pain in the ass and wouldn't let me just go block out the daylight.

"It says right in the fucking paperwork that you need to get up and move every two hours. Every two fucking hours, Harper!"

"I can read!"

"If you could, then you would know that you have to get your ass out of bed!"

"I only got a few hours sleep last night. Give me a fucking break!"

"If you had taken your pills, you would have been able to sleep through the night!"

"If you hadn't left me, I would have slept just fine," I retorted, letting more slip than I should have.

He jerked back, glaring at me as I did the same back at him. Yes, I wasn't supposed to be relying on him and letting my heart get broken, but for the last three days, he'd been with me nearly every minute of the day. I was growing used to having him around, and then he up and left me last night.

"You said I could go. "

Scoffing, I rolled my eyes at him. "Well, of course, I said you could go. I wasn't about to nag you about leaving when you've been with me every second of the day!"

"So, you wanted me to stay."

"Duh!"

"Then why didn't you just fucking say that?"

"I just told you why. I'm not your girlfriend. I don't have the right to ask that of you."

He threw the papers down on the ground and marched over to me, grabbing me by the chin. With my neck already in the brace, it wasn't like I could move out of his hold anyway. "You have every fucking right to ask that of me. As long as I'm in your bed, you can ask for any fucking thing you want."

"Fine," I huffed. "Get down on your knees, put your face between my legs, and make me fucking come."

He raised his eyebrow in challenge. "Are you sure you want to go there, Harper?"

I hesitated for just a second, not fully thinking through all my options. "Did I stutter?"

A wicked grin crossed his lips as he slowly lowered himself to his knees. I sucked in a quick breath as he spread my legs and my shirt climbed up my thighs.

"Wait—"

"Nope. You said this was what you wanted."

"I—" I really hadn't thought this through. "I haven't showered since yesterday."

"Good. You'll be fucking tasty for me."

"I don't think that's what I'll be."

"Too late to back out now, Harper."

He gently pushed me onto my back, helping me lay down so I didn't strain my neck. I stared up at the ceiling, unable to see him around my collar. My face flushed bright red as I felt his hot breath on my legs. This was going to be horrible. He would take one taste and run screaming from the room.

The first touch of his lips on my pussy had me sucking in a breath. My heart slammed in my chest as dizziness washed over me. I hadn't been expecting such a visceral reaction when I already knew what it was like to have his mouth on me.

But his very touch was overwhelming. His touch was like a sharp razor, cutting me to pieces in agony and pleasure. The most indecent noises left my lips and he had only just started. I could already feel my legs trembling and spasms shooting through my body. What the actual hell was going on?

"Holy shit!" I cried out as his touch lashed at me again. Then he pulled on my stud and I screamed bloody murder.

The door was flung open and Oliver marched in. I jerked my head, crying out in pain. Edu quickly covered my lower extremities, but I knew it was already too late. My brother had seen me naked. And worse, he had seen a man going down on me.

"What the fuck did you do?" he shouted, cupping a hand around his eyes so he could only see my face. "What the fuck is that?"

"Fuck, that really hurt," I cried as tears streamed down my face.

"Well, you shouldn't have been doing what you were doing!" Oliver yelled.

"Maybe you could go outside for a minute," Edu suggested.

"I can't fucking believe you two. I go to work and come home to find you humping like fucking rabbits! It hasn't even been a week since you've been released from the hospital."

Edu knelt on the bed, examining my neck like he could see the trauma to my spine. I wasn't really in pain anymore, but I liked his hands on me. "Maybe fucking yell at her another time?" he snapped.

"I can't unsee what I just saw. I mean—" He turned and paced away, cursing under his breath. "You were there," he shouted at Edu. "And what the fuck was that thing?"

"That thing was my tongue on her pussy."

"Edu!" I gasped.

"Not that," Oliver grimaced. "I'm well aware of what you were doing, but what I don't know is what that other thing was."

"That would have been my fingers thrusting inside your sister to make her come."

The nonchalant manner in which his words were stated had me scowling at him. "Seriously, I don't think that's what he meant. "

Oliver shoved his fingers through his hair, staring up at the ceiling. "I'll never unsee that." He spun and glared at me. "What the fuck was that?"

I held my brace as I took a deep breath, trying to avoid any further humiliation. "I think Edu vividly explained what that was."

"Not that! The thing…down there," he said, widening his eyes at me.

"Oh, my stud?"

"Your—" His eyes widened in horror. "You got it pierced?" he shouted. "What the fuck is wrong with you!"

"I hardly think this is something you should know about," I muttered.

"And you!" he turned on Edu. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that she needed to get her ass out of bed and go for a walk."

Oliver scoffed. "And you do that by going down on my baby sister?"

"I'm hardly a baby," I sighed, "not that you would notice."

"I'll never recover," he groaned. "This is my James Earl Jones."

"Hey!" I snapped. "That was my dream!"

"But why James Earl Jones?" Edu questioned.

I slowly turned to him, my face beet red as I came to the realization that he knew. "How did you—" And then the answer was clear. I faced my brother, ready to murder him. "You told him?"

"Hey, I just saw things I should never have to see. A little leeway would be appreciated."

"Well, no one told you to come barging into my room!" I shouted.

I tried to stand, but Edu held me down. "Yeah, that's not a good idea."

"Let me at him. I'll fucking kill him!"

"Me?" Oliver scoffed. "I should be killing Edu for defiling my baby sister."

I barked out a harsh laugh. "Oh, if you only knew the things he does to your baby sister, it would make your ears bleed."

"This really isn't helping," Edu muttered.

"Should I tell you about our first time together? How he?— "

Oliver slammed his hands over his ears, backing up until he hit the wall. Squeezing his eyes closed, he turned and fled the room while I laughed hysterically. Well, as hysterically as I could in a neck brace.

"You really think that was funny?" Edu snapped.

I twisted my body to face him, narrowing my eyes at him. "Yes, I actually do think it's funny."

"You won't think it's funny when I'm done with you."

My jaw dropped open as his eyes heated. "You can't do anything to me. I'm injured."

"Oh, the things I can do to you. And you'll fucking enjoy it."

He moved swiftly, pulling me across his lap while protecting my neck at the same time. I felt a brush of cold air on my backside before his hand landed swiftly on my ass. I let out a yelp, wishing I could turn and face him.

"Now, stay still or you're going to hurt your neck," he said, rubbing his hand over my ass.

"You wouldn't dare."

I heard the low chuckle of his voice before air slid over my skin, followed by a harsh slap to my ass. I let out a yelp, ready to scream for help when the front door slammed. Then Oliver's car roared to life and squealed away.

"No one's coming to save you now, Pookie."

I sucked in a breath just before another harsh slap landed on my ass. The burning sensation that shot through me was most definitely not pleasant. What kind of fucking sadist was this man?

"Just remember, you wanted me to read your books." His hand landed on me again, stinging my ass.

"I didn't say I wanted to try everything in them!"

I screamed as his hand smacked me hard again.

"If you think I'm ever sleeping with you again after this, you're mistaken!"

But that didn't stop him from slamming his hand down on my ass again and again. I screamed, I cursed him, and I vowed to never sleep with him again. I lost count of the number of times his hand connected with my skin. My ass hummed as pain coursed through my body. I'd had enough pain to last a lifetime, and this was most definitely not the way I saw my first sexual encounter with him after the accident.

"I curse you!" I shouted. "I curse you and your family! Your dog will die a violent death!" I promised.

"Don't give a fuck about my family, and I have no dog."

"Then I'll slice your tires and—ah!" I shouted as his hand bruised my ass.

Then I gasped as two fingers slid through my pussy and thrust up inside me.

"Fucking wet," he growled, slowly torturing me to death. "Fucking hell, Harper. I had no idea you liked pain so much."

"I don't," I whimpered. "You're doing this to me."

His fingers twisted inside me, pumping in and out and driving me fucking insane. "Fuck."

I felt his cock growing impossibly hard under my belly and realized this day was not ending anytime soon. I wiggled my ass unwillingly, feeling the need to suck his cock grow with every second that passed. I was pretty sure getting on my knees for him right now was out of the question, and he knew it.

"Are you thinking about me taking your pussy right now? Burying my cock inside you and fucking you until you cum all over my cock?"

"No," I gasped.

"No," he chuckled. "You're my dirty girl, grinding your clit against my leg."

I was? Holy shit, I was.

"You're thinking about taking my cock, but not in your pussy. Fucking hell, you want my cock bad. You want it choking you? You want me to fuck that tight throat and spill my cum all over your tongue?"

I was panting hard, my body moving involuntarily against his leg. Yes, I wanted his cock. I wanted him to fuck me hard. I wanted to choke on his cock and have his hand wrapped around my throat as he did it.

"That's it, Pookie. Fuck yourself good. Get off on my fingers."

My body felt like it split in two at his words. I cried out as I came apart all over his fingers. He didn't let up, pumping his thick fingers in and out of me, making me ride out the waves of my orgasm on him.

I cringed as the tension in my body fled and pain shot its way up my spine. "Oh, I don't think that was a good idea," I muttered.

Edu shifted me off him carefully, then gently rolled me over, pressing a kiss to my lips. "I'll get you some pain pills."

I nodded, wincing slightly.

"Next time, take the fucking walk."