Defending Harlow (Mountain Mercenaries #4)(78)

The thought should’ve freaked him out. He’d never come inside a woman without a condom. Ever. But the thought of seeing his come mixed with Harlow’s, leaking out of her, was exciting enough to make his cock begin to harden once more.

Moving off Harlow quickly, Black exited the bed and went into the bathroom to take care of the condom. He was back within seconds, relieved to see that Harlow hadn’t moved. She lay where he’d left her, sideways on the bed, on top of the covers, completely naked. Her legs were semi-splayed, and her eyes were shut.

If he could’ve taken a picture of her at that moment and not been a complete perv, he would’ve. But he didn’t need to. He’d never forget how she looked right then. Satisfied, happy, relaxed.

“Come on, baby,” he said as he joined her. “Move up here.”

She grunted, but allowed him to move her so her head was facing the right way. He straightened the sheet and comforter and climbed under both with her. He pulled her into his arms, and she snuggled right in. Her head rested on his chest, over his heart, and her hand landed on his belly. One of her legs hitched up and over his. He felt surrounded by her, and nothing had ever been better.

“Are the demons gone?” she asked after a moment as they lay in each other’s arms.

“Yeah, baby. They’re gone.”

“Good,” she muttered.

He knew they needed to talk about the shelter and Loretta’s plans. But Black didn’t want to break the intimate moment. He was being selfish for once in his life. He liked having Harlow in his arms like this. Liked knowing he’d satisfied her so thoroughly that she was almost boneless on top of him.

He’d fucked up tonight. Again. He’d almost pushed her away with his demanding words. But the thought of something happening to her, of how Brian had been harassing her, of what he’d done to Brian, had hit him hard.

Lesson learned. Harlow was a grown woman. A grown, competent woman. She wasn’t a teenager or a kid who needed to be told how to live her life. He’d have to be careful in the future to remember that. He’d just wanted to keep her safe.

Chuckling silently to himself, he finally understood what Gray had been telling him all along. That when he found the woman meant to be his, he’d know. He wanted to spend every night just like this. Holding Harlow against him, feeling her breath against his chest. He couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. Ever. He was protective as hell of Harlow and would do whatever it took to keep her safe, happy, and healthy.

Nothing else mattered. Not his business, not the Mountain Mercenaries.

Thankful he’d gotten to Brian before the man or his friends could do anything more than verbally harass Harlow, Black relaxed. For now, he was going to enjoy every second of holding his naked, satisfied woman in his arms.



On the other side of the city, Nolan Woolf sat in his office and glared at the email he’d just received from one of his real-estate friends.

Loretta Royster was negotiating with someone else for his building.

No. Fucking no! That was unacceptable. He’d meant to push her into accepting his offer, not someone else’s. He knew for a fact that what the other prick offered was below what he’d presented to the old bitch. How dare she go behind his back and try to negotiate with someone else!

If he didn’t get that building, all his plans would go down the drain. All the money he’d spent forming corporations to hide behind would be for naught.

He needed that building.

And he’d have it. One way or another.

Nolan Woolf always won in the end. Always.





Chapter Twenty-One

Harlow had lain awake next to Lowell for at least an hour. She’d awoken early and been unable to get back to sleep. She was tired, but when she realized she was still cuddled up against Lowell, any hope of her falling asleep again disappeared in a puff of smoke.

He was breathing deeply, his mouth slightly open. The scruff on his face only made him look more intense.

Once that word entered her brain, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Intense. It fit him. He’d taken her hard the night before, but she’d loved every second of it. Had begged him for it, in fact.

He’d been afraid of hurting her, but Harlow had known she could take him. He’d needed it. Needed her. She’d never been needed like that before in her life, and it was a heady feeling. She’d seen the darkness he referred to lurking in his eyes, but the second he’d put his mouth on her—she blushed just thinking about it—the darkness had receded.

When he’d taken her, all she’d seen in his face was desire and . . . dare she say it?

Love.

It was too soon for that, of course, but she knew what she’d seen.

She’d been adamant about not dating, but somehow Lowell had slipped under her shields and burrowed his way in. He’d said if she left him, he’d never recover. The crazy thing was, she already felt exactly the same way about him.

She didn’t want to leave Colorado Springs. She told herself she loved the area, wanted to explore the hiking trails more, loved how nice and open most of the people she’d met were. But the truth was, Lowell was the real reason she wanted to stay.

Sighing, Harlow knew she should get up. She had a million things to do—looking for another job was at the forefront—but she couldn’t make herself move.