Defending Harlow (Mountain Mercenaries #4)(79)

Eventually, Lowell stirred. She watched as he went from being asleep to being completely awake and aware of his surroundings in a heartbeat. She supposed it came from being a SEAL and from working with the Mountain Mercenaries.

“Hey,” she said, feeling shy for some reason.

“Hey,” he returned. “Everything okay?”

She smiled and nodded. “Yeah, everything’s good.”

“I didn’t . . .” He stumbled over his words, and it made her fall for him all the more. “I didn’t hurt you last night, did I?”

Harlow lifted a hand and placed it against his cheek, giving in to her need to touch his scruff. “No, Lowell. You didn’t hurt me.”

“Good. I probably should’ve run you a hot bath last night, but you knocked me for too much of a loop, and I couldn’t think straight.”

She smiled. “Ditto. Hungry?”

Right after she asked, she heard his stomach growl.

He chuckled. “Guess so.”

“I’ll get up and make you something before you have to go.”

He stopped her from leaving the bed with a hand on her arm. “We need to talk.”

Oh shit. Harlow hated when men said that. It never ended well for her. “Okay.”

He must’ve seen something on her face, because his tone gentled, and he said, “About the shelter and your job, Harl.”

“Oh. Yeah.”

“As far as I’m concerned, you’re officially my girlfriend, and I’m officially your boyfriend,” he went on. “We can work on the details of what that means, but in a nutshell, I want to spend as much time with you as I can. Here at your place, and with you at mine. I’ll let you know as much as I can what my plans are during the day, and I hope you’ll do the same. I’m not saying that to be an asshole, but because I’m worried about you and your safety. I’m not an easy man to be with,” he warned. “I’m going to be too protective. I’m going to piss you off, but it’s because of the things I’ve seen and done. I have a feeling I’ll worry about you every second that we aren’t together. I’ll try to curb it, but again, know that it’s not me being controlling, it’s because I want you to be safe. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to me,” Harlow soothed. “I’ve got a badass former-SEAL boyfriend who has some equally badass friends.”

“That doesn’t mean nothing can happen to you,” he warned. “Look at what happened to Allye and the others. Anything can happen. Come to think of it, I never did get around to giving you that gun-safety class you originally asked me about. We’ll do that soon.”

“Lowell—” Harlow protested, but he went on as if she hadn’t spoken.

“And then I’ll get you into a self-defense class too. The things I’ve shown the residents at the shelter are good, but nothing is as effective as actually using the pads and practicing the kicks and moves on an actual human.”

“Lowell!” she tried again.

“What?” he asked.

“How about I get up and get breakfast started before you start planning the week and turning me into a ninja?”

“We should shower together,” he said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Blushing, Harlow shook her head.

“Are you seriously blushing after last night?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, answering him even though she figured it was a rhetorical question. “It’s different in the light of day.”

“It’s not, but I’ll give you some time to get used to me. To this,” Lowell said, gesturing to where they were still snuggled up together under the sheet. “But you should know, I’ve never seen anything as beautiful in my life as you last night, when you came apart in my arms . . . twice. Thank you for that gift, baby. I’ll treasure it for the rest of my life.”

Harlow knew she was blushing even harder, but she managed a small smile. “Thank you for showing me the real you. I’m not scared of you, Lowell. I know you’ve been through some shit in your life, but don’t hide that from me. I don’t like that you have to do things that put you in that headspace, but I’d be a hypocrite if I told you to stop. The world needs more men like you. But if I can help you deal with how you feel when stuff gets too intense, great. If you need space or time with your buddies to talk about it, fine—but please don’t shut me out.”

“I won’t. Promise.”

“Good. Now, let me go so I can get dressed and make us something to eat before we get on with our day.”

He leaned down to kiss her, and Harlow turned her head to the side. “No! Morning breath, Lowell!”

He chuckled and kissed her on the cheek instead. His hand came up and caressed her naked breast, rolling her nipple between his fingers.

Moaning, Harlow said, “That isn’t fair.”

Shrugging, Lowell didn’t say a word, but instead threw back the covers and slid down. He took her nipple into his mouth and sucked. After a while, he switched sides and gave her other nipple the same attention. Eventually, he lifted his mouth and smirked at her. “I don’t mind not being able to kiss your lips in the morning, Harl. I can find other things to kiss.” And with that, he eased down her body, and she eagerly spread her legs for him as he settled between her thighs.