Going by the Book

“You want wine?” Jason asked as Harper took a seat on one of the high stools in his kitchen. She looked nervous; like she wasn’t quite over their little fight even though they both agreed to let it be water under the bridge.

Harper shook her head while Jason began uncorking a bottle, “I don’t think I’ll like it.”

He smiled softly and wiggled the corkscrew around until it popped free from the bottle. He took a glass and filled it up, “why don’t you try it? This one’s kind of sweet. It might surprise you,”

She reached out and grabbed onto the stem of the glass as Jason slid it towards her. Harper lifted it to her lips, keenly aware that Jason was staring at her, awaiting her reaction to the wine. She took a sip and scrunched up her nose. It actually wasn’t as bad as she anticipated, and after getting used to the way it tasted in her mouth, she found the after taste rather pleasant.

Her smile was validation enough for Jason and he pulled out a glass for himself out of the cabinet. He bent over and rested his forearms on the counter, looking at Harper again until she returned his glance. When she did, her cheeks turned pink.

“I’m sorry…” Jason trailed off and took a quick sip of his wine. “If I made you feel unwanted or… pressured or… whatever.”

Harper slid her thumb across her glass, “you didn’t.” She shook her head and looked up at him, “I was overthinking and projecting my fears. Like you said… the wall.”

Jason stood up and nodded his head towards the living room. When he took his glass and the bottle of wine with him, Harper understood that he wanted her to follow him. They sat side by side on the couch and Jason placed his free arm on the back of it as he turned to face her. He used the move to get a little bit closer to her, and with his leg bent and propped up on the cushion, their knees touched. Despite all the touching they’d done throughout their brief relationship, this was infantile, but it still sent Harper into a nervous fit.

For a moment, they both thought the other would say something, but in the end, neither of them did. Jason set his glass down on the coffee table in front of them and then leaned in closer to to Harper. He slowly, and gently, pressed his lips to hers. Although she reciprocated, it was short before she leaned back.

“Jase,”

He sat back and looked at her, searching her face for any hint of what she was really feeling and thinking. Jason decided that even though he could get himself past their argument and try to move on, maybe that was going to be harder for Harper. And if it was going to be harder for her, he knew he didn’t want to push her in any way that might be too much and send her further back into her shell. He had spent the majority of their relationship trying to get her to open up to him and didn’t want that to change and revert.

“Do you have any demons?”

Jason squinted and looked around the living room. He took a moment to think about what she meant by that and then looked back at her. “The complex was built in the early 2000s. I don’t think there’s any demons in it.”

Harper rolled her eyes playfully, and the first smile cracked over her face. But it was quick-lived and her expression soon turned serious again. “No, I mean, do you feel like you have any demons in your life. Something that’s changed you into being the way you are now.”

He stared at her as she talked. A piece of her hair fell into her face and he so badly wanted to reach forward and tuck it behind her ear and use it as a reason to cuddle in closer to her. But he didn’t dare do that, and so he leaned his head against the couch cushion and thought hard about what he’d say. She wanted something real and vulnerable. And Jason hoped that if he was that way with her, she’d be that way with him.

“I don’t really trust people. Which may come to a surprise to you, but it’s true. I think I’ve been sort of conditioned into not being able to trust people’s intentions with me. I kind of become the life of the party in a group…”

“What, really?!” Harper exclaimed sarcastically.

Jason smiled and licked his lips. “I enjoy making people laugh and have fun… and in the past I’ve been naive to people who just take advantage of my kindness. And being an athlete has kind of been the worst for that. It’s hard to tell if someone likes me for me or if they like me for the money and the name.” He paused and grinned at Harper, “which is probably why I fell so quickly for you. You could give a shit about my money or my name,” he chuckled.

“I give a shit about you,” Harper protested. She returned his small smile and then bit her bottom lip. It was like she knew what was going to come next and was bracing herself for what she was going to say.

“What about you?”

Harper pursed her lips and then leaned her head down on the couch cushion too, mirroring Jason. “I’m afraid I’m never going to be enough to be somebody’s everything. And what that means about me if I’m not.” She paused but took a quick breath and continued, “I was thinking that maybe you were right to ask if I wanted to be loved romantically. Because I’m not sure I’m meant for that. Maybe my purpose is to read a lot and learn everything I can from these works of literature and pass it along to the next generation. And maybe I’m meant to do that alone,” Harper sniffled and shook her head, raising her eyebrows. “Maybe I’m just not someone who can handle and maintain romantic love.” She looked up at Jason, stronger, “I’m quite unemotional, you know. Very pragmatic. The only time I cry, really, is when I’m angry because my body doesn’t know what else to do. And even that is involuntary.” Harper took a sip of her wine and then set her glass down on the coffee table too.

Jason just watched her, carefully and methodically. He was probably wondering if she actually believed that about herself. Maybe he’d never actually know. So instead of wasting more time trying to come to that conclusion, he leaned forward again and pressed his lips to hers. It was more forceful this time and didn’t relent even when she nervously tried to back up. Jason held her in place, although not in a menacing way.

“Let me kiss you,” he smiled against her lips as he pulled Harper in closer to his body. She didn’t fight him with that. And he kissed her again lightly, feeling her cheeks grow hotter as he held her face in his hands. He pulled back and looked down at her, another small smile spreading over his lips as he pecked the tip of her nose. Jason pressed on her cheeks until it made her lips pout and he smiled a bit wider, “you’re so beautiful.”

Harper reached up and held onto his wrists, scrunching her nose and shaking her head as response. He nodded and leaned back in, using his body to recline Harper further down on the couch. She was mostly laying down by the time their lips made contact again, and she reached for Jason’s hair when he moved from her lips to her neck. He bit her softly which only made her let out a tiny squeal. To which, Jason followed up with his tongue on her skin.

When they paused to look at each other again, they shared a smile, both giving into the fact that the argument they had had was in the past and now they could start to move on and get better. Jason slid off the couch and kneeled on the floor, angling Harper’s body with him. She stared while he unbuttoned her jeans and tugged them down over her ass and hips. They only made it halfway down her thighs before he ducked beneath her legs and repositioned himself. Now he sat with his head between her legs, face to face with her pussy, while the waist of her pants rest just behind his head. He kissed the inside of her thigh quickly and then immediately dragged his tongue from her entrance up to her clit.

Harper’s entire body shivered at the first touch of his tongue. She laid at an awkward angle to accommodate her neck, but her eyes were glued to Jason, watching the way he so lovingly closed his lips around her clit and shook his head side to side. Harper lifted her hips off the couch slightly in order to force Jason’s mouth to her entrance. She wanted him to pay careful attention to that spot, and he willfully obliged. He pressed his tongue inside of her and moved his hands to her waist, keeping her still and in place so he could do as he pleased. Harper was unable to control every bit of her; her legs flinched and twitched around Jason’s head, moans flooded the space between them, and her body involuntarily shifted down towards his mouth, searching for every bit of pleasure it could get.

“I love the way your tongue feels inside me,” her eyes fluttered shut and she grabbed onto his curls, tugging gently. Harper could even feel him smile against her pussy, despite his beard rubbing the inside of her thighs raw.

Jason pulled back and stared at her pussy, taking the second to undo his own pants to make room for his erection. When he focused back in, Harper had already reopened her eyes and was looking back at him, hopelessly waiting for his next move. But even her patient waiting wasn’t enough to get his mouth right back on her. He simply loved too much the way her pussy dripped for him, and after a second glance, he leaned back in. This time Harper let out a soft groan as the air escaped her lungs in a quick flash. Coming back, Jason licked the small patch of skin between both of her entrances. By the reaction of her body and the way he noticed her pussy clenched when he did that, he continued the motion and brought his free hand up. If she hadn’t so visibly enjoyed that, he wouldn’t have been so daring as to try his next idea. He snaked his hand up her body and pushed his index finger into her mouth, forcing her to suck on it. And when he was satisfied with that, he brought his finger back down and placed it at her asshole. He circled it slowly while he returned his mouth to her clit. All the while, he kept his eyes glued to her face, making sure he didn’t take things too far too soon.

“Jase… yes, please. Please,” she begged and continued to rock her hips. His finger held its place, never pushing inside of her. “I’m coming,” she moaned softly.

It all happened so quickly. As every muscle in her body seemed to twitch and convulse and Harper let out a scream, the front door unlocked and opened up. Although Jason was caught off guard by a newcomer in his home, he also couldn’t tear himself away from Harper as she buried her hips against his mouth as she rode out her orgasm. He knew in a few moments, she’d be riddled with embarrassment, but right now, he was in awe of her beauty as she came loud and hard against his face.

Jason flicked his eyes up past the couch, seeing Reilly coming in and recognizing what he’d just walked in on as Harper struggled for air with her legs slung over Jason’s shoulders. “Shit. Fuck,”

Harper’s eyes shot open and she looked back, seeing Reilly standing there, staring, confused to what he should do. She searched for anything to cover herself with and as she did, Jason smiled and kissed the inside of her thigh. He caught her glance as he lingered for just a moment, and then ducked out from between her legs. Jason wiped his mouth as he stood up and smiled at Reilly, “don’t ya knock?”

Still stunned, Reilly flicked his eyes between Jason and Harper. “I did. I was out there for a few minutes so I just used the spare key under the stone. Sorry,”

Jason giggled and looked back at Harper as she slid up onto the couch, pants back in place. Her cheeks were still bright red, and Jason couldn’t tell if it was from the embarrassment, or the mind-blowing orgasm he’d just given her. Although she wanted to run and hide in Jason’s bedroom, her legs were still shaking and Harper figured she wouldn’t have made it to the bedroom even if she tried. So she sat there awkwardly, wondering how in the hell this was happening to her today.

“Harper, I’m sorry.” Reilly still looked paralyzed with shock. “I didn’t see any—I didn’t see too much—I mean, I didn’t see it for too long.”

Harper covered her eyes and blushed harder when she heard Jason laugh from the kitchen. Within minutes, both men were back in the living room. Reilly had acquired a beer and Jason poured a little more wine into his and Harper’s glasses. She couldn’t look at either of them without feeling completely humiliated all over again. But Jason pulled her back into him so her back rested against his chest as they sat on one side of the couch and Reilly sat facing them on the other.

“I didn’t know she was going to be over. Because you asked if I wanted to come over to watch the game, and didn’t mention her so I…”

Jason smiled and shook his head, “Reilly… It’s fine.” He tilted his head to the side and looked at Harper, “you caught us at the tail-end.”

“I know. I heard,”

Harper blushed again and buried her face in her hands. Jason kissed the side of her head and let her go as she fought against his arms. He seemed content to watch her stand and take her wine glass in one hand and the half full bottle in the other.

“Baby,”

She looked back at Jason, “I’m not angry, I’m just… gonna go in your room,”

Jason smiled and flicked his eyes over her body before returning his gaze to hers, “I love you.”

Harper smiled, but the moment she caught sight of Reilly from her peripheral, she scurried into Jason’s room for refuge.

Notes

So I'm back with this chapter. Maybe this'll come back to me? Who's to say. Hope you enjoy this little chapter.