Beneath the Summer Sky - Chapter 7: Chapter 7
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It was supposed to be a casual morning. But the second I walked into the kitchen and saw her there, sitting by the window with her coffee, everything shifted.
Harper was wearing one of those old flannel shirts of mine, the ones I'd left behind the last time I had to run to town, the ones she always used to borrow when she stayed over as a kid. The way it hung on her shoulders, the way her legs were tucked underneath her in that familiar way, sent a jolt through me. She still looked like Harper, but she didn't feel like the same girl I used to know.
She felt dangerous. Like the kind of temptation I had no business entertaining.
"Morning," I muttered, trying to keep my voice steady.
She looked up at me, her lips curling into that soft smile of hers, the kind that made my chest tighten. "Morning, Graham. You sleep well?"
"I did," I said, my voice rough. It was hard to focus on anything other than how goddamn distracting she was. The way she looked at me, like there were secrets she was keeping behind her eyes, was becoming impossible to ignore. "How about you?"
"I'm fine," she replied, her tone a little too casual. But her eyes betrayed her, flicking to my mouth for a split second before quickly looking away.
I could feel the weight of it, the tension between us, like an invisible thread pulling tighter and tighter. Every move she made seemed to be calculated, like she was pushing me, testing how far she could go before I cracked.
I couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. It was eating me alive. I had promised myself that it was a mistake. But I could still taste her on my lips, still feel the heat of her body so close to mine.
"Want some breakfast?" I asked, needing to fill the silence with something, anything to drown out the way she was making me feel.
"Sure." Harper set her mug down, stretching slightly, and I couldn't help but notice the way her shirt rode up just enough to expose a sliver of her waist. My mouth went dry, and I turned away quickly, hoping like hell she didn't notice the tension coiling inside me.
We worked side by side, preparing the meal, neither of us saying much. But the air felt thick with unspoken words. Her gaze kept sliding back to me, and I caught her watching me more than once. When she wasn't looking, I allowed myself to look at her, to really look at her.
There was something about the way she moved now. more confident, more aware of the effect she had on me, that made everything ten times harder.
I didn't know what to do with this. With her. It was like the whole damn world had shifted since she came back, and I was spiraling out of control. She's my daughters best friend. I'd known her since she was a kid. But now... now, she was a woman. A woman with curves that begged to be touched, with a mouth that made me want to kiss the hell out of her until neither of us could breathe.
We sat down to eat, but it wasn't much of a meal. Not when I was so damn aware of her every movement. Her fingers as she picked up her fork. The way she chewed slowly, deliberately, like she was savoring the moment, or maybe just waiting for me to crack. Her legs brushed against mine under the table, and I swear to God I almost lost control right then and there.
"Graham..." Her voice cut through the fog in my brain. I didn't know what she was about to say, but the way she said my name, like she was testing me, made everything inside me go on high alert. "Is something wrong?"
I turned to face her, heart hammering in my chest. I had to be careful. So careful. I couldn't let her see how much she was fucking with my head.
"I'm fine," I said, a little too quickly. "Just tired. Been working a lot."
She studied me for a moment, the soft furrow between her brows betraying her confusion. "You sure? You seem... off."
I chuckled, a little too harshly, and leaned back in my chair. "I'm fine, Harper. Just... just don't worry about it."
But she wasn't buying it. She was smarter than that.
I could see her biting the inside of her cheek, the way she was fighting the urge to press further. But instead, she just nodded, her eyes never leaving mine.
For a moment, we sat in silence, the tension so thick it felt like it could suffocate us. I could feel the heat between us. Could see the way her chest rose and fell with each breath, the way her skin glowed in the morning light, the way she was looking at me like she wanted me to say something, anything, that would end this insane game of cat and mouse we were playing.
I wanted to tell her everything. I wanted to pull her to me, make her understand that I couldn't fight this anymore. But there was so much to lose. So much to destroy if I gave in to what we both felt.
"I'm not a little girl anymore, you know," she said suddenly, her voice low and almost challenging.
My pulse spiked, and my eyes narrowed. She was baiting me. I could see it in the way she looked at me, the subtle tilt of her head. She was waiting for me to break.
"You were never a little girl to me," I said, and my voice was darker than I intended.
Harper's breath hitched. Her lips parted, but she didn't speak. There was a flicker in her eyes, something raw, something hungry that mirrored the heat rising in my chest.
"I never thought of you like that, Harper," I said, voice gruff. "But you're making it damn hard not to."
Her lips curled up into a smile, one that was both teasing and full of promise. She was pushing me. I could feel it. And I wanted to shove all the fucking walls down between us. I wanted to reach out, pull her into my lap, and claim her right here, right now.
But I didn't. I couldn't.
"I think you're already thinking about it," she said softly, her gaze flickering to my lips, then back up to meet my eyes.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breath. The line between what I wanted and what I could have was blurring more with every passing minute.
But I was a fucking coward if I didn't stop this now.
"I need to go," I said abruptly, standing up and tossing my napkin on the table. I turned and headed for the door before I lost my goddamn mind.
But as I walked away, I could still feel the heat of her stare on my back, the pull of her desire wrapping around me like chains. And I knew, without a doubt, this wasn't the end. Not by a long shot.
Harper was wearing one of those old flannel shirts of mine, the ones I'd left behind the last time I had to run to town, the ones she always used to borrow when she stayed over as a kid. The way it hung on her shoulders, the way her legs were tucked underneath her in that familiar way, sent a jolt through me. She still looked like Harper, but she didn't feel like the same girl I used to know.
She felt dangerous. Like the kind of temptation I had no business entertaining.
"Morning," I muttered, trying to keep my voice steady.
She looked up at me, her lips curling into that soft smile of hers, the kind that made my chest tighten. "Morning, Graham. You sleep well?"
"I did," I said, my voice rough. It was hard to focus on anything other than how goddamn distracting she was. The way she looked at me, like there were secrets she was keeping behind her eyes, was becoming impossible to ignore. "How about you?"
"I'm fine," she replied, her tone a little too casual. But her eyes betrayed her, flicking to my mouth for a split second before quickly looking away.
I could feel the weight of it, the tension between us, like an invisible thread pulling tighter and tighter. Every move she made seemed to be calculated, like she was pushing me, testing how far she could go before I cracked.
I couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. It was eating me alive. I had promised myself that it was a mistake. But I could still taste her on my lips, still feel the heat of her body so close to mine.
"Want some breakfast?" I asked, needing to fill the silence with something, anything to drown out the way she was making me feel.
"Sure." Harper set her mug down, stretching slightly, and I couldn't help but notice the way her shirt rode up just enough to expose a sliver of her waist. My mouth went dry, and I turned away quickly, hoping like hell she didn't notice the tension coiling inside me.
We worked side by side, preparing the meal, neither of us saying much. But the air felt thick with unspoken words. Her gaze kept sliding back to me, and I caught her watching me more than once. When she wasn't looking, I allowed myself to look at her, to really look at her.
There was something about the way she moved now. more confident, more aware of the effect she had on me, that made everything ten times harder.
I didn't know what to do with this. With her. It was like the whole damn world had shifted since she came back, and I was spiraling out of control. She's my daughters best friend. I'd known her since she was a kid. But now... now, she was a woman. A woman with curves that begged to be touched, with a mouth that made me want to kiss the hell out of her until neither of us could breathe.
We sat down to eat, but it wasn't much of a meal. Not when I was so damn aware of her every movement. Her fingers as she picked up her fork. The way she chewed slowly, deliberately, like she was savoring the moment, or maybe just waiting for me to crack. Her legs brushed against mine under the table, and I swear to God I almost lost control right then and there.
"Graham..." Her voice cut through the fog in my brain. I didn't know what she was about to say, but the way she said my name, like she was testing me, made everything inside me go on high alert. "Is something wrong?"
I turned to face her, heart hammering in my chest. I had to be careful. So careful. I couldn't let her see how much she was fucking with my head.
"I'm fine," I said, a little too quickly. "Just tired. Been working a lot."
She studied me for a moment, the soft furrow between her brows betraying her confusion. "You sure? You seem... off."
I chuckled, a little too harshly, and leaned back in my chair. "I'm fine, Harper. Just... just don't worry about it."
But she wasn't buying it. She was smarter than that.
I could see her biting the inside of her cheek, the way she was fighting the urge to press further. But instead, she just nodded, her eyes never leaving mine.
For a moment, we sat in silence, the tension so thick it felt like it could suffocate us. I could feel the heat between us. Could see the way her chest rose and fell with each breath, the way her skin glowed in the morning light, the way she was looking at me like she wanted me to say something, anything, that would end this insane game of cat and mouse we were playing.
I wanted to tell her everything. I wanted to pull her to me, make her understand that I couldn't fight this anymore. But there was so much to lose. So much to destroy if I gave in to what we both felt.
"I'm not a little girl anymore, you know," she said suddenly, her voice low and almost challenging.
My pulse spiked, and my eyes narrowed. She was baiting me. I could see it in the way she looked at me, the subtle tilt of her head. She was waiting for me to break.
"You were never a little girl to me," I said, and my voice was darker than I intended.
Harper's breath hitched. Her lips parted, but she didn't speak. There was a flicker in her eyes, something raw, something hungry that mirrored the heat rising in my chest.
"I never thought of you like that, Harper," I said, voice gruff. "But you're making it damn hard not to."
Her lips curled up into a smile, one that was both teasing and full of promise. She was pushing me. I could feel it. And I wanted to shove all the fucking walls down between us. I wanted to reach out, pull her into my lap, and claim her right here, right now.
But I didn't. I couldn't.
"I think you're already thinking about it," she said softly, her gaze flickering to my lips, then back up to meet my eyes.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breath. The line between what I wanted and what I could have was blurring more with every passing minute.
But I was a fucking coward if I didn't stop this now.
"I need to go," I said abruptly, standing up and tossing my napkin on the table. I turned and headed for the door before I lost my goddamn mind.
But as I walked away, I could still feel the heat of her stare on my back, the pull of her desire wrapping around me like chains. And I knew, without a doubt, this wasn't the end. Not by a long shot.
End of Beneath the Summer Sky Chapter 7. Continue reading Chapter 8 or return to Beneath the Summer Sky book page.