Page 72 of The Beekeeper

I let out a rough chuckle. “Which part?” My eyes flicked to hers, and she blushed.

“The part where I came and then…”

“Came again?” I finished for her, my eyes flicking to hers.

The most private parts of her were literally splayed open right in front of my face, but it was my question that made her blush.

“Yeah.”

Gently, I wiped the warm cloth over her, feeling her shudder as even the slightest touch set off her fried nerves.

“A stacked orgasm.”

Her mouth parted. “I’ve never…”

“I could tell,” I murmured with a tipped grin, and her eyes darted to the side, almost ashamed. “Harper.” I waited until she looked at me again. “I’ve never…experienced one either.”

I knew what the hell it was and that it was possible, but I’d never given a woman one before. At least a real one.

“It was…”

“Yeah,” I agreed when she couldn’t find a word to finish. I couldn’t find one either.

We stayed in silence for the next couple of minutes as I cared for her. When I finally rose, her eyes were hooded and her breaths heavy; she was exhausted.

My fist clenched on the washcloth. All I wanted was to throw it on the floor and climb back into bed with her. To pull her into my arms, her head to my chest, and fall asleep right there with her. I’d slept—literally—with women in the past, so it wasn’t strictly off-limits, but I knew it made things harder.

She wasn’t from my world. She wasn’t used to the tides of casual sex. And I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to be able to impose them. Not when I found myself wanting her for other reasons, too.

“All right, I should”—I cleared my throat—“head upstairs.”

Her eyes flicked wide and she instantly nodded. “Yeah.” Scooting to the edge of the bed, she fished her robe off the floor, sliding it over her shoulders.

A part of me died with every inch of skin that was covered.

I didn’t want to go upstairs. I wanted to stay right fucking here and make her come all night long. There were so many ways—so many things I wanted to do with her, I could hardly savor the first time because I was already thinking about the next.

But the only way this was going to work was if I kept walking away. It would be one thing if I planned on fucking her again tonight, but I couldn’t do that. Not that I couldn’t—I wasn’t going to. Not after the way I’d just taken her. She needed at least a day. A day was all I could survive.

If I wasn’t going to fuck her again, then there was no reason in our contract for me to stay. Cuddling, sleeping in the same bed, waking up together…it didn’t matter what those thoughts made me feel or made me want. What mattered was they couldn’t happen. My moment with Harper could only ever be in passing.

“Well, umm, good night,” she offered with an adorable laugh.

“Good—” I broke off with a scowl and strode two steps back into her room.

“What…” She trailed off, watching as I picked up the lemon from the floor.

“I’m taking this with me.”

Her brows lifted. “But⁠—”

I grabbed her chin and hauled her eyes to mine. “If you want to come, you come to me.”

Her throat worked to swallow and the way her eyes roamed my face—my mouth, I almost thought she was going to ask for another orgasm right then and there. But then she just nodded and, biting her lip, murmured, “Okay.”

Releasing her, I stepped back before I did any one of the laundry list of things that I shouldn’t.

“Good night, Harper.”