Casey woke up knowing he’d be going to the diner again for breakfast; he just had to. He wanted her more than anyone before, and despite calling an early end to the night before, it made her even more appealing. He wondered briefly whether the fun was in the chase, where once he had her, the desire would fade as it had with others, but it didn’t feel like that.

As he showered, he recalled the telling moment when she’d read his mind. He was at war with himself over whether to make love to her. One voice said he should go for it; that they’d both be disappointed if he didn’t. The other proposed caution and waiting to avoid making mistakes similar to those in the past. When he said, ‘I so want to take you to bed and make love to you!’ he hadn’t yet decided, but she somehow knew the time wasn’t right and cast the deciding vote. He didn’t know she had her own reason for wanting to wait.

“Casey!” she cried, as he stood in the doorway and she threw herself into the arms she loved to feel swaddled in.

“Hello, Beautiful!” he said, immediately regretting calling her that, seeing it as a practice from his playboy days he wasn’t proud of. “How’s my special girl?” he recovered after a tender kiss.

“I was good before you got here. Now I’m great! Come! Want some coffee?” she said, directing him to a stool at the counter while heading for the coffeepots.

“Hey, Sherry!” he greeted, “How are you this morning?”

“I’m doin’ great, too!” she said, with a nod toward Harper, telling him her mood was linked with hers. “She is special, Casey,” she whispered to him with a hint of warning in her tone.

“I know she is,” he replied, acknowledging the protective admonition.

“Who is?” Harper asked, arriving with two filled mugs.

“You is!” Casey laughed, standing to lean over the counter for another kiss.

“Are we going to see you for breakfast every mornin’?” she asked with a hopeful voice.

“Not every morning, but maybe those days where we had a great time the day before? Besides, you ended up going home a little earlier than …”

“I’m sorry, Casey!” she jumped in. “I really wanted to but …”

“No! No ‘buts’! I one hundred percent agreed with you. We’ll get there, Harper, and I think we’ll know when that time comes.” This time she reached across the counter for a kiss, then ran off when the door chime signaled an arriving customer. “How’s business, Sherry?” he asked when she appeared from the kitchen.

“Not good. We’re kinda between seasons at the moment, but even so it’s slower than usual. We had some improvements we were going to make after a good year last year, but we’ve had to put them on hold.”

“What kind of improvements?”

“Mostly we need to update some equipment in the kitchen, but this whole area needs freshening up,” she said expansively, indicating the dining area, and then backed away when Harper returned.

“So what’re you up to today?” Harper asked, leaning over with her elbows on the counter.

“I’m working. Even now, sitting here,” he said to her confused face. “I can handle trades for my customers right on my phone, so I’m kinda always working.”

“You never take a day off?”

“Sure I do! In fact, I am this afternoon. Wanna go to the Georgia Aquarium when you get off?”

“Ooo! Yes! I’d love to! I leave here at ten!” she answered excitedly.

“Pick you up at your apartment at …?”

“‘Bout ten-forty-five, okay?”

“Good! Give me the address again?” he asked, with another motive. “So, am I gonna get some breakfast or what?” he laughed.

“Oh! I forgot you!”

“Forgot me already, Harper?” he teased.

She answered him with loving eyes and took his order. From that point, she was always on the move, confirming her statement about Monday mornings being very busy. He ate his breakfast and got a quick goodbye hug and kiss at the door.

Casey left, heading for Harper’s apartment, and, upon arriving, knocked on the front door. An elderly, disheveled man answered the door with a ‘what the fuck do you want’ look on his face.

“Are you the owner and landlord of the basement apartment?”

“Who’s askin’?” he asked tersely.

“A good friend of Harper’s,” Casey replied, noticing him looking over his shoulder at the silver Mercedes he’d seen before.

“Yeah? So?”

“I understand you take some liberties with her when she can’t make the rent?”

“It’s none of your fuckin’ business!” he growled.

“Okay. If that’s how you want it, I’ll just tell the police you’re abusing a young girl for money,” he said, and started to walk away.

“Wait! Wait!” he barked in a panicked voice. “What about it?”

“I’m here to make sure that never happens again,” Casey said in a firm voice.

“Oh yeah? You gonna pay her rent?”

“How much is it?”

“Eight hundred bucks, and that’s a fuckin’ steal!”

“Well, I haven’t seen the apartment, but it sounds reasonable. When she’s short on the rent, how short is she?”

“About a hundred, sometimes almost two.”

“And how many months left on her lease?”

“Five. What the fuck are you gettin’ at?” he asked impatiently, then watched with interest as Casey started writing in a checkbook.

“What’s your name?”

“Amos Jackson.”

“Here’s a thousand dollars, Amos. Two hundred a month for five months. That will cover any future shortages, and you will keep your grubby hands off her!” he demanded adamantly.

“What if she’s not short?”

“Then you come out ahead, but you will say absolutely nothing to her about this now or when she pays her rent in the future. Understand?” The old man nodded, smiling as he looked at the check. “And if you so much as look at her funny, I’m going straight to the cops! Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” he replied, finally showing some respect.

Casey got into his car and drove away. The thought of that skeezy old man touching Harper anywhere got his blood boiling. She hadn’t elaborated on what a ‘quick feel’ entailed, but it didn’t take much to imagine it.

He would have preferred to pay her rent in full, but he didn’t want Harper knowing what he’d done, as she’d almost certainly feel she’d have to thank him or repay him somehow, and he didn’t want her feeling indebted in any way. She was covered for five months now, and he had a feeling things would change within that timeframe.

Casey returned to her apartment on time, though she wasn’t waiting outside yet. He gave her a few minutes before deciding to get out of the car and go to her door. Walking up the drive, he noticed Amos peeking between the curtains, but he disappeared when he noticed he’d been seen.

“Sorry I’m late!” Harper apologized, meeting him halfway.

“Whoa!” he said, holding her waist at arm’s length after seeing her skinny low-rider jeans hugging her gorgeous body, leaving little to the imagination. Her loose peasant top barely covered her perfect breasts and left plenty of enticing midriff bare. “You look good enough to eat!” She giggled at the suggestive compliment. “Reminds me of David Lee Roth’s song, ‘Last Call’.”

“I’m not familiar with him,” she admitted.

“There’s a line about a girl in tight jeans. 'For starters, you can buy me a drink!’” he sang with a big smile, enjoying her laughing response.

“Well,” she started, but stopped to kiss him suggestively. “You can buy me a drink, but you only have to ask to get in my tight jeans!” she quipped with her lip firmly between her teeth. “Ooo!” she squeaked when he smacked her bottom, then took her arm and led her to the car.

“Is that your landlord, looking at us?” he asked, acting like he didn’t know and opening her car door for her.

“Yeah. He’s always looking at something,” she replied dismissively.

“Wow! Casey! Look at this place!” she cried, in the main entrance of the impressive Georgia Aquarium.

“I can’t believe you’ve never been here,” he said, though he was no longer surprised given her limited experiences.

“I’ve told you what my family was like,” she said, soliciting a kiss before they started off.

Like the park, her childlike enthusiasm was endearing in a way he never would have expected. As with everything, her genuine reaction to new things was still the breath of fresh air he’d used to describe her on their first date. No underlying motives, phony appreciation, or schemes meant to entrap, Harper was just who she was; nothing more, nothing less.

She giggled at the sight and name of the clown fish playing in the anemone, clutched his waist at the enormity of the huge whale shark, and squealed with delight at the waddle of penguins released into the lobby for their daily show. Casey had come to the Aquarium many times, with different girls, but with Harper, it seemed like his first time, too, such was her infectious enthusiasm.

“I just wanna pick one up and hug ‘im!” she cried at the penguins, surprised at how small they were.

They took a break for a late lunch at the Coastline Café, opting for simple chicken tenders and a soft drink. They had finished their meal and were about to leave when a woman appeared at their table.

“Casey? Is that really you?” the well-dressed woman with immaculately coiffed hair questioned.

“Hello, Tiffany. How are you?” he replied, feigning interest as he put his arm around Harper possessively.

“Oh! Are you two together? I thought she might be a cousin or niece or something. She’s so young!” Tiffany noted.

“Yes, we are definitely together. Tiffany, this is Harper. Harper, Tiffany,” he introduced.

“Hello, Tiffany. It’s nice to meet you,” Harper said, barely disguising her dislike for the woman.

“Hello, Harper. Casey! You’ve gone native!” Tiffany said regarding Harper’s southern accent. “I guess you’ve really moved out to the sticks?” she added as another dig.

“I just needed to get away from here,” he replied, knowing she’d know why.

“Did you know Lilah’s getting married?” she asked. “You know, everyone knows that whole assault thing wasn’t true,” she offered, seeming like she was trying to coax him back.

Casey couldn’t care less, and he could see that Harper was uncomfortable with the situation.

“It was nice to see you, Tiffany, but we need to get going,” he said.

A terse goodbye followed, and they went their separate ways.

“Take me home, Casey,” Harper said as they exited the café.

“Harper, don’t let her spoil the fun afternoon we were having!”

“Well, she did! Take me home!” she said more insistently.

They walked back to the car side by side, with Casey trying to figure out how to salvage not only the afternoon but also his relationship with Harper, which he feared was in jeopardy.

“Harper, Tiffany’s a bitch. Always was. You shouldn’t feel threatened by her,” he said once they’d navigated out of the city streets and onto the highway back to Athens.

“She’s a bitch alright! And what was that bullshit about ‘goin’ native’?”

“She was referring to your accent, your charming southern accent,” he corrected, feeling like he was losing ground.

“She lives here. Why doesn’t she have an accent?” she asked testily.

“She’s one of the many people who moved here from somewhere else. A lot of the people I knew were like that,” he explained.

“Well, that just goes to show I don’t belong in your world!” she said, and that’s all he got out of her.

Several times he tried to get her to talk about it, but he wasn’t having any luck, and, being new ground for him, that was something he could use. Meeting Tiffany only strengthened his feelings about that scene and the girls that were part of it. He felt closer to Harper as a result, but now she was pulling away.

Harper chided herself for feeling like she belonged with someone like Casey. Her slowly growing confidence in herself disappeared, and she returned to feeling like the victim she’d been before him.

“Hello, Dave. What can I do for you? You’re on speaker, by the way, and there’s someone here with me,” Casey said, answering a call as they drove.

“Hey, Casey! I hope she’s someone interesting!” Dave teased.

“She’s much more than that, Dave,” he said appreciatively. “What do you need?”

“I don’t like the new EBITDA numbers on Lo-Tech. I want to sell those shares.”

“EBITDA isn’t everything, Dave. Are you sure?”

“It is for a company like that. Yeah, I’m sure. Put the money in that mutual fund until I decide where I want to move it to.”

“Do you want to do it right away?” Casey asked.

“You can take a few days to get a better price, okay?”

“Got it. See ya, Dave!” he said and hung up. He noticed Harper looking at him during the call.

“What the fuck is ebida?” she asked as though the word were distasteful.

“E-B-I-T-D-A. It’s an acronym for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. It’s another financial measure of how a company is doing and how they compare to others in the same industry.”

“Huh. Like I said. Different worlds,” she replied. “That bitch said I looked so young. How old are you anyway?”

“I’m thirty-one, and you’re, what, twenty-two?”

“Almost twenty-three,” she replied, similar to her declaration the night they’d met that she was ‘almost seventeen’.

“She was just jealous of your youth,” he said, but she returned to her pouting for the balance of the hour-long drive back.

Back at her apartment, she stopped to look at him a moment, as though trying to decide what to say, but settled on a sad, “Goodbye, Casey,” and got out of the car.

The tears she had been holding back for the whole trip back came flooding out as she walked towards her door. Inside, she curled up on her bed, sobbing uncontrollably. There was a tiny voice trying to get through that told her she was overreacting, but the world she’d come from, the life that diminished her value, was more comfortable in its familiarity. She didn’t expect much from that life, and so she wasn’t disappointed when she didn’t get it. She cried herself to sleep that night and woke for work feeling no better.

Casey sat in his car as she walked away. He could tell she was crying, and he started as well. His exile from Atlanta, that world, and those people had been difficult at first, but he’d adjusted and was finally comfortable with it. In less than a week, Harper had made him happier than ever with her and his new home, and now this. The immense joy he felt in pleasing her now turned to utter sadness, having hurt her so. He cursed himself for not considering what might happen returning to Atlanta with her.

“Good morning, honey! How was the aquarium?” Sherry cried joyfully before she noticed the depressed look on Harper’s face.

“I don’t wanna talk about it!” Harper replied as she pushed past her to retrieve her order pad and pens.

“Oh, honey! What happened?”

Harper looked up at the woman she considered her best friend and burst out crying as she fell into her arms. Sherry just let her cry, shooing Jake away when he heard. She knew an explanation would come in time, and it did, though broken into segments by the demands of arriving customers.

“Honey, I don’t understand what Casey did that was so wrong,” Sherry said once she had the whole story, including the bits from the ride home.

“He didn’t do anything wrong! I did! I’m a fool for thinkin’ I belong with someone like him! That Tiffany was a bitch, but she was a gorgeous, well-dressed bitch who fit in his world perfectly! And you shoulda heard the conversation with his customer about selling shares in some techie company, talking about ebida; earnings before whatever the fuck the rest of it was! And I’m so young, and I have this low-class accent! I don’t belong with him, and the sooner I accept that the better off I’ll be.”

“I don’t believe that, Harper, and I don’t think he does either. I think he likes you just the way you are, because of the way you are! You’re a very special young lady who has a lot to offer him,” she said, but she could see Harper wasn’t buying it. She’d seen city boys who thought they were better than everyone else, but Casey wasn’t one of them. She gave up trying to convince her for now, but would certainly try again when the initial pain of the ordeal had worn off.

All that day and for days after, her phone rang with his caller ID, and she ignored them, even silencing it at one point to avoid hearing it. Sherry kept trying to convince her to give him another chance, and a couple of times she thought she might be breaking through, but she still ignored his calls and deleted his messages without listening to them.

Casey was close to giving up. He could just go see her, but the diner wouldn’t be the best place for what might be a scene full of drama. Yes, he was that fatalistic about it, and having made no progress at all with her, he saw going to the diner as a last-ditch attempt that had little chance of success. Before doing that, he made one more attempt at a phone message and prepared a list of the points he wanted to make beforehand.

The rest of the week passed, and she’d amassed enough hours to be off Saturday afternoon, all day Sunday, and most of Monday. It depressed her further to think of her filling that idle time with nothing. She’d been so excited when Casey had twice invited her on outings doing something she’d never done and remembered that he really seemed to enjoy it too. She recalled many of the points Sherry had been trying to make, and her defenses were very slowly eroding.

After work on Friday, she pulled into her parking spot at her apartment and noticed her landlord working on his car nearby.

“Hello, Amos,” she said in a subdued but friendly voice.

“Hey, Harper! Haven’t seen your boyfriend around in his fancy car all week,” he observed.

“That’s because he’s not my boyfriend, at least not anymore,” she replied sadly.

“Well, he ain’t getting his money back!” Amos declared defiantly.

Confused, Harper asked, “What money?”

“He came round here, Monday morning I think it was, and told me I’d better keep my hands off you! Said he’d call the cops if I did it again! When I asked if he was gonna pay your rent, he gave me a check for a thousand bucks to cover any shortages for the rest of your lease! I wasn’t supposed to tell you but … hey! Where’re you …”

Harper broke down crying again as she ran away from him, entered her apartment, and collapsed on her tiny sofa, curled up in the corner, clutching a throw pillow. She couldn’t believe he’d done that, and hadn’t said anything to her about it. He was watching out for her, but didn’t need to make a big deal about it. That thought, and the position she was sitting in, reminded her of being curled up in his lap, feeling so safe in his arms, and now feeling so alone.

The enormity of the mistake she’d made came crashing down on her, and then her phone pinged, indicating another voicemail. She knew, before looking at her phone, that it was from him. She’d forgotten to unsilence her phone and missed the call she might have finally taken. She hit the play button and listened to his message with tears streaming down her face.

“Here! Listen to this!” she said to Sherry the following morning.

‘Hello, Harper. I really hope you listen to this message, as it’s the last one I’ll leave before I accept it’s over between us, and I leave you alone. Since you haven’t told me what’s wrong, aside from your comment about the differences between our worlds, I can only guess that, between meeting Tiffany and hearing the call with my customer, you somehow feel you don’t belong or measure up in some way to be in my life. You couldn’t be more wrong. On our first date, we shared our feelings of being broken, and after our walk in the park, I started feeling like you were fixing me, and I hoped I was doing the same for you. You told me you don’t want the life you had before, but you don’t seem to realize that I don’t want mine either. Yes, moving here was a big change for me, and though I’ve been adjusting to it, it’s you who’s finally made me feel like I actually belong. We may come from different worlds, but I believe we’d both benefit from taking what we like from each and building our own world.

‘Harper, I love the exuberance you’ve shown for new experiences, and I only wish I could share many more with you. You are so much more real, honest, and sincere than people like Tiffany, and it’s she who doesn’t measure up to you, not the other way around. I’m sorry for the long message, but I fear it’s the only chance I’ll get to tell you how I feel. Please call me back and give us another chance, or at least tell me I’m wasting my time so I can move on. Goodbye, Harper.’

“Oh, Harper! What a beautiful message!” Sherry said.

“And that’s not all! He paid up my rent shortages with a check to Amos!”

“When did he do … wait! What?” Sherry asked, thoroughly confused.

“Monday! Just before we went to the aquarium!”

“But I … I don’t understand.”

“I’ve never told you about it,” Harper started, just now realizing she’d opened a can of worms that she could no longer close. “When I didn’t have enough to pay the rent, Amos would let it go if I let him feel me up.”

“What!? How could he! That son-of-a-bitch! I’m gonna …”

“See! That’s why I never told you. Anyway, Casey gave him enough money to cover any shortages for the rest of my lease, and told him he’d better keep his hands off me, or he’d go to the cops and tell them what he was doin’ to me! And he told Amos not to tell me about it!”

“I … I can’t believe it,” Sherry said, shaking her head. “We’ll get back to that later. What happened when you called Casey back?”

“I didn’t,” Harper said sheepishly, seeing the ‘what the fuck is wrong with you’ look on Sherry’s face. “I can’t, Sherry! I feel so stupid!” she cried, and with a boatload of tears, fell into Sherry’s arms.

“Shhh. It’s alright. We’ll leave that for later,” she whispered, stroking Harper’s hair and feeling more like her mother than ever before. “You’re not stupid. Yes, you made a mistake. You’ve made mistakes before, but this one is so easy to fix, honey. He’s been nothing but nice and understanding with you, and I think you two really have a future together,” she offered, going way out on a limb.

“You really think so?” Harper asked in a tiny voice.

“Yes. I do,” Sherry replied just as Casey appeared in the doorway. “Honey. Turn around.”

Casey had come to the diner expecting the worst. Having had no return phone call, this was likely just a final goodbye, but seeing Harper crying in Sherry’s arms, he no longer knew what to expect.

Harper looked up at Sherry first, with questioning eyes, to see her casting a glance toward the door.

“Is he here?” she asked, and Sherry nodded.

Harper turned around slowly, unsure of what she’d do, but as soon as she saw his sad face, she ran to him and threw her arms around him.

“Oh, Casey! I’m so sorry!”

Initially stunned by the unexpected turnaround, it took a few moments for it to sink in, and slowly his arms wrapped around her and squeezed. He felt the worry drift away, leaving him exhausted from days of not knowing, but ecstatic with the feeling of her in his arms again.

“I really am …” Harper started after the long, crushing hug.

“Shhh,” he said, a finger over her lips, soon replaced by his own, as a soft, tender kiss grew passionate. They looked at each other with loving smiles, each willing to leave any further discussion about it to later. She led him to a stool and sat in his lap after he sat down. Sherry brought two cups of coffee and disappeared.

“That was a beautiful message you left yesterday. I’m gonna save it so I can listen to it when I get stupid again.”

“You weren’t stupid! I shouldn’t have taken you to Atlanta until – I don’t know, until we knew each other better, I guess? I certainly wasn’t expecting to run into an old girlfriend though!”

“I was wondering whether she was just a friend or more,” she said, as the door chimed. “I need to get back to work, but I get off at noon. Can we have dinner tonight? I’ll make something I can bring over and cook at your house, okay?”

“I’d like that!” he said, standing, picking her up with him, and, with her arms around his neck, they kissed again before he put her down, and she went back to work.

Harper stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up what she needed to make a crock pot ham. She ran into Amos in the driveway again, told him she was back with Casey, and assured him she wouldn’t tell Casey she knew about their arrangement. If he didn’t want her to know, she’d let him keep believing she remained in the dark.

It was after one, and she was going to meet Casey at his home at six, so she had plenty of time to slow-cook the ham, with its pineapple, peach, and mustard glaze. Once that was cooking, she worked on the potatoes and fried green beans, getting them ready to cook at his house.

The food handled, she started going through her clothes to figure out what to wear. She’d described her wardrobe to Sherry as slutty, but that wasn’t entirely accurate; tight, tiny, and revealing were all better adjectives for the clothes that set her up for the kind of treatment from men she’d been used by. There was nothing that would come even close to competing with Tiffany’s outfit, but Casey said he liked her the way she was and she decided to test that theory.

‘Something came up,’ the five o’clock text from Casey started, and she was instantly afraid that he was canceling. ‘I have an unexpected meeting with a client in a few minutes, so I won’t make it home by 6. There’s a key in the wicker planter hanging next to the front door. Let yourself in, and I’ll be there by 6:30 … promise!’

She tried to avoid reading more into his make it home phrase than he probably meant, but tonight it felt like their home he was coming back to, and it made her smile.

She made it to his house after a quick stop at Winn Dixie for some flowers and still arrived before six. The key was easy to find, and soon she was inside poking around his kitchen for the dishes and tools she needed. When she heard the garage door opening, a few minutes earlier than expected, she was ready.

“Hi, honey! I’m home!” he said in an obvious joking tone, but liked the fact that she was already there. “Mmm, something smells good!” he added as he stepped into the kitchen from the garage. “Wow! Harper! I hope your dinner is half as delicious as you look!”

Posed like a model, she stood by the kitchen table in a white shirt-dress with all but two buttons open down the entire front, the almost cleavage of her braless breasts showing. The closed buttons at the waist allowed just a hint of her boy-short panties to show, the white fabric’s translucence glowing pink, suggesting a red color. He could guess that she’d shortened it at some point, because it covered her panties, but only just.

However, it was the pretty innocence of her face, with a timid smile, that drew him to her, to slip his arms around her waist, and pull her in for a tender kiss that grew in length and passion. Pulling back, he placed a hand on her cheek, and she leaned into it, eyes closed, savoring the gentle touch. When her eyes opened, she was staring into his, with a very important question on their minds.

“Is tonight the night?” he asked, kissing her face.

“I’d like it to be,” she replied in a questioning tone.

“So would I,” he confirmed, and another delicious kiss ensued. “Mmm, I’d love to eat you up right now, but that might spoil what smells like a delicious dinner.”

He was shooed away from the stove and crock pot and told to sit where he first noticed the flowers on a nicely set table, including wineglasses and a bottle of Moscato she found in the fridge, which was nearly full. He poured the wine while watching her prepare their plates. He’d enjoyed the sort of potluck dinner she’d prepared before, but this showed more than just ingenuity in putting random ingredients together, and he found himself proud of her. Not that he could take any credit for her ability, but that despite a chaotic young life she’d managed to develop such a skill almost entirely on her own.

Harper nervously placed the plate in front of him, knowing she’d prepared the food properly, and, leaning down for a short kiss, told him she hoped he liked it. He proposed a toast, ‘to us!’ and after a sip, picked up his fork. She watched him expectantly as he sampled each item on his plate, his growing smile with each bite easing her anxiety.

“Mmm! Delicious, Harper!” he said with quiet sincerity. He took another few bites before reaching over to kiss her again, “Almost as delicious as you!” And with that, she started eating, too.

When he suggested that she might have the wrong job at the diner, she laughed and told him that Jake, and even Sherry, had taught her a few things, but proudly declared that this meal was all her.

“Would you like to work in the kitchen?” he asked.

“When I think of what I’d like to be when I grow up,” she started with a self-deprecating laugh, “the idea of running, or even owning a restaurant is appealing, but then I wonder if that’s because it’s the only kind of work I know. Anyway, that’s just a pipe dream.”

She looked over at him, smiling back at her, her eyes asking, ‘What?’ He shook his head slightly and filed her pipe dream away for future reference while seeing another difference between her and the others. She had no expectations other than his attention and – love?

They finished dinner, he thanked her with a loving kiss, and they worked together to deal with the dishes and leftovers. As she bent over while loading the dishwasher, he could see her red panties, and he stopped to enjoy the view. When she stood up and noticed him watching and smiling, she went to him for a hug.

“You know you don’t have to dress like that to please me. I think you’re beautiful in whatever you’re wearing,” he offered, thinking he was paying her a compliment.

“Casey, this is about the most normal dress I have, other than the one Sherry and I bought for our first date. My Momma bought this for some church thing we went to, and I shortened it so I could wear it to school. It’s kinda tight, but still fits. All my clothes are tight, or short, or …”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize,” he replied while opening the two buttons at the waist and pulling the dress open. “You’re always beautiful like this,” he added, kissing her tenderly.

“Thank you,” she said, appreciating the compliments, but also a little sad about her less-than-impressive wardrobe. “Ooo!” she squealed when he scooped her up in his arms, heading for the bedroom, her nearly naked body emerging from the confines of the dress that fell open around her.

Once there, he put her back on her feet and tried to kiss her again, while she wanted to pull his black polo over his head. She finally won, and taking a moment to enjoy his trim, hairless chest, she threw herself at him, instantly excited at the feel of their bare chests coming together. After a tongue-tangling kiss, their lips parted, but their eyes did not. Foreheads touching, they looked into twitching eyes, each with a hand on the other’s cheek.

His other hand on her ass, he pulled them together at the hips as well, but not before she managed to insinuate her hand between them to stroke the prominent lump in his khakis.

“I want you more than ever!” he declared as their eyes carried on their own conversation.

“I’m sorry about all …”

“No. That’s in the past, and you are SO much more than any of them!”

They came together with lips and hips mashing together like they could become one in the process, until Harper teared herself away. It was an unusual smile; a mixture of lust and sorrow as she dropped to a kneeling position to open his pants.

He’d kicked off his shoes by the time she was drawing his pants down to his ankles, and he stepped out of each leg in turn as her hand returned to his cock. One hand stroked through the silky boxers, while the other snaked its way inside through the leg gap. Moaning aloud, he appreciated her loving skill, growing louder as she pulled the elastic down below the tip, allowing her tongue to tease and taste.

Wanting to give him all she could, she drew his boxers down and let them fall at his ankles, while his dick fell into her mouth. Sucking on the tip with one hand wrapped around its impressive girth, it popped in and out of her mouth noisily.

He couldn’t believe how quickly she had him on the brink. She’d gone from teasingly licking his glans to full-bore face fucking, her hands on his ass, pulling him into her able mouth. He warned her of his imminent release, and though he would just let it happen, she had a different plan, with one hand coming from behind to grip the base tightly, holding back the torrent until she was ready, swallowing each stream until he was spent.

His hips still jerking, he pulled her up into his arms, sighing her name while feasting on her neck and shoulders, her dress falling off them in the process. Initially, he just wanted to eat her up, but she deserved more than that, so, again, she was suddenly a babe in his arms, being laid in his bed, his body instantly beside hers, pulling her to him in a tangle of arms and legs exploring each other.

“Oh God, Casey!” she cried with his hand between her legs, a finger pressing into her slit. “Take them off and lick me again! Please?” she pleaded.

His kiss was his reply, after which his tongue glided down her body, with brief side trips to each delectable breast and her navel, before munching on the coarse lace of her panties that hid her pretty pussy. Somehow, he managed to continue his snack while shifting his body down to kneel between her legs. Her panties came off with her hips raised, and before she could lower them to the bed again, he took her ass in both hands and pulled her up to his mouth, his nostrils flaring with the scent of her fragrant pussy.

Her legs wrapped around his neck, leaving only her shoulders in contact with the bed as she eschewed tenderness for unbridled lust, grinding her pussy into his face. She came quickly and unexpectedly the first time, but neither let up for a moment, building on it to create another. Her legs flailed as he wiped his face against her teeming, tender lips, up, down, and side to side. Slithering through her slit, his tongue went from darting inside, up to her clit, and back, while his hands on her cheeks held her tight to his face and she came twice more before he finally laid her back on the bed’s surface, her arms outstretched wanting to be held while the aftereffects subsided.

“Oh, my Lord, Casey! That was incredible,” she gasped, savoring that protected feeling of his arms around her. “No one’s ever done anything like that for me,” she whispered while gazing into his eyes.

“You have no idea how much I enjoy doing that for you,” he replied.

“Can we – you know?” she asked between kisses with her hand on his cheek. “I want to give my whole self to you. Please?” she pleaded, half expecting him to delay again.

“I’d love to!” he replied with gentle sincerity. They pulled together with him lying between her legs like they’d done it a hundred times. He slid the tip of his more-than-ready cock up and down her slit, her pleading sighs music to his ears. “I’ve never wanted anyone more than I do you right now,” he said as he slid into her silken sheath with ease.

“Oh God, Casey! You feel so good inside me!” she cried before he smothered her with his lips, kissing her passionately while their hips rocked together slowly, still savoring the unbelievable feeling of their joining so intimately.

The tempo increased at a leisurely pace, neither in a hurry to reach a conclusion. Her little squeaks and whimpers expressing her utter delight in his gift endeared her to him in a way he would never have thought possible. This beautifully simple woman gave him so much joy just by loving what they had in the moment.

“Oh, Casey!” she cried at random intervals, having never experienced someone who derived so much pleasure from giving to another. Even those men she wanted to be with gave only for their own benefit, but Casey was the complete opposite. She understood now when he’d told her that first night that she’d given him so much, when she’d hardly done anything at all.

Their physical pleasure grew to incredible heights as their movements became frenetic, each knowing the summit of the peak they were climbing would soon arrive. Words became cries and unintelligible grunts and groans, the physical effort taking its toll.

“I’m gonna cum, Casey! Cum with me! Please!” she begged with her hands on his ass, pulling him into her as though she could make a simultaneous climax happen. “Casey!” she shrieked when he pushed in hard, cumming with a force that triggered hers as well.

“Oh my God, Harper! You’re incredible! I’ve never …” he gasped between kisses on her face, leaving the sentence unfinished, yet complete in its message.

“Ohhh, me too, Casey!” she sobbed, tears of joy, having finally exorcised her past demons, replaced by a single memory of something so utterly joyous.

He rolled to her side and pulled her close, their gentle smiles speaking volumes. The word love floated in their minds, wanting so much to tell the other, yet feared it was simply the physical expression of love that they felt, but also afraid the other wouldn’t feel the same way. Instead, lips and fingers caressed and soothed, saying it without words.

“Again?” Harper asked a while later when she discovered his readiness.

Twice more they gave their love physically, and in the end, she curled up between his legs with her head on his chest like that first night, but felt something else in addition to the safety of his arms wrapped so securely around her.

Hours had flown by with interludes in the kitchen for more wine and stepping outside to gaze at the almost-full moon. Still, whenever she half-heartedly attempted to free herself from his all-encompassing embrace, he’d pull her back in, telling her he just wanted to hold her a bit longer, and she happily succumbed.

“I have to leave eventually, Casey,” she said reluctantly.

“No, you don’t,” he said quietly.

“What do you mean?” she asked, knowing what he was suggesting but wanting to hear him ask.

“Don’t leave. Stay. Sleep with me, wake up with me! Please?” he said with his words and his eyes.

“Oh, Casey! I’d love to!” she replied and snuggled back into his welcoming arms.

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Will Harper finally feel like she belongs in Casey's life, or is there more to fix for this broken couple? I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it, and will 'Like,' 'Favorite,' and comment if you did and ... THANKS FOR READING!!