9
Mark cupped the back of Harper's head in his hand, tilted his mouth against hers, and deepened the kiss. She parted her and sighed against his mouth as he took the opportunity to flick his tongue against hers. He pulled her, letting go of her head to grab her by the hips, until she was sitting on his lap, her legs on either side of his.
Harper pulled back, breaking their kiss. She brought her hands up to rest on his shoulders and half-smiled as she slid them down. She caught the material of his t-shirt and tugged it upward. Mark helped pull it off and tossed it onto the floor. When he turned his attention back to Harper, she was eying the colorful bruises on his chest and shoulder.
"Looks worse than it is." He said gruffly.
"I'm sure." Harper shot him a look that he could not decipher. She reached out and lightly traced his bruised shoulder, letting her fingers trail along his chest. She ducked her head and kissed him lightly on the skin above the biggest of the bruises. "Poor guy. Are you sure you're up for this?"
"Unless you plan on tying me in knots, I think I can handle it." Mark smirked and pulled her hips forward, pressing her closer, letting her feel the effect she was already having on him. Harper smiled lazily and cocked an eyebrow.
"Well. I guess part of you is up for this." She let her fingers slip down his stomach and shifted so she could run her fingertips lightly against his growing erection through the cotton of his shorts.
Mark pulled her hips forward again, trapping her hand between them. "All of me is up for it. Stop trying to challenge me."
Harper laughed and squeezed him, making him suck in a breath. He groaned and moved, surprising her into a squeal when he flipped her onto her back and moved so that his body was covering hers. All the laughter was gone from her now. She was breathing a little harder, her blue eyes darker than normal, as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
Mark caught her mouth with his, using his tongue to tease her lips, to taste her. He kissed her until they were both breathless and gasping, until he felt her fingers tangle into his hair and pull. He backed off, angled his head, and kissed her again, moaning at the sensation of Harper's body rising off the bed and pressing up into him. He dragged his mouth away from hers and kissed his way down her neck, nuzzling her, sucking, biting lightly, listening to her soft moans of acceptance against his ear.
He ran his hand down her arm, her side, then back up, staying on top of her pajamas for now. He paused long enough to cup her breast, to squeeze it, to flick his thumb against her nipple, before moving his hand upward to stroke the skin on the side of her neck, soothing the places where his goatee had scratched her.
He kissed his way down her chest before pulling back to eye her shirt. The material did not leave anything to the imagination. He could have practically read a book through the white cotton. He glanced up at Harper, looking into her eyes for a moment before ducking his head and closing his mouth over her nipple through the shirt. She moaned and he felt her hips buck lightly against his as he bit her gently, getting the shirt wet, sucking her through it. He repeated the slow torture on her other breast, teasing her. His hand slipped down her side, found the waistband of her pajama pants, and tugged. She raised her hips to aid him. Mark pulled back and sat up, grabbing the material with both hands, sliding it off her legs. That left her in her pajama top and a skimpy pair of white panties.
Mark was in no hurry to strip her further. The slide of her smooth legs against his when he covered her once more caused him to moan. He felt her wrap her legs around his waist, and groaned as he shifted his weight, grinding himself into her. She gasped next to his ear and caught his earlobe in her teeth, biting him playfully as she pushed at his shoulders. He rolled willingly enough so that he was on his back with Harper stretched out above him. She slowly sat up and straddled his waist, letting her hands slide over his chest and stomach until she was touching herself. She stroked her thighs, up, over her lower belly until she snagged the material of her shirt and tugged it upward.
Mark reached for her before she could get the shirt all the way off. He cupped her full breasts in his hands, rotating his thumbs slowly against the hard peaks of her nipples, drawing a moan of pleasure from low in Harper's throat. She finally managed to get the shirt off and tossed it aside before bringing her hands to cover his as he molded her with his palms. She began to move her hips as well, slowly rotating and grinding against him, the contact muffled through his shorts and her panties. He released one of her breasts and let his hand drift downward, sliding it between their bodies so that she was grinding against his fingers. One tug and he was touching her, sliding his fingers through her folds, listening to her soft moans as he stroked her clit. Harper lifted herself, giving him room to maneuver his fingers as he touched her damp skin.
Harper closed her eyes and let her head fall back as Mark continued to stroke her. He dipped his finger into her folds and found her tight opening, listening to her gasp of pleasure when he pressed upward. He slid his finger into her body inch by slow inch before pulling out and once more stroking her clit.
He was concentrating on that and was surprised when she pulled back, leaning away from him. He watched, an amused smirk crossing his face when she pulled a foil-wrapped packet from the bedside table. Harper used her teeth to tear it open and reached down to pull at his shorts. Mark caught her hands in his before she could do more than release the head of his cock from the confines of his shorts though.
"What's the rush?" He managed to ask, his voice husky. Harper smiled and looked down, touching the head of his cock with her finger and stroking him.
"I want you inside me." She stated simply, again with a bluntness that he was starting to admire. She wasn't afraid to say what she wanted. It was a character aspect that Mark was not used to.
He didn't stop her when she resumed tugging his shorts down. Harper slid back on his legs and wrapped her fingers around his cock, stroking him a few times, feeling him throb against her palm. He moaned as she squeezed him, his hips jerking involuntarily upward. She smiled at the sound and very slowly eased the condom over his hard shaft, using her hand to stroke the thin latex into place.
Harper slipped away from him for a moment, long enough to push her panties off and kick them to the floor. She straddled him once more, shifting her hips to slide his cock between her folds. Even through the condom he could feel how hot she was, and as she guided him toward her opening he moaned with her at the feel of her inner walls tightening around him until he was fully sheathed.
She took a few moments to get used to the size of him, holding herself still, only her fingers moving against the skin of his stomach. Mark caught her hands and pulled her until she was lying on top of him, her breasts against his chest. He kissed her once, deeply, probing her with his tongue until he felt her hips move, until she began easing him in and out of her body in a slow rhythm.
For the moment, Mark let her set the pace and speed, enjoying the feel of her, the heat. It had been a damned long time since anything had felt so good, and he was in no hurry to speed it up. He and Harper might only have this one day, this one time, to be together so he wanted to enjoy every second of it.
She finally pulled herself back, sitting up with her hands braced on his chest. Mark let his hands rest on her hips as she picked up her pace, riding him harder, faster. She moaned softly as he slid a hand over her hip and let his fingers slip into her folds to once more find her clit and stroke it in time to her thrusting. Harper's moaning turned into a higher pitched mewling as she climaxed the first time, her inner walls squeezing him so tight that Mark had to fight not to follow her lead. He pulled his hand away from her, aware she was oversensitive, enjoying the sensation of her body shaking against his.
It took her a few minutes to catch her breath. Mark let her take the time as his fingers stroked her, from her shoulders down to her breasts, to her stomach, relishing the feel of her soft skin against his fingertips. He experimentally lifted his hips, pressing up into her, and was rewarded by hearing her moan and shake in response. He looked up into her eyes, unsurprised that she was watching him, self-satisfied smile on her face.
"So you had your turn. Now it's mine." Mark said in a low voice. He rolled, pinning her beneath him once more, her breathless moan as he inadvertently moved inside her music to his ears. Harper clutched his shoulders as he slowly moved his hips, entering her with slow methodical strokes. She wrapped her legs around his waist again, pulling him in even closer, tighter, her hot breath puffing against his ear as she moaned. She tangled her fingers into his hair again and pulled, making him groan against her neck as he continued thrusting into her.
"Mark…" Harper moaned his name softly, fingers clutching at him, using her legs to give her leverage to meet his thrusting. "Harder…" She moaned that out as well, and he obliged her, picking up his pace, giving her what she wanted, what they both wanted. His strokes became shorter, harder, until his hips slammed into hers forcefully, drawing gasping moans from deep in her throat. He angled his hips, found her mouth with his and groaned as her fingernails dug into the skin of his shoulders as she climaxed again. This time he did not fight it, he went with it, focusing on the feel of her under him and the way her body milked at him. With a deep moan of his own, he came to his own shuddering finish buried deep inside her body.
Harper was still shaking as she slowly untangled herself from him and fell limp against the pillow. Mark pressed gentle kisses along her jaw line, down her neck, making her chuckle tiredly. "I could probably sleep now." She mumbled as he nuzzled her ear.
"Mmm hmm. Me too." He kissed her again, quickly, and pulled away, carefully extracting himself. He rolled off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom to dispose of the condom. When he returned, Harper had turned onto her side and had pulled the blankets up to her waist. He crawled in next to her and pulled her close, spooning against her back. She made a low noise but she was already mostly asleep. Mark smiled to himself and closed his eyes. He refused to regret what had happened. Harper was something special – he just could not figure out how or why. He knew he should be careful not to attach himself to her. He would be leaving in a few hours and she would hopefully be safely on her way to whatever business she had to deal with.
Mark's arm tightened around her as he drifted off to sleep. If this moment was all he could have, then he would take it and be grateful for it. It had been a damned long time since he had felt half so good, all things considered. It was for the best that they would be parting ways before either of them got in any deeper. A one night stand, or whatever it was that had just occurred, was one thing. Staying with Harper could be dangerous to the walls Mark had spent so many years building. She'd already proven to be more than a match for him, and he'd only known her for 12 hours.
He slept deeply for several hours, until a low ringing noise disturbed him. He heard Harper mutter and groaned as she pulled away from him. A moment later she was talking into her phone, still sounding mostly asleep. Mark rolled onto his side and pulled her pillow onto his head, blocking the sound, trying to drop back into sleep before he woke up fully. He dozed for only a few minutes when he felt her slide up against his back and wrap an arm over his waist.
"You realize we've been sleeping for like six hours?" Harper said, amused when he groaned.
"You on a schedule?"
"Kind of." She rubbed his chest lightly with her fingertips. "I'm only a little behind thanks to certain events that have happened."
He smiled at her tone. "Is that your way of sayin' you're ready to hit the road?"
Harper heaved a sigh. "Not particularly."
Mark rolled onto his back and pulled her against his side. "So where are you going?"
It took her so long to answer that Mark thought maybe she had gone back to sleep. She finally shook her head. "Going to a funeral."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm not."
Again he could detect ice in her voice. "I know it's none of my business…"
"Hell most of the time I'm pretty sure it's none of mine. The only reason I'm going is because I won't believe the old fuck is dead until I see it with my own eyes." Harper pulled away from him and sat up on the edge of the bed.
"Obviously you aren't mourning whoever it was."
"You got that right. I shouldn't even bother going to this stupid funeral."
"Then don't." Mark reached over and took her hand, playing with her fingers.
"I have to." The scorn in her voice made him smile again. "I need to get 'closure' or some other such bullshit. Apparently I have anger issues that'll only work out once I'm satisfied the asshole is dead and gone." She sighed again. "I should get ready to go though. I can drag ass or I can get it over with. And it would be best if I just got it over with." She squeezed his hand and then got up, grabbed her bag, and ducked into the bathroom.
Mark lay there for a minute, just processing things. He finally got up and found his things then went into his own room to get dressed.
