He reached for the tie at the back of her head and with gentle fingers he slowly worked it down her wet hair. When it was free, he grabbed the fluffy blue towel, and soaked up as much of the water as he could. And then he was spearing his fingers in her hair, loosening the strands and massaging the pads of his fingers against her scalp.

Her eyes fell shut almost instantly and she groaned. “God, that feels good.”

She melted against him, her head falling on his shoulder as he continued to work her over. She was practically purring after a few minutes. “I think I’m going to fall asleep just like this.”

“Did I exhaust you with our sexual acrobatics out there?”

“That and I haven’t been sleeping all that well. I can’t lie on my stomach anymore and it’s hard for me to get comfortable. And…I don’t like you not being next to me.”

His ministrations paused for just a second, more than slightly taken aback by her words. “I don’t like it when you aren’t next to me, either.”

One of her hands palmed the back of his neck, her fingers moving against the very base of his hairline. Her head moved from where it rested on his shoulder and she pressed her lips to his jaw.

“I love you,” she whispered between steady breaths, her exhales hitting his skin. And then she moved her head up, looking into his face. “Earlier…you said you had no regrets in regards to the baby.”

He dropped his hands, one bracing her hip while the other ran across her stomach. “I don’t.”

Her eyes had followed the path of his hand, watching as his palm moved back and forth. “And what about with us?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you have regrets when it comes to us?” she asked again, still not looking at him.

“Harper.” He reached up, touching her chin and gently forcing her gaze up. “Why are you asking this?”

“I shouldn’t have run from you. I shouldn’t have left you in May.” Her voice caught on the last word and the pain in her eyes was bleeding into his heart. “I hate that we missed time because of me.” Tears ran down her cheeks when she blinked. She shook her head, closing her eyes.

“Hey,” he whispered. His hand at her hip slid around to the small of her back and he moved in closer. “Look at me,” he demanded firmly, and her eyes opened immediately. “Harper, you can’t play this game. Everyone makes mistakes, honey. Everyone has those moments they want to take back.”

“I know that…I…” She blinked again, more tears falling from her eyes. “I ran because I knew. I knew I was in love with you then and I didn’t know how to deal with it. I told you before…Liam, forty-eight hours in and you had the power to destroy me. I was terrified.”

“I screwed up, too, you know. That night on the balcony…letting you walk away.” He took a deep breath and let it out on a sigh. “I let my pride get in the way. I didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know how to react, and I messed up. But in the end, no matter all of the mess-ups and mistakes, we were going to end up here anyway.”

“How do you know that?” She wiped at her eyes and sniffled.

“Because there isn’t any other option. Harper, this thing with us, it’s never happened to me before, and I know it will never happen for me again.”

“You know what your sister said?” She gave him a watery smile as she reached up and ran her fingers across his jaw.

Oh great. What had his sister said? “I have no idea. When it comes to Adele there is no telling what will come out of her mouth.”

“She said this was fate. That it was just a matter of time before we crossed paths.”

“Did she now?” He raised his eyebrows now more than interested in what his sister had spouted off.

“Yes. She explained that even if we hadn’t met in that bar, our paths would’ve crossed because of the fact that Abby and Logan are together. So whether it was in Nashville, or at the Stampede party…or wherever, we would’ve found each other.”

“And what else did my brilliant sister say?”

“That pregnant or not, you would’ve wanted to be with me.”

That was a fact. “Yup, Adele is one of the smartest women I know. Don’t tell her I said that, though. She already thinks she’s smarter than Logan and me. She doesn’t need to know it.”

“So you believe in fate?” she asked.

“Not before. Not before you walked into that bar. But there were a number of things I didn’t believe before I met you.”

“Such as?”

“That you can love someone so much it physically hurts. That you can know within an instant that they’re your future. Adele’s right. I would’ve found you sooner or later, and I would’ve wanted you then, too. There’s no doubt in my mind.”

“I wonder if I wouldn’t have run then? If it was later, you know? Because maybe I wouldn’t have been terrified…and I wouldn’t have hurt you.”

“Maybe…” He said the word slowly. “But when it comes right down to it, it doesn’t matter. We were supposed to meet then, Harper. We were supposed to meet in that bar. And you were supposed to come home with me that night. Because if we changed anything, we wouldn’t have this baby.” His palm still covered her belly, his thumb moving across her skin.

“No, we wouldn’t.”

“So I wouldn’t go back…I wouldn’t do anything differently. Not a second. You leaving, as much as it sucked…as much as I hated every moment of it, maybe it needed to happen. Maybe it means no running in the future.”

“You’d know where to find me now if I did. There’s nowhere to run to.”

“You see, that’s the thing.” He shook his head, tipping her chin up even farther as he leaned in, looking down into her eyes. “I’m waiting for the day you realize there’s nothing to run from.”

Her violet eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in a shallow gasp, but besides that she made no other sound.

“I want you, Harper. I want all of you.” His hand was at her throat, his thumb holding her chin in place so she couldn’t look away.

“I want all of you, too,” she whispered, more than a little breathless.

“I’m yours.” His lips hovered just above hers, and he couldn’t resist covering them. Kissing her and dipping his tongue inside to taste the perfection that was her mouth. Devouring her as she devoured him right back.

She pulled away, looking up at him as her palms slid down his chest to his abs. “Only mine?” she asked, flexing her hands and causing her nails to bite into his skin.

“Only yours.”

“Good.” One of her hands was wrapping around his cock that had most definitely found its second wind, and she was lining him up with her entrance. “Show me.”

He claimed her mouth as he flexed his hips, pushing into her in one swift move. Being inside of Harper in any capacity was enough to short-circuit his brain, but being inside of her with no barriers…yeah, he still wasn’t quite over how amazing it was.

Who was he kidding? He’d never get over it.

Her legs came around his waist, her feet locking at his lower back and her heels digging into his ass. He grabbed on to her hips, holding her steady so she wouldn’t slide across the counter as he moved in and out of her.

It was only a matter of time before he had her good and truly breathless again, her hands clawing at his back as she rocked against him.

He pulled one of his hands from her hip and palmed the back of her head, his fingers spearing in her hair as he looked down into her eyes.

“And you’re mine.” He entered her in a powerful stroke.

“Yes,” she gasped.

“Say it,” he demanded, pulling out of her before thrusting back in.

“I-I’m yours.” Her nails bit into his back harder and he’d swear she probably drew blood.

Could not give less of a shit.

“Promise?” he asked.

“I swear.”

There was something about looking down into those violet eyes of hers, so bare and honest and full of love for him, that made him feel like a fucking king.