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publish date:
2026-11-07 20:51:40
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Curvy and Off-limits 116
Harper’s POVMy body went limp against his, my head collapsing onto his shoulder as the last tremors subsided. The air in the car was thick, heavy with the scent of us all sweat and sex and the lingering coppery tang of his blood. For a long time, the only sounds were our ragged breaths slowly evening out, frantix beat of our hearts returning to a normal pace. His arms were wrapped around me, a heavy, comforting weight. I felt boneless, spent, and strangely calm.Declan didn't say anything. He just held me, his chin resting on top of my head, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on my back, over the thin fabric of my shirt. It was a gentle, absent minded touch, the kind of intimacy that was more unnerving than the sex we'd just had. It was the kind of touch that said, 'I'm here. I'm not going anywhere.'I lifted my head after a while, my neck protesting at the awkward angle. I looked at his face in the dim light filtering through the windshield. The swelling on his cheek seemed to have
Curvy and Off-limits 115
Harper’s POVThe silence in the car stretched, thick and heavy. I looked at him, really looked at him. The swollen cut on his lip, the dark bruise blooming across his cheekbone, the way he held his body, stiff and careful. He was a mess. A beautiful, stupid, reckless mess and my heart was hammering against my ribs with a mixture of fury and something terrifyingly close to relief.I'd been avoiding him. For days, I'd successfully dodged his eyes, his presence, the magnetic pull that was always there humming between us. I'd hidden behind Zuri, behind the confusing, thrilling distraction she offered. But seeing him like this, broken and raw, all my carefully constructed defenses crumbled.I missed him. God, I missed him so much it felt like a physical ache.I let go of his hand and shifted in my seat, the leather groaning softly. I reached across the console, my movements careful. I didn't touch his face yet. My fingers went to the hem of his hoodie, tugging gently."Take this off," I
Curvy and Off-limits 114
Declan’s POV POVThe gym was empty when I got there which was exactly what I wanted.I had been holding it together all week and I was tired of holding it together. Tired of watching Harper avoid me. Tired of the way she looked at me and then looked away. Tired of the way she said she was fine when she clearly wasn't.And then there was Zuri who had been looking at Harper all through lunch. Zuri, who had leaned in close to whisper something in her ear and made her laugh. Zuri, who had touched her arm and let her hand linger a second too long.I had seen all of it.And I had no right to be angry because Harper wasn't mine. Not officially. Not in any way that anyone could point to and say that's why you're upset. But she was mine. She had been mine since the first time I kissed her and she had kissed me back. She had been mine since before that, if I was honest, since the first time I saw her and felt something I couldn't name.But she was avoiding me. She was avoiding me and Zuri was
Curvy and Off-limits 113
Harper’s POVThe bell above the door chimed around two in the afternoon and I looked up from the espresso machine to see Roland Reid walking toward the counter.He was wearing a grey sweater and jeans and he looked like he belonged in a catalog, the kind of effortless put-together that rich boys seem to be born with. He smiled when he saw me, that same awkward smile he always wore and I felt something in my stomach tighten."Harper," he greeted, sliding onto one of the stools. "I was hoping you'd be working today.""What can I get you?""Just a black coffee. Please."I turned away to make his drink and tried to ignore the way his eyes followed me across the counter. He had been showing up more frequently lately, polite, tipping generously amd finding excuses to linger. The first few times I had told myself it was coincidental. The cafe was popular. Lots of people came here.But he always sat at the counter. He always waited until the line had cleared. He always looked at me like ther
Curvy and Off-limits 112
Harper’s POVThe delivery arrived on a Wednesday afternoon. I was in my room when I heard the doorbell and I didn't think anything of it until Elena knocked on my door a few minutes later."Package for you, Miss Harper."I took it from her, thanked her and closed the door. It was a small box, unmarked except for my name on a plain white label. There was no return address. No sender information. No clue where it had come from.I sat down on my bed and opened it. Inside was a dried rose.A Peace rose. Yellow with pink edges. The same kind my father used to grow in our backyard. I stared at it for a long moment.There was no note or card or explanation. Just the rose, dried and pressed and perfectly preserved, lying in a bed of tissue paper. I told myself it was nothing.I told myself someone had heard me talking about Peace roses, maybe one of the gardeners I was working with thought I might like to have one. I told myself it was a kind gesture, not a strange one.But why would they s
Curvy and Off-limits 111
Harper’s POVZuri appeared in the doorway a few minutes later, her hair pulled back and her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her jacket. She looked nervous in a way I had never seen begore . There is not that easy confidence she usually carried and it made something in my chest tighten."Hey," she murmured, hovering on the threshold like she wasn't sure she was allowed inside."Hey. Come in."She stepped past me and sat on the edge of my bed and I closed the door and leaned against my desk. The room felt smaller than it usually did, the walls closing in around us and I didn't know what to do with my hands."So," Zuri started then stopped."So," I echoed."This is weird." She laughed but it came out shaky. "I'm making it weird.""You're not making it weird." I forced a smile seeing how good she looks with her dark hair. "Yes I am. I can feel myself making it weird."I laughed despite myself and some of the tension in the room loosened. She smiled at me, that wide, bright smi
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