His Naughty Lessons
Chapter 128: A New Title

Chapter 128: A New Title

** Harper **

It should probably be no surprise that the presidential suite had two bedrooms, which came with two full baths. Harper was slightly disappointed that the abundant amenities meant a lack of excuse to share a shower, but she had to admit it was probably for the best.

When she was done with the quick rinse, she returned to the living room wrapped up in a bathrobe, only to find Eli still amiss. Assuming he was probably going to take a while dealing with his "situation" on his own, she grabbed a soda from the fridge and lounged back down on the couch, giving herself some time to cool off and think more carefully about everything that happened in the past couple of hours.

The scent of sex was still strong on the furniture she was sitting on. But with her heart rate gradually settling into the normal range, it was getting easier to think around the physical distractions and focus on the other important issues. That was when she finally recalled the various details that turned out way differently from her expectations today.

Apart from Eli’s admission of feeling such a strong attraction to her — which already shocked her in all the best ways — the revelation that caught her off guard even more was the fact that he seemed ... genuinely surprised by how much she reciprocated the sentiment. But how was that possible? Eli was a chick magnet, or "the most sought-after bachelor in Davenshire’s finance circle", according to Vanessa. Even if Harper hadn’t seen that part of his reputation play out in front of her eyes, she could imagine that for anyone as handsome and successful as him, effortless attention from women should be a daily regularity. So why did he seem so convinced that she would be an exception?

It could just be because he knew she was a relationship girl, and he never gave off the vibe of a suitable candidate. That was the reason he had given her. But there seemed to be ... something else. A more hidden answer that she caught a glimpse of through the almost reverent way he had kissed her and touched her, the almost awestruck tone as he whispered praises into her ear like he truly meant every word of it.

Somehow, he seemed to think that she was ... too good for him? That she wouldn’t be interested in him simply because ... she shouldn’t have any reasons to?

It was ridiculous and borderline self-conceited to even think about such a possibility. But after what happened at the baseball game, Harper couldn’t be so sure to rule it out. Childhood tragedies like that tend to leave a deep mark on a person, and for Eli, it seemed to have affected him with a sense of insecurity and self-loathing unbefitting the image he showed in front of everyone else. Could it really be that he was subconsciously judging himself so harshly, to the point that he didn’t think anyone could truly fall for the person he was on the inside?

Harper let out a small sigh as she tried to wrap her head around her own ridiculous theory. After their four years of lack of touch, Eli had reentered her life as a more complicated person than she ever remembered. He was the heir to a company and a person he despised, the successor to a lifestyle he had no interest in, and a self-proclaimed playboy even though he clearly wasn’t proud of the title. He lived at the whirlwind center of so many conflicts, in a way that he barely seemed able to reconcile with himself.

The contradictions made him hard to read. But at the same time, they only made her heart grow softer for him. Maybe she did have a thing for troubled badboys after all.

Harper was just turning that soft thought over in her head when she heard the bathroom door click open, followed by Eli padding into the living room. She looked up, but the moment she saw him wrapped in a bathrobe matching the one she had on herself ... That soft thought vanished along with all other thoughts in her head, and the only one left was —

How could he manage to wear a mere bathrobe in such a fashion that was nothing but sinfully sexy?

With the loose fabric tied up at his waist, the open collars hung low, offering just the right amount of teasing peek at his hard abs. The wide opening at the top framed his chest, still glistening with the sheen of fine mist and clinging water droplets. When he lifted the towel draped over his shoulders to dry his hair, tossing the wet strands into wild arrangements, he looked like he was posing for a commercial instead of simply coming out of a shower.

Damn. Did he plan all that on purpose to seduce her? How was she supposed to be thinking about serious matters with him looking like this?

Apparently noticing the laser-sharp stare he received, Eli halted in his tracks. "What’s wrong?" he asked innocently.

... Fine, maybe he hadn’t done it on purpose to seduce her. Harper returned a benevolent smile. "Nothing. I just wasn’t prepared ... to see my boyfriend offer such a generous and amazing view at the very first chance he got."

She tried to slip in the bomb word as casually as she could, but it still made Eli’s eyes widen. Then he blinked. And blinked again before finally finishing the last few steps toward the couch, settling down at her side.

"I’d be lying if I say I’m not terribly honored and frightened at the same time by that title," he admitted.

Harper grinned, and when he flipped the towel in his hand to the dry side, wrapping it around the wet curls of her hair instead to help her pat it dry, she was already starting to love the extra benefits that the new title came with. "It’s just a name," she said without showing too much sign of satisfaction, trying to downplay its significance for his sake. "And it’s not like you haven’t held that title before."

"Not in a situation where I actually want to mean it and live up to it." His voice was careful and soft as the slow rustle of the towel against her hair.

Harper’s heart swelled at the meaning of that admittance. How fortunate must she be, to have the privilege to become one of his firsts in such a special way? Her mind was almost purring in happiness, but then she remembered the caution that he had spoken the words with. "I want you to know something," she added, leaning the back of her head against his shoulder. "This is not our previous deal on those lessons, so it’s not all about me anymore. This is about you, too. If I do decide to give you a part of myself — be it my heart or my body — it is simply because I want you to have it, and you have all the right to take it without thinking of it as some sort of pressure or debt."

The hand over the towel in her hair paused. When it moved again, it was to drop behind her back and pull her into a tight hug. "How did I get to be the luckiest bastard in this whole world?" he whispered the familiar words, burying a kiss into the top of her head.