Primer Lesson

** Harper **

Harper found the situation Eli described extremely hard to imagine. Her brother wasn't a short-tempered person. Surely if they explained everything truthfully, he would be able to understand and accept it. Besides, he and Eli had always been close, so why would he be opposed to this to begin with?

Nevertheless, she had no intention of telling everyone in the world about her audacious adventures anyway, least of all her family. It cost her nothing to agree to what was asked. "I'm not going to tell him," she said. "Though I can't guarantee what he might find out on his own, however unlikely that is."

"Fair enough," Eli conceded. "Then I'd say let's give this a try."

Harper felt her heart skip a beat. He … agreed? She was getting so focused on the back and forth bargaining that she realized she hadn't prepared herself for the answer. Or had she simply been subconsciously avoiding thinking about his potential response, to save herself from the awkwardness and second-guesses?

But now, he agreed …

"You're sitting too far away." Eli's voice broke her trance. He patted lightly on his lap, and a smile played over his lips. "Get your cute butt over here, we'll get you started with a proper primer first."

Harper fought back an urge to simultaneously blush and grin. Oh well, the game was on now. There was no point in overthinking any further. Shoving her doubts aside, she pushed herself up from the couch and reseated herself gingerly in Eli's lap.

It felt unreal, to be this close to him while they locked eyes. They had napped on each other's shoulders plenty when they were kids, and she had just spent three long hours next to him in that theater room a week ago, but this wasn't the same. To perch atop of him with his full attention on her … felt like something fundamentally different, and the thought alone was enough to make her almost blush again.

If Eli could tell her musings from her expression, he didn't show. Instead, he placed a hand casually over her knees. "For future reference," he said, that smile seeping into his voice, "when you sit in a man's lap, you should straddle him by default. This is the time to look sexy, not to practice royal etiquette."

"Oh," Harper muttered, looking down at her tightly-pressed-together legs. She was still too tense from all the fast turn of events.

"But we'll save that for another day." A finger hooked under her chin, turning her face around so that she was looking into his eyes again. "First things first, can I assume you've at least kissed someone before?"

Harper's heart skipped another beat at the realization of where this question was leading to. "Y-Yes," she replied, meeting his gaze. At such a close distance, she could even see the crystalline rays of his ocean blue irises, sparkling with a luring gleam that made her breath catch.

"Then let's review it," he said. And that was the only warning he gave before his lips pressed onto hers.

Reality blurred into a shroud of haze as Harper let out a muffled gasp.

His lips were soft and warm, gently caressing hers as his hand slid behind her nape, cradling her and pulling her close. With practiced smoothness, his tongue brushed over her lower lip, coaxing her mouth to open, and delved in.

Harper could hear her heartbeat thrumming fast and hard in her ears. This moment couldn't be real … Eli was kissing her. The boy who her teenage self had pined over for years, who had now suddenly reappeared in her life looking even more smoldering hot than ever, was kissing her.

And it felt … so good.

He tasted like citrus and summer spices and ocean breeze. The scent suffused her as his tongue traced a sensual arc over the roof of her mouth, enveloping her senses like a tidal wave sweeping her under. He nipped lightly on her bottom lip, drawing another small gasp from the back of her throat before he deepened the kiss once more, and his free hand cupped her cheek, brushing soft strokes over her jaw.

His touch was familiar, gentle and adoring like she'd always known him to be. But there was something else to it too, something teasing and tempting as his thumb ran lazy circles across her skin, making her stomach flutter in its wake.

The mix of familiar and unexpected sensations made her heady. Harper thought she was drifting away into a dream … How could a mere kiss feel so blissful? Instinctively, she clutched the collar of his shirt and leaned into him, parting her lips more in a silent invitation.

He pulled her closer at the beckoning, looping her into his arm. The tip of his tongue met hers, leading her in an intimate dance while his hand slid down, grazing over her throat and tracing along her collarbones. The touch sent tiny little tingles skittering down her skin, and she let out a silent sigh. Her own fingers twitched, finding their way up his collar and over his shoulders, sliding into his hair.

She felt his lips curve against hers in a smile. He kissed her harder, and his hand kept moving, traveling further down across the seam of her dress, squeezing her waist and eliciting another gasp from her lips. Then he reached the hem of the skirt, and his palm glided sensually over her thigh before slipping underneath the fabric.

Harper found it harder and harder to breathe. Something warm was starting to pool inside her, and it throbbed as his hand slid higher and higher against her inner thigh. She wondered how far he'd keep going … If even a kiss was enough to make her heart leap out of her chest, what could he do to her with his hand against her, his fingers teasing her? What could he make her feel, if he—

The buzz of a phone suddenly took off, and they both stilled.