Post by Jen on Apr 26, 2009 21:40:17 GMT -5
I’m not sure if we ever really knew when Harley’s birthday was. In past stories, I’ve always put it around Beth’s birthday, but for this one, I’ve put it in the middle of August. My apologies if we know it’s different! Sorry for the delay, I’m really trying to be better at getting chapters out quickly, just not really succeeding…
“Come back to bed,” Gus said sleepily when Harley came back into the bedroom in a towel after she got out of the shower early one morning. “It’s barely dawn.”
“I know, but I have to go in this morning,” she explained as she dropped her towel and started getting dressed.
“Job schmob,” he waved her off.
“It’s not just my job, Gus. It’s my livelihood,” she replied as he grabbed her hand and pulled her back into bed with him.
“Come back to bed and I’ll leave a little something on the nightstand before I leave,” he teased and buried his face in her neck.
“Because you’re so adorable when you’re rumpled and half-asleep and uh…doing that on my neck, I’m going to ignore the incredibly offensive remark you just made,” she said as she reached behind him and pinched his butt before she struggled out of his arms.
“Mean,” he pouted and fell back against the pillow as she stood in front of her closet looking for something to wear. “Hey, do you have plans for next Saturday?” he asked.
“Next Saturday?” she repeated flipping through hangers.
“Yeah, you know, your birthday?”
“Oh, uh, Shannon mentioned getting a drink or something,” she answered vaguely.
“So, can I take you to dinner before that?” he asked.
She turned around and smiled at him after she pulled a shirt over her head, “Sure,” she nodded and slipped on a pair of jeans. “I have to go, I’ll call you later,” she said as she leaned over the bed and tried to kiss him quickly but he slid his hand around the back of her neck and held her lips to his.
“Have a good morning,” he whispered as he stroked her cheek with his finger and she had to force herself to pull away and leave him in her bed with a wave.
Half an hour later, she was making coffee while Shannon filled up the pastry case for the morning. “Did you still want to get drinks or something next Saturday?” she asked.
“Oh yeah, definitely! We have to celebrate!” Shannon answered.
“Celebrate what? Being one year closer to thirty?” Harley asked.
“If it will get you some free alcohol, yes,” Shannon teased. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, Gus asked me this morning if I had plans, so I told him you had mentioned drinks, so we’ll do dinner first,” Harley shrugged.
“Oh okay,” Shannon replied and went back to the pastries for a few minutes until what Harley said hit her. “Wait. Did you say this morning?” she asked.
“Yeah…”
“This morning. So either Gus is crazy and was awake at dawn for you to call him or he was with you when you woke up, which would mean that you are sleeping with him and didn’t tell me!”
Harley rolled her eyes before she turned towards Shannon, “the latter,” she answered and Shannon almost dropped the tray of croissants she was holding.
“Harley! How could you not tell me that you’re having sex with him? I tell you when I’m sleeping with someone,” Shannon pouted.
“I know. More often than I want to know,” Harley teased.
“So…” Shannon prodded. “How long?” she asked and Harley looked at her in shock. “Days. Weeks. Jeez, get your mind out of the gutter. We’ll get to that detail later,” she winked and Harley laughed.
“A few weeks, I guess,” Harley answered.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Shannon repeated in disbelief.
“Well, now you know,” Harley smiled.
“So?”
“I’m not giving you details, Shannon!”
“Well tell me this – good? Great? Decent, with great potential?”
“Let’s just say…the earth has moved a number of times for me lately,” Harley answered.
“Finally!”
“You know, I agree,” Harley winked and disappeared into the kitchen.
“Hey Gus,” Shannon greeted when he walked into the restaurant later that morning. “Coffee?” she asked and he nodded.
“Thanks, Shannon,” he said as she filled up a cup for him. “Harley around?”
“In the office. You can go back,” she motioned with her head towards the kitchen.
“Uh, actually I wanted to talk to you,” he replied and she looked at him suspiciously. “I got this for Harley and I wanted to run it past you, you know, make sure she’d like it,” he shrugged and pushed a black velvet square box across the counter.
She raised one eyebrow, “Too big for a ring,” she noted.
“And far too soon,” he added.
“Oh. Gus, it’s beautiful,” she said when she lifted the lid and looked inside at the bracelet seated inside. “She’ll love it,” she assured him and he let out a sigh of relief.
“Good,” he replied as he put it back in his jacket.
“So things are good with you two?” Shannon asked.
“Have you heard otherwise?” he wondered.
“Oh no. I’ve heard things are…earth-moving,” she finished and his face showed a mixture of pride and embarrassment.
“I would have to agree,” he nodded. “Things are good.”
“Good, keep them that way,” she warned. “I was thinking, you and I don’t know each other that well.”
“I guess not,” he shrugged.
“I know you had plans for dinner Saturday and Harley and I had plans for drinks afterwards, but how about if we all have dinner together and then you can have her all to yourself after?” Shannon suggested. “That way, you and I can get to know each other better and Harley can meet my boyfriend.”
“Uh, sure, if Harley’s okay with it,” he replied.
“Okay with what?” Harley asked as she appeared beside Shannon.
“A double date,” Shannon answered. “For your birthday dinner. You and Gus, me and Matt. We can all get to know each other.”
“You’re still with Matt?” Harley asked. “What is that, a month?” she asked.
“Three weeks,” Shannon answered.
“An eternity,” Harley teased, winking across the counter at Gus.
“Funny. So, what do you say? The four of us can do dinner and then you two can do…you know, whatever,” Shannon trailed off and Harley rolled her eyes.
“Okay with you?” Harley asked Gus and he nodded. “Alright. We’re on,” she told Shannon, who grinned and waved to them before she went out onto the floor to refill coffee.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Harley asked Gus again after Shannon was gone.
“Yeah, I’m sure. She wants to get to know me. And vice versa,” he shrugged. “Could be fun. Plus, this way I get to take you home,” he added, leaning over the counter where she met him halfway in a kiss.
“Sounds good,” she smiled after they broke the kiss.
“Can we spend the day together since I have to share you for dinner?” Gus asked.
“Absolutely. What do you want to do?” she asked.
“Oh don’t worry. I have a plan,” he informed her and kissed her again before he left.
“Good birthday,” Harley spoke in a husky voice as Gus kissed his way back up her body.
“Yeah?” he asked, stroking her thigh and she nodded and pulled him up in a kiss.
“Not that I am in any way, shape or form complaining, but was this your plan for the afternoon?” she asked as he cuddled up beside her.
“Uh…no. My plan was completely ruined when you answered the door in a towel,” he said, running a finger up and down her arm.
“What was your plan?” she asked.
“I wanted to rent a canoe and have a picnic on the Potomac,” he answered.
“Oh. That sounds like a good plan. Sorry I ruined it.”
“Don’t be,” he replied with a kiss.
“Next weekend?” she suggested and he nodded. “Besides, it’s hot out.”
“Yeah, but we managed to work up a sweat here in your air conditioning too,” he teased into her ear.
“That’s a good sweat though,” she smiled. “Did you bring the picnic stuff with you? I’m kind of hungry.”
“I did. I guess we can picnic in your bedroom,” he replied and got up.
“You wouldn’t be allowed to walk around in the buff on the river,” she teased and he rewarded her with a little jaunt as he disappeared out of the room.
“I’m afraid we had a casualty,” he said when he came back with a basket of food in one hand and crushed daisies in the other.
“I’ll take them anyway,” she replied, reaching out for the flowers. “Thank you,” she added as he crawled back into bed beside her and she kissed him. “So what did you bring?”
“Some baguettes, meat, cheese, grapes,” he said as he fed her one, “chocolate covered strawberries and a Merlot from the wine tasting.”
“Sounds delicious. And romantic,” she added as she leaned against his shoulder. “Thank you.”
“Happy Birthday,” he said and kissed her. “Food?”
“Yes please,” she nodded and they dug into the sandwiches.
Later, as he was feeding her the last strawberry, Harley’s phone rang and she groaned. “Ignore it. The machine will get it,” she said as she pushed the remains of their lunch down the bed and crawled into his lap.
“No problem ignoring,” he replied between kisses, running his hands up and down her bare back.
They pulled apart when they heard Buzz’s voice over the answering machine wishing her a happy birthday, then Frank repeating the wishes and asking her to call him.
“You should call them back, they want to talk to you,” Gus said as he ran his fingers through her hair.
“I’ll call them later. I’m kind of busy right now,” she replied as she slid her hand in between them and took him in her palm, stroking him.
“Busy,” he nodded with a moan as she maneuvered her hips until he was inside of her.
“Ignore it,” Gus said as his cell phone started ringing on the nightstand and he pulled Harley closer to his side.
“You should get it, it’s work,” she replied.
“I’ll answer tomorrow,” he shrugged as the phone stopped ringing. “See? Ignored,” he smirked and kissed her until they were interrupted by his phone ringing again.
“Seriously, get it,” she urged and he sighed as he picked it up to answer.
“This better be important,” he greeted. “What time? For what? Wait, did you say Salerno? What’s he doing in DC?” Gus asked and waited for answers from the caller. “Salerno…just a briefing?”
“Do you have to go?” Harley asked quietly and he hesitated before he shook his head. “You do. It’s okay,” she assured him.
“Hey, I uh, I’ll call you back,” he said into the phone and hung up before he laid back and rubbed his eyes with his hands. “It’s just a briefing. They’re just keeping an eye on someone tonight and they’re meeting this afternoon.”
“It sounds important. Go to the briefing, do what you have to do. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“But…”
“Gus, it’s okay. I’d rather you go now and put in some face time than get an angry call at dinner because you didn’t show up,” she said.
“It won’t be long,” he said as he kissed her before he got out of bed to get dressed.
“It’s okay, I’ll ride with Shannon and Matt, we’ll meet you at the restaurant. Just…call me if you can’t make it, okay?”
“I will be there,” he promised after he pulled his shirt down and leaned over to kiss her deeply. “Good birthday?” he asked.
“Very,” she nodded and squeezed his hand before he left the apartment.
Harley sighed as she reached for the phone beside her bed and laid back against the pillows. “Hey Dad, it’s me…”
“Thanks for picking me up,” Harley said as she slid into the backseat of the cab next to Shannon.
“No problem. Gus is working?” she asked.
“Yeah, just a meeting,” Harley shrugged. “I told him to call if he couldn’t make dinner, and he didn’t call, so we’ll see.”
“He’ll be there,” Shannon assured her. “So, you remember Matt, right?” she asked.
“Oh yes, sorry,” Harley apologized and reached over Shannon to shake Matt’s hand. “Nice to see you again.”
“You too. Happy Birthday,” Matt said.
“Thanks,” Harley smiled before she looked out the window as they headed to the restaurant.
They pulled up a few minutes before they were supposed to meet Gus and Harley looked around when she got out of the car.
“Harley!” she heard behind her and turned around to see Gus trying to across the street.
“Gus, hi,” she said when he finally reached her.
“Why do you look so surprised? I told you I’d be here,” he said with a smile as he stroked her cheek with his thumb.
She shrugged, “I know your job is important, I just didn’t want to get my hopes up.”
“You are important,” he said quietly. “And you look amazing. Gorgeous,” he added, looking her up and down. He slid his hand around her waist and pulled her into a soft kiss. “Sexy as hell,” he whispered into her ear and ran his hand down over her hip and pulled back raising an eyebrow at her.
“No,” she said.
“No what?”
“No, I’m not wearing underwear,” she said into his ear as she moved past him, grabbing his hand to pull him over to Shannon and Matt, hearing him let out a strangled groan in response.
“Gus, this is Matt. Matt, Gus,” Shannon introduced the two men and Gus shook Matt’s hand, still sneaking glances over at Harley. “Well let’s see if our table is ready,” Shannon said and she and Matt started into the restaurant.
Harley moved to follow them, but Gus grabbed her hand and kept her outside. “You do know that you’re killing me, right? I mean, you expect me to sit through dinner knowing…”
“It will give you something to look forward to,” she teased and pulled him inside.
“You were so funny tonight, really. You know, when you were paying attention and not focused on the fact that I’m not wearing underwear,” Harley teased as they walked down the hallway to her apartment. “They loved you. You charmed the pants off of them!”
“Yeah?” he asked as he stepped up behind her and kissed her neck while she tried to unlock the door. He ran his hand up her thigh, under her dress and she moaned, struggling to get in the door. “What about you? Can I charm your pants off?” he asked breathily into her ear.
“No,” she replied, breathless and turned around in his arms after she successfully opened the door. “But I think charming my dress off is a pretty safe bet,” she finished before he growled and picked her up in his arms, rushing through the door.
He set her down on her feet and backed her up against the wall right inside the door of her apartment. “I can’t get enough of you,” he said as he kissed down her neck over her shoulders.
“Lucky me,” she smiled then gasped when he grabbed both of her hands and pinned them above her head with his right, gently, but forcefully enough that she couldn't move them. His left hand traveled down to her waist and then back up her body until is finally settled on her cheek, cupping it possessively indicating the powerful need radiating from his body.
"Gus? What are you…" but whatever Harley was about to say was cut off as his mouth came crushing down to claim hers. Hard. Not accepting any questions, intent on taking what he wanted all evening long.
Harley felt her body respond to him instantly, in a force and manner never known to her until she met Gus. She moaned softly as his kiss deepened, and arched her chest forward. She needed to be as close to him as she could, to feel to heat of his body against.
Suddenly, Gus let go of her wrists and lifted his head, causing her to moan in protest. He moved both hands to her face and traced the soft line of her lips with his fingers. He trailed them down her neck and along her collarbone before running them along the neckline of her dress, barely touching her skin, causing her to shiver with need. He seemed so composed, so strong, but the slightest tremble of his fingers as they were touching the top of her breasts betrayed his control. Simply feeling the softness of her body and smelling the scent of her was sending jolts of electricity through his veins. When he lifted his head and looked into her eyes, Harley could see them grow darker with desire and need.
As his mouth crushed upon hers, reclaiming her again, she moved her hands to the back of his head. She felt him fumbled a bit for the zipper at the back of her dress and a moment later she felt the fabric fall down her legs and pool around her feet. She moaned into his mouth at the feel of the cool air of the apartment hitting her burning body. Feeling her shiver underneath him, Gus moved his mouth down to her chest, trailing hot kisses along the way. Once he found his destination, he quickly took his shirt off, his mouth not leaving her breasts once. As he closed in on her left nipple and let his tongue dart out and flick the tip, which had already been erect, Harley felt overcome with heated need to feel him. She reached down and rubbed him through his pants, making him moan. She wet her lips and struggled with his belt buckle. Finally winning the battle, she quickly pulled the zipper down and pushed his pants down over his hips to join the rest of their clothes on the floor. She quickly glanced down, taking in a sight of black boxers he was wearing.
“Black,” she whispered, causing him to look up at her.
“What?” he asked quickly before he moved his mouth to the curve of her neck.
“Nothing,” she replied, smiling at the little things she knew about him already.
She hooked her fingers into the waistband and the boxers were easily gone, granting her hands access to his warmth and hardness. He pulsated with life and she immediately gripped him in her hand. As she quickened the pace of her strokes, she heard Gus breathing increase in intensity. He looked into her eyes and smiled, as he leaned forward for another kiss. As a moan of need escaped her lips, his mouth moved down to her neck, kissing it roughly, suckling on her smooth skin. He nipped at her neck, each little bite causing her to gasp slightly and he smiled against her skin as his hand slid between her legs, making sure she was as aroused as he was.
Unable to wait any longer, he pulled her hand away and ran his hand down her body and lifting her leg up, resting it against his hip and hooked his arm under her knee. Despite the pounding in his veins and intense desire to be inside of her, he entered her slowly. Inch by inch he pushed himself in, and the more he probed the more he heard Harley moan, her head nestled against his shoulder. Grinding his pelvis in tiny circles, he dug deeper, allowing her to adjust to his size. As she moaned loudly into his ear, all he could do is grin. He groaned slightly ,their position not allowing him to go any deeper inside of her.
“Hold on, baby,” he whispered and she wrapped her arms around his neck before he lifted her completely off the ground, both of her legs around his waist.
Propped up against the wall, Harley reeled with waves of pleasure as Gus proceeded to move in and out of her. His strokes were slow and steady at first, but quickly took on a faster pace. Holding on tightly to his neck, her body rocked back and forth as he mercilessly took her, giving them both what they needed. Doing her best to keep up with him, she drove her pelvis forward to meet his strokes. She could feel him deep inside her, hitting all the right spots. Dragging her nails along the skin of his neck, she moved her hands upward and dug her fingers through his hair. She felt his eyes focused on her and met his gaze. Like her own, his eyes were glazed with something so strong and powerful, she still felt too afraid to recognize it for what it was and lowered to eyes to his lips to avoid his gaze before moving her mouth to his neck.
As their bodies and hips were rocking back and forth in time with each thrusts, their breathing becoming erratic, she heard him call out her name and knew he was as close as she was. A moment later, both their bodies seizing and muscles tightening, they let out almost a joint string of satisfied moans.
Gus gently lowered Harley and a moment of silence followed as they basked in the afterglow, still unable to move away from one another. Their bodies swayed as only the sounds of their breathing still filled the room. A sporadic moan would occasionally escape their lips as they both lightly traced their fingers along one another's skin. Enjoying the feel of his kisses on her neck, Harley wiggled her hips against pelvis once more. She felt him still large against her thighs and suddenly her body grew warm again.
"Gus,” she said softly, causing him to stir.
"Hmm?” was all that emanated from his lips as he continued to plant soft kisses on her neck.
"Tired?" she asked, stroking the hair at the back of his head.
"A bit. Why?" he asked, his head still buried in her neck.
"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering, um…"
He stopped what he was doing and looked into her face.
"Wondering what?" he asked, a grin starting to form on his face. He watched in amusement as her cheeks flushed. The look on her face was that of pure satisfaction, yet there was an unmistakable trace of innocence in her eyes. She felt his heart starting to beat harder against her own.
“You know, wondering if you want to do it again," she replied shyly, making him laugh softly.
"Dinner with Shannon and Matt? Sure, any time,” he answered teasingly.
"Shut up," she said playfully and hit his shoulders gently, causing him to laugh again. She loved his laugh, loved making him laugh. She suddenly realized her world was just not right without his laughter in it.
Gus caught her hand into his and gently pulled her into his embrace. "You are insatiable," he whispered softly into her ear while stroking her hair. “Luckily for you, I am too,” he added before he picked her up in his arms and carried her back to her bedroom.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Come back to bed,” Gus said sleepily when Harley came back into the bedroom in a towel after she got out of the shower early one morning. “It’s barely dawn.”
“I know, but I have to go in this morning,” she explained as she dropped her towel and started getting dressed.
“Job schmob,” he waved her off.
“It’s not just my job, Gus. It’s my livelihood,” she replied as he grabbed her hand and pulled her back into bed with him.
“Come back to bed and I’ll leave a little something on the nightstand before I leave,” he teased and buried his face in her neck.
“Because you’re so adorable when you’re rumpled and half-asleep and uh…doing that on my neck, I’m going to ignore the incredibly offensive remark you just made,” she said as she reached behind him and pinched his butt before she struggled out of his arms.
“Mean,” he pouted and fell back against the pillow as she stood in front of her closet looking for something to wear. “Hey, do you have plans for next Saturday?” he asked.
“Next Saturday?” she repeated flipping through hangers.
“Yeah, you know, your birthday?”
“Oh, uh, Shannon mentioned getting a drink or something,” she answered vaguely.
“So, can I take you to dinner before that?” he asked.
She turned around and smiled at him after she pulled a shirt over her head, “Sure,” she nodded and slipped on a pair of jeans. “I have to go, I’ll call you later,” she said as she leaned over the bed and tried to kiss him quickly but he slid his hand around the back of her neck and held her lips to his.
“Have a good morning,” he whispered as he stroked her cheek with his finger and she had to force herself to pull away and leave him in her bed with a wave.
Half an hour later, she was making coffee while Shannon filled up the pastry case for the morning. “Did you still want to get drinks or something next Saturday?” she asked.
“Oh yeah, definitely! We have to celebrate!” Shannon answered.
“Celebrate what? Being one year closer to thirty?” Harley asked.
“If it will get you some free alcohol, yes,” Shannon teased. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, Gus asked me this morning if I had plans, so I told him you had mentioned drinks, so we’ll do dinner first,” Harley shrugged.
“Oh okay,” Shannon replied and went back to the pastries for a few minutes until what Harley said hit her. “Wait. Did you say this morning?” she asked.
“Yeah…”
“This morning. So either Gus is crazy and was awake at dawn for you to call him or he was with you when you woke up, which would mean that you are sleeping with him and didn’t tell me!”
Harley rolled her eyes before she turned towards Shannon, “the latter,” she answered and Shannon almost dropped the tray of croissants she was holding.
“Harley! How could you not tell me that you’re having sex with him? I tell you when I’m sleeping with someone,” Shannon pouted.
“I know. More often than I want to know,” Harley teased.
“So…” Shannon prodded. “How long?” she asked and Harley looked at her in shock. “Days. Weeks. Jeez, get your mind out of the gutter. We’ll get to that detail later,” she winked and Harley laughed.
“A few weeks, I guess,” Harley answered.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Shannon repeated in disbelief.
“Well, now you know,” Harley smiled.
“So?”
“I’m not giving you details, Shannon!”
“Well tell me this – good? Great? Decent, with great potential?”
“Let’s just say…the earth has moved a number of times for me lately,” Harley answered.
“Finally!”
“You know, I agree,” Harley winked and disappeared into the kitchen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Hey Gus,” Shannon greeted when he walked into the restaurant later that morning. “Coffee?” she asked and he nodded.
“Thanks, Shannon,” he said as she filled up a cup for him. “Harley around?”
“In the office. You can go back,” she motioned with her head towards the kitchen.
“Uh, actually I wanted to talk to you,” he replied and she looked at him suspiciously. “I got this for Harley and I wanted to run it past you, you know, make sure she’d like it,” he shrugged and pushed a black velvet square box across the counter.
She raised one eyebrow, “Too big for a ring,” she noted.
“And far too soon,” he added.
“Oh. Gus, it’s beautiful,” she said when she lifted the lid and looked inside at the bracelet seated inside. “She’ll love it,” she assured him and he let out a sigh of relief.
“Good,” he replied as he put it back in his jacket.
“So things are good with you two?” Shannon asked.
“Have you heard otherwise?” he wondered.
“Oh no. I’ve heard things are…earth-moving,” she finished and his face showed a mixture of pride and embarrassment.
“I would have to agree,” he nodded. “Things are good.”
“Good, keep them that way,” she warned. “I was thinking, you and I don’t know each other that well.”
“I guess not,” he shrugged.
“I know you had plans for dinner Saturday and Harley and I had plans for drinks afterwards, but how about if we all have dinner together and then you can have her all to yourself after?” Shannon suggested. “That way, you and I can get to know each other better and Harley can meet my boyfriend.”
“Uh, sure, if Harley’s okay with it,” he replied.
“Okay with what?” Harley asked as she appeared beside Shannon.
“A double date,” Shannon answered. “For your birthday dinner. You and Gus, me and Matt. We can all get to know each other.”
“You’re still with Matt?” Harley asked. “What is that, a month?” she asked.
“Three weeks,” Shannon answered.
“An eternity,” Harley teased, winking across the counter at Gus.
“Funny. So, what do you say? The four of us can do dinner and then you two can do…you know, whatever,” Shannon trailed off and Harley rolled her eyes.
“Okay with you?” Harley asked Gus and he nodded. “Alright. We’re on,” she told Shannon, who grinned and waved to them before she went out onto the floor to refill coffee.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Harley asked Gus again after Shannon was gone.
“Yeah, I’m sure. She wants to get to know me. And vice versa,” he shrugged. “Could be fun. Plus, this way I get to take you home,” he added, leaning over the counter where she met him halfway in a kiss.
“Sounds good,” she smiled after they broke the kiss.
“Can we spend the day together since I have to share you for dinner?” Gus asked.
“Absolutely. What do you want to do?” she asked.
“Oh don’t worry. I have a plan,” he informed her and kissed her again before he left.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Good birthday,” Harley spoke in a husky voice as Gus kissed his way back up her body.
“Yeah?” he asked, stroking her thigh and she nodded and pulled him up in a kiss.
“Not that I am in any way, shape or form complaining, but was this your plan for the afternoon?” she asked as he cuddled up beside her.
“Uh…no. My plan was completely ruined when you answered the door in a towel,” he said, running a finger up and down her arm.
“What was your plan?” she asked.
“I wanted to rent a canoe and have a picnic on the Potomac,” he answered.
“Oh. That sounds like a good plan. Sorry I ruined it.”
“Don’t be,” he replied with a kiss.
“Next weekend?” she suggested and he nodded. “Besides, it’s hot out.”
“Yeah, but we managed to work up a sweat here in your air conditioning too,” he teased into her ear.
“That’s a good sweat though,” she smiled. “Did you bring the picnic stuff with you? I’m kind of hungry.”
“I did. I guess we can picnic in your bedroom,” he replied and got up.
“You wouldn’t be allowed to walk around in the buff on the river,” she teased and he rewarded her with a little jaunt as he disappeared out of the room.
“I’m afraid we had a casualty,” he said when he came back with a basket of food in one hand and crushed daisies in the other.
“I’ll take them anyway,” she replied, reaching out for the flowers. “Thank you,” she added as he crawled back into bed beside her and she kissed him. “So what did you bring?”
“Some baguettes, meat, cheese, grapes,” he said as he fed her one, “chocolate covered strawberries and a Merlot from the wine tasting.”
“Sounds delicious. And romantic,” she added as she leaned against his shoulder. “Thank you.”
“Happy Birthday,” he said and kissed her. “Food?”
“Yes please,” she nodded and they dug into the sandwiches.
Later, as he was feeding her the last strawberry, Harley’s phone rang and she groaned. “Ignore it. The machine will get it,” she said as she pushed the remains of their lunch down the bed and crawled into his lap.
“No problem ignoring,” he replied between kisses, running his hands up and down her bare back.
They pulled apart when they heard Buzz’s voice over the answering machine wishing her a happy birthday, then Frank repeating the wishes and asking her to call him.
“You should call them back, they want to talk to you,” Gus said as he ran his fingers through her hair.
“I’ll call them later. I’m kind of busy right now,” she replied as she slid her hand in between them and took him in her palm, stroking him.
“Busy,” he nodded with a moan as she maneuvered her hips until he was inside of her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Ignore it,” Gus said as his cell phone started ringing on the nightstand and he pulled Harley closer to his side.
“You should get it, it’s work,” she replied.
“I’ll answer tomorrow,” he shrugged as the phone stopped ringing. “See? Ignored,” he smirked and kissed her until they were interrupted by his phone ringing again.
“Seriously, get it,” she urged and he sighed as he picked it up to answer.
“This better be important,” he greeted. “What time? For what? Wait, did you say Salerno? What’s he doing in DC?” Gus asked and waited for answers from the caller. “Salerno…just a briefing?”
“Do you have to go?” Harley asked quietly and he hesitated before he shook his head. “You do. It’s okay,” she assured him.
“Hey, I uh, I’ll call you back,” he said into the phone and hung up before he laid back and rubbed his eyes with his hands. “It’s just a briefing. They’re just keeping an eye on someone tonight and they’re meeting this afternoon.”
“It sounds important. Go to the briefing, do what you have to do. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“But…”
“Gus, it’s okay. I’d rather you go now and put in some face time than get an angry call at dinner because you didn’t show up,” she said.
“It won’t be long,” he said as he kissed her before he got out of bed to get dressed.
“It’s okay, I’ll ride with Shannon and Matt, we’ll meet you at the restaurant. Just…call me if you can’t make it, okay?”
“I will be there,” he promised after he pulled his shirt down and leaned over to kiss her deeply. “Good birthday?” he asked.
“Very,” she nodded and squeezed his hand before he left the apartment.
Harley sighed as she reached for the phone beside her bed and laid back against the pillows. “Hey Dad, it’s me…”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Thanks for picking me up,” Harley said as she slid into the backseat of the cab next to Shannon.
“No problem. Gus is working?” she asked.
“Yeah, just a meeting,” Harley shrugged. “I told him to call if he couldn’t make dinner, and he didn’t call, so we’ll see.”
“He’ll be there,” Shannon assured her. “So, you remember Matt, right?” she asked.
“Oh yes, sorry,” Harley apologized and reached over Shannon to shake Matt’s hand. “Nice to see you again.”
“You too. Happy Birthday,” Matt said.
“Thanks,” Harley smiled before she looked out the window as they headed to the restaurant.
They pulled up a few minutes before they were supposed to meet Gus and Harley looked around when she got out of the car.
“Harley!” she heard behind her and turned around to see Gus trying to across the street.
“Gus, hi,” she said when he finally reached her.
“Why do you look so surprised? I told you I’d be here,” he said with a smile as he stroked her cheek with his thumb.
She shrugged, “I know your job is important, I just didn’t want to get my hopes up.”
“You are important,” he said quietly. “And you look amazing. Gorgeous,” he added, looking her up and down. He slid his hand around her waist and pulled her into a soft kiss. “Sexy as hell,” he whispered into her ear and ran his hand down over her hip and pulled back raising an eyebrow at her.
“No,” she said.
“No what?”
“No, I’m not wearing underwear,” she said into his ear as she moved past him, grabbing his hand to pull him over to Shannon and Matt, hearing him let out a strangled groan in response.
“Gus, this is Matt. Matt, Gus,” Shannon introduced the two men and Gus shook Matt’s hand, still sneaking glances over at Harley. “Well let’s see if our table is ready,” Shannon said and she and Matt started into the restaurant.
Harley moved to follow them, but Gus grabbed her hand and kept her outside. “You do know that you’re killing me, right? I mean, you expect me to sit through dinner knowing…”
“It will give you something to look forward to,” she teased and pulled him inside.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“You were so funny tonight, really. You know, when you were paying attention and not focused on the fact that I’m not wearing underwear,” Harley teased as they walked down the hallway to her apartment. “They loved you. You charmed the pants off of them!”
“Yeah?” he asked as he stepped up behind her and kissed her neck while she tried to unlock the door. He ran his hand up her thigh, under her dress and she moaned, struggling to get in the door. “What about you? Can I charm your pants off?” he asked breathily into her ear.
“No,” she replied, breathless and turned around in his arms after she successfully opened the door. “But I think charming my dress off is a pretty safe bet,” she finished before he growled and picked her up in his arms, rushing through the door.
He set her down on her feet and backed her up against the wall right inside the door of her apartment. “I can’t get enough of you,” he said as he kissed down her neck over her shoulders.
“Lucky me,” she smiled then gasped when he grabbed both of her hands and pinned them above her head with his right, gently, but forcefully enough that she couldn't move them. His left hand traveled down to her waist and then back up her body until is finally settled on her cheek, cupping it possessively indicating the powerful need radiating from his body.
"Gus? What are you…" but whatever Harley was about to say was cut off as his mouth came crushing down to claim hers. Hard. Not accepting any questions, intent on taking what he wanted all evening long.
Harley felt her body respond to him instantly, in a force and manner never known to her until she met Gus. She moaned softly as his kiss deepened, and arched her chest forward. She needed to be as close to him as she could, to feel to heat of his body against.
Suddenly, Gus let go of her wrists and lifted his head, causing her to moan in protest. He moved both hands to her face and traced the soft line of her lips with his fingers. He trailed them down her neck and along her collarbone before running them along the neckline of her dress, barely touching her skin, causing her to shiver with need. He seemed so composed, so strong, but the slightest tremble of his fingers as they were touching the top of her breasts betrayed his control. Simply feeling the softness of her body and smelling the scent of her was sending jolts of electricity through his veins. When he lifted his head and looked into her eyes, Harley could see them grow darker with desire and need.
As his mouth crushed upon hers, reclaiming her again, she moved her hands to the back of his head. She felt him fumbled a bit for the zipper at the back of her dress and a moment later she felt the fabric fall down her legs and pool around her feet. She moaned into his mouth at the feel of the cool air of the apartment hitting her burning body. Feeling her shiver underneath him, Gus moved his mouth down to her chest, trailing hot kisses along the way. Once he found his destination, he quickly took his shirt off, his mouth not leaving her breasts once. As he closed in on her left nipple and let his tongue dart out and flick the tip, which had already been erect, Harley felt overcome with heated need to feel him. She reached down and rubbed him through his pants, making him moan. She wet her lips and struggled with his belt buckle. Finally winning the battle, she quickly pulled the zipper down and pushed his pants down over his hips to join the rest of their clothes on the floor. She quickly glanced down, taking in a sight of black boxers he was wearing.
“Black,” she whispered, causing him to look up at her.
“What?” he asked quickly before he moved his mouth to the curve of her neck.
“Nothing,” she replied, smiling at the little things she knew about him already.
She hooked her fingers into the waistband and the boxers were easily gone, granting her hands access to his warmth and hardness. He pulsated with life and she immediately gripped him in her hand. As she quickened the pace of her strokes, she heard Gus breathing increase in intensity. He looked into her eyes and smiled, as he leaned forward for another kiss. As a moan of need escaped her lips, his mouth moved down to her neck, kissing it roughly, suckling on her smooth skin. He nipped at her neck, each little bite causing her to gasp slightly and he smiled against her skin as his hand slid between her legs, making sure she was as aroused as he was.
Unable to wait any longer, he pulled her hand away and ran his hand down her body and lifting her leg up, resting it against his hip and hooked his arm under her knee. Despite the pounding in his veins and intense desire to be inside of her, he entered her slowly. Inch by inch he pushed himself in, and the more he probed the more he heard Harley moan, her head nestled against his shoulder. Grinding his pelvis in tiny circles, he dug deeper, allowing her to adjust to his size. As she moaned loudly into his ear, all he could do is grin. He groaned slightly ,their position not allowing him to go any deeper inside of her.
“Hold on, baby,” he whispered and she wrapped her arms around his neck before he lifted her completely off the ground, both of her legs around his waist.
Propped up against the wall, Harley reeled with waves of pleasure as Gus proceeded to move in and out of her. His strokes were slow and steady at first, but quickly took on a faster pace. Holding on tightly to his neck, her body rocked back and forth as he mercilessly took her, giving them both what they needed. Doing her best to keep up with him, she drove her pelvis forward to meet his strokes. She could feel him deep inside her, hitting all the right spots. Dragging her nails along the skin of his neck, she moved her hands upward and dug her fingers through his hair. She felt his eyes focused on her and met his gaze. Like her own, his eyes were glazed with something so strong and powerful, she still felt too afraid to recognize it for what it was and lowered to eyes to his lips to avoid his gaze before moving her mouth to his neck.
As their bodies and hips were rocking back and forth in time with each thrusts, their breathing becoming erratic, she heard him call out her name and knew he was as close as she was. A moment later, both their bodies seizing and muscles tightening, they let out almost a joint string of satisfied moans.
Gus gently lowered Harley and a moment of silence followed as they basked in the afterglow, still unable to move away from one another. Their bodies swayed as only the sounds of their breathing still filled the room. A sporadic moan would occasionally escape their lips as they both lightly traced their fingers along one another's skin. Enjoying the feel of his kisses on her neck, Harley wiggled her hips against pelvis once more. She felt him still large against her thighs and suddenly her body grew warm again.
"Gus,” she said softly, causing him to stir.
"Hmm?” was all that emanated from his lips as he continued to plant soft kisses on her neck.
"Tired?" she asked, stroking the hair at the back of his head.
"A bit. Why?" he asked, his head still buried in her neck.
"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering, um…"
He stopped what he was doing and looked into her face.
"Wondering what?" he asked, a grin starting to form on his face. He watched in amusement as her cheeks flushed. The look on her face was that of pure satisfaction, yet there was an unmistakable trace of innocence in her eyes. She felt his heart starting to beat harder against her own.
“You know, wondering if you want to do it again," she replied shyly, making him laugh softly.
"Dinner with Shannon and Matt? Sure, any time,” he answered teasingly.
"Shut up," she said playfully and hit his shoulders gently, causing him to laugh again. She loved his laugh, loved making him laugh. She suddenly realized her world was just not right without his laughter in it.
Gus caught her hand into his and gently pulled her into his embrace. "You are insatiable," he whispered softly into her ear while stroking her hair. “Luckily for you, I am too,” he added before he picked her up in his arms and carried her back to her bedroom.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~