His Naughty Lessons

** Harper **

Plotting relationship rescues with Chelsea was familiar and reassuring at this point. Harper spent a few productive hours doing it, and she was feeling comfortable with her first evening back home, topped off with a late shower to freshen up after the long flight, until she got ready for sleep and stared at the bed in front of her.

Now that she had the time to actually pay attention ... It looked so strangely empty and cold.

She sat down at the left side of the bed — the side where Eli always took in his hotel room — and ran her hand across the blanket. It was crisp and clean, smelling like the fresh laundry she had done before leaving for the trip two weeks ago. But unlike any other typical day, she didn’t enjoy the untouched cleanness this time. She had grown too used to the slight yet heady scent of musk lingering on the sheets, the warmth trapped under the blankets, the hint of sweat and other things that she never knew she could like so much ... and she couldn’t help but miss them.

Damn. She didn’t want to sleep in this clean bed all by herself anymore. Impulsively, she wanted to call Eli, to coax him to come over to her place and make it just like they were still on vacation, but—

Her phone dinged on the nightstand, lighting up with a new message. [ Eli: I miss you. What are you doing? ]

... No way! Could he actually sense exactly what she was thinking right now?

Harper’s moody angst instantly evaporated. With an elated squeak, she snatched her phone:

[ Miss you too. ]