Chapter 160: Worth the Wait

Harper’s POV

For a few seconds, I just stared at him.

He was completely asleep. Not pretending, not just resting his eyes he was out cold, sleeping like a log of wood on the couch.

I glanced at the candles I had carefully arranged around the room, then at the half-eaten food on the counter, and finally at the man who had managed to fall fast asleep in the middle of looking through camp pictures with me.

I couldn’t help the tiny, ridiculous pout that formed on my lips.

Was I disappointed? Absolutely. I’d spent the entire day preparing for his return. I’d waxed, done my hair, taken a full-body shower, bought new things I was extremely excited to wear, cleaned his house, stocked his fridge, ordered food, lit candles...

And now my boyfriend was passed out in front of me.

But then I looked closely at his face again. The sheer, bone-deep exhaustion was so obvious. His tight shoulders had finally relaxed into the cushion. His breathing was slow, deep, and steady, and there was something so peaceful about seeing him like that.

He desperately needed this rest.

So I picked up my phone, stepped quietly around the counter, and settled onto the far end of the couch. I wasn’t going to wake him.

For the next couple of hours, I entertained myself scrolling through my phone, checking messages, and occasionally glancing over at his quiet frame. Every single time I looked at him, the exact same thought crossed my mind.

He’s just so tired.

Eventually, the sky outside turned completely dark. The candles were the only real light in the room now, their soft, warm glow flickering rhythmically across the walls and ceiling.

I checked the time on my phone screen. Two hours had passed.

I let out a quiet sigh. Okay. My extravagant plans for tonight were definitely looking less promising. Not because I wasn’t interested I was, very much so. I had been thinking about this man and missing his touch all day. But I wasn’t going to force him awake just because I was impatient. I could wait. Besides, we had all of tomorrow.

I was still scrolling through social media when Justin suddenly shifted beside me.

His eyes fluttered open. He blinked a few times, looking around the dim room completely confused, before his gaze finally landed on me.

"Did I sleep?" he asked, his voice rough and deep with heavy sleep.

I laughed softly at his confused face. "Yes."

He rubbed his hands over his face, sighing. "How long?"

"Two hours."

His eyes widened in shock. "Damn." He sat up straighter, throwing his arms back to stretch. "I really didn’t mean to sleep that long."

"You needed it, Justin."

He nodded, rubbing his neck, then suddenly froze mid-motion. "Oh."

"What?"

"I need to pee."

I burst out laughing right there on the couch. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously!" He stood up quickly, wincing slightly. "Please. I need to pee right now."

"Okay, okay!"

I got up from the couch and started walking toward the bedroom ahead of him. Justin trailed close behind me down the quiet hallway. The second I passed him, his hand landed on my rear with a firm, playful smack.

I gasped loudly and spun on my heel. "Justin!"

He grinned down at me, completely unbothered. "What?"

I touched the spot he’d smacked, fighting with everything I had not to smile. "Damn. Did you really miss that?"

His grin widened, dark and playful. "Yeah. I missed that a lot." He stepped closer, crowding my space until I backed into the bedroom doorway.

My stomach flipped violently.

He leaned down and pressed a warm kiss against my cheek. "Let me pee and come right back, okay?"

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding. "Okay."

He disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

The moment the lock clicked, I looked straight toward my tote bag resting on the chair, then toward the bathroom door, then right back at the bag. My heart started racing in my chest.

Maybe he was tired definitely tired but that didn’t mean I couldn’t give him a little something special to come home to.

I hurried across the bedroom and grabbed the bag I’d been hiding all day. I pulled out the delicate nightwear set I’d ordered and stared at it for a second. The matching lace bra and panties could wait until tomorrow; tonight, I wanted something smooth, simple, and striking something that would make him look twice and forget how tired he was.

I quickly removed my clothes and slipped into the lacy, sheer nightwear, leaving nothing underneath. Then I threw my matching silk robe over my shoulders, keeping it loosely wrapped.

I checked my reflection in the full-length mirror. My cheeks were already burning red.

"Okay," I whispered softly to myself. "A little spice wouldn’t hurt."

I adjusted the lapels of the robe and took a deep, steadying breath. Maybe tonight wouldn’t go exactly as I had originally planned. Maybe he’d just want to crawl under the covers and fall asleep again. Maybe he’d be far too exhausted for anything else, and that was completely okay. I just wanted him to know how deeply I’d missed him.

I stepped back into the main bedroom area and waited.

A few seconds later, the bathroom door swung open. Justin stepped out into the dim room, still rubbing his sleepy eyes.

He lifted his gaze.

Then he saw me standing by the edge of the bed.

He stopped completely dead in his tracks.

His heavy gaze slowly moved down my body, taking in the soft silk and sheer lace, and the deep tiredness that had been weighing down his features seemed to evaporate into thin air.

His mouth parted slightly.

"Damn."

My heart jumped straight into my throat.

Justin took one slow, deliberate step forward, his eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that sent a shiver straight down my spine.

"Damn, babe." His dark eyes never left mine as he closed the distance between us. "Damn."