The Knight in Leather Armor

ch.39 Guide your body

Harry turned around to see what had caught my eye. I looked down and saw his bandaged hand and took it in mine as I gently examined it.

“Angie, I’m so sorry about last night,” he said slowly and shamefully.

I shook my head. Why did he keep apologizing for hurting himself?

“Don’t be sorry. It wasn’t your fault,” I told him.

“Yes it was. I shouldn’t have yelled. I shouldn’t have--” Harry’s voice grew louder with regret and apology.

He took the blame. As usual. I wanted to take the blame. I needed to take the blame. I hated seeing him tearing himself up for the sake of me not having to deal with it.

“Harry, it’s ok. I’m not mad,” I told him honestly.

“You’re not?” he asked as he gently smoothed his thumb along my cheek.

“No. Not at all” I shook my head. I kissed his bandaged hand, knowing how much more damage Louis could and would do to Harry. I couldn’t take Harry having a bandaged hand, let alone a broken body.

He smiled warmly, like a young boy contented and relived to have found his lost puppy.

I kissed Harry’s neck gently, pressing my lips to the bulge of his vein, reminding myself how he felt when his blood was inside him. Reminding myself, painfully reminding myself what I had to do in order to keep him that way.

I was about to tell him I had to leave when he moved a lock of hair from my cheek and whispered close to my ear.

“Come on, I wanna show you why I was late” he winked.

“Wait, I-” I started to protest, but he put his finger over my lips.

“You have to close your eyes” he purred.

I closed my eyes hesitantly. I knew I only had moments left with Harry before I have to leave him and I wanted to spend those moments looking into his marble green eyes, kissing his crimson lips and losing my fingers in his dark curls.

Harry clasped his hands over my eyes delicately as he walked behind me, leading me to wherever it was that he wanted to show me.

I’ll just see whatever it is he wants to show me, then I’ll tell him I have to go to work or something, I told myself as he led me blindly.

“Ok” he said as he lowered his hands from my eyes.

I looked out onto the red and white checkered table cloth and the vanilla scented candles perched around the great oak tree and the scattered rose petals- the color of peach ice cream.

“Harry” I whispered as my voice almost cracked and my heart tore exactly in half.

This was why he was late.

He was making this so painfully difficult by the second.

I knew I had to leave. I had to let him go if I wanted to save him, but I was too selfish to let the picnic go to waste.

I slowly walked toward the checkered cloth, the last place I would ever have him.

 “It’s absolutely beautiful, Harry” I shook my head slowly, trying to keep the guilt from drowning me.

“I modeled it after someone really special” he grinned as he took both my hands in his and held them over his chest. I could feel his heart beat rising as I grasped his jacket ever so slightly. I lowered my hands to my sides and swallowed hard. With every moment, every second that I looked into his brilliant green marbles, I felt myself dying a little more.

Harry sat down and took my arm softly, leading me to sit beside him.

He let his thumb press softly against my cheek before he lowered his lips to mine.

He pressed his tongue to mine more urgently, but I shifted uneasily, not knowing if I could resist the temptation and break the deal I more or less made with Louis.

Harry looked into my eyes a moment, a bit confused by my sudden tension.

My stomach churned with guilt.

“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked quietly, patiently.

I shook my head.

“Nothing” I lied.

He cocked a brow doubtfully.

“I’m just- really hungry” I mumbled and looked down at the picnic basket.

“Well, lucky for you, I made some more of my famous cupcakes” he grinned as he took out the cupcakes and gave one to me. I reached for it, but he refused to let me take it and insisted on feeding me.

I shook my head and smiled at his playfulness.

He reached toward me as he held the cake up to my lips.

I was about to take a bite when he swiped the frosting over my nose.

“Hey” I protested and I leaned away from him before he completely covered me in chocolate.

Harry took both my wrists and pulled me to him gently, but still teasingly.

I tried to wriggle free from his grip, but he was too strong. He leaned back on his elbows and tugged at my arm once last time. I fell on top of him and he titled his head closer to mine and licked the frosting from my nose.

“I’m hungry, too, ya know” he winked.

I took the cake from his hand and fed it to him.

There was a drop of chocolate on his dimple and I couldn’t resist the urge to lean close and lick it.

He had brought a lot of other things too. 

And every time I moved back slightly to sit beside instead of on top of him, he would tug me closer again.  I stopped fighting his little antics because I didn’t want to fight him. I didn’t want to waste the last few moments we had…

“You made all that yourself?” I asked with great interest and a bit of doubt.

He nodded.

“Yep” he grinned proudly.

“It was delicious” I smiled as I looked down at his lips instead of his eyes. It was so delicious that I couldn’t get myself to leave and spare him the trouble and the heart break.  But that’s exactly why I had to leave.

 He pressed his lips to mine and leaned up on his elbows, pushing me down on the cloth this time. He rested his head against his elbow and looked down at me close beside him.

Then he lowered his arm and I rested my head against it. It was too taut with muscle to be very comfortable, but that was exactly why I was comfortable. He could protect me and shield me with his massive arms and the agile density of his long, lean body. I wanted to hide inside him, hide so that no one could find us, not Louis, not Danny, not even the cops.

Quickly, he stood up and took my hands in his.

Then he let go and bowed before me.

“May I have this dance, Miss Lorenzo?” Harry asked in a honey-sweet Southern accent that nearly made my heart shatter. 

I nodded slowly, watching him with eager eyes and a damned soul.

Harry kissed my hand and then spun me around so fast that I got slightly dizzy and I knocked into his chest. The corner of his lips went up to form his charming, dimpled grin and he wrapped one arm around my waist as the other took my hand in his.

He straightened his already broad shoulders and held me close to him as he started to hum a familiar Frank Sinatra song.

I tried to keep up with his quick steps, but I kept stepping on his feet.

“Harry, I can’t dance,” I shook my head in embarrassment.

He grinned. “That’s ok,” he said.

“I’ll guide your body,” he whispered by my ear. And he lowered his hand to the small of my back, holding me carefully and firmly against him.