It was hard to keep my emotions in check around her, and more often than not, they all came out with a negative tone.
I didn’t miss the slight flinch in her beautiful face at my harsh tone. But, just like the lightning that had flashed brightly in the sky before disappearing, so did her expression. In under a second, the slender line of her jaw was set with tension and her sparkling emerald eyes went dull and guarded. Without a word, she picked her phone up off the table and turned it to me. On the screen I could see Romeo sound asleep on…her bed.
Damn. Lucky dog.
I’d been in Harmony’s bedroom one time and one time only. Last summer, Harmony, Cara, and Destiny had taken a celebratory girls’ night to the extreme and Bryson, who had been bartending, had placed an SOS call to JJ. Thankfully, I’d been with him and Trace at the time. The other two men took care of getting Destiny and Cara home safe and sound, and I took care of a very intoxicated, very belligerent, and very talkative Harmony.
That night had been the sweetest torture I’d ever experienced. For years I had made it a habit, out of sheer self-preservation, to not only keep an emotional distance from Harmony, but also a physical one. Both were shot to shit in my attempts to wrangle her into my car, then out of it and through her front door, and finally into bed.
She’d bounced from talking to arguing to talking to arguing like someone with a split personality. While she was refusing to get into my SUV in the Cow parking lot, I’d heard all about her plans for the future. How she was planning on moving to New York as soon as she earned her Master’s in Psychology. That she was going to live a life that made Sex and the City look like Sesame Street.
All of that had been hard enough to hear, but the real knife in the heart was what she told me when I’d finally gotten her home. She’d disclosed that the night after her high school graduation, when she’d snuck into my apartment and been waiting for me—naked—she’d been a virgin and had wanted me to be her first. Hearing that information struck me like I had just been kneed in the balls by the Terminator.
I was still trying to recover when she collapsed in the hallway, after vigorously insisting that she didn’t need help walking. I’d picked her up and, after stumbling to her bedroom, she’d proceeded to strip off her dress and inform me that not only was I her go-to fantasy when she pleasured herself at least three times a week, she also slept in the nude, which she demonstrated before crawling into her bed and passing out.
That night had been a test of, not only my honor, but also my sheer will. It took every decent fiber in my body to ignore the searing heat of desire in me that wanted to memorize every curve on her pin-up worthy body. Instead, I’d immediately pulled her comforter over her and got comfortable in an overstuffed chair in the corner so I would know if she woke up. Then I could try to get her to drink some water. Maybe even eat some food. Over the course of the night I’d been able to get three glasses of water in her and had even been able to get her to eat a piece of bread. I’d also had to cover her back up more times than I could count, since she kicked off the comforter every few minutes.
But, I’d gotten to spend the night with the one girl that was off-limits—the only one I’d ever truly wanted.
It was the sweetest, most agonizing night of my life.
Clearing my throat, I tried my best to erase the mental images of her naked body sprawled out on her king-sized bed. Attempting to stay on topic, I clarified, “You put a camera in your room?”
Harmony shrugged sheepishly. “I installed motion sensor nanny cams to keep an eye on him. I didn’t want to miss girls’ night, but I had to be sure that he was okay. This way, if he got upset I could rush home.”
Damn. Seeing this sweet, more nurturing side of her had the soft spot that I’d always had in my heart with Harmony’s name on it expanding like a balloon. She’d always been loyal and caring, but that was a far cry from sweet or nurturing. And if I wasn’t already head over heels for the girl sitting in front of me, this new side of her would’ve flipped me in that direction.
I needed to get to the point and get the hell out of there. There was no reason to spend even a second longer than absolutely necessary, especially since in the coming weeks, I’d be spending more time with her than I had in all the years I’d known her.
“I spoke to Blanche.” As I looked in Harmony’s clear green stare, I hoped that the feelings she inspired in me weren’t written all over my face.
Harmony’s left brow raised and her voice was tinged in defensiveness as she asked, “And?”
“And I was able to convince her not to press charges—”
“Woohoo!” Destiny cheered.
“See, I told you. Our hero!” Cara exclaimed.
I lifted my hand, halting their premature celebration. “There are conditions.”