Page 13 of Dirty Whispers

Her eyes are even deeper in the amber porch light. "Oh. Um, I'm sorry… I can't remember where we're going to be. Can I text you?"

"Of course."

Tipping up her chin with my finger, I give her a soft, gentle kiss. "Your work is important to you. I'll never get in the way of that. Have a good night."

"You too. And, um, thank you for dinner."

She's so adorably flustered. I wait until she's safely inside to drive away, my hands drumming on the steering wheel. My mind should be filled with thoughts of everything I need to do to prepare for our dinner.

But first, after I get home I'll relive the highlights of this perfect evening, my cock in my hand so I don't explode from the overload of unrestrained lust Harper unleashes in me.

7

HARPER

“You what?”

Nikki’s surprised shriek makes Jocelyn jump, then laugh.

I made a point of waiting until they'd both had at least one cup of morning coffee before revealing that Griffin and I dating is now a local news item to be compared against the gossip of Jonah and his new girlfriend. I figured placating them by having breakfast ready might smooth the discussion.

From the way Nikki's eyes narrow, I can tell she's not amused. "I really don't think we're supposed to insert ourselves into this study."

"Well, it's happened. Let's move on." Jocelyn turns to me. "I'm not asking for all the juicy details, but is it going well so far? How was your date?"

They both laugh at my pink cheeks. "Ohmygod, she got some!" Nikki crows. "And?"

My head shakes. There's no way I can discuss what happened last night without glowing crimson.

Most of what I feel for Griffin can't be put into words: that's a huge first for me. I guess our relationship is going to be filled with firsts. I adore that he's older, experienced, and has the nerve to just go for what he wants. He definitely wants me. But is he still going to think that way when he gets to know me better?

"Let's get back to work." I stand up and refill our mugs, then grab one of my ever-present notepads. "Griffin explained that the Wolfe family kind of runs Old Hemlock Valley. They own a lot of land around here, and a whole bunch of businesses."

"Yeah, I see their name in all of the local listings," Jocelyn pipes up.

"Right. So if Jonah Wolfe is from a well-known family, and Griffin Dirty's family is lesser known, is the news of their new…" Crap, I don't even know what to call us. "I mean, the fact that they're both dating someone new to this town. Does that news travel at the same rate?"

Nikki grabs her laptop. "We'll start with a rough outline of their respective family histories. I'll give each of us a section, then we'll haul ass to town to work on it while we listen in. I'll take Fran's. Jocelyn, you take Corina's." She grins at me. "Harper can assume a position on that bench outside of the library and see if anyone recognizes her as the talk of the town."

My eyes roll, but I know she's right. "Sure. Oh – I forgot to mention. I saw one of the senior Wolfes last night. Carver Wolfe, Jonah's dad. Hmm." I pause in my note taking. "He merely nodded a greeting to everyone else out on Main Street, but he stopped to say hello to Griffin. I'm not sure why, but that felt important somehow."

Jocelyn's pen is flying across the page. "If both families have been here a long time, maybe he's a friend of Griffin's dad?"

"Maybe."

"What's his dad's name, anyway?"

"No idea."

Nikki laughs. "I guess you'll have to ask a bunch of questions on your next date." She looks straight into my eyes and arches a brow. "Which is when?"

"Tomorrow night. He wants to make me dinner."

Jocelyn grins. "Translation: he wants to get her alone."

We sink into our research, and I try not to let their teasing get to me. Yet some of it keeps rolling around in the back of my mind, making it tough for me to concentrate on the work.

Is it a seriously bad idea to start a relationship with a man who lives in such a small town, on a mountain where everything is so rough and rugged? I don't know the first thing about life in a mountain town. But from the big trucks I saw today hauling logging equipment right down Main Street, it feels like a lot of things are dangerous up here.

---