Page 6 of Ruthless Heir

The despicable look he gives me should make him appear monstrous in the moonlight. But damn it, he still looks like Apollo.

“Don’t test me, Harper.” He uses the same stern tone he took with Jethro. “You know you’re wrong. After all you’ve been through in L.A. with your ex, you shouldn’t have been so stupid.”

I hate that he’s right. And that he knows about Nick.

Since Josh tells AshereverythingI assume he knows Nick was a thief, a con artist and a murderer.

“You need to be more careful. In the last three years you’ve made bad choice after bad choice.”

The additional blow makes me think he’s also talking about the past.

The past with him when I was eighteen, and all the reasons he didn’t want me.

“Yeah, sure.” I keep my answer short and emotionless, an attempt to show I’m over him and over this conversation, too.

“Any other bad choices I should know about?”

“No. None.” I look away, hoping he doesn’t ask me anything more.

I stare out the window, wondering what the hell I’m going to do.

I may not be in jail anymore but I’m still trapped.

Chapter Two

Asher

We’re at Josh’s place now. The drive here was horrendous. The last two and a half hours pure silence, pure hell.

“Good night.” Harper tosses the words over her shoulder with a grudge in her tone. She makes her way up the stairs, her long ponytail bouncing with every step, and I try not to notice her shapely legs or her lush, round ass.

“Good night,” I answer but she doesn’t look back at me. I didn’t expect her to.

Maybe we shouldn’t talk tonight. Besides, I can’t stand those jade-green eyes of hers staring back at me with so much hate.

I’m a bastard at the best of times. But even I have to admit that I ripped into her too hard.

I couldn’t help it. What she did was insane. All of it—going to Massachusetts and lying about Europe, then getting in trouble with her landlord.

Harper’s wild, ballsy streak has always fascinated me, but none of that sounds like her. Neither does getting involved with a murderer like her ex.

This isn’t the first time I’ve felt that life went to hell for her after my rejection.

Her bad luck began with the accident. Not a day goes by when I don’t think

about it or blame myself.

After I rejected her she ran from me and ended up in a head-on collision that took her memories and almost her life.

Honor stopped me from taking her in my bed that night. Honor to my best friend.

That night feels like a dirty secret between us. Except only I remember her offering herself to me.

Maybe it’s better that I’m left with the memory and she isn’t. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. Then I feel like a coward for thinking so.

I shouldn’t feel thankful that Harper doesn’t remember what happened between us. And I’ll always feel ashamed that I left out the real reason she was at my place when I told Josh what happened.

On top of that I’m an asshole for holding on to the memory of her naked body spread out against my satin sheets. That image nevereverleft my mind. It renewed itself tonight the moment I saw her in the jail cell.

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