Page 58 of Exes and Oh Hell No

And nothing has ever felt more right.

20

FORD

Harper glares at me from the chair she’s tied to in Gram’s kitchen, watching me bustle around, cooking us dinner.

Her wrist muscles flex, straining against the ropes, but there’s no slack.

I tied her up too well.

“This is ridiculous! Why can’t I be untied?” she huffs, her voice a mix of frustration and something dangerously close to panic.

“Because your stubborn ass will try to run away.”

She snarls, and fuck if that isn’t the cutest damn thing I’ve ever heard.

“What do you mean, try?” she murmurs, voice low and lethal. “I’d kick you in the nuts and leave.”

“That’s exactly why you’re tied to the chair.” I cross the kitchen in two strides, leaning over her until our noses nearly brush.

She smells like defiance, vanilla lotion, and temptation.

“But make no mistake, my love, you can’t outrun me. And the punishment when you’re caught…” I drag my knuckles down herthroat, smirking as her pulse jackhammers. “Let’s just say, I’d enjoy it. A whole fucking lot.”

Her hands clench into fists in her lap. “What happened to you? The Ford I knew?—”

“The Ford you knew is the same man standing in front of you now. I’ve always gone after what I wanted. And that wasyou.You used to do the same… until you let fear win.”

Her breath catches.

She gapes at me, her mind working overtime as she scrambles for an excuse, but I just called her out on her bullshit, and she knows it.

“You’re so goddamn infuriating!” she explodes, jerking in the chair, her fists white-knuckled. “How the hell am I gonna eat since I’m tied to a fucking chair?”

Before I can answer, the front door swings open.

Gram and Connor step inside.

Harper’s head snaps in their direction, eyes wild with relief. “Good. Some sane people. Will you please untie me from the chair and talk some sense into yourpsychograndson and friend?”

Gram calmly sets her purse on the table, blinks at Harper, then looks at me. “When I said you didn’t have game, I didn’t mean you should gokidnapher.”

Before I can defend myself, Connor erupts into laughter, bending over and slapping his knee as his howls echo from the walls. “Oh my fucking God. Iloveit here.”

“Oh, it gets worse.” Harper jerks her head toward Connor, her voice laced with sarcasm and desperation. “He’s threatening tomarry meso I can’t charge him with kidnapping.”

She lifts her brows. “And he wantsyouto get ordained to officiate thisshamof a wedding.”

Connor whistles long and low, dropping into a chair beside her. “Damn, Ford. That’s… kinda brilliant.”

He turns to Gram. “You gotta admit, that’s dedication.”

Gram raises an eyebrow. She’s clearly impressed. “He does have a point. You can’t testify against your spouse.”

Harper nearly chokes on air.“Oh my God!Are you seriouslydefendinghim?”

Gram slides into the chair at the end of the table. “The man loves you. And he’s a good guy. You could do so much worse.”

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