Page 119 of Brutal Obsession

“Yeah, just stiff.” She reaches up to brush a lock of that hair behind her ear, andfuck, I just want to wrap her in my arms. “Riley wanted to walk me up, but I told her I’m fine. It’s not so bad if I go slow.”

She’s hurt, you fucking idiot.The fresh wave of fury at the reminder chases away the lust for a moment. I take a breath and distract myself.

“You cut your hair.” I have to fold my fingers into fists to keep my hands from running through the freshly trimmed tresses and pulling her face to mine.

“Oh, yeah.” Harper rolls her lips together. “Enzo cut some of it off, and it was so noticeable that I couldn’t deal with it, so Riley, Bex…they gave me a haircut.”

She rushes through the words. The mention of that bastard’s name fills my head with visions of arson, but focusing on Harper drifts the thought away like a slow-rolling cloud.

Her eyes flick away from mine as pink stains her cheeks. “Does it look weird?”

Too fast, I blurt out, “I love it.”

Harper’s gaze snaps back to mine.

It’s obvious how wild I am for her. Might as well be tattooed on my face.

“Thank you.” She shakes her head a little, like she’s trying to refocus herself. “Thank you for meeting me here, I mean.”

Shane, Donal, and Thomas want to meet with Harper alone, of course.

But she asked me to go in there with her.I don’t think I can do it…face them…without you,she told me earlier, when we arrived back at the estate.

The fact that Harper’s still relying on me to help her through this, that she still trusts me to have her back even though I failed to protect her so catastrophically, brings tears to my eyes.

Fuck, I need her so badly.

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Cian?” Her eyes widen as she peers up at me. “I…I just wanted to say I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve put you through.”

Oh fucking hell.Don’t do this to me right now. I’m on the edge as it is.

“Don’t apologize.” I exhale hard, suppressing the emotion behind my words. “It’s all in the past.”

She nods a little, and her tone darkens. “It’s time.”

With a curt nod, I pull open the door to Shane’s office. “Let’s do this.”

Strength shines in her eyes, and then she steps into the room with me right behind.

Tonight, Shane’s office looks like a lion’s den.

Finn’s father sits behind an enormous mahogany desk, a whiskey glass at his fingertips and a pensive, grim expression on his face. Over one shoulder stands Donal Gallagher, his cousin and the mafia’s underboss, and the other, Thomas Brennan, glorified Irish Kings general and Harper’s reptile of a father.

“Thank you, Cian.” Shane addresses me first. “You may go.”

His dismissal glances off me. I don’t move an inch. In front of me, I squeeze one of my hands with the other to keep from reaching for the gun holstered out of sight against my chest.

Harper clears her throat. “Actually, I asked him to come in with me.”

A chill settles over the room.

Are they wary because Harper’s probably never stood up for herself before? Or are they wary because they can sense that my allegiance to them has shifted? That Harper matters more to me than they do?

“We understand you’ve been on quite the adventure these past two months.” Donal lights a cigarette, trying to cut Harper down with just his eyes. “For your sake, I hope betraying your duty to this family was worth it.”

“It wasn’t worth it,” Harper says, and even Donal seems surprised that she conceded so easily. “I can see that now. I should have had the courage to come out in the open, right from the beginning.”

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