Page 6 of Reckless Harmony

He scowled at her. “You need medical attention.”

“The last I heard, you’re not a doctor,” she said. “It’s not that bad. Look, I need to go. I’m freezing, and Molly is pregnant and shouldn’t be out in the cold like this. Thank you for your help.”

She turned and marched toward the gate, hoping like hell Stark hadn’t added a lock to it. She half expected Stark to follow her, maybe even offer to help clean her back, and she wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about that. But when she reached the gate and unlatched it, she glanced back to discover nothing but an empty yard and bright moonlight.

She closed the gate behind her and jogged to her yard, letting herself into the backyard and then into the house. She made sure the basement door was closed before she set Molly on the floor.

The cat stretched and purred, following Rayna and rubbing against her legs as she trudged upstairs to her bedroom to inspect the damage to her back. She stood with her back to the full-length mirror and twisted her head to stare at her reflection.

“Ugh,” she muttered, staring at the enormous scrape down the center of her back. Already, her skin was beginning to swell and bruise, and with another muttered curse, she grabbed her phone and called Emma.

“Hey, Rayna, what’s up?” Emma answered on the second ring.

“Are you busy? I need your help.”

CHAPTER 4

Sweat dripping down his forehead, Stark pressed a button on the treadmill, his run slowing down to a jog to match the decrease in the treadmill’s speed. He jogged another few minutes, continuing to decrease the speed until he was walking normally before he turned off the treadmill.

He stepped off of it and took a swig of water from his water bottle. He was alone in the gym, which, while unusual, was a welcome change. He had no qualms about his employees using the gym he’d built behind the office building, and the gym was for them as much as it was for him, but after a mostly sleepless night, he wasn’t up to small talk.

He glanced out the window, stretching his quads and grimacing at the burn as he stared at the snow falling in big, thick flakes. His preference was to run the trails of Harmony Falls Park, and even in the colder weather, he often went for a run on one of the flatter trails, the only sound his thudding footsteps and the cold, fresh air invigorating him.

But he’d woken this morning to a snowstorm and subzero temperatures, and even he wasn’t ridiculous enough to run outside in that weather. Instead, he’d settled for a run on the treadmill, pushing himself harder than he usually did in an effort to escape the thoughts that had kept him awake most of the night.

Was it your thoughts that kept you awake or your hard-on from remembering how pretty Rayna Abrams’s breasts are? Pretty and perfect, right?

His upper lip curled, and he wiped angrily at the back of his neck with a towel before stomping toward the locker room. Discovering his next door neighbour stuck in his tree trying to rescue a stupid cat had not been on his weekend Bingo card.

True, but it happened, and now you know exactly what her breasts look like and how soft her skin is. Tell me again, how many times did you practically suck on her goddamn nipple?

It wasn’t his fault! She was the one not wearing a bra. She was the one who’d started twisting and screaming and losing her damn mind while her tits were in his face. He would have preferred not to know what her nipples tasted like, thank you very much.

Liar.

His neighbour was not his type. A plumber and the owner of a local animal rescue, the woman’s outfits made her look like she got dressed in the dark. He’d never seen her hair in anything but a ponytail, and she didn’t wear makeup. His attraction had always skewed toward women who wore makeup, had perfect hair, and wore flattering clothes that weren’t covered in animal hair, and God knows what else.

She might not have a fashion sense, but does she need one with breasts like that?

His scowl deepened. He didn’t care how goddamn perfect her tits were. He hated Rayna Abrams and her stupid refusal to sell her property. If it weren’t for her, he would be halfway to having his new house built. Instead, he was stuck living in a bungalow with horrifying wallpaper, linoleum flooring, and furniture that was popular sometime in the eighties. It was a far cry from his penthouse in the city.

So then stay in the city. You can work remotely, and the New Cassel office struggles more than the Harmony Falls office. It would be better for the company if you returned to the city.

He stripped off his gym clothes, grabbed his towel, and walked naked to the showers. He turned on the water, stepping back and letting the water heat as he stared moodily at the tile his interior designer had convinced him he’d absolutely needed despite the hefty price tag.

He should return to the city, return to his penthouse with its marble flooring and Italian furnishings and the best of the best when it came to decor. It was a far cry from the crappy house he lived in now, but despite how much he loved his penthouse, he hadn’t been happy in the city. Not like he was here in Harmony Falls.

Harmony Falls was small with mediocre restaurants, he could only get a decent cup of coffee at the coffee shop on Main Street, and the town was overrun entirely by obnoxious tourists in the summer, but he could breathe here. Harmony Falls held nothing but good memories for him. Away from his father’s barely hidden contempt and disapproval, he could be who he really was.

No, what he needed to do was convince Ms. Rayna Abrams, she of the perfect breasts, to sell him her property. Then he could tear down that eyesore she called a house, along with the bungalow he was in, and build his perfect home.

You don’t need all three properties, you know. You could build your perfect house on the two properties you own now.

Sure, but he wanted the privacy that owning the third property would give him, and what he wanted, he got. Always. What was the point of having as much money and power as he did if it couldn’t give him what he wanted?

She’s not going to sell it to you.

He stepped under the hot water and let it beat down on him, then quickly washed his hair and body.

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