Page 45 of Hard Hat Hottie

What the heck? Harrison still lives with his mother? Is this her place? What in the heck have I gotten myself into here?

Knock, knock, knock.

Harrison lets go of my leg long enough to swing his over the side of the bed. “Joyce!”

Joyce?I need to get the hell out of here.

I grip the sheets with white knuckle force as I dart from the bed in search of my undergarments. For all of my carelessness with men, I’ve never had a situation like this happen. And as much as I was falling for this guy, it’s not worth this.

“Harlow, please? Just stay put. I’m going to handle this. I’ll be right back.”

Um, hell no.I’m getting out of here.

Harrison makes a mad dash for the bathroom, and returns moments later as I’m pulling my dress over my head. The anguished look on his face would break my heart if I wasn’t terrified of who I’d find on the other side of that door.

He heads into a room I assume is a closet, returning with a pair of gym shorts slung low on his hips.Sheesh, Harlow.Even afraid for your life, you still get hot and bothered by the sight of the prominent V disappearing into his pants.

Harrison reaches for the doorknob, and I lift the sheet to cover my face as a shriek nearly exits my mouth.

“Hey, Momma. Where’s Joyce?”

The room grows quiet, and I stand frozen in place, wishing the floor would swallow me whole.

“Did we wake you?” His voice is so calm and soothing. Like I talk to Alec when he’s had a bad dream.

Harrison leans back into the room, his eyes finding mine. It’s as if they’re pleading with me for mercy.

I pull the sheet down lower, pressing it into my throat. My heart is hammering in my chest.

Surprisingly, he takes a few steps back and brings an older woman into the room with us. My first inclination is to dart into the closet or bathroom and hide until the coast is clear. Then I can sneak out the sliding doors to the deck and make a run for it.

“Mom, this is Harlow.”

I stand there, blinking at them like one of those actors that dresses like a statue on the boardwalk, hoping for tips in exchange for their commitment to the scene.

“We were just going to bed. Why don’t I get you settled first, okay?”

But before he can exit, another woman, appearing the same age as his mother, arrives at his door. She has a head of gray hair, wrapped in some sort of turban. “Harrison, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize she was up until I heard the alarm from her bed going off. She seemed to have a good evening. I’m not sure what set her off.”

My eyes land on Harrison, who’s wearing a guilty expression. “I’m afraid it was my fault, Joyce. I’m sorry to disturb your sleep.”

“Let’s get you back to bed, Carolyn,” the other woman encourages. It could be the two women are partners, but my history with elderly patients with dementia tells me that’s more likely the case. As Joyce takes a few steps into the room, she comes to an abrupt halt as she finds me there. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” Her gaze flicks over to Harrison, an unmistakable curl to the corner of her mouth appearing.

“Okay, okay. Joyce, this is Harlow. Who will probably never speak to me again after tonight. Harlow, this is Joyce, my mother’s nurse.”

I lift my fingers carefully from the sheet I’m holding long enough to give a quick wave. I’m clothed, except for my bra and panties. The thought has me rolling my eyes. Are they lying on the floor over there where they can see?Gah.Not that they can’t figure out why I’m here.

Joyce gives me a similar curt wave before escorting Harrison’s mother from the room. As he shuts the door behind them, he drops his forehead to the door with a loud thud.

Now that the frightful part of the evening is behind us, I try to calm my breathing so my heart rate will come down.

“I’m so sorry.” I barely hear him as he’s talking into the door. “I wasn’t thinking. I was just so wrapped up in you.” He rocks his head back and forth, and the magnitude of the situation finally hits me. I’d been so scared of being caught with another two-timing, back-stabbing asshole that it never dawned on me there was another explanation.

Walking slowly over to where he stands, looking so dejected, I take him in. Moments ago, he’d resembled a sated sex god hovering above me, now more like a sad little boy.Herlittle boy. It was clear. I knew nothing about this larger-than-life man.

Harrison is as complex as he is charismatic. Agonized as he is attractive. The closer I come to where he stands, the more broken he appears. And not the wrist wrapped in fiberglass, but his spirit. It’s so clear. This beautiful, tortured man is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. And to think I thought I was having a bad week. Nothing could compare to having to watch your parent lose their mind.

Harrison jolts beneath my touch as I place my hand on his back. “I’m so sorry.”

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