Page 14 of Unforgettable

“She’s at a friend’s house tonight.” He points a finger at me. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing. I’ll drop it—for now.”

I never want to talk about how Harper had me running from the office like a scared rabbit with a hunter chasing after me. I hate she has that effect on me. Instead of attending meetings and getting work done, to avoid her, I spent the afternoon wandering around the streets, freezing my ass off. I thought if I focused on the cold, I wouldn’t think about Harper. It didn’t work. She was front and center in my mind. For a moment, my hands had touched her. I’d breathed in her sweet scent. Fuck, my heart had jumped to my throat seeing her again. And that’s what scared the hell out of me. Yet, while walking around the city, it didn’t take long for the memories of our time apart and the knife she stabbed in my back to fill me with rage.

Through the dim lights of the club, my attention is drawn to the entrance. Like I’ve conjured her up, Harper walks in the club with Tamara and a woman I don’t recognize. They head straight for the bar. Tamara must have said something funny because Harper tosses her head back and laughs, her dark brown hair falling down her back. Shifting restlessly in my seat, the urge to go to her is pulling me to her. Like she hadn’t ripped my heart from my chest and broken every dream we ever made.

What is wrong with me? I thought I’d laid my feelings to rest. It must be the shock of seeing her again. Annoyed with my reaction, my jaw clenches and I stand up from the chair. I need to get out of the club. Get as far away from Harper as possible. I fucking hate that she keeps chasing me away.

“Hey, where are you going?” Hayden yells over the music.

I don’t bother answering and walk away. Instead of leaving the club, my feet have a mind of their own, and I weave through the crowd and tables until I find a spot near the bar. Close enough but not too close to be seen by Harper. I tell myself I’m only here to gauge what she’s up to—like, is she following me? Yet, my eyes drink her in like I’m dying of thirst.

Concealed by a granite column, I watch Harper as she sips a cocktail and chats with the women. She’s wearing a figure-hugging, black dress that clings to her every curve. When we were together, she’d worn one just like it. Over the years, she’d filled it out nicely. I hate myself for noticing. Hate myself for spying on her. Yet I can’t drag myself away.

For the next half hour, I watch her laugh, dance on the spot, and order another cocktail. She smiles politely at men who approach her, declining whatever they are offering. They should consider themselves lucky she rejected them. I know first-hand the pain she can inflict. But here I still am with my eyes glued to her every move. What kind of sick fuck does that make me?

Harper excuses herself from the women and heads toward the restrooms. Without thinking, I peel myself away from my hiding spot and follow. When I catch up to her, I wrap a hand around her wrist, stopping her from entering the restroom.

She lets out a squeal and spins around. When she sees me, her eyes widen. “What are you doing?” She glances at her arm and back at me.

Warmth spreads up my arm, and I quickly drop her wrist. “We need to talk. Come with me.” She doesn’t refuse, and I lead her to an alcove tucked away from the crowd.

“Finn, what are you doing?”

“You followed me to the club,” I accuse, not bothering to answer her question.

She narrows her eyes. “No. I didn’t know you were here.”

I scoff.Bullshit!“Why are you here?”

“Tamara asked me to come out with her.”

I shake my head. “Not at the club. Why are you at Alessi’s?”

She fidgets with a delicate chain around her neck that dips behind the neckline of her dress. My gaze follows its descent between her breasts. Breasts that are practically spilling out from the dress. My cock tightens behind the zipper of my jeans. Fuck! She’s supposed to repulse me, not turn me on.

“I needed a job. Alessi’s had a position,” she says, unaware of how my body is reacting at being so close to her. Why can’t I seem to fight it?

“You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?” I give a mirthless laugh.

“It’s the truth. What other reason can there be?”

I pin her with a hard stare. “To get to me.”

Leaning toward her, that damn fruity scent of her perfume surrounds me. For a second, I want to bury my nose in her neck. Breathe her in. To hell with how much I hate her. Thankfully, I snap myself back to my senses before I do something stupid. Like run my tongue over her smooth skin.

“Now that your husband’s dead, do you think we can pick up where we left off?” I rake my eyes over her with disgust. “Well, I’m not interested.”Liar!my body screams.

She presses her lips together, then says, “I told you, I’m here for the job.”

“Quit.”

“No.” She crosses her arms over her chest. Which pushes her breasts up further. My mouth waters. I peel my gaze away.

“You don’t need the money. If you want to work, find someplace else.”

Sighing, she drops her arms to her sides. “You wouldn’t understand.” She starts to step around me.

“What wouldn’t I understand?” I ask. She stops and turns back. “I really want to know why the hell you’re back.”Back in my life and tormenting me all over again, I want to say. But I keep that to myself.

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