Page 46 of Unforgettable

Hayden leans back in his chair. “Really? She’s been back in your life for five minutes and you’re already looking at her like a lovesick puppy.”

My back stiffens. “You’re making me sound like a pussy.”

“Pussy-whipped, maybe. You hated her. What’s changed?”

I should tear Hayden down for the ‘pussy-whipped’ comment, but I ignore it for now. “She told me why she married Derek.” What he did to her makes me sick to my stomach.

When I don’t say any more, Hayden waves his hand for me to continue. “And…why did she marry Derek?”

I rub the back of my neck. “Derek was blackmailing her.”

“What the hell?” Hayden exclaims.

“She was protecting her father…me.” It still irritates me that she didn’t come to me for help. We could have worked it out together.

Hayden plants his elbows on the desk. “What are you talking about?”

I give Hayden a quick rundown of the conversation I had with Harper about getting her father out of his gambling debt and protecting our company.

Rubbing his chin, Hayden says, “Shit. That’s incredible! So after she spilled her secrets, you kissed and made up.”

I scrub my palms over my thighs. “Things are…better. We’ve decided to be friends.”

“I’d say spending the night together is a little more than ‘friends’. Do you want something more?”

I shake my head. “No. Too much has happened. I know it wasn’t her fault but…” I trail off. I have a sinking feeling something is missing from the story. Something Harper has left out. Unless I’m over-analyzing things and trying to find reasons not to trust her again. Once trust is lost, it’s hard to get back, no matter the circumstances.

“But…what? You’ve been madly in love with her since the day you met. I never believed you ever stopped.”

I jerk back. “That’s not true. I stopped loving her when she married Derek.” Or I tried convincing myself of that. I’d buried any feelings for her deep down, locking them up tight. If the chains were to break, I still wouldn’t let my heart free. I can’t go through that kind of trauma again.

Hayden throws me a disbelieving look. “I’m not sure how being friends is going to work. Just be careful.”

I leave Hayden’s office and head to mine. I pass Harper on the way, standing with her back toward me at the copy machine. Stopping, I take her in, Hayden’s caution to ‘just be careful’ ringing in my ears. She grabs the copies from the machine, and she turns. When she sees me, she gives me a shy smile. All caution gets blown in the wind. Our gazes lock. My heart pounds. With her looking at me like that, I want to pull her into my arms and forget about everything and never let her go.

Someone up ahead calls my name. I shake myself from my thoughts, smile back, and hurry away.

I’ve finished work for the day, and I pull out of the parking garage. Heavy raindrops splatter the windshield, and I flick my wipers on. Standing in front of the building, sheltering from the rain, is Harper. I didn’t see her when I left. God knows I searched for her. I’ve been watching her all day. Asking her to bring me multiple cups of coffee. Getting her to photocopy things I don’t need. Anything to have her near.

I’m now buzzed on caffeine and probably won’t be able to sleep for days. I’m so drawn to her it’s fucking ridiculous. I’m not that naive twenty-year-old anymore. I don’t obsess over women. Or so I thought. Soon I’ll be back in London. Back to my old life. I’ll focus on work; I won’t have time to think about Harper.

Pulling over to the side of the road, I stop in a no-parking zone to get as close as I can to Harper. Sliding down the window, I call her name. She turns toward me. As soon as she spots me, her face lights up with a smile. A smile that sucker punches me in the chest, leaving me gasping for air. I can’t get enough of her.

“Jump in. I’ll take you home,” I call out through the window.

Her hand slides up and down the strap of her bag. “That’s okay, thanks. I’ll wait for the rain to ease then make my way to the subway.”

I tilt my head up to the sky. The dark clouds are low and heavy. “Looks like the rain is set in for a while. Come on, get in.”

Lifting her face toward the sky to judge for herself, I can see her dubious expression. “I think it will stop soon.”

Stubborn woman. “We can grab something to eat on the way.”

A hand covers her stomach. Yep, she’s hungry. If she loves food as much as I remember, I bet she won’t turn it down. “Okay, thanks.”

Bingo! I wasn’t wrong. Maybe I still know her after all.

She rushes toward the car and jumps into the passenger side. She runs her fingers through her hair and shakes out the droplets clinging to the silky strands. A soft scent of apples from her shampoo and rain fills the car.

---