Page 41 of Wrong For You

She sniffs and fiddles with her coffee mug. “That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“I have my moments. You can thank Sydney.”

“No surprise there. She’s the sweetest. I try to tell her often.”

“As you should. Same with saying you love her. Only if you mean it, though. She doesn’t need fake sentiments.” The thought is crushing.

Harper presses a palm flat to her chest. “I do mean it. How could I not?”

“Beats the hell outta me. The woman who’s meant to love her the most isn’t around, so I don’t pretend to understand how others operate their emotions.”

“That makes sense. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.” She nibbles on her bottom lip. “I don’t want to overstep.”

A groan builds in my throat. Even her innocent consideration is sexy. Awareness thrums beneath my skin. Just sitting across the table from her is too much. Years of misplaced anger and residual guilt have piled up. I want to gather Harper in my arms, but I always push her away instead. The constant conflict fucks with my head.

“Syd is almost desperate to fill the void her mom left. I won’t deny my daughter genuine relationships. It’s bound to happen. Morgan makes her own decisions. If she wanted to be here, she would be. Simple as that.”

She bobs her head at my explanation. “Okay, I guess that’s reassuring. What’re you concerned about then?”

This is where it gets more difficult. I scratch at my stubble while trying to find the right words. “There’s a reason why I’ve been such a dick. You represent everything I won’t let myself have, but that doesn’t stop the want. I want and yearn and crave.Desperately.That’s why I gave in last week when I shouldn’t have.”

Her lashes flutter with rapid blinks. “Huh?”

“It was meant to be once, to offer momentary relief. To prove I could have a taste and walk away. You got off. I got what I wanted. No complications. That’s all it was supposed to be.”

“But it isn’t?”

“It’s never that easy with you.”

She wrinkles her nose. “Um, thanks?”

“What I mean is that you aren’t meaningless fling material to me. We can’t just fuck around without feelings getting involved. Your connection to Syd makes it impossible.” Not to mention how crazy I already am about her.

Harper scoffs. “You wouldn’t get me to agree to those terms anyway.”

“Exactly, you shouldn’t. But I can’t have serious romantic relationships. Period. Syd is going through enough with Morgan’s unreliable actions. If someone else she loves were to leave, that would destroy her. It’s a risk I won’t take. I also won’t compromise what she gets from me, which is everything.”

“Any woman you date will understand your daughter comes first.”

Heat creeps along the back of my neck. “I don’t want to date just any woman.”

“Okay, Mr. High Standards. Then the lucky lady you deem worthy of a quick bang in the Roosters bathroom.” She pretends to retch. “Please keep it in your pants while I’m on shift. I don’t want to witness that.”

“Jealous?” The spike in my pulse reveals just how much that idea appeals to me.

“In your dreams, Prince Charming. This conversation aside, you’ve made it your mission to be an asshole.” Harper smiles despite the edge in her tone.

The crack in pressure allows me to sit more comfortably. “I thought it would be easier if you hated me.”

She blanches. “Why?”

“Then you’ll stay away. It will be easier to fight… this.”

“What’s this?”

“Endless longing. Otherwise I’m damning both of us to this misery.” I stab a finger into my temple. “I refuse to lead you on, or let you believe more could happen for us.”

“Maybe I’m a glutton for heartbreak,” Harper quips. Her sunny disposition doesn’t falter, even while discussing emotional turmoil.

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