Page 19 of All Of My Heart

“Sorry,” I confess, feeling guilty that I forced him into yet another thing with me. First roommates, now a crux in proving my brothers wrong.

“Why are you sorry?” He turns his head to face me, and suddenly I realise how close we are. It’s stiflingly hot, and all I can feel is the furnace of a man sitting next to me with his big brown eyes that engulf me. “Zoey?”

His low voice calms me and simultaneously snaps me from my daydream. “Hmm?” I say, trying not to get lost in the warmth of his gaze.

“Why are you sorry?”

Oh right. “For dragging you into my shit again. I have a tendency to act now and think later. First, I made you be my roommate, now I’m pushing you on a ride.”

“If I didn’t want to do something, trust me, I wouldn’t do it.” He sits back, moving his arm around the back of the carriage behind me.

Does that mean he wants to be here right now, with me?I don’t linger on that thought because the ride moves suddenly, jerking us forward, and I yelp, practically hauling myself into his lap. I dive into the big, broad muscles of his shoulders as I hear my brothers cackling from below.

“Give it a little shake, big man. Zoey loves it,” Owen shouts, and I make a pact to slip something in his drink later as payback.

“Cheeky motherfuckers,” I mumble. “I hate having brothers.”

Harrison chuckles and I release his torso slightly but can’t bring myself to move my hand back to grip the bar over our legs. Not even sure when that was lowered, it’s not going to help if this thing makes me fall to my death. I should be strapped in like an astronaut in a rocket, not just free to move around when I’m fifteen million feet in the air. No, I’m much safer gripping onto Harrison’s arm.

“I hated having a sister growing up, too.”

I glance up at Harrison to find him looking at me and stroking my knuckles that might be death gripping his arm. I loosen them, wincing. “Sorry about that, but I can’t let you go because I’ll fall to my death.” He smiles with a shrug. “Wait, your sister. I remember her. Katie, right?”

He nods, casually wrapping my hand in his and placing it on my thigh. “Yeah, I think she maybe babysat for you once or twice when we were younger.” He looks off across the Vegas strip we just walked down, a frown tugging at his lips. “I loved looking after her, but then, as we got older, some of my friends became more interested in her, and I hated the way they all gawked at her. She’s beautiful, but she’s also my baby sister, so it was a nightmare trying to keep them away.”

A light laugh leaves my throat, and I relax a fraction. “I feel her pain.” Looking down to my own menace protectors. “Did she hate you for that?”

“Probably. Although it didn’t matter, she ended up with one of my mates from school anyway. Happily married with four girls. Turns out I kept the loud ones away, but it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for. Jake just snuck in there and they were inseparable.”

I try not to read too much into his protective brother stance. I have two of my own that are currently stopping me from jumping Harrison’s bones. And if he’s saying nothing can happen with us because of my brothers, then I guess I hear him loud and clear.

“That’s really sweet. Tell me about your nieces.”

His face lights up and my heart squeezes in my chest. “They’re wild. You’d get on well with them. Cassie is the eldest. She’s seven. Then Alanna is five, and the twins Ellie and Ophelia are three. They’re all so different, but Ophelia slays me. She’s this little firecracker, and she gives the best hugs. I love them all equally, but she and I are best mates.”

My face softens as I watch him. “I can tell. I bet they love you, too.”

“They love the way I spoil them.” He laughs.

I look at him, like really look, and I see this man who has kindness radiating from him effortlessly. Yet, he has this bold and powerful exterior, with an underlying intensity that’s so alluring, I find myself hanging on his every word. “You’re kind of like an onion, Harrison Clarke. You keep surprising me.”

“An onion? Isn’t that like the ogre from Shrek? Are you telling me I’m an ogre?” His face bunches, but it’s not permanent, and when he meets my eyes, he smiles.

I shrug. “If the boot fits,” I tease, and he pokes my side, making me yelp and curl back into him, laughing. “I mean, you’re deep, but you’re also intense. You make me want to peel back more layers to get to know you. You intrigue me.”

His brown eyes pierce me with a stare that feels like he’s also trying to do the same thing. The issue is my layers are superficial on purpose. I’m flawed, raw and as honest as I am, I don’t show everyone everything, so I’m not sure what he thinks he’ll find.

“Tell me your biggest fear, besides this ride,” he asks quietly.

I run my tongue over my bottom lip, thinking. “That I’ll not make enough of a difference with the shelter. Right before I left, we had a leak in the new section of the building and it’s not cheap to fix.” I remove my hand from his arm and twist my fingers. “You already know I’ve got years until I can access the remainder of my trust fund unless I miraculously get married before then, and although donations and smart business help, I know it won’t be enough.”

“Have you talked to your brothers?”

“I haven’t,” I reply, shaking my head. “It doesn’t seem fair for them to receive their money and me to ask for a handout. Besides, my parents wouldn’t allow it. They could take it back or worse, shun the boys, and I could never…”

“Maybe I could help?”

I avert my gaze from his. “I can’t do that either. I’ll be fine, really.” I don’t know that I will, but I can’t accept help from my brothers or their friends. Especially Harrison.

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