Half Truths: An Opposites Attract Romance

by Rachael Brownell

  Well played, goddess. Well fucking played.

  Dinner was a disaster. Phoenix was in a shitty mood after getting in trouble for the game I bought, which made me feel partially responsible. All I could focus on was the low-cut tank top Harley was wearing. The curve of her breasts as they rose and fell with every intake of breath. Five minutes into dinner, Harley was shooting daggers my way for eye-fucking her like I promised not to.

  We ate in silence, and I left right after.

  Not how I planned for this night to go. Not even close.

  I’m amped up and ready to explode by the time I crawl in bed. I promised Harley we would run in the morning. I don’t want to get up early, but I also know there are other things I need to take care of that I didn’t get done today thanks to Daphne’s extracurricular activities.

  Tomorrow’s to-do list includes purchasing a laptop, fixing up my resume, and job hunting. I also need to purchase a new suit and dress shoes. Before any of that happens, I need to cut my hair.

  It wasn’t a priority until now, and I hadn’t realized it was getting that long until Harley was able to wrap it around her fingers and tug on it this afternoon. Which only turned me on more. It makes me sad I’m going to cut it. I kind of like the thought of her pulling it a little harder next time.

  There’s a knock at my door as I’m about to nod off. Just like last night, I find a hesitant Harley on the other side, looking sexy as hell in running shorts and a tank top.

  “Hello, gorgeous. What can I do for you?” I joke, leaning against the doorframe as I cross my arms over my bare chest.

  “I thought you had big plans for us tonight.”

  “I did. I figured you weren’t interested considering the looks you were giving me earlier.”

  “You mean the death glare when you were staring down my shirt with Phoenix sitting right next to me? Are those the looks you’re talking about?”

  “Maybe.” They were, in fact.

  “What about the look I gave you this afternoon?”

  That look damn near destroyed me.

  “I liked that look better.”

  “Would you like to see it again?” she asks, closing the distance between us enough where I can feel the heat from her body, but we’re not touching. Yet.

  Which has my body humming.

  “Depends. Do you think you can handle it?”

  Why am I such a cocky bastard sometimes? I have her. She’s right here. Standing in front of me. Asking me to take her. Now is not the time to be an asshole.

  “Probably not.” Harley pauses but doesn’t move. “I’d like to try, though.”

  And that about broke me. I was going to be as gentle and restrained as I could with this woman. She deserved to be treated like a fucking princess, and I was going to show her how that felt.

  Placing a hand on either side of her face, I tilt her chin up so she’s looking me in the eyes before I lower my lips and gently press them against hers. The entire time reminding myself to go slow. To be easy with her.

  She seems so much more fragile than I’ve ever noticed before. Harley is a strong, independent woman. She radiates confidence.

  As she melts in my arms, I feel like I’ve destroyed her, and we haven’t even begun.

  “Are you sure this is what you want?” I ask as I rest my forehead against hers, keeping my eyes closed in case she says no. I don’t want her to see the devastation in my soul if she does.

  “I want this more than I should. More than I have with anyone else before. You’ve gotten under my skin and taken up residency. I won’t give you my heart, Alex, but I can give you my body.”

  “I want it all,” I hear myself confess.

  I can’t want her heart, can I? I can’t give her mine, so why would I want to take hers? Hell, I can’t even be one hundred percent honest with her. She deserves so much more than what I can offer her.

  She’ll settle for my body, so I’ll have to settle for hers.

  Harley doesn’t acknowledge my comment as she takes my hand, pulling me into my apartment. As soon as the door is closed behind us, she wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me down to her.

  Holding back is no longer an option.

  Slowly running my hands down her body, I grip her ass, lifting her. When she wraps her legs around my waist, I lose all control, pressing her body against the wall and deepening our kiss. She’s gripping the ends of my hair as a low, guttural moan escapes her.

  I want her. Now. Need her more than I’ve needed anyone else in my life.

  It feels like we’ve been dancing around each other since we first met. Driving the other crazy with desire. Six weeks of pure torture is coming to an end, and as much as I want to take it slow and make the moment last, it’s going to be physically impossible.

  Slipping my hands under her tank top, I slowly lift it, releasing her lips for a mere second to remove it, before devouring them again.

  “Please,” Harley urges as she tightens her grip with her legs.

  Who am I to deny her what she wants?

  Walking us to my bed, I lay her down on the comforter and stare in awe at my ebony-haired beauty. My attention is pulled away from her face when she begins to shimmy out of her tiny little shorts, leaving her in only her panties, if you can call them that. A tiny strip of black fabric is all that separates me from Heaven.

  A place that will more than likely ruin me for all other women.

  Ripping my shirt over my head, I watch as Harley appraises me the way I’ve been admiring her. When I stick my thumbs in the waistband of my shorts, her eyes fall to my hands. Watching. Waiting. Her chest rising and falling more rapidly as I slowly lower my shorts to the floor, then kick them aside.

  Crawling onto the bed next to her, I cover her body with mine and capture her lips.

  Slow, Alex. You want this to be a night she’ll never forget. She deserves better than a five-minute fuck, but that’s what she’ll get if you don’t calm down.

  So that’s what I do. I slowly work her up into a frenzy. I drive her to the edge and pull her back twice before I find my wallet and retrieve a condom. Then I go in for the kill, working her back up again. Taking my time, cherishing her body with my hands before sinking as deep as she can take me, my eyes never leaving hers. I watch her fall apart minutes later, my own release following seconds behind hers.

  This girl is everything. She had me wrapped around her finger the second I laid eyes on her. Before I heard her voice. Before I knew her name. Before we started this dance. Now… I want to own her body and heart, the way she owns mine.

  24

  Harley

  * * *

  Three weeks of pure bliss before shit hit the fan. I should have known something would go wrong. Things were incredible between us.

  And not just the sex.

  Though, that was mind-blowing from day one. I couldn’t get enough of him. I found myself sneaking over to his place every night for another round. After the first two nights, he was waiting for me with the door open, a shit-eating grin on his face.

  The days were just as fantastic as the nights. Alex would hang out with Phoenix while I was at work unless he had an interview. The three of us would eat dinner together every night when I got home. We’d all watch a movie or play board games after the kitchen was cleaned up.

  For the first time in my life, it felt like I was part of something bigger than myself. Something that resembled a family, even though Alex still didn’t know the truth. Not about everything. Not about Phoenix.

  I’d slowly told him more about me, about my life before moving to San Diego, but it felt like I was still lying to him. I was holding back the biggest secret of all. A major detail that would put all the pieces together for him but threatened to destroy everything for me. Between us. All of it.

  Phoenix encouraged me to tell him the truth the night before everything went to hell. I considered it for about five seconds before I realized I wanted to be honest with him. I was tired of giving him half-tr
uths. He deserved the entire story. All of it.

  I woke up with a smile on my face, prepared to talk with Alex that night. It was all planned out in my mind. What I was going to say. How he was going to react. Things were going to be fine, and life was going to move on without any hiccups.

  Nothing was going to change between us.

  Then everything I thought I knew became a lie. Everything I wanted was ripped away.

  I couldn’t have predicted our downfall if I tried. There was no way to see this slap in the face coming. Yet when it all went down, pieces of the Alex puzzle started to come together. Every sign I missed because I was distracted by the way he made me feel was right there in front of me.

  His lack of grieving.

  The way he never spoke about them.

  His sister’s rehearsed story.

  The phone call that blew everything out of the water.

  “Alex, wake up!” I holler one more time as I shake him vigorously.

  We only went to bed two hours ago. I’m exhausted and would rather stay in bed all day as well, but it’s not an option for either of us. I have to be at work in an hour, and he has an interview this morning.

  “I don’t wanna,” he whines, attempting to pull me back down on the bed with him.

  If that happens, I’m going to be late for sure. For the fifth time in the last ten days. Not a good idea. Vivian’s patience has started to wear thin. The last thing I want is for her to retract her blessing.

  Or worse, fire me.

  I want to start this week off on the right foot. That means showing up on time, early if I can get his ass in gear, to prove my dedication to my job. Mondays are a fresh start, and I need one today.

  “Do you want to get laid ever again?” I threaten, walking over to his closet and pulling out the suit we bought him.

  Shopping with a man is interesting. He wanted to buy the first thing he picked up. Didn’t even think he needed to try it on. Of course, I didn’t let that happen. I made him put on a fashion show for me and Phoenix. Five suits later and he bought the first one he picked up.

  In his defense, it was the one that looked best on him.

  “I do,” he says over the rustle of the sheets. When I turn around, he’s pushing himself up into a sitting position but hasn’t made a move to get out of bed yet. He’s harder to wake up than Phoenix is on a school day. “Right now works for me.”

  “Yeah, not going to happen. I have to get to work. Vivian already called me once, and I’m not even late yet.”

  “That’s why you turn your phone off at night like I do now.”

  “You mean, let it die and charge it overnight?” I correct him. I was beginning to notice how much he despises his phone. It dies regularly, and he doesn’t seem to give a shit.

  “Po-ta-toe, po-tah-toe.”

  Rolling my eyes, I reach back in his closet for shoes and a tie. He’s out of bed and headed for the shower as I blow him a kiss goodbye.

  “Harley,” I hear someone call as I round the corner to my office. When I glance over my shoulder, I notice Mary, our receptionist, shuffling towards me. “Vivian needed you in her office ten minutes ago.”

  “Okay, why?” I ask, following her back toward the front of the facility.

  “I’m not sure. She’s in there with someone’s parents I don’t recognize. There was some screaming at first, but it’s quieted down the last few minutes.”

  Vivian doesn’t need me to help with irate parents. She’s done this much longer than I have. Still, if it’s one of my patients, she knows I like to be involved. I can give them answers Vivian can’t about their child’s recovery, the progress they’ve made. What steps we need to focus on next.

  Knocking, I wait for Vivian to invite me in before I open it. When I do, I’m astounded to find Daphne sitting on one couch, next to Vivian. Across from them are a man who can only be described as an older version of Alex and a woman who is identical to Daphne.

  The Neils.

  Daphne’s parents.

  The ones who died almost five months ago. In a car accident. Or so we were told.

  They’re alive and well and look pissed off and confused.

  “Have a seat, Ms. Anderson,” Vivian says, her voice flat and lacking any emotion. After I’ve pulled a chair over and gotten situated, placing my bag and purse at my feet, she continues. “This is Mr. And Mrs. Neil, Daphne’s parents.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I say out of habit.

  Neither of them responds. Her mother barely spares a glance in my direction. Her father, he glares at me with hatred in his eyes.

  I’d hate me, too, if I were him. I’ve kept his daughter captive in this place with no real authority. Sure, our intentions were good based on the information we were given. That information became invalid the moment they stepped through those doors. Alive.

  Alex had no right to check her in. He had no legal standing. No guardianship as he claimed. Meaning, we were an accomplice to his actions by taking her in no matter if we were lied to or not.

  I’m angry. At him. At the situation. At all the lies he’s told me. I understand why he did what he did, but that doesn’t make it right. It sure as hell doesn’t make it legal. And he’s had multiple chances to come clean with me.

  “They’ve come to take Daphne home. I’ve tried to explain to them how she came to be here. They’ve filled me in on their side of things. Before they leave, I was hoping you might speak with them about what we’ve been doing here and Daphne’s progress.” I can hear the hesitation in Vivian’s voice as she speaks. The look she gives me is even more of a warning.

  She doesn’t want me to talk about my relationship with Alex. I probably shouldn’t mention him at all.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Mr. Neil replies dismissively.

  “Don’t you care about your daughter’s well-being?” I ask before I can stop myself.

  “Our daughter is perfectly healthy. Look at her,” Mrs. Neil shouts, gesturing to Daphne who’s slouched against the couch with a satisfied smirk on her face.

  “Yes, she is now.” I pause, realizing no matter what I say, I’m not going to change their minds. “Nine weeks ago, she came here a shell of a person. She was lost. She’d just overdosed. Her withdrawals had faded, but her anger hadn’t. Anger at the two of you. Anger at her brother for bringing her here. She needed help, and we were here for her. She’s three weeks shy of completing the program. Three weeks. I know you’d like to take your daughter home, but I feel obligated to tell you that would be a mistake. It may not seem like a long time, but these final few weeks can make all the difference.”

  “We can take care of her. She can complete her recovery at home,” her father spouts, hate laced in every word.

  “Can you? Are you willing to be with her every minute of every day? Watching her. Monitoring who she talks to. Not allowing her to leave your sight. Listening to her when she needs to vent and forcing her to talk when she doesn’t want to. I don’t think you can. I think you’ll take her home and go back to your regularly scheduled programming.”

  “How dare you judge us. You don’t know anything about us or our life,” Mrs. Neil speaks up.

  In her mind, she’s right. I shouldn’t know all about their life. Daphne barely spoke about them, about before she came here. I pushed her and got the same story over and over again. A rehearsed version that only gave me so much information to work with. The information she wanted me to have.

  What Alex has told me is another story. When we were alone, the half-truths we shared. I’ve figured out a lot about Daphne and Alex’s home life.

  “I know enough. I know you ignore your children. You put on a good show for the neighbors, the community, but the truth is that you’re as dysfunctional as the rest of us. Money and reputation are what matters to you. How other people see you and your family. That alone will be what causes Daphne’s relapse, because, and let me be perfectly clear, she will have one if she leaves here with you today.” />
  Standing, I turn to leave the room when Daphne finally speaks up. “Sit down, Harley.”

  When I look over my shoulder, I find Daphne sitting up, her elbows on her knees, staring at me. There’s a pleading look on her face that I’ve never seen before. “Please,” she says, her voice softening.

  For her, I’ll stay. Only because I can tell she needs me here for this. Maybe she finally trusts me. It’s taken her long enough.

  “First, I want to thank you for pushing me,” Daphne begins, standing and walking over to her mother’s side. “But I think I’m ready to go home.”

  “I wish you’d stay.”

  “Just because I’m leaving doesn’t mean he will.”

  Of course she had to bring up Alex. This was her plan all along. To see how I would react. To get under my skin. She doesn’t really care about me. She doesn’t trust me. She’s manipulating me and throwing her brother under the bus at the same time.

  I will not feed into this behavior.

  “It’s okay. They’ll find out eventually,” she continues.

  Stay silent, Harley. The worst thing you can do is speak up right now.

  “What are you talking about, Daph?” her father asks, his attention bouncing between me and his daughter.

  “Her and Alex have a thing. I’ve been fine for weeks, but he wouldn’t let me leave because that meant he’d have to leave her.”

  My jaw drops open slightly. She outed her own brother to her parents. She’s lying to them to cause drama. She may think she’s ready to leave and that Alex was punishing her so he could be with me, but that’s as far from the truth as she can get.

  “Well,” her father begins, looking me up and down, “Alex and I will have a talk about his choices when we get home. Where is he?”

  His question is directed at me, but it takes me a minute to realize that fact. It’s not until after he clears his throat that I look up and find him staring at me. I was still focused on Daphne and the satisfied grin on her face turning to pure evil as the events unfolded.