by Laura Pavlov
I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. “I’m sorry. That was a dick thing to say. I don’t know what I’m doing with this girl. I don’t know what I have to offer, you know? I’m not the same guy I was when I dated Madison.”
He turned around to face me. “Yeah, you are, Ford. You’ve just been punishing yourself for a long time. I think it’s time to let it go and start living your life. Do you like her? I mean, do you really like her?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, the brother I know doesn’t sit around and do nothing when he wants something. He’s a fighter. He’s not afraid to admit when he’s wrong. Stop being a pussy and go after her.”
I scrubbed a hand down my face. “I’ll think about it. Goodnight.”
“I wouldn’t wait too long, brother. Girls like Harley don’t come around often. Don’t be too stubborn to recognize that.”
I nodded. I knew he was right. But I just didn’t know what to do about it. I’d been out of the dating world for five years, and I wasn’t all that good at it when I was in it. I mean, my girl ended up in bed with my best friend. I clearly wasn’t great boyfriend material. I never cheated. That was never the problem. But now—now I was used to this lifestyle. Letting my dick do the talking, not my head. And certainly not my heart. Hell, I didn’t even know if I had a heart anymore.
I left work and noticed the bakery was dark. She’d already left. She had a date, after all. Fuck. My blood boiled at the thought of anyone kissing her. Touching her.
My phone vibrated when I slipped in the car.
“Hey Edward, what’s up?”
“So, I’ve got eyes on everyone as asked. That Damon character didn’t stay down for long. He and another dude are parked outside of the restaurant Harley and her, er, friends are at.”
“Are you fucking kidding me with this guy? How stupid is he?”
“I think he’s pretty fucking stupid. What do you want me to do?”
“Let’s just track him for now. Stay on him. Let’s see what he does. If he makes a move, intercede. I want to be kept abreast of all movements.”
“You got it, boss. I’ll be in touch in a bit.”
I ended the call and told Jerome to pull up at the noodle house. I called in an order to go and jogged in to get it. When I returned to the car Edward informed me that Harley and her friends had moved to Blaze, and Damon and his douchebag companion had just entered the club as well.
My pulse raced, and it took everything I had to contain my anger. I directed Jerome to drive over to the club, and told Edward to meet me there, as I dialed our general manager over at Blaze.
“Hey, Ford, what’s up?”
“There’s a girl there. Just arrived a few minutes ago. Small, dark hair, very pretty. She’s with a blonde and two dudes.”
“Yep. I’ve got eyes on them. You want me to ask them to leave?” Charlie asked. The dude was as good as you got for managers. He ran a tight ship, and the employees respected him. He was honest and loyal, and I couldn’t ask for more.
“No. Just keep your eyes on her. There are two guys that just walked in behind them. One has a broken nose. I don’t want them near her. You can escort them out after I leave. I’m on my way now, but I don’t want to make a scene before I get there. The two shady asshole dudes are not allowed in the club again. Got it?”
“Yes. I’m on it. I’ve got eyes on them now. See you in a bit.”
Jerome pulled up out front and followed me inside, and as soon as I arrived two security guards flanked either side of me. I scanned the club. It was a large warehouse that had been turned into an upscale downtown nightclub. Modern lighting and fixtures spanned the large space. I spotted Harley on the dance floor with the guy that I assumed was her date. She was shaking her ass and he was looking at her like he wanted her. My blood boiled. Not happening.
I stalked across the room, unsure of what my plan was. But I wasn’t leaving without her.
I wrapped my hand around her bicep. “Say goodnight to your date.”
She stopped dancing and blinked up at me. Complete disbelief on her face. Molly chuckled to my right and I gave her a nod.
“What are you doing here?” Harley gasped, yanking her arm away from me.
“I’m taking you home. You were followed here.”
Her eyes scanned the room and she shook her head. “I can take care of myself, Montgomery.”
I bent down, grabbed her by the back of her legs and tossed her over my shoulder. Her date watched with his jaw on the ground, and Molly put an arm around the guy and smiled at me. Harley punched my back and shouted, but I couldn’t make out her words over the loud club music. No one missed a beat. People continued dancing and drinking, and whatever the hell else these people did. The guys at my side helped me easily make my way to the door without a problem. Once outside, she slapped at my backside again and yelled out to the bouncer.
“Hello. Are you seeing this? I’m being kidnapped. Aren’t you supposed to do something?”
“Have a good night, Mr. Montgomery,” the bouncer called out. The guy knew me and was more than aware that I was not a guy who’d take a woman home against her will. Hell, I was usually trying to sneak away to escape some of these chicks that hung out here.
I tossed her in the car and pulled the door closed once I was inside. “Will you calm the hell down?”
“Calm the hell down? I was on a date. You just can’t stand the idea of me being with someone else, can you?”
“I don’t particularly care for it, no.”
“You pompous ass. You don’t want me, but you don’t want anyone else to have me. So, you think you can just storm in there and yank me out when you feel like it?” She continued shouting, and I closed my eyes and put up the window so Jerome wouldn’t hear our conversation.
“Stop shouting. Damon and some other scumbag followed you to dinner and they were in the club with you. I had to get you out of there.”
She fell back against the seat beside me and remained quiet for a minute before speaking, “Oh.”
“That’s all you have to say about it? Oh.”
Her eyes glanced down at the to-go bag with my dinner sitting on the seat across from us. “Oh my gosh. You went to the noodle house. I knew you loved it.”
“You sound so surprised. I offered to take you there tonight. But you turned me down.”
She turned on the seat to face me. “No, Montgomery. You turned me down. Don’t twist this.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “I didn’t turn you down. I just didn’t know what I wanted.”
She studied my face. Her gaze intense. “And you know now?”
“I don’t fucking know, Harley. I’m not good at this.”
“You’re not good at what?” she asked.
I wrapped my hand around her neck and pulled her close. My mouth covered hers. I was like a dying man in the desert and she was the body of water I needed to survive. I pulled her onto my lap and kissed her deeper. She didn’t pull back. She slipped one leg on each side of me, straddling me. Desperate and needy. I tangled my fingers in her hair, angling her head so I could take the kiss deeper.
She pulled back but didn’t move off my lap. Her labored breaths came hard and fast. Her desire-filled gaze locked with mine.
“What is this? What are you doing?”
“I don’t fucking know. But I want you,” I said, and she tried to slip off my lap, but I held her there. “This isn’t about sex. Well, it’s not only about sex. I want you. All of you. I hated the idea of you being with that guy. I like spending time with you. Talking to you. And I missed you today. You weren’t speaking to me, and well—I hated it. I fucking hated it, Harley. And I was glad when Edward called to say those two douchebags were in the club.”
“Why?” she whispered.
“Because it meant I had an excuse to come g
et you.”
She smiled and ran her fingers through my hair, her mouth so close I yearned to taste her. “What does this mean?”
My gaze locked with hers. Dark and stormy. “I don’t fucking know. I can’t promise you I won’t mess up. But I can promise you I won’t be with anyone else. Only you. I only want you.”
Her mouth crashed into mine and she ground up against me. My desire impossible to miss. My hands moved to her hips to stop her from moving.
“What’s wrong?” she asked against my mouth.
“I figure we better take this slow with you thinking I only want sex. And well, with you grinding up against me like that, things are going to progress very quickly if you don’t take it down a notch.”
Her head fell back in laughter and we pulled up in front of my building and she moved off my lap.
“Good idea. So what now?”
“Sleep over. We don’t have to do anything. We can share the noodles and I don’t know, what do regular people do when they aren’t working or fucking?”
She rolled her eyes. “We can watch a movie?”
“Sure.”
“I thought you didn’t bring girls to your place?” she asked once we stepped on the elevator.
“I don’t. But you’re not a regular girl.”
She smiled, and for a minute it looked like her eyes watered. Harley didn’t strike me as a crier, and I doubted she did it often. “Good to know.”
“Is Helena here?” she whispered, like we were two teenagers sneaking into our parents’ home.
“No.” I laughed. “We’re all alone. She’ll be here early in the morning though. And she left dinner in the oven.”
Harley flipped on the lights and walked into the kitchen, opening the oven. “Oh my gosh. She left you this gourmet dinner, and you stopped for noodles?”
“I guess I missed you.”
“I saw you this morning,” she said, one brow raised.
“It wasn’t enough. And you barely spoke to me.”
She nodded. “Yeah. You hurt my feelings.”
“I’m going to try really hard not to do that again. But Harley, I’ve never really had a successful relationship with a woman.”
“Because you have a wandering eye?” she asked, jumping up on the counter to sit.
“No. I’m not that guy. Hell, if I wanted other women, I wouldn’t be pursuing you. I’d keep things the way they were. But I do work a lot, and that’s caused me issues in the past.”
“I do too,” she said with a shrug.
“And I don’t share. So, this works both ways, Harley.”
“Okay, Ford,” she mocked. “Monogamy is not a problem for me. But trust is. I have a hard time giving it. But when I tell you I’m all in, I mean it. And I expect the same in return.”
“Fair enough. So you’re mine.”
She smiled. “We’re really doing this? Just like that?”
“It wasn’t really just like that. It took some time. But yes. And I want you to stay here as often as possible.” I moved to stand between her legs, and she tangled her hands in my hair.
“No. You don’t get to start bossing me around just because we’re dating. That’s not how this works.”
“That’s exactly how this works. Relationships are all about compromise. I have the bigger place, so it makes more sense to stay here. Not to mention it’s a hell of a lot safer,” I said, grazing her lips with mine.
“I’m not dating you for your big… place.” She pulled back and wriggled her brows. “I worked hard for my own apartment, and I like it. It’s mine, you know? And we don’t need to stay with each other every night. Hell, you haven’t stayed the night with a woman in five years, right?” She chuckled, and I yanked her from the counter, and her legs wrapped around my waist.
“That was by design. You’re different. I want you with me. All the fucking time. Careful what you wish for, Harley DeLuca. I’m a possessive man.”
“Is that so?” she asked as her head fell back in laughter.
“It is.”
“Good luck with that, Montgomery. I march to the beat of my own drum. Always have. Always will.”
“We’ll see about that,” I said, walking her to sit on the couch.
I wanted to go to the bedroom. It was late. We were both tired. But I didn’t want to push her. She had some triggers where sex was involved, and she was going to have to make the move now. It was unnatural for me to hand over the reins, but I knew she needed them.
And for whatever reason—I wanted to give her what she needed.
I wanted to give her everything.
Chapter Twelve
Harley
We sat on the couch for a while and shared his noodles. I was anxious about all that happened tonight. I’d sent Molly a text and asked her to apologize to Jared for me. I felt terrible about the way I’d left, but I’d already established early on with him that I wasn’t interested in anything more than a friendship. My head was too focused on one particular Montgomery brother. It had been since the day I’d met him. I didn’t know why. We were so different. Yet something pulled me toward him. He made me feel things I’d never felt.
Like I belonged.
Like I was special.
Like I actually mattered.
And now he wanted to date me. I didn’t know how that would work. Ford didn’t have a great track record, and I wasn’t the most trusting person on Earth either. The combo would most likely be disastrous, but for some reason… I wanted to try.
“So, what should we do? It’s after midnight. You want me to sleep here tonight?” I asked, turning to face him where we sat on the couch.
“I want you to sleep here every night.”
I rolled my eyes. “Not happening. Let’s take this one night at a time. I’ll sleep here tonight. But I’m not having sex with you.”
He chuckled. “Of course, you’re not. That would be far too easy.”
“I’m anything but easy,” I said as he pushed to his feet and pulled me into his arms.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he carried me down the hall. I whistled when we entered his ridiculously large bedroom with floor-to-ceiling glass and views of the city. The moon brightened the dark sky, and I turned to gaze out the windows.
“That’s some view.”
“I like this view better,” he said as his gaze locked with mine.
“Such a smooth talker. Do those lines really work?”
He laughed. “I don’t use lines. Never have. And you’re the first woman to ever sleep in this bed, or in this apartment.”
I buried my face in his neck. It was too much. Ford Montgomery’s presence was overwhelming at times. Like he was reaching into my chest and squeezing my heart. I’d never experienced such strong feelings for another person. Our connection was—powerful. And terrifying at the same time.
“Well, thank you for having me. Can you set me down, and loan me a T-shirt to sleep in?”
He smiled. “Of course.”
We both stepped into the bathroom and I was thankful that I had a hair tie in my purse. I wrapped my hair in a high bun on top of my head and washed my face. I glanced at the oversized tub. “Wow. I’ve never seen such a big bathtub.”
“Yeah. It’s never been used.”
I gasped. “Seriously? That’s crazy. I don’t know if you know this about me, but I don’t take showers. I actually hate them. I only take baths.”
He turned to face me. “Really? I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t take showers. Although I guess I’ve never asked.”
I laughed. “Yeah. It’s just always been my thing. Mom and I lived in a motel for a while when I was young and they didn’t have a tub, and I was so depressed. I couldn’t wait to get to Gram and Gramps’ to take a bath. It’s always just been my happy place, I guess.”
<
br /> He cocked his head to the side. “Maybe we can take one together. When you’re ready.”
I bit down on my bottom lip. “You want to take a bath with me?”
“I want to do everything with you,” he said. It was honest and vulnerable and my heart burst into a million traitorous pieces.
“Maybe.” I followed him back in the bedroom and climbed beneath the sheets. I was having a sleepover with Ford Montgomery. And his bed was like a cocoon of softness. Lush fabrics, and the coziest comforter.
He flipped off the lights but left the shades up on the windows. The stars twinkled and the moon shined just enough for me to make out his features. We both rolled on our sides to face one another.
“I’m glad you’re here. I’m sorry for taking a while to figure it out.” He stroked my cheek with his fingers, and chill bumps covered my arms.
“That’s okay. I’m glad you came around,” I said.
“You said your mom and you lived in a motel when you were young. Tell me about your time with her. Was she always on drugs?”
“Apparently she stopped during her pregnancy and for the first year after I was born. I know that my father, or my sperm donor, gave her a chunk of money to get herself together when she got pregnant. He didn’t want to be part of my life. She was an escort at the time, or at least that’s what she calls it. So I guess that makes her a prostitute because she obviously slept with a rich client,” I said, pausing. Talking about my mother was uncomfortable. Not because I didn’t trust Ford, but because I was ashamed of where I came from. A shame I’d been trying to hide my entire life. Like this permanent dark cloud that followed me everywhere, no matter how far I tried to run from it.
“You’ve never met your dad?” he asked.
“Once. After I graduated from high school. My mom finally told me his name, but only because she wanted a favor. She asked me to follow him to a restaurant and confront him there. I’m mad at myself for going. But the truth is, I wanted him to see that I was just fine without him, you know? It sounds so stupid now. But in a sick way, I wanted to impress him. I wanted to be accepted by a man who never wanted me.”
