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He eased to the curb.
There wasn’t really anywhere to park.
Harper muttered a curse and slid in front of a fire hydrant. It wasn’t legal, but with any luck, Robin was ready to go. Just to be safe, he texted her to gauge how safe it was to leave the car for a few moments.
Her reply was immediate:omw out!
Not quite perfect. She could very well take issue that he hadn’t come to the door. He should have planned better.
He unlocked the car and got out. At the very least he’d open her door for her.
Heels clicked on concrete. He glanced up and his body forgot what he was doing.
“Hey,” Robin called out.
“Look at you.”
Seriously.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
She looked as though she’d been poured into the gray dress. It was conservative in a way, with long sleeves and a high neck that had some sort of slit going on, but he was willing to bet every eye tonight would be on her. Yes, the skirt was maybe a little on the short side, showing off her long, shapely legs, but it was the fit that was sinful. How it molded to her body, turning shimmery then matte with how she moved, was captivating.
“Wow,” he said as she stepped onto the sidewalk. “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”
She lifted a hand, covering her mouth, but he heard her chuckle. Her mirth was short-lived.
“I’m so sorry.” Her voice was tight with emotion. “I should have told you to come around back. There’s never anywhere to park out here. Really sorry about that.”
“Hey.” He reached out and took her hand and the rest of the world faded away. “You look stunning. They might arrest you for taking my breath away like that.”
She chuckled and pushed at his shoulder. “Stop.”
Her smile and the bashful way she couldn’t quite look at him said to keep going.
Harper lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Are you ready to steal the show?”
She lifted her gaze to his. “Ready and starving.”
Damn this job. Why did he have to take her out for work? It was a crying shame, really.
He helped Robin into the car, shut the door then returned to the driver’s seat. That done, Robin plugged in the address for the restaurant, and away they were. The street was busy enough to make conversation difficult as they wound their way toward their destination. Which was fine because he needed to have a little mental talk with himself.
Robin was not matching up to the socialite profile he’d been given. She didn’t party or go out like Zora had led him to believe. Maybe that was the case during her undergrad, but not now. She was responsible, intelligent, and utterly gorgeous. Unfortunately, he didn’t see a way to get close to her and not cross any boundaries. She wasn’t juggling men. She was focused on family. If he wanted to get close to Daar, Harper would have to get very close to Robin.
He was going to hurt her. For this to work, there was no way around that. He wasn’t sure how far it would have to go, but he knew he’d hate himself when this was all over with. But that was the price to pay to stop Daar’s people. Given the body count thus far of just their own people, Harper couldn’t back down.
Which made this all the more difficult.
“This should be us,” Robin said pointing to his next turn.
The restaurant wasn’t that far away from her house. Hell, if they’d both been wearing sensible shoes he might have suggested walking.
There was nothing sensible about the way Robin had dressed. Or maybe there was?
It was difficult to look at her and his brain not short-circuit.
Everything from just above her knees to her collarbone was covered, save for a narrow, plunging slit cut down the front of the dress. It showed off nothing but the rarest glimpse of skin underneath. Truly maddening. He didn’t want to look, and yet his gaze was drawn back to her at every light.
