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“Brian and I are going to remove this scumbag from the building and drop him off at the nearest police station,” he replied, his voice resolute.
~17~
River
The sound of Harper’s voice, muffled through her apartment door, sent a surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins. All I could think about was her, and my heart pounded in a desperate rhythm to get to her. I burst through the door, blinded by rage and fear for her safety. And there he was, Drake, on top of her, violating her body as she struggled beneath him.
The sight of Douchebag Drake on top of Harper, his hands gripping her wrists and his eyes glazed over with lust and alcohol, ignited a fury within me that bordered on insanity. A surge of anger unlike anything I had ever felt before consumed me. Time seemed to slow down as I launched myself at Drake, my fists grabbing every shred of clothing I could get my hands on. The only thought in my mind was to make this scumbag pay for what he was doing to her.
As I felt the anger rise, all I could see was fire burning in my vision. She had stopped me from killing Drake—but only because I valued what we had too much to ever jeopardize it by killing him.
As Brian helped me drag the barely conscious Drake out to my car, my mind raced with thoughts of revenge. Leaving Drake at the police station with a confession note was more than generous on my part. I could have dropped him off in the middle of nowhere and let him rot.
When I returned to Harper’s apartment and saw her sitting on the couch with a bag of frozen peas pressed against her bruised cheek, all I wanted was to make sure she was okay… and to find out exactly what that bastard had done to her. He would pay dearly for hurting her—drunk or not—because, in my eyes, he knew exactly what he was doing, and he deserved every ounce of pain coming his way.
I focused only on her as I took a seat beside her. Lifting her hand holding the frozen peas, I carefully examined her face. Already I could see the swelling form above her eye. Hopefully, getting ice on it would minimize the bruising and the swelling.
“Things are such a mess,” she stated as she placed the peas back on her cheek. “I should have turned down Sidney from the start.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, puzzled, thinking that this subject had already been settled.
“He knows,” she began, looking at me like it was my fault. “Drake knows about us, and now he is using it against me to get what he wants.”
I pulled her close and tried to reassure her that everything would be okay. “Maybe it is a good thing that our relationship is out in the open.” I kissed the top of her head, knowing there was something else I needed to tell her. “I have a confession to make.”
“Please don’t tell me anymore bad news,” she replied, moving away from my hold.
“I think you are the woman I met a week ago at a blind dating game,” I confessed. “Please tell me you are her.”
“Harry?” she questioned, with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
“Yes.”
She wrapped her arms around my shoulders, and our lips came together in a heated kiss. Before our connection could go any further, she pushed away from me once again. “Even though you found me, it still doesn’t erase the fact that representing Triage International has caused me to lose everything.”
“You don’t believe that?”
“I do. My chance of ever making senior partner is gone. Drake has made sure of that.”
“I knew I should have killed him when I had the chance,” I thought to myself. I wasn’t sure how long he had worked at the firm or how long he had made Harper’s employment there a living hell. One thing I did know for sure was this was going to stop.
“I’m not going to let him get away with this.” I pulled my cell from my suit pocket and brought up Davian’s number. “Davian, I need a favor.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“I need you to find out everything you can about Drake Pierson. He is an attorney at Black, Worth, and Shell.”
When I hung up with Davian, I turned toward Harper, noticing the confused look on her face. She deserved an explanation. “Davian Cross is a good friend of mine in Atlanta. He has the resources to find out anything about anyone. If Drake has any skeletons in his closet, Davian will find them.”
“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
“Because you captivated me from the moment I met you. I care about you, Harper, and I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
With a quick yet gentle movement, I pulled her body close to mine and pressed my lips firmly against hers. The words of truth that had just escaped my mouth seemed to have an immediate effect on her. She willingly melted into me, her body responding eagerly to my touch. As our tongues danced together in a slow and sensual rhythm, our breathing grew more urgent.
I quickly inhaled and lowered my hands to Harper’s hips, lifting her effortlessly from the couch and placing her on my lap. This time, there was no risk of anyone interrupting us as I ravished her with kisses. But this was not where I wanted to fully explore her. Carefully standing up, still holding her in my arms, I made my way toward the hallway that would undoubtedly lead to her bedroom.
Laying her gently down on the bed, I positioned myself between her legs, eager to continue our passionate encounter. Foreplay seemed like an inadequate term for what we were about to engage in. With swift movements, I found and unzipped the side of her skirt, sliding it off her legs in one fluid motion. Working the buttons on my shirt, I kept my eyes on her as she lifted her blouse over her head, revealing her ample breasts, which were barely contained by a flimsy bra. As she reached behind herself to unfasten it, I had to admire her naked body before me. The pink lacy panties I had playfully taken from her earlier were now replaced with plain cotton ones, yet they somehow managed to enhance the allure of her form. I couldn’t resist the thought of adding them to my collection as well.
