Page 43 of Nothing to Tell

“Yeah,” she said.“I think he has a little crush on you.”

Didn’t take a genius to figure out the guy’s problem.“Or on you.”

Men like that jerkoff wanted to be important.They strutted, wanting what they couldn’t have.It wasn’t about love or lust, it was about control.He’d wanted Charissa because having two women on the go made him feel important.It was sickening.Damon probably enjoyed the idea of Harper being heartbroken and humiliated.The recent hint that maybe Harper was over him and moving on with her life would be piquing Damon’s interest in her again.

Harper wasn’t so quick to accept the possibility Damon wanted her.

“He cheated on me.”

Like that made any difference.Screwing around wasn’t a reflection on Harper, it was another indicator of Damon’s weak personality.

“Doesn’t matter.”He slid his hands lower on her back.“He knows you’ve moved on and that makes you attractive again.”

“So I should have sex with him to prove your point?”

Where the fuck did that come from?Definitely not.What?No!The thought churned his stomach.The idea of any other man touching her was nauseating.

“You should never have sex with him again.”

Or any other man.He left that part out… for now.

“I don’t think there’s any chance of that,” Harper said.

Giving Damon airtime in their conversation would stoke the guy’s ego.Time to move it along.

“Your bruises have faded since the hospital.”

“Yes,” she agreed.“With the wonder of concealer I’m back to normal.”

Deciding to be part of her life when lying in bed in the dark was easy.Coaxing his way into her affections wasn’t as straightforward.

She wouldn’t want a scene and with success came notoriety.Protecting her from the eager attention of others was another priority.That ruled out grand romantic gestures.

Her presence might be a surprise, but it was also an opportunity to ingratiate himself, and betrayed he was still in her thoughts.Good.

It wasn’t on her to make this happen, a man should chase his sweetheart.

“I wanted to call you,” he said.“I planned to leave a respectable interval before hunting down your number.Wouldn’t want you to think I was…?”

“Creepy?”she asked.“That’s nice of you to say, but there was no need to call.I’m fine.”

That had become her catchphrase.And it couldn’t be true given how their last encounter ended.

“You ran out on me,” Bastian said.“We spent the night together, then you ran out on me.There’s something wrong if you felt the need to do that.You didn’t trust me?”

“Trust you?”she said, touching her nose to his lapel, avoiding his gaze.“I woke up on top of you, Bastian.You’re the one who shouldn’t trust me.”

During their shared night, he’d woken with her body covering his.He’d wrapped his arms around her, relishing the intimacy of the possibilities it conjured for their future.For a guy who spent most nights struggling to sleep, it was a relief to find a comfort that relaxed him.

Before Harper, he tossed and turned.Having her in his arms changed all that.Already addicted, the woman was better than any drug.She brought him peace.

“I didn’t mind,” he said in a major understatement.“You kept me warm.”

Her laugh wasn’t more than an exhale but restoring her smile was a helluva reward.

“I’ve never had a mattress with a heartbeat.”

“Any time I can help…”