“For a minute. Then it became clear he’s more worried about keeping his corner office than supporting his surgeons.”
Harper’s expression darkened. “I’m sorry. You deserve better than that.”
“It is what it is.” I shifted my weight, suddenly aware of how close we were standing. How alone we were. How much I wanted to close the remaining distance between us. “I talked to my dad afterward. He’s connecting me with an attorney.”
“Good.” Her expression brightened. “I…I think that’s a good move. You shouldn’t alert anyone ahead of time that you’ve retained counsel. I’ve been working on prep materials for you—questions they’re likely to ask, how to frame your answers, what landmines to avoid. It would be a good thing to go over with your attorney.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did.” Her voice dropped lower. “I meant what I said. I’m not letting them sacrifice you.”
“Harper—”
She cut me off, stepping closer still. “And I know what Dr. Rice said to me, what the stakes are for both of us. But I’m not backing down on this.”
“Harper, I gotta tell you something.”
“Sure.”
“It’s killing me that I’m standing here in this parking lot at work when I want you in my arms. When I want to kiss the shit out of those lips, cameras be damned. When I just want to hold you and tell you that you’re the first person in a long time to make me feel like I’m not fighting alone. I’m just so tired of feeling like I’m alone, and I really appreciate you being an absolute dog with a fucking bone about this right now.”
“I, uhm. You…shit.” She stuttered, then laughed, stomping a cute little booted foot. “The fuck am I supposed to say to that, Cole?”
“You’re supposed to tell me you have time for me tonight.”
She looked at me for a long moment, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. I could see her thinking, weighing options, calculating risks.
“It just so happens,” she finally said, “that I have about two tons of food that my mother sent me home with. Beef roast, mac and cheese, greens, cornbread. More than I can eat by myself.”
My brows rose a little higher at every new mention of food. “Sounds incredible.”
“It is. The problem is she can only cook for thirty people.” She pulled her keys from her bag. “I’ll text you my address. We can go through the prep materials while we eat.”
“Justgo over prep materials?”
“Well…” Her smile turned into something warmer, more intimate. “We could pick up where we left off. If you’re interested.”
“I’m interested. What can I bring?”
She closed the space between us, then stood on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear.
“Mygoddamnpanties.”
Chapter Thirteen
COLE
I awoke to the warmth of a palm around me, sliding up and down in slow, measured passes.
The pressure was perfect—a little tighter mid-stroke, then easing off near the tip, her thumb circling there before she started over again. Sometimes she’d let go completely, fingers wandering up over my stomach, tracing lines across my chest, leaving a lingering heat in their wake before returning to wrap around me once more.
I blinked my eyes open, disoriented for the briefest of moments. The softness of Harper’s body pressed into mine answered the question before I could ask myself where I was. She was curled in beside me, her breasts smashed against my chest, one of her thighs tossed across mine, her mound plastered against my hip and, ever so slowly, rocking against the bone.
The sheets had wriggled their way down in the night, so we were naked, sprawled out together. Her legs were bare, smooth as silk, every little move she made sparking a fresh wave of arousal, edging me closer to being fully awake.
The room was still dark, the faintest hint of gray light coming through the curtains, so it was early. Too early for her neighbors to appreciate the kind of noise I wanted to make.
“Morning,” she whispered against my neck, her breath tickling my skin. I bit back a groan as her hand continued its slow torture.
