He strokes his fingers down my back.
“Promise me you’ll sleep?” I rub my thumb along his stubbled jaw.
“Promise.”
CHAPTER 35
The Under the Table Deal
Jack
I only meant to sleep for a few minutes, but I also didn’t set an alarm. Not with Harper warm in my arms. Now it’s four o’clock in the morning. I have another hour before I should leave. Jennifer usually wakes around five a.m. to get ready for work at six.
There’s just too much for me to do. The others are good at a lot of things. Like Nico is going through the Sidney footage as well. But I can’t have them do the technical stuff.
I open my laptop and set it on the bed beside me. Harper is draped over me and curled up against me. I don’t want to give that up, but I need to work. This is what I can do to keep her safe.
But between school work, football practices, and hanging out, the only time left is when I sleep. Meaning I haven’t been getting much of it. I need to start prioritizing things, but my brain is running on caffeine and not much else. It’s not exactly firing on all cylinders and things that I’d normally be on top of, I’m forgetting.
Something bigger has been niggling at the back of my mind. Sidney got into my security system. She did things most people in our school don’t know how to do. Definitely not somethingshe did alone. That means she’s been in contact with someone who has that particular skill set.
There’s not exactly a class I can sayoh, maybe one of these geeks. Whoever did it was in and out like a fucking ghost.
Anything that would have been tied to that person is gone because they know how to erase their footprint.
I stroke my hand down Harper’s back as I try to figure out how to get the information I need. If I had access to that person, I might be able to get through things quicker. But that also means we need leverage to control them.
Whoever it is, they already worked with Sidney at least once against us. Which either means they were bought or have a grudge against us. The first one I can work with, the second one is more difficult but still workable.
Checking the logs, I look for something that might indicate this person’s identity. Then I work on making sure no one has accessed our webcam sessions. Because I’m going to need to see my girl at night and in the morning.
I send a quick email to Eli to talk to me today. I don’t have time to go through all the files and emails from Luke’s father’s computer, but Eli might be able to look through the emails and even make sense of the files.
Right now, I’m not thinking straight enough to go through anything. I need food and caffeine to power through the day. Not to mention I have a test in third period I haven’t studied for yet.
Closing my laptop, I slide it into my backpack before returning my attention to the naked Harper clinging to me. Fuck. I needed this. I needed to be able to hold her. Caden and Luke are always over here.
I get it. Having her in my arms was some of the best sleep I’ve gotten. The only sleep I’ve gotten in the past couple nights. She sighs, blowing her breath across my chest.
She’s soft and vulnerable in her sleep. Hell, she’s soft and vulnerable awake. That’s why we have to do everything in our power to keep her safe.
It’s hard to forge a bond beyond sex when I only see her with the group, but those times we’ve been alone together... the potential is there. And fuck if I don’t want to nurture it, nurture us.
I’ve played the field and slept around with guys and girls, but none of them comes close to the attraction and draw I feel to Harper. Even now, I could take her again. She’d come and so would I before I slipped out like a thief in the night.
If this were only about sex, I would.
But she hasn’t slept well either. And right now, she needs me to take care of her, not just use her to fulfill my needs. I press my lips against her forehead and work on slowly detangling myself from her, trying not to wake her.
She curls up around the pillow I was using. I pull on my clothes and grab my backpack. Hopefully, I’ll get home in time to shower and have breakfast with Lucy. I’ll study for my test in first and second periods. Then, this afternoon, I’ll work on some of the files waiting for me on my laptop during class.
“Jack.” Her sleep-laden voice pulls me back to her side.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I brush her hair out of her face. “I have to go. Luke will pick you up for school.”
She takes my hand and kisses my knuckles. “Promise me you’ll sleep more. I’m worried about you.”
Chuckling, I lean forward to press a kiss to her lips. “I can run on low for a while, sweetheart. But I’ll try.”
