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James is an idiot.
I knew, out of all of us, that he would have the least amount of self-control around her, but I didn’t expect it to happen that fast.
It’s only going to scare her away.
I’m not jealous. I’m just disappointed.
As soon as I entered theInnthis evening, I could smell her on him.
Her scent is muted—soft and honeyed, like the lilacs in the garden—but it’s there all the same.
Harper carries herself with caution, and I don’t blame her.
She doesn’t know us.
I haven’t been the kindest to her, either. Only Beau has the charm and easy friendliness that everyone picks up on.
It’s impossible not to adore him, but with me…
She doesn’t understand the pain in my eyes, but I know she sees it.
I know she feels the misdirected fury and sees the way I’m on edge.
I’ve made myself into stone, hardened every part of myself, and now she’s chipping at the edges.
“Damn it,” I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose.
It’s supposed to release stress, but so far, it hasn’t happened.
And my entire body has been nothing but tension since she arrived.
I have so many questions that I’m dying to ask her.
But I keep them locked inside, for fear of pushing her away.
Apparently, James doesn’t share those same qualms.
He’ll push her boundaries until his dying day.
So, I nurse a glass of scotch as I sit in the living room of theInn, the fireplace crackling as I attempt to grade papers.
I’ve thrown myself into my work for months, but suddenly I can’t focus on any words my undergraduates have typed.
It’s all a blur, becauseHarperlingers in my mind, her presence haunting me.
She’s a ghost. A beautiful, scarred ghost, that sinks into the cracks of my hardened heart, slowly working down to my core.
Fuck.
Charlotte sits on the loveseat opposite me, giving me a sad smile. “She’s sick,” she whispers.
I frown and put down my glass. “What?”
“Harper hasn’t been feeling well since she’s been here. She has a headache that won’t let up. She won’t tell me much about it, but I have a feeling the man that called here—”
“Michael,” I snarl.
“I have a feeling he was giving her medications that she didn’t know about.” She looks at me pointedly, and it clicks in my mind.
