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He followed her to the other side of the unfinished restaurant and through the swinging kitchen door. Since it was hidden from the street, she flipped the switch and the overhead lights turned on. There were two bottles of water stashed in the large steel fridge and she handed one to Ryland.
“I’m sorry about all this, Harper.”
“It’s not your fault. Not entirely. I’m the one who came charging over like a bat out of hell.” She hopped up on the counter and looked down at her slippered feet. “I thought you stood me up and…well, I was pissed.”
“You would’ve had every right to be pissed.” He cracked the water open and took a long drink.
Harper couldn’t tear her eyes away from the movement of his throat as he pounded the water down. He drank nearly the entire thing in several long swallows and she gripped the edge of the counter tighter, her gaze moving up to where his lips circled the bottle.
She liked his lips. A lot. They weren’t too thin or too full, and they looked soft and kissable. She wondered how they would feel against her own. Would he be a demanding kisser, taking charge? Or would he be gentle, taking his time to delicately explore her mouth before moving to other—
Mentally chastising herself for where her thoughts were heading, she refocused. Ryland had lost someone tonight and here she was having inappropriate thoughts.
“I’m sorry about your friend,” she said softly.
The sadness he’d shut down earlier resurfaced, but this time he didn’t bother hiding it. “Tanner was my best friend.” His voice was so quiet she had to lean closer to hear him. “He bled out in my arms tonight.”
“Jesus.” The pain in his voice was evident and, without thinking, she reached out to him. Her anger over being stood-up and terror over being placed in harm’s way by Ryland faded to the background. He’d tragically lost someone close to him while she’d been stewing over a missed date. None of that seemed to matter much anymore.
Ryland took her hands and stepped closer, gaze searching hers. His cobalt eyes swam with hurt and her heart ached for him. Pulling him into an embrace, she wrapped her arms around him and he pulled her close, burying his face in the curve of her neck. They held each other, giving and receiving comfort, and Harper knew she’d do anything to help him.
To stay with him.
???
Harper’s warm embrace was like a soothing balm to his ravaged soul. He breathed her soft vanilla scent in deeply, letting it wash over him, comforting his unsettled soul. He’d never experienced this kind of solace before—not from his parents, his sister, his friends or any lover he’d ever taken.
There was something indescribable about the way she felt in his arms. Like they were complimentary puzzle pieces clicking together. She felt fuckingright. And that scared the shit out of him.
But now was not the time for feelings like that.
Pulling back, caught in her aqua stare, Ryland felt his heart slam hard against his rib cage. His hands slid down to grasp her hips and his focus dropped to her full, tempting lips.
Not the time,he reminded himself firmly.
But he wanted to kiss her. Desperately.
No.He’d just lost his best friend, almost died himself, and he’d dragged this amazing woman down with him. He hated feeling so out of control. Despite all the uncertainty, though, he knew one thing for sure—he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight until they stopped whoever was behind this betrayal. And maybe not even after that if she’d let him.
“I’m going to keep you safe, Harper. I promise you,” he whispered, his attention moving to the bridge of her freckled nose.
And he’d die to do it.
Without a second thought.
Chapter Eight
The date they should’ve been on earlier happened anyway, just under very different circumstances. Ryland and Harper sat down on the floor, cross-legged, and spent the next hour talking instead of sleeping. He pushed his sadness over losing Tanner down, burying it deep for the time being and refusing to let his emotions rule. He had to stay sharp, focused and detached moving forward. First, he would get vengeance, then he would allow himself proper time to mourn his friend.
Chatting with Harper was a good distraction from the anguish in his heart. She was beautiful, smart, quick-witted and wasn’t afraid to tell him exactly what she thought. It was a nice change from what he was used to. Most of the beach bunnies he knew just told him what they thought he wanted to hear. It was like they didn’t even have a head on their shoulders, and that got old fast. He felt more than a mere attraction to Harper and enjoyed her company immensely.
“Sounds like you two are close,” Ryland commented after Harper shared more about her sister.
“Savannah is more than my sister. She’s my best friend.” Harper tucked her legs beneath her. “Now that our parents are gone, she’s all I have left.”
Once again, he was surprised by how similar they were. He’d shared how his parents had both died and his only family left was his sister Addison, but he didn’t get into any specifics. That would open a whole can of worms. For now, it was best to keep it simple.
Damn, he had a lot of secrets.
