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“I won’t say anything,” I promised. “You know I won’t.”
He gave me a soft smile. “I know you won’t, Sin. I’m not worried about that at all.”
I grinned at him. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks,” he said, grinning back.
“I think you guys would make a great couple,” I went on, finding that I really was happy for him. Harley was a good guy, and he deserved a good girl.
“So, enough about me,” he said. “Why were you knocking on my door like I was about to be raided?”
“Orion Knight asked me out again,” I blurted.
His brows shot upward. “Again?”
I nodded. “Yeah, again.”
“Well, you already turned him down once, so why not again?”
When Orion had first asked me out, I’d done the best friend thing and had immediately told Harley all about it. God bless the man, he hadn’t lectured me or anything like that. He had simply listened to my madness and had predicted that Orion Knight would move on because…well, he was Orion Knight.
“I did,” I informed him. “I told him that I didn’t date athletes.”
“And?”
“He’s not taking no for an answer,” I grumbled.
Harley reached out, wrapped me up in one arm, then hauled me into his chest, cradling me as he leaned back against the couch. “You know that I love you, right?”
“That sounds like a precursor to some tough love.”
“Cap Aldrich was seven years ago, Sin,” he said, proving my assumption correct. “I get that he broke your heart, and that a first love can leave a lasting mark, but you have got to get over it, baby girl. You think that you’re getting even by maintaining this anti-athlete stance, but you’re not. Cap has moved on, gotten married, and is probably going to start having kids soon. This imaginary payback of yours isn’t real, Sinclair. You’re not paying anyone back by limiting your life’s choices.”
“I just…I can’t help but still feel so goddamn stupid whenever I think about that time in my life,” I admitted dismally.
“We all do or fall for stupid shit at one point in our lives,” he replied. “One error in judgement shouldn’t define the rest of our lives, Sinclair.”
“I know,” I muttered.
“Besides, you act like going out on a date with Orion is guaranteed to lead to forever,” he went on. “Who’s to say that one date doesn’t do the opposite. You guys might find that you have nothing in common, or you might even go out on a few dates and discover it later on.” His arms tightened around me. “That’s what dating is, Sin. It’s getting to know a person; nothing more, nothing less.”
“I just…I can’t forget that awful feeling of being the last to know,” I whispered, all in my emotions right now. “I don’t want to ever experience that again.” I could feel myself actually shutter with the bad memory. “I just picture…I picture being introduced to one of his teammates, and that teammate knowing that he was with another woman just the night before.”
“Ah, baby girl,” he sighed, pulling me in closer. “I know it’s scary, but Orion Knight could also be the man of your dreams. He could be the man that proves everything that you ever thought wrong.”
“Am I a coward, Harls?”
“No,” he immediately replied, always the best friend. “You’re just trying to be smart and guard your heart.”
“I feel a little bit cowardly,” I admitted.
“Then do something about it,” he challenged. “Orion Knight isnotCap Aldrich.”
“This really sucks.”
“All the scary stuff usually does, baby girl.”
I let out a deep breath. “What’s the worst that can happen, right?”
