Chapter 12
DORIAN
Why the hell had I decided to bring Harper with me?
Of all the things I could do to try to get my head out of my ass and maybe focus on what I should be doing, bringing Joshua’s little sister with me to look at my clubs after spending far too long ignoring them didn’t seem like the best way to go about it.
But there was no going back now. Here she was, in my house, surrounded by things I had pieced together over the years to try to figure out my own sense of style, and I had no idea what the hell I was supposed to do about it.
I would have to eventually. I used to love traveling. Used to love seeing the world and even flying on my own.
But sometimes I still woke up with the sound of an engine screaming at me.
Even though we hadn’t made that exact sound when we’d slammed into the ground.
Joshua had been able to get us to a safer speed and distance in the end.
He’d saved my life, and I knew it had only been his skill that had let me walk out of there. Or at least, crawl out.
I hadn’t been able to put any weight on my legs, and the smell of my own flesh burning kept me up at night.
And if Joshua hadn’t had that single piece of metal carve its way into his neck, he’d have survived. He’d had fewer burns on his body, and his limbs had all been intact, not broken.
The only true injury on his body had killed him. I’d ended up with far more injuries, far more issues, but I had survived.
And here I was, ready to defile his little sister once again.
“Dorian?”
I blinked myself out of my thoughts and couldn’t help but groan as she walked forward.
She wore long black pants that flowed around her, and a crop top that showed just enough skin it made me want to bend her over that couch just to see exactly what we had together. But I already knew what her pussy tasted like, what her cunt felt like around my cock.
I was going to hell, and I was damn fine with it.
Her hair flowed around her shoulders, her makeup smoky and luscious.
We were headed to my clubs for the evening, so I could check in on them, and frankly tell myself that I could do this job of mine.
Then in the morning we would have breakfast at Aston’s and then head back up to Cage Lake.
It wasn’t as if Harper could take that many days off.
She worked her ass off, like I used to. And I was proud of her.
The fact that she’d even taken an extra day off just to be with me?
It should worry me. And yet it was all I wanted.
“Sorry, just wool-gathering.”
She frowned and slid her hand over my shoulder before cupping my cheek.
“Talk to me. What’s going on in that mind of yours?”
“Don’t worry about me.” I turned to kiss her palm, but she stepped away, scowling.
“No. Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Don’t act as if you’re trying to protect me by keeping your thoughts safe.
I want to know what you’re thinking. We spend hours a day together, you brought me to Denver to show me your home and your businesses, we’re sleeping together, I let my friends take care of my dog overnight so we could be together, and you’re not telling me a damn thing.
If what we have is just sex, that’s fine.
But I need to know ahead of time. We both know that I’m new to this, but just because I’m new doesn’t mean I’m an idiot. ”
I cursed under my breath. “I’m not calling you an idiot.”
“Then talk to me. You don’t have to tell me all of your deepest darkest secrets, but I’d like to know something. Anything.”
“I was wondering if I was making a mistake by bringing you here,” I snapped. I could have rightly kicked myself.
Her face paled, but she raised her chin.
“Okay. Are you?”
“I’m not. I know I’m not. It just makes me think of Joshua.”
“And you think he’d disapprove? Even though he was your best friend. I would like to think that my brother and his best friend liked each other because neither one of them were assholes.”
“I am an asshole, Harper Wellesley,” I said dryly.
“You might be an asshole, but you’re not cruel. My brother wouldn’t have wanted to be friends with somebody cruel. Not after my grandparents.”
I cursed again and moved forward, this time cupping her face.
“I know that. And I would love to think that your brother would approve of this. I just hate the fact that I don’t get to ask him.”
Her eyes filled, but she blinked the tears away.
“He always knew I had a crush on you.”
I froze, uncertain. “Really?”
“Yes. And he never forbade me dating you, but he did ask for me to wait until I was older to act on it.”
“You’re serious.” My heart beat so quickly I was afraid it was going to rush right out of my chest. “He wanted you to make a move?”
She laughed, taking a step away. But she let me slide my hand over hers, so the loss didn’t ache.
“I don’t think he meant that, but he didn’t warn me away from you. He didn’t get all overprotective and growly. Why would he be friends with somebody he wouldn’t trust with his own sister?”
“When you say it that way—”
“You know I’m right.”
“I have a feeling that in whatever this relationship is you’re going to be right often.”
She beamed. “Damn straight.”
“I should also tell you that I was thinking about how I didn’t call us a helicopter even though I knew the roads were going to be slick, well, for the obvious reason.”
Her face paled once again, and she wrapped her arms around me. She didn’t squeeze too tightly, but the burns at my sides didn’t hurt today. Apparently time did heal some wounds. Maybe not all of them.
“I thought about that. I just didn’t want to mention it and bring back memories to the surface.”
I ran my hand up and down her back and brushed a kiss on the top of her head.
“I know I will have to fly again. Maybe not as a pilot, but I’m going to have to get on a plane. Or one of the multiple helicopters the company owns.”
“Of course the Cage Empire owns helicopters,” she said dryly.
“We own a plane or two as well. But I don’t think I could get on one.”
“We can drive anywhere you want from now on.”
“But what if I want to take you to Paris?” I teased.
Her eyes widened. “Paris?”
I had only said it as a joke, but right then and there I promised myself I would find a way to get on a plane and take her to Paris.
I would take her anywhere that she wanted.
Because Harper Wellesley deserved to see the world.
And if my asshole father and his money could help that, I’d do whatever it takes.
“Let’s do it.”
“I might need to take a little more time off work for that,” she said dryly.
“That means I should probably learn to get on a plane.” I paused. “Do you think you’d be able to fly?” After all, it had been her brother with me.
She nodded, though carefully. “Yes. Because I don’t have those nightmares. Not the ones that keep you up.”
I swallowed hard, remembering how she had wrapped herself around me, naked, willing, but so steady for me. I wasn’t used to that. Hell, the only serious girlfriend I’d ever had before had been Amy. And she’d walked out on me without a second glance. I’d been too much for her when I’d been broken.
And here I was, trying to pick up the pieces, and Wellesley was there.
Where she had always been.
And I had nearly been blind to it.
“Do you talk to your therapist about this?” she asked after a moment.
I nodded, rubbing my chin over the top of her head. “I do. And I’ll get there when I get there. I might scream and cry and pass out, but I’ll get there. I don’t want this to stop me from anything.”
“You are one of the most stubborn people that I know, and that’s including myself, we can figure this out.”
I threw my head back and laughed, because indeed, we both were stubborn as hell. Then I leaned down and slid my lips over hers. “Let’s go head to the clubs.”
“Thankfully I’m old enough to get in now.”
I let my head fall back and groaned. “Please don’t remind me that you’re that much younger.”
“Only like eight years. I’m twenty-three. I’m an old maid.”
“If you call yourself old one more time, I’m going to toss you over my lap and spank you.”
Her eyes darkened. “Well, I guess I’m old, old, old, old.” She laughed as I chased her through my living room, tossed her over my shoulder—ignored the pain in my side—and carried her to the bedroom.
We might be a little late to the club.
* * *
It was still early yet, since I was just meeting with my managers, my staff, and getting the feel of things, but honestly it was like I had never left.
The first two clubs we had visited were my newer ones, and everything had worked out well.
I liked creating high-end clubs for people who wanted to dress up, have quality drinks, and occasionally toss around money to show off.
You didn’t need a Chanel bag or Louis Vuitton when you walked inside, but those with their Cartier’s and Hugo Boss tended to puff up like peacocks when around each other.
“I’m glad that I borrowed this from Blakely, because I don’t own anything that would fit into any of these clubs,” she teased. I slid my hand over her cashmere crop top.
“Are you telling me that I stripped this shirt off of you earlier and it’s my sister-in-law’s?” I asked, grimacing.
“No this was a gift. Don’t worry, I promise you that your brother never fucked your sister-in-law in this outfit.”
I nearly tripped over my own feet, holding back a laugh as others gave me a look.
Everywhere we went, Harper had blown everyone over.
They’d practically fallen at her feet, wanting to make sure she was taken care of.
Maybe I was one of those peacock guys who wanted to puff out their chest. And whenever somebody gave her a second look, wanting a little more, I couldn’t help but stake my claim.
Maybe it was a hand around the hip, my palm at the back of her neck.
But every single fucking person I introduced her to knew she was mine.