5. Harper
5
Harper
T hree honeybees later, Remi finally left. Not that Harper hadn’t enjoyed her time with her sister, but ever since Paul arrived, Remi’s mood shifted. It went from fun to icy. That wasn’t the vibe she wanted for her last night in Oklahoma. She’d make it up to her sister another time. Maybe she could fly her out to North Carolina and show her how the other half lived.
It wasn’t personal. Remi despised anyone who wasn’t allied with their father’s club. She was loyal like that. Harper had walked away. Bikers weren’t her cup of tea. She was the straight and narrow—legit. Mostly, she wanted nothing to do with the criminal element. Remi did.
As a daughter and not a son, Remi couldn’t actually join the club. Being a lesbian meant she couldn’t even sleep her way into the club hierarchy. The best she could do was be an associate, run the autobody shop where they laundered money, and work for them. It suited Remi just fine. Her connection to the club was on her terms and seemed to be quite lucrative for her. Dangerous but profitable.
Harper probably should’ve asked Paul to leave instead of inviting him to their table. She’d just been so surprised to see him, it came out before she could think about it. Besides, Remi had said she only had an hour anyway. She’d stayed far longer than she’d expected and had work in the morning. Perhaps letting Paul stick around was actually a favor for Harper’s sister.
Now, alone with him, with quite the buzz going, Harper could focus on him. Idly, she fiddled with the toggle on her necklace. “How have you been?”
Sure, they’d covered that, but he’d given such a polite surface answer. She wanted something more from him.
Smirking, he twisted his glass. “Well.”
The years had been kind to him. Paul was just as dark and delicious as he had been in the laundromat. His specialty was his icy stare, so cold it could freeze molten lava, but when he turned those Nordic irises onto her, her temperature rose ten degrees.
“No, I mean for real.” Harper adjusted in the booth so she faced him fully. “What’s been going on?”
He canted his head and gave her a look that suggested he would not answer that. She knew why.
Though, to hammer it home, he said, “Counselor?”
He was just as much of a criminal as her father. He just did it with more style and finesse. The Roughneck Riders were crass, quick-tempered, and volatile. Paul’s crew, from what Harper knew of them—which admittedly was quite little—were far more organized and respected.
She may have been gone for over a decade, but by the quality of his attire, she could tell they were succeeding. The bikers, on the other hand, were in yet another turf war. Messy and bloody. Something she couldn’t wait to escape.
“Why don’t you tell me about you .” He playfully booped her nose.
Snickering, she shoved at his chest gently. It was hard—solid. A shirtless vision of him flashed through her mind. Her core boiled from the memory, and she squeezed her thighs, recalling his talents.
“Not much to tell. I’m a lawyer.” She tucked a tuft of hair behind her ear.
“I know,” he said quickly.
Of course he did. It was his job to know. “In North Carolina.”
“I know,” he repeated.
How hot had the bar gotten? How many drinks had she had? Her panties were soaked through just from the burning in his eyes. He set her on fire, and only he could extinguish this flame of need.
Red flags were still Harper’s favorite color in men. For as long as she could remember, she had terrible taste in them. It started when she dated Dwight throughout high school and only got worse from there. The more red flags, the more her body craved their touch.
Paul was no different. If anything, her attraction to him was even stronger with their history.
It’s not every day a fuck buddy takes a bullet from an ex-boyfriend.
Paul had.
She was entirely responsible. She had no business indulging in that little temptation so soon after her breakup with Dwight. But in her defense, Dwight had slept with others while they were still dating. At least Harper waited until they were officially no longer a couple. It may have only been a few days, but still, they weren’t together.
It wasn’t her fault he hadn’t gotten the message.
She’d only seen Paul once more after that fateful day when things got a little too intense. He’d shown up unexpectedly, just like today, to congratulate her for passing her LSATs by gifting her a necklace and bracelet. Her favorite pieces of jewelry.
She still wore them to this day.
Getting lost in the sea of pale blue, her skin tingled and her heart did backflips in her chest. He was deliciousness personified.
She had one night before she left all this behind for good. What did it matter if she indulged again? There was no doubt in her mind that she’d romanticized and embellished her recall of the evening. If anything, it would prove to her it was the right decision. No one could live up to the memory she had, so why not shoot her shot. What’s the worst that could happen?
He could be better than she remembered.
Highly unlikely, but a woman could dream. If she didn’t put it out there, she would never know and likely spend the rest of her life wondering. Who wanted that?
She should get it over with so she could move on with her life.
“I’m single,” she whispered as she scooted closer to him, their bodies touching.
The left side of his mouth turned up in a sinister, tempting half grin. “I know.”
Those words possessed such intention, she shivered. If it wasn’t for the padding in her bra, her nipples would’ve poked his eye out, they were so hard. This man was just as dangerous for her as Dwight, but far more enticing and tempting.
The fire in Paul’s eyes melted her better judgment. Swallowing hard, with her heart thundering in her ears, she focused on his full lips. That talented mouth. What new tricks had he learned?
What she wouldn’t give to find out.
“I remember that look,” he murmured.
When he cupped the side of her cheek, another shudder rippled through her. It’d been too long since she’d slept with anyone , maybe six months, and she was slightly tipsy. Really, it wasn’t her fault that she ignored all the red flags. A woman had needs, and she needed all Paul could do.
Nuzzling against his hand, she turned and closed her eyes.
Might as well have a little fun on her last night in Oklahoma. It wasn’t like she was coming back to this hellhole.
Parting her lips, she found the tip of his thumb. Swirling her tongue, she sucked it into her mouth. The subtle gasp, a nearly inaudible inhale, from Paul strummed her desire for him.
Was it a terrible decision? Absolutely.
Did she care? Not an iota.