The Attraction

Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

FORREST

I t might be Harper’s birthday, but I feel like I just got the present. Sex with her is off the charts anyway, but this morning, the way she responded to my touch had me almost exploding before she did. I want every morning going forward to be like that.

After a perfect way to wake up, Harper and I showered before heading down to breakfast.

There are a few sore heads around the table, but surprisingly, Harper isn’t one of them.

“I hate how you can drink until you pass out, and then you bounce back in the morning like it’s a normal day.” Felisha is sitting at the table on the balcony wearing sunglasses and drinking a strong coffee, which is not her usual morning beverage. But a cup of tea just wasn’t going to cut it for her this morning.

“We have been friends since we were seven years old, and you know this about me. I’m a morning person.” Lifting her own coffee in the air, Harper smiles at Felisha as she groans.

“I beg to differ. I’ve seen a few mornings where there is not a smile to be seen,” I say, putting my hand on Harper’s shoulder and pulling her closer so I can kiss her on the cheek.

“I didn’t say I was a happy morning person, just that I get up early and can function perfectly, even if I have had a big one the night before,” Harper proudly responds. “Plus, I’m usually not smiling because I have to deal with you first thing in the morning, all sweaty and smelly in the gym,” she adds, pretending that she doesn’t love to watch me work out.

“Sorry, I’m the one who has to listen to you talking out loud and laughing at that crazy podcast about sex.” I take a strawberry off her plate that is still sitting there after she finished eating her pancakes. I mean, what else do you have for a special birthday breakfast.

“It’s not just sex.” She slaps my hand just as I’m about to dip the strawberry in the leftover chocolate sauce on her plate.

“Oh my God, do you listen to Trinny, Veronica, and Christina on that podcast Three is Always Better, too?” Tori yells at Harper across the table.

“Me too!” Elouise starts laughing. “I listen on my AirPods when I’m up in the middle of the night nursing or during the day when the baby is sleeping, and Blaise is at school. It’s not a good idea for a woman who has recently given birth and her pelvic floor hasn’t quite recovered yet, to be laughing that much. But seriously, they make my day.”

“Best way to start the day.” Harper is laughing at the girls’ excitement.

“I thought I was the best way to start the day?” I whisper, winking at her, which brings a little blush to her face. Just a hint of pink but enough for me to notice and make me smile.

“What am I missing out on?” Cherie asks.

“Oh, sister, you need to get on to this shit. It’s the best comedy relief you will ever get.” Elouise shows Cherie her phone to point it out to her.

“Yeah, you too can listen to stories about some man who thought avocado was the best lube he could get,” I throw out there, and poor Nic, who had just taken a mouthful of coffee, starts to choke.

“What the actual fuck are you girls listening to? Baby, are you on this too?” Flynn turns to Felisha who has a smirk on her face.

“When I get time, it’s hilarious,” she replies to him, while Tori is still thumping Nic on the back to settle his coughing from choking on his coffee.

“Sorry, buddy,” I call across the table to Nic, when I see Rem pick up his phone off the table, and his eyes fix on me in a way that I know means there’s trouble. The slight chin lift tells me to follow him inside as he excuses himself from the table to take the call.

“I’m just going to bathroom,” I quietly say to Harper. She nods that she heard me and continues the conversation with the girls, and I can hear Flynn asking plenty of questions. He will regret it when they start giving him the answers.

“Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with this guy. It’s like he just won’t let it go,” I hear Rem saying, and I know without asking that it’s about Harper.

It was stupid of us to think he would leave her alone with how hard he has been searching for her.

There is silence while Rem is listening, and I want him to put the call on speaker, but I know we can’t risk Harper or any of the girls hearing the call. It’s Harper’s birthday and I want it to be perfect for her.

“Like we told you when you were here, we will pay whatever it takes to have eyes on this guy 24/7. There is no way we are letting anything happen to her, or her family.” Rem stops talking, but his body language is stiff, and I don’t like that at all. “Yeah, she’s still living with Forrest. And that won’t be changing anytime soon, if ever.”

Too fucking right. If I have my way, she won’t spend another night away from me. I don’t care where we live, her newly renovated apartment or mine. I just want her in my bed at night and letting me feed her breakfast every morning.

“Okay, thanks, we truly appreciate you watching him. I know you are busy on another case, and this was just a side thing, but if it wasn’t for you, we would have had no idea she was in danger.” Rem is winding up the call. “I’ll be in touch once we get a plan together.” Just a small pause and then he says goodbye and ends the call.

I feel like I’m about to climb out of my skin.

Before I even get to open my mouth, he places his hand on my shoulder and guides me further into the villa into a quiet bedroom and away from anybody else.

“Don’t lose your shit, just let me talk.” Rem stops in front of me.

“Get on with it then,” I growl, because I’m hanging on by a thread.

“Chester has started searching all of Harper’s family now, and Ashton’s team saw him exchange a bundle with a guy who is known to be associated with the dark and corrupt underworld in Chicago. We don’t know what was in that bundle, it could’ve been drugs, but it could’ve also been a passport. Ashton is trying to find that out, with the help of his people on the ground.”

Rem is looking at me with concern, and I’m sure it’s because of the rage he can see on my face.

“If he steps one foot in this country, then he will have to face me. I told you that getting a fake passport would be easy. Christ, if Harper could manage to get one for Felisha, then a guy who’s spent seventeen years in prison with men who know all the wrong people, then surely he can too. Even if this package wasn’t a passport this time, the next package will be for sure,” I bark in a low voice, even though I want to yell really fucking loudly.

“Calm the fuck down. Ashton won’t let that happen, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be on alert. I’ll talk to the others and Sandon, but for now, it means that she can’t be alone. Ashton is working on a way to get Chester to step out of line so he can get him locked up again. Alleviate the problem.” I’m hearing Rem’s words, but it doesn’t mean I’m taking them in. Sure, having Chester back in jail would solve our problem, but I will never rest knowing that he is out there wanting a piece of Harper and her family.

“That’s just a temporary solution, until he gets out the next time. Locking him up on a petty crime isn’t going to keep him in there for long. A guy like this has waited seventeen years. Who’s to say he won’t wait another five years until he is released next time and then strike again, when none of us will know it’s coming. We got lucky this time.” Taking a breath, I say something I didn’t ever imagine I would. “What if we pay him the money his family lost?”

“No fucking chance! That will just put Harper in more danger.” I know Rem’s right, but it doesn’t stop me from wishing it were that easy. I have the money and would do anything to make this all go away.

“Plus, you know it would just make him come looking for more. Giving him money is like you are acknowledging you owe him something. The guy’s unstable, who knows what he thinks his seventeen years in jail are worth. Don’t be crazy, just let us do our job.” Rem’s voice is now just as agitated as mine.

“Your job! Yeah, a job which seems to be just sitting around and waiting for something to happen. And that’s bullshit. I’m sick of being on the back foot. It’s time we take the solution to this lunatic and sort him out.” My hands clench into tight fists while I try to contain my anger. “Because now it’s not just Harper that is in danger, and the longer we wait, the worse this is going to get. We need to fix this shit now.”

“What the fuck do you want me to do, fly to the US and take this guy out? Is that your magical solution? Because you are as fucking crazy as he is. We don’t do shit like that, and I’m not asking Ashton to do it either.” Rem steps closer to me, standing with his arms now crossed and like we are in a standoff, even though we are on the same team.

“Christ, I’m not asking you to commit murder, but we need to do something. I can’t just sit here and wait.” Turning and walking toward the bedroom windows, I look out at Harper and all our friends laughing together, enjoying breakfast. My heart’s beating so hard.

“I can’t lose her. I didn’t ever think I’d find her, Rem, that it wasn’t in the cards for me. And not that she is fully on board yet, but she will be. Because this is more than just a situationship. There are real feelings here.” I thump at my heart as I turn back to him. “I don’t know what to do with them yet, but I want the chance to find out.” My voice is lower now, and the emotions of talking about how I feel for Harper has me trying to rein in my anger and concentrate on finding my calm for her. I want her to remember this day for years to come and not from me losing my shit or her finding out that her family are in danger too.

“And you will, Forrest. I promise you. Trust me.” Rem walks toward me and places his hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze of reassurance.

“I do.” I give him a nod to let him know this conversation is over. “Just give me a few minutes.”

Rem gives my shoulder another squeeze and turns, leaving me to take a few deep breaths and bring back the happy Forrest that Harper is expecting to walk back out onto the balcony. Well, not necessarily happy but not the angry fucker I am now. Although she is used to my arrogant ass.

Harper will start to wonder if I have fallen into the toilet I’ve been gone so long, and I know I need to get back out to her. Taking one last deep breath, I start walking outside, and as I get close, Flynn lets out a deep laugh, and I know that they must still be on the stories from that damn podcast.

“Hey, you okay?” she whispers to me as I sit down beside her. It strangely brings warmth through me that she is checking in on me.

“I am now,” I whisper back as I kiss her cheek and place my arm around her shoulder, and she relaxes into my body. My mind is still racing with thoughts on how we can fix this problem, but while Harper is in my arms, I allow myself to feel somewhat settled.

After another round of coffees, I look at my watch and see that the cars will be here to pick us all up shortly, to head out for my birthday surprise fun.

Taking Harper’s hand in mine, I call for everyone’s attention. “You all have fifteen minutes to be ready and waiting out the front of the villa for the cars that are about to take us on our next adventure. I have learnt that Harper loves French food, but what I didn’t know was that she doesn’t cook for herself. So today we are heading to the village of Gassin in the Provence wine country, where we will do a private cooking class with a local chef. Nic and Flynn, you are the official taste testers because we both know that you don’t need a lesson in cooking.” I can hear all the gasping and excitement from everyone around me.

“Hey, you can always learn something new, I’m cooking too,” Flynn calls out above the excitement as I stand and pull Harper up from her chair.

“Hopefully this might encourage you to have more than a protein shake for dinner.” Kissing her on the forehead, I smack her on the ass as she pokes her tongue out at my comment, which brings a shriek from her and a giggle as she tries to break free from my hold. But I want another kiss, because the moment her lips are on mine, it always grounds me.

And if there is one thing I’m determined to do today, it’s to be in the moment with Harper. Watch her smile, make her laugh, and most of all, show her what life in a relationship with me could be like.

“I don’t deserve you,” she whispers breathlessly as I pull back from her lips, and everyone has left us alone.

“That’s where you are wrong. This is exactly what you deserve, and I intend on giving you this for the rest of your life, so it’s about time you start realizing it.” I take her hand and start to pull her inside, heading toward our room with her protesting quietly behind me.

“Forrest, we have talked about this,” she mumbles.

“Mhmmm. True, you have talked about it. Doesn’t mean I was listening, my kitten.” I can feel the smile on my face forming as I hear her reaction from behind.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Not another name. I suppose this one isn’t as bad as the rest.”

“I need to try harder then,” I reply as I usher her through our bedroom door and give her another little tap on the ass as she passes me. “You now have ten minutes, get moving, ladybug.”

Her reply is to give me the middle finger and disappear into the ensuite to freshen up while I grab both of our coats and take her handbag to her, in case she needs to put anything in it.

I can see the concentration on her face as she touches up her makeup, so I leave her to it.

I want to tell her she doesn’t need it, but all I want for her today is to be living her best life in whatever way she wants.

I thought about a weekend with just the two of us and doing all the cute couple things, like a cooking class just the two of us, but I knew it would freak her out and make her flighty. And I know the best thing to do for her at the moment is to occupy her mind. With the whole group here, there is no time for thinking, and the laughter is continuously flowing, which is just perfect.

HARPER

I feel like I’m all thumbs, but I have to admit that this is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.

Who knew that a cooking class, even with guys who are professional chefs, could be so entertaining? Especially watching Nic trying to tell Tori what to do and her telling him to butt out, that she can do this perfectly fine without him, then grabbing the teacher to try to help her without Nic seeing her.

I’m happy to admit I have no idea how to cook, and to be honest, I’ve never really tried much more than the half a dozen basic meals I cook if I’m at home and don’t feel like ordering in. It’s not a bad thing that I haven’t needed to learn to cook because I’ve been lucky enough to be able to afford to eat out. But since staying with Forrest, I see the joy he gets from preparing a nice meal for me. Even today, he has so much joy written all over his face as he’s enjoying learning a new recipe.

And as we taste test the main meal, I can’t help but laugh the moment it sinks in with Flynn how good a cook his brother is.

“Holy shit, Forrest, this is good. I mean, not as good as mine, but it’s pretty damn close. Nic, check this out,” Flynn calls across the room, and I can’t help but smile as I see the look of pride in Forrest’s eyes at Flynn’s words. He stands just that little bit straighter, and his shoulders are pulled back as he takes in all the praise that I don’t think he actually knew he’s been longing for.

“I have to disagree, buddy, I think it’s better than yours, just slightly of course, but the texture and taste of that sauce is just perfect.” Nic winks at me as Flynn explodes with reasoning for why his is better.

No matter what they are doing, these guys are so competitive.

After we all finish tasting the lobster thermidor and stand back to enjoy a glass of wine that was paired with the meal by the vineyard, Flynn claps Forrest on the back of his shoulder.

“All jokes aside, why am I only just finding out that you are one hell of a cook?” And it’s a strange look on his face, like he is a little hurt that Forrest never shared this with him.

“It’s no big deal. Just something I enjoy, but I’m not stupid enough to give up having you cook dinner for me.” Forrest shrugs his shoulders a little.

“Well, you can bet that the next dinner at your place, I’m sitting on my ass and letting you do all the work. And I can’t wait to see what you come up with.” Flynn lifts his wine glass toward Forrest’s, but I can see the hesitation on Forrest’s face at the thought of cooking for more than just me.

“You will be amazed. His food is to die for,” I say, leaning up and kissing Forrest on his cheek and holding my glass up as well, waiting for him to join us.

He doesn’t speak but just raises his glass and gives a little clink against mine and Flynn’s.

For all the incredible achievements Forrest has had in his work, I suspect they mean nothing compared to this simple acceptance from Flynn for such a small thing.

Our minds work in strange ways. The things that mean the most in our life are not always big and grand; instead, they can be the small moments that make our heart flutter just that little bit harder.

* * *

As we ride back in the car with both Flynn and Felisha, I have a full belly and a nice buzz from the beautiful wine that we sampled today.

“I was proud of my cooking today.” I lean my head on Forrest’s shoulder. “I mean, if I had to rate it, I would be in the bottom half of the class, but hey, it was edible, and that’s a big achievement for me.” Both Felisha and I start to giggle as she high-fives me from the seat beside me.

“Same, sister, same,” Felisha replies.

“I just think it means you both need more practice. What do you say, Flynn, we have the girls cook for us from now on, and the next dinner party is all theirs.” With my hand on his chest, I can feel Forrest’s deep voice in his chest as I snuggle back into his side. I could get used to this touching each other.

“Sounds good, Brother,” Flynn replies from the front seat.

“You are both delusional. Cooking is your love language, and we are happy to reap the rewards of that,” Felisha answers, and her words hit me hard in the chest.

I know she is talking about herself and Flynn, but it has me thinking that she might mean Forrest too. That’s not possible. I mean, I know he likes me, and I can’t deny there is some strong pull toward him, but love is totally out of the question. That’s not what we agreed to.

He is my man of many one-night stands. That’s what he said.

That’s a casual fling, you know, almost like a friend-with-benefits thing, although half the time, I wasn’t sure if we were even friends.

I sit up straight again, and I know that Forrest has noticed my reaction. Taking my hand, he squeezes it hard enough to get my attention, but I don’t want to look at him right now.

The drive back to the villa is full of Flynn and Felisha talking, with Forrest joining in, but I don’t say much. I can’t, as my mind is racing too fast to make any sense.

As we get close to the villa, Forrest dips his head down next to my ear and whispers ever so quietly. “Stop panicking.” His words aren’t soft, instead coarse and demanding. And I try my hardest to listen, but my mind has a different idea.

By the time we pull up in front of the villa and the small van the others are in is behind us, I want just to get out of the car and be on my own for a few minutes to breathe.

But there is no way Forrest is letting go of my hand. It’s like there is superglue between us.

“Call the pilot and tell him to delay the flight by thirty minutes,” Forrest grumbles to Flynn, and his brother doesn’t even ask any questions, just nods at him that he understands.

Being dragged through the villa annoys me. I’ve gone from feeling unstable to agitated, and we all know that is never a good emotion between Forrest and me.

“Stop walking so fast,” I complain, but he isn’t listening. Climbing the stairs is going to be fun at this rate. I try to pull my hand from his. Just as we are about to go up the first step, he drops my hand, but before I can move or say a word, he bends and throws me over his shoulder. My squeal echoes through the place, but it doesn’t seem like anyone else is inside yet to hear it.

“Forrest. Put me down!” I yell at him.

“No,” he growls as he stomps up the stairs.

And before I can argue back, we are through the door, and he throws me onto the bed. My arms and legs fly into the air, and my body bounces up again as I hit the mattress. But there is no time to do anything before Forrest is over top of me and pinning me to the bed with his body.

My wish for space is not happening because there is barely room for me to breathe right now.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not fighting back. I move my hands to his chest to push him off, but he grabs them and pins them above my head. His big hand takes both my wrists and holds them down, while his other hand is on my chin and making sure he has my full attention.

“Tell me what crap was spinning around in that head of yours that started your spiral in the car.” His eyes are trying to pierce my soul.

“Nothing.” I don’t want to talk about it, and I’m certainly not saying the word love anywhere near him.

“I call bullshit. Try again,” he demands, but I’m not giving in that easily.

My silence sends him the same message but without words that I’m not ready to talk about it.

“Okay, if that’s the way you want to play it, then I’ll talk for you.” He shocks me with his words and then drops his lips onto mine. It’s not gentle, this kiss is rough and arousing. I shouldn’t feel the tingles right now, but he is already bringing them out in me. I just can’t ignore the way he is making his point. “And that’s to remind you what we have. We are hot and heavy, soft and sultry, or whatever the hell we want us to be. No one word defines us, Harper. So, stop freaking the fuck out because Felisha said the word love.” The heat as his lips take mine again burns my body, and I respond by raising my hips to rub against him in a way that I can’t stop.

But the moment I open my eyes from his scintillating kiss, I can see it in his eyes no matter how hard he tries to hide it, and I know that I’m on borrowed time.

Forrest has fallen in love with me.

But I can’t return that same feeling to him. I can’t let myself fall into that trap. That just leads to hurt, and I won’t go there again.

I need to stop my heart from wanting to feel it too.

It’s just a stupid fantasy that I can’t have. I knew that, and I told him from the beginning. But he pushed me into this illusion that it would be okay. We’d just have fun and worry about it all later.

I warned him, but I won’t do this to him. I’m not letting him get any more attached than he already is.

I don’t want him to feel the kind of hurt that has plagued me most of my life.

And brick by brick, I start to build that wall I have relied on, but this time, I’m going to use it to protect Forrest’s heart too. One day he’ll thank me for it.

My head might be rationalizing all that I need to do, but my body is betraying me and wants what he is offering. And just as his cock grinds down hard on me, I decide one more day won’t matter. It’s my birthday, after all.

Trying to push my plans to one side, I decide that I’m going to live every minute of this day with this incredible man, but tomorrow, I’m moving to Felisha’s apartment. Because it’s the best option for both of us.

“I’m going to fuck you so hard that you won’t be thinking about anything but my hard cock pounding into you and how much you want more.” That voice undoes me every time. I can’t resist him, and right now, as much as I know I should, I won’t. Because I want him to take away all my thoughts too.

“Yes, fuck me like only you can.” I’m the one reaching to kiss the life out of him this time, and it’s the start of what I can only describe as the hottest and most frantic sex we’ve had, and I won’t ever forget that moment together.

* * *

Sitting on the plane, nearly everyone is sleeping. It’s been a big weekend, full of fine wine and dining and lots of partying last night. I wish I could close my eyes and sleep too, but I just want to savor every moment I have left with Forrest in my orbit. He isn’t sleeping either, but we are just sitting together, with his arm around me, and he’s stroking my arm like he always does. Normally it would soothe me, but today, it just makes me feel sad.

After we land, I slide into the car that was waiting at the airport for us. After thanking everyone for such an amazing weekend, my phone vibrates in my bag. Pulling it out to look at the message before Forrest gets into the car with me, I see it’s from Cherie.

Cherie: I don’t know what happened, but my offer stands. Meet at my gym Tuesday night 7pm. Bring your gym gear and be ready to work hard. I’m not going to sit back and let you screw this up.

How the hell can this woman read me when she hardly knows me? I want to write “back the fuck off,” but I don’t, because if I’ve learned anything since I’ve been living with Forrest, it’s that I need help!

Maybe it’s time for something different. Because if I’m ever going to live through these nightmares that aren’t going away without Forrest, I have to find a new way.

Nothing else is working.

My fingers move quickly over the screen as I reply.

Harper: You freak me out, woman, but okay. Do your worst. But just between us, tell me how you know something has changed?

Cherie: Because you both look like you just found out that Santa’s not real and that what you have been believing in is all a farce. Tell me I’m wrong.

Harper: You’re not. See you Tuesday.

Forrest slides onto the seat next to me and lets the driver know we are ready to head back to the apartment. Wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close has become his go-to whenever we are sitting near each other.

“You okay?” His two simple words nearly undo me, but I hold strong and lie through my teeth.

“Yes, just tired. Big weekend. But thank you. It’s a birthday I’ll never forget,” I reply softly, looking down while I lay my head on his shoulder.

He doesn’t reply, and we ride through the city in silence.

And in my head, I know the real reason I won’t ever forget this day.

It’s as simple as he broke my heart by loving me.

And stupidly, I let him.