Chapter 7
SEVEN
“THIS IS THE MOST embarrassing moment of my life,” Harper muttered when Bastian walked into the ER exam room.
Perfect, just as she remembered him. He didn’t disappoint. So few men had that quality. That was something, right? She should have at least one nice memory before she combusted in humiliation.
A woman entered behind him. Older. Shorter. Reeking of sophistication.
Not that Bastian noticed the others in the room. She, seated on the end of the hospital bed, got his complete focus.
Purpose sped his gait until he stopped in front of her. “Look at me.”
They only had a private room because Adara insisted on it. What a fuss for nothing. Talk about unnecessary. She’d expected her sister and Carnell to come back into the room alone. Bastian? Really? Bastian? How had that happened? She’d murder her beloved sibling for this.
Since they arrived, Carnell sported a permanent frown, much like the one Bastian was wearing too. Adara had been teary and apologetic. Drama? No. There was no need for all the emotion. This was one big misunderstanding. A purposeless palaver.
The sooner she could get out of there, the better.
“No,” she said. Bastian didn’t hear her or he didn’t care. He cupped her face and brought it up against her will, forcing her to meet his eye. “I’m fine. Don’t fuss.”
“We’ll give you guys a minute,” Carnell said and left with an arm around Adara.
“Where are the police?” Bastian asked. “What happened?”
Her gaze darted around. Something else, something else, anything else, the ceiling, the cabinet, oh, a sharps container. How interesting.
“Nothing happened,” Harper said because, unfortunately, she couldn’t avoid his question forever. “Don’t fuss.”
The entitlement of his touch suggested he wasn’t afflicted with the same awareness that zipped through her whenever they touched.
“Where’s your doctor?”
“Bastian,” she whined. “This is mortifying.”
Nope, nothing got through.
The woman who’d arrived with him slunk over to crowd in beside them. “Are you going to introduce us?”
“I told you to stay in the car,” Bastian said to the woman, without losing his focus.
He pushed the hair from her temple, uncovering the bruised graze that hid there. His jaw twitched and strengthened, clamping tight.
“You didn’t have to come,” Harper said, curling her fingers around his wrists as his hands continued their caress.
“You were mugged,” he said. “Did you expect me to hear that and ignore it?”
The presence of the strange woman made it impossible to have an honest conversation.
“I didn’t know Adara called you. I don’t know how—I wouldn’t have let them. They must have called when I was with the doctor.”
“Good, I’m glad they called,” he said. “Someone needs to drum some sense into you. What happened?”
She tried, unsuccessfully, to duck away from his touch. “It’s not a big deal.”
He leaned forward, forcing her to slope backward. Dropping his weight to his fists on the mattress at either side of her, Bastian was intent, completely at ease with their proximity.
Her heart, on the other hand, couldn’t handle it. It hammered so hard she could almost hear it screaming to jump from her chest and hide. Shit, the last thing she wanted to do was start panting in his face. If she was going to have a heart attack, guess a hospital was the place to do it.
This man, this deliciously, unconstrained, consuming man, wasn’t shy about using his size and effect on her to demand what he wanted.
Somehow, he loomed closer. “Then you won’t mind telling me what happened.”
Wow, well, when he was set on something, he didn’t let up.
Was this battle winnable? Not if she wanted it over as fast as possible.
He was so damn assured and unapologetic.
Being the sole point of his commanding concentration was both humbling and arousing.
The power of his fixation alleviated the pain in her skull, diverting it to the tingling between her thighs.
Swallowing, she licked her lips, accepting Bastian wouldn’t retreat until he had the truth.
“I went out for dinner with Adara and Carnell,” Harper said, tracing a fingernail around the face of his watch.
Her nail kept exploring, moving to the links of the metal strap, sliding in and out. Fidgeting refocused her bouncing endorphins. It was the adrenaline of the night. That was the agitation. She shouldn’t read anything into it, he shouldn’t—was she a billboard of humiliation?
“And?”
“I went outside to make a phone call and… a guy ran up and snatched my purse.” His eyes rose to note the purse on the bed behind her. Yes, that purse. Okay, she knew what he was thinking. “I didn’t let him have it.”
After a long, unimpressed blink, his eyes opened on hers again. “Of course not, that would’ve been too smart. Do you have secret nuclear launch codes in there? The Football wears Prada?”
If he wanted to get sarcastic, she’d get defensive. “No,” she said. “But it’s mine.”
“You have a sentimental attachment to it?”
It was a purse, like any other, one she liked, but it wasn’t an heirloom or a gift. “That’s not the point.”
“What if he’d had a gun?”
Her attacker didn’t have any kind of weapon, except his fists, which were the reason all parties found themselves in this moment.
“He hit me in the face.”
“I can see that. What if he’d had a knife, or another weapon, something that caused more than cuts and bruises?”
“He didn’t.”
Bastian was overreacting, everybody was overreacting. It was done and she was safe. End of story. A mugger had no right to put his hands on her or her things. To be honest, she was surprised everyone else seemed so eager to capitulate.
“You didn’t know that,” he said. “Why would you take the risk?”
“It’s mine!”
Though his exhale was audible, she gave him points for mentally counting to ten before responding. No, there was no need to fuss, but it was sweet of him to come despite their lack of an actual connection—a genuine connection at any rate.
“You’re more important than a purse, Sweet.”
Instead of fighting with the man displaying such concern, she appreciated his proximity and sought something she’d missed.
“Show me your dimple,” she murmured, her palm finding his cheek.
Even if it was against his better judgment, he relented and smiled. They weren’t going to fight; they were calling a truce.
“You’re trouble,” he muttered. “Aren’t you?”
“You didn’t have to come,” she whispered.
He traced his forefinger down her jaw while she cradled his face. “I did.”
Their bubble burst when the door opened and Adara came in with Carnell in tow. Bastian retreated to see the new entrants.
“Thank you for coming,” Adara said to Bastian. “I can’t believe she… I can’t believe this happened. It’s my fault.”
“Adara…” Her sister’s apologies had been coming all night. “This is not your fault.”
“I should’ve been outside with you,” Adara said. “I chose the restaurant.”
Carnell put a hand on his worried fiancée’s shoulder. “This is not your fault.”
“Are your parents on their way?” Bastian asked the group.
“I didn’t phone Dad.” Adara blushed. “I can’t phone him.”
“No, that would’ve been embarrassing,” Harper said, directing her words at Bastian. “I’m fine. You’re worrying about nothing.”
Fumbling behind her for the broken strap of her bag, she wound it around her hand.
Except Bastian preempted her and blocked her before she could get off the bed. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going home,” she stated in clear, plain English to the whole room.
“I’ll come with you,” Adara said, scurrying over to Bastian’s side.
“No,” Harper said. “You were staying over at Carnell’s tonight. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“I’m not going to Carnell’s,” Adara said. “I’m not leaving you alone after this. Oh my God.”
Everyone was looking at her. All expectation narrowed.
Harper. Harper. Harper. The internal mental chant squeezed from every angle.
Life was a shitstorm. Did they have to gawk?
She already felt like a zoo exhibit. Okay, they wanted to look out for her, she got that, but the notion of her independence being curtailed… That aversion released a little sass.
“Statistically, the chances of me being mugged twice in one night are low,” she said. “I’m safer than all of you.”
“You shouldn’t be alone,” Adara said, being a worrywart. “The doctor said you might have a concussion. We can’t tell Mom and Dad what happened; they won’t know to look after you.”
Despite living with them, she saw little of her parents and was used to staying out or secreting herself in her bedroom. More so these days given the chance of running into Damon or Charissa.
“My head is harder than the sidewalk,” Harper said. “I’ll be fine on my own.”
“You could go home with Bastian.”
That from the now-smiling woman he’d brought with him. Wham! Knocked it right out of the park! What an opener.
“Mom!” he barked.
Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! No, no, no!
Mortification loosened her jaw. “She’s your mother? Of course she’s your mother.”
Because what else would be more mortifying?
“Carolyn Hunt,” the woman said, holding out her hand.
Harper shook it, as was the polite thing to do. The rest of her body quaked.
This lie just got bigger.
So far parents had not been directly involved. At the engagement party, she’d avoided presenting Bastian to her parents as… anything. They’d danced and then he’d left, that was it. Job done.
The stupid mugger had a lot to answer for. Her purse? Who cared? But that one moment dominoed into the next until Bastian’s poor mother was dragged to her side, forcing them deeper into the lie.
“Lovely to meet you,” Harper said because what the hell else could she say?
“You too,” Carolyn said. “I’m sorry to hear about your trouble tonight.”
“Really, it’s no trouble, just one of those things.”
Carolyn nodded with a head tilt of sympathy.
Bastian interjected. “Would you two stop chatting like you’re at a society luncheon? We’re in a hospital.”
“I’ll go home with Carnell,” Adara said, “if you go home with Bastian.”
What an ultimatum.
Carolyn smiled again and this time, the countenance put her on edge. Placated expressions had replaced the angry, worried, guilty ones, that was a plus. See the good. Ignore the bad. Be positive.
This mood was, at least, an improvement.
“Okay,” Harper relented.
“Really?” Bastian, Adara, and Carnell all said at the same time.
Bastian didn’t hinder her slipping off the bed. “If it will make you all feel better.”
“Will you promise to take care of her, Bastian?” Adara asked. “I’ll tell my father she’s with you. I know he’ll understand.”
“I bet he will,” Carnell said under his breath.
So her father was going to believe she was sleeping over at the house of a man they’d never met. No, she didn’t need her father’s approval to have a relationship, but this was going to raise questions she’d rather not field.
How would she pass it off? Booty call? Better that than reveal the truth of the mugging.
“Good, now we have an agreement,” Carolyn said. “Do you need a doctor to sign you out?”