you’d be out the door. I will take care of it.”
“All right.” Dammit, this situation was difficult. He had feelings for her, but if he wanted to help her, protect her, he had to bury them and he had to bury his instinct to help her. And he had to lie to her. Neither of which was in his nature. Problem was, he was involved. Over his head involved.
This started out as something he could do to repay what Aiden had done for him. And when Harper came to him he’d only had a passing acquaintance with her. But now he was involved. Harper meant something to him, that tough-as-nails woman who harbored and concealed a soft, tender heart where her friends were concerned.
He didn’t know Callie and Brooke, but he suspected he would like them as well.
Poe still looked scared, but determined to handle this problem herself. He’d let her think he was going along, but after all that he’d been through and the men he’d lost, he wasn’t about to abandon her to some unknown shithead who thought it was fun to terrorize her. He would tie the guy up in knots if he ever got his hands on him.
His unexpected attraction to Poe was a problem. One he’d have to deal with.
“Did you settle in okay?”
“Yes, I’m very comfortable. Thanks again for taking me in. It was kind of you to help me.”
She nodded. “My motive wasn’t purely altruistic. I need you, Jared, for the competition.”
“Ah, I see. So you’re just using me.”
“Precisely. I hope that doesn’t hurt your feelings.”
“No,” he said, “Use me all you want.”
“Thanks. Well we should get you to bed.”
His heart jumped up its beats from rested to sprint speed.
“I mean into bed. Not in my bed, but yours, even though technically it’s my bed.”
He smiled.
“Don’t smile at me like that.”
“I can’t help it. You’re pretty cute.”
“I’m what?”
“You heard me, darlin’”
“I’m going to my room to sleep.”
“Okay. Goodnight.”
When her bedroom door closed, he ran his hand over his face. There was nothing he wanted to do more than get into her bed. Damn Harper, and damn Aiden for saving his life.
He went into his room and turned to close the door, but Daisy was right behind him. He smiled softly as he picked up the basset and rubbed her long, silky ears. Maybe the little mutt was coming around. This time, when he set her on the bed, instead of her walking to the end of it, she ear-tripped her way to him, licked his face and settled her rump against his chest. She made a soft, murmuring noise in her throat he could only associate with pure comfort and contentment and promptly fell to sleep. He felt warm inside. Hell, maybe he was coming around, too. He turned off the light and lay down.
#
The ear-shattering four-note motif of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 yanked him from a deep sleep. For a disoriented moment he sat up in bed blinking and then swung out of bed. Daisy’s response to the crashing music was a sing-song howl. He shushed her, glancing at the clock to see that he’d only been asleep for about thirty minutes.
Stepping out of his room, he collided with a warm, silky, stumbling shape in the dark that could only be Poe. She mumbled an apology and dashed away like quicksilver. Light flooded the living room and Jared squinted and then blinked several times to adjust his eyes. Poe was bent over in the corner frantically moving her hands, then as suddenly as the music exploded out of the speakers, it was silenced.
But it was like there was a booming going off in his head still. She was wearing a cropped t-shirt with the word ‘badass’ in red across the black cotton.
Her smooth back was bared to him, the tiny gray shorts she wore stretched across her fine ass. He wondered again about the tattoo and heat shot to his groin again.
“I’m a huge fan of Beethoven,” he said, his voice scratchy with sleep. “Would this be his Midnight Symphony No. 5? And here I am, caught without my tux.”
She rose and
“All right.” Dammit, this situation was difficult. He had feelings for her, but if he wanted to help her, protect her, he had to bury them and he had to bury his instinct to help her. And he had to lie to her. Neither of which was in his nature. Problem was, he was involved. Over his head involved.
This started out as something he could do to repay what Aiden had done for him. And when Harper came to him he’d only had a passing acquaintance with her. But now he was involved. Harper meant something to him, that tough-as-nails woman who harbored and concealed a soft, tender heart where her friends were concerned.
He didn’t know Callie and Brooke, but he suspected he would like them as well.
Poe still looked scared, but determined to handle this problem herself. He’d let her think he was going along, but after all that he’d been through and the men he’d lost, he wasn’t about to abandon her to some unknown shithead who thought it was fun to terrorize her. He would tie the guy up in knots if he ever got his hands on him.
His unexpected attraction to Poe was a problem. One he’d have to deal with.
“Did you settle in okay?”
“Yes, I’m very comfortable. Thanks again for taking me in. It was kind of you to help me.”
She nodded. “My motive wasn’t purely altruistic. I need you, Jared, for the competition.”
“Ah, I see. So you’re just using me.”
“Precisely. I hope that doesn’t hurt your feelings.”
“No,” he said, “Use me all you want.”
“Thanks. Well we should get you to bed.”
His heart jumped up its beats from rested to sprint speed.
“I mean into bed. Not in my bed, but yours, even though technically it’s my bed.”
He smiled.
“Don’t smile at me like that.”
“I can’t help it. You’re pretty cute.”
“I’m what?”
“You heard me, darlin’”
“I’m going to my room to sleep.”
“Okay. Goodnight.”
When her bedroom door closed, he ran his hand over his face. There was nothing he wanted to do more than get into her bed. Damn Harper, and damn Aiden for saving his life.
He went into his room and turned to close the door, but Daisy was right behind him. He smiled softly as he picked up the basset and rubbed her long, silky ears. Maybe the little mutt was coming around. This time, when he set her on the bed, instead of her walking to the end of it, she ear-tripped her way to him, licked his face and settled her rump against his chest. She made a soft, murmuring noise in her throat he could only associate with pure comfort and contentment and promptly fell to sleep. He felt warm inside. Hell, maybe he was coming around, too. He turned off the light and lay down.
#
The ear-shattering four-note motif of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 yanked him from a deep sleep. For a disoriented moment he sat up in bed blinking and then swung out of bed. Daisy’s response to the crashing music was a sing-song howl. He shushed her, glancing at the clock to see that he’d only been asleep for about thirty minutes.
Stepping out of his room, he collided with a warm, silky, stumbling shape in the dark that could only be Poe. She mumbled an apology and dashed away like quicksilver. Light flooded the living room and Jared squinted and then blinked several times to adjust his eyes. Poe was bent over in the corner frantically moving her hands, then as suddenly as the music exploded out of the speakers, it was silenced.
But it was like there was a booming going off in his head still. She was wearing a cropped t-shirt with the word ‘badass’ in red across the black cotton.
Her smooth back was bared to him, the tiny gray shorts she wore stretched across her fine ass. He wondered again about the tattoo and heat shot to his groin again.
“I’m a huge fan of Beethoven,” he said, his voice scratchy with sleep. “Would this be his Midnight Symphony No. 5? And here I am, caught without my tux.”
She rose and
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