“Hey Colton, did you have a good few days off?” she asks,her body practically vibrating with positivity. Harper must hate it.
“Yeah.”No.“It was pretty good.”I spent the night sniffing a t-shirt Harper left at my place.“Yours?”Please get out of my way.
“Oh, it was nothing special. Tried to get reservations to this new restaurant in town, it’s supposed?—”
“Sorry, I better get going,” I cut her off, picking up my pace when her steps falter. “Got in a little late today and don’t want to get in trouble, you know? But we can catch up later tonight between customers, okay?” I call over my shoulder, my body pulling me towards Harper’s office.
“Oh! Yeah, of course, no problem…” Tessa replies, words trailing off as I make it to Harper’s office, a broody Wade standing sentry at the door.
He doesn’t even glance my way as I stop before him, his gaze focused on…nothing? He’s staring straight ahead, hands clasped behind his back, a flawless impersonation of a statue. His weapons gleaming, as if the last three days were spent polishing them until his reflection winked back.
I glance over my shoulder where his eyes are fixed, before slowly turning back to him.
“Hello Wade. Mind if I get in there?” I greet him, moving to the side and reaching for the door handle, only to be cut off as his body shifts, blocking my hand from making contact.
“Can’t let you do that, Colton,” Wade says, eyes still not meeting mine. I thought of anyone here he would understand.
“So, this is what it’s going to be like, huh? You’re really worried about what I’m going to do to her,” I hiss at him, glancing around to check we don’t have an audience.
As far as the rest of the employees are concerned, there is nothing amiss between Harper and me, our working relationship stronger than ever. He’s got to know this looks worse, blocking me from seeing her. I’m herassistant.
“She’s not the one I’m worried about,” Wade states, toneeven and neutral.But when he finally breaks post and looks at me, I see the pity written over his features.Pity. Like he feels bad that I haven’t come to grips with the new realities of life without her.
Fat fucking chance of that.
I stand taller, not that it matters against his imposing form, and square my shoulders. “Let me pass, Wade.”
I see him wince, a hand coming up to press on the ear piece he wears. Sadie is yelling so loudly, even I can make out every few words. I hear traitor, then asshole, deserve and a few other things I wish I hadn’t.
He lets out a heavy exhale but only turns his head to gaze back at the empty wall over my shoulder.
Fine. He can’t stay there all day.
34
HARPER
Ineed to give Wade a raise. He stood guard outside my office all fucking day.
And on the rare occasion he wasn’t standing there, it was because I either wasn’t in my office or he made sure someone else was in the office with me. First it was Tessa and Marcus, then it wasCirque’s executive chef. The one time Colton attempted to come into the office, it was Sadie keeping company, who launched a shoe at him so quickly, he barely had time to close the door again before he got knocked out by a Jimmy Choo.
So here I am, four o’clock in the morning, staring down at a curled-up Colton on a mat-covered treadmill that he turned into a makeshift bed for the night. Not sure you can still call it a bed when you have to curl into a tiny ball so your feet don’t hang over the end.
I squeeze my eyes shut, willing my mind to settle long enough for me to decide what to do.
Stay or go. Stay or go.
He looks so peaceful in sleep, a tendril of blond hair falling forward to tickle the end of his nose. How can somethingso beautiful do so much damage? How can he sleep so soundly when my nights are plagued with nightmares and terror. Anxiety and shame he caused, this man peacefully dozing at my feet.
I grab a slender foam roller leaning against a nearby machine and jab him in the ass, not hard, but enough to see his eyes snap open, yanked out of his cotton candy dreams.How dare he not be haunted by the memory of us.He jolts upright at the contact, only to be reminded where he is as his forehead connects with the top bar of the treadmill, curses flowing from his lips as the thud ricochets off the walls.
I feel the long absent tug at the corner of my mouth, my lips trying to remember how to smile.
He's still rubbing the already forming bump to his forehead when I let out an amused huff above him.
“What the fuck are you doing? And how did you get in here?” I ask, already regretting waking him up instead of turning around and walking out the moment I saw him.
“Good morning Sunshine, how’d you sleep?” he replies, unfurling his cramped legs and stepping off the treadmill. I step backwards as Colton steps forward, my arm lifting between us, wielding the foam roller I used to nudge him awake.