We all climb out of the cart, me lugging all my equipment. Harlow swings her backpack over her shoulder and takes the coil of rope out of my hands as I juggle the harness and other gear.
“Let me help you. It’s the least I can do after you saved me from such an embarrassing predicament,” she says as Emma and Dad disappear into the house in search of dinner.
Leading the way, I feel her follow me up the steps as we enter the front foyer, and I take a left toward our wing of the house. When I no longer hear any noise behind me, I turn to see Harlow frozen in the hallway, staring in my direction with dread plainly on her face.
“Come on, it won’t be as bad as you think it is, I promise.” I step back and take her hand to drag her forward, keeping my grip light in case she wants to pull away. “I didn't take you to be a chicken,” I goad, and I see her straighten at my taunt, taking a deep breath before shaking off my arm.
“I’m not. Lead the way.” She gestures for me to go, so I make my way into our wing, her by my side.
When you enter our wing, you enter into a plush entertainment/lounge room. Basically, it’s where we all chill out if we’re home and not spending time with the older generation.
Fat comfy couches with plenty of throw pillows take up most of the room, but we also have some large therapy pods that we use as well. None of us need them for anything specific, though I’m sure we all take comfort in them. Plus, they’rereallyfucking comfy. In front of that is a cinema-style setup with a huge screen taking up most of the wall.
But Harlow's eyes drift to the other end of the room, my sister’s favorite place in our wing. Tucked away into a little corner is a small library. Unlike the library in the main part of the house, this is a cozy setup with a daybed surrounded by shelves and a curtain in case she wants to block out the sound from the tv. Harlow looks at it with longing, and I realize that she and my sister have so much in common. I bet if Jacinta could put away that petty animosity brought on by her underlying issues, she and Harlow would be tight. In fact, I shudder to think about the things the two of them could get up to against us all.
“You know you’re welcome over this side of the house anytime you want. You have a room in this wing too if you want it.”
Her gaze moves from the reading nook back to me, scoffing in disbelief. “And put myself directly in the firing line? I don’t think so. I think I’ll stay where I am for now." I don't even bother arguing. Her mind is made up, and I can’t really blame her. I’ve got better things to talk about anyway.
“Come on, my room’s this way." I lead her away from the living area and bypass the small kitchen, heading toward a staircase. This wing is three stories high, the main floor with communal areas and the next two with bedrooms and bathrooms spaced out across them.
Climbing upward, I bypass the next floor. Declan, Jacinta, Jaxon, and Oliver have their rooms on that one, so we keep climbing higher. I share the top floor with Holden and Thomas, and that’s also where the spare bedroom is that would have been Harlow’s if she had decided to stay on our side. By the time we reach my door and I open it wide, turning back to welcome her into my sanctuary, I manage to catch the wince she’s obviously trying to hide. Hurrying, I drop my gear just inside the door and reach out for the coiled length of rope she’s carrying, taking it from her hands, and then help her to my bed.
I scan my room, just to make sure I left it clean this morning. Apart from a basketball on the floor, everything's in its place, although I haven’t made the bed. Usually, I’ve hit the snooze button a few too many times and need to hurry, so the bed doesn’t get made more often than not. It’s also a little fuck you to my previous home where a disorganized room would have been grounds for a beating.How messed up am I that some wrinkled sheets feels like a rebellion even all these years later?
The third floor rooms all have super high ceilings and exposed beams, and my room is on the end of the house, so I’ve created a climbing wall up the brick side, my harness hanging neatly on the side of the room. I also have some hooks in the beams high above us for other things, but thankfully, she hasn't noticed them. I wouldn't want to scare her off before I even get a chance to woo her.
“Are you okay?” I ask, making her take a seat. She grimaces but allows me to help her down, groaning when she finally hits the soft mattress.
"Yeah, I think the day is just catching up with me. Falling off Samson, then all that walking before sliding into the pool next door, and then climbing the stairs. It just set off my knee that I banged up before I arrived.”
Kneeling down in front of her, I reach out to touch her, stopping right before I make contact.Look but don’t touch. At least until you get permission.I consider myself to be a pretty respectful guy, consent being king and all that, and I’ve never had more trouble following that simple respect for personal space as I have with this woman. “May I?”
She nods, the slight chewing on her lip the only indicator of her unease, and I slide my hand up her bare calf to her knee. It looks like it’s starting to swell, so I feel around a little bit. I have no clue what I’m doing, but this is what I’ve seen our team doctors do, and it doesn't hurt that her legs are silky smooth and soft.
“How about we check out the footage quickly and then have dinner with everyone else? Afterward, we can hop in the hot tub and soak away all of today's stress,” I suggest, my hand still on her calf. I'm reluctant to remove it, and I can see her eyes brightening with amusement as she looks between me and my hand, but she doesn't shove it off.I’ll take the wins where I can get them.
“Actually, that sounds really good. The heat from your hand was already a small relief, so a hot tub will probably work wonders."
My dick twitches inside my pants at the thought of my heat warmingotherparts of her body, but I quickly clear my throat and step away, hoping she doesn't notice now that it’s practically eye height for her. Heading to my nearby desk, I open up my computer and sit down at the chair. “Why don't you pull the memory card out, and we’ll have a look at the footage?”
I hear rustling behind me, so while my computer loads up, I turn to look back at Harlow. She’s trying to get herself out of the GoPro harness, her struggles pulling up her shirt and exposing the smooth expanse of her stomach. Just a little bit higher, and I’d really be in trouble. A glittering catches my eye, and it’s drawn to her belly button where a bright pink gem sits nestled inside and just above. My dick twitches at the thought of swirling my tongue around the piercing before moving lower on her body.
“Can you help me?” Her muffled voice has my eyes moving upward, and I laugh when I get to her head. She’s become all tangled with her shirt and the harness and is now stuck, her exposed lacy pink bra making her breasts look absolutely biteable.Fuck me, I need to get my head out of the gutter.
“I don't know... This is a pretty good view for me.” I chuckle as she growls at me.
“Kai, it will be the last view you get if you don't help me out of here.”Gotta get my ass in gear. Can’t have that.I help her untangle herself, and as she pulls her shirt back down to where it belongs, I remove the GoPro from the harness before taking out the disk and inserting it into the slot in my computer.
When the time stamp pops up, I realize it’s going to take a lot longer than I thought. A hint of heat and a firm touch on my shoulder have me turning around in the chair, Harlow automatically adjusting her position as I face her. For the moment, she’s trapped between my legs, her breasts now at my eye level.
“There’s a lot of footage here. We’re not going to have time to run through it before dinner. Why don't you leave it with me, and I’ll have a look tomorrow. I know you’re spending the day with Nana and Hope at Neighpalm Couture, and I don't have any plans until the weekend.”
Her eyes light up at my suggestion, and it’s not escaping my notice that she’s making absolutely zero effort to remove herself and put some distance between us.That’s at least three signs that she doesn’t mind me being so close. I’m totally her favorite.“That would be great, thanks. That’ll give me time to have a quick shower before dinner, wash off some of the sweat and dust.”
“I’ll see you at dinner then. Have you got a bathing suit for the hot tub?” I waggle my eyebrows, figuring I can ease into her good graces with a little humor. “Because nudity is always an option.”
“Oh, nudity? Okay, that sounds great,” she says to me, and my mouth drops open as she turns and saunters to my door.
