“Hey, Oli, was there anything in my wardrobe that was salvageable? Something that I could at least wear on the plane today?”
They exchange a worried look, and I sigh. “Just tell me. I’m not fragile, you know. Icancope with whatever it is you're not telling me.”
“Harlow, we know one thing for sure now. The stalker is male.”
I can feel my face wrinkle in confusion. “How?”
“He marked his territory,” Oliver says quietly.
“What? Hepissedon my clothes? But how do you know that the stalker’s male then? Granted, that would be harder for a female.”
They exchange another glance, and Holden grimaces while Oliver runs a hand through his blue hair. “No, Harlow, he masturbated all over your underwear and then shredded everything else.”
I freeze in horror, unable to comprehend what Oliver just said to me. Gaping at them both, a tear trickles down my face at the violation.
They both look horrified at the sight of my tears, and at least that makes me snort a little in amusement. How one tear can terrify two men, one who has just been shot, I don’t know, but they both look terrified.
Before I can say anything, Holden elbows Oli with his good arm. “Go and hug her, you idiot. I can’t. Man, we’re the worst boyfriends ever.” Startled, Oliver throws himself at me, jostling all of us and causing Holden to wince in pain. That’s enough to kick me out of my pity party.
“Be careful!” I smack the idiot as he wraps his arms around me, but I give in and snuggle into the safety of his chest, breathing a sigh of relief.
Holden smiles once he sees me relax. “And this might be a good thing. He obviously wasn't thinking clearly when he did that because now they have a DNA sample to compare.” Hope flares that this might be coming to an end soon, but Oliver kills it.
“Unless he’s not in the system.” And I stiffen again, starting to get a bit scared at what he might resort to next. If he’s marking my clothes as his territory, what else does he think is his? What would he do if he managed to get me alone?
“Fuck, you’re an idiot,” Holden mutters. “Even if he’s not, when they find a suspect, it’ll be easy enough to cross them off or to confirm they’re the guilty party now.”
Oliver places a kiss on top of my head and moves away before helping me to my feet. I’m left clutching at my towel to keep it wrapped around my body. Luckily, it’s one of those big sheet towels so I don't have to worry about flashing too much.
They both chuckle as they watch me wrestle with it, neither of thegentlemenoffering a hand. Though I guess Holden only having one is a good enough excuse. “Come on, let’s go down and see if Jacinta has got anything else you can borrow. I'll grab you some breakfast too, Holden.”
A look of disgust crosses Holden's face, and he carefully climbs out of bed. “Fuck no! I’m not spending another day in bed.” Oliver starts to argue, but Holden holds up a hand. “I am coming down to eat and spend the morning with whoever is around, even if it’s just Mrs. Heyton, and then when I get tired, I will come back upstairs to rest. I’m sure you’re not going to let me out of your sight, so I will be completely fine. I refuse to stay in that bed one more day, Oli, and I need to call Hope too. I’ve got two meetings this weekend that I need to reschedule for next week, not to mention that band from the other night is coming in to sign their contracts, but I’ll push them all back. Know this, Iwillbe going in next week even if you don't like it.”
Oliver blanches at that, his nose crinkling and that hand running through his slightly faded locks again. “I’ve got interviews all week with artists at the shop. I can‘t come with you.”
I can see by the stubborn set to Holden's face and the worried one on Oliver’s that this is about to lead to an argument. So, walking over to Holden, I tuck his good arm under mine and start leading him downstairs, Oliver following behind like an obedient puppy. “Look, if you make them for Wednesday or later, then I should be back from Hawaii, and I’ll go with you. You’re not going to be able to drive or write or anything, so you’ll need some help for a few days.”
“My secretary can help with that,” he whines, and it’s my turn to cut him off.
“Yeah, no, I didn’t like the way she looked at me. It was all kinds of territorial, and if we’re going to do this,” I say firmly, gesturing to the three of us, “‘bitches are going to have to learn you’re off limits. If that means I need to stake my claim on you or any of the others, even in a public space, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Well, fuck. Yep, just declared that out loud.Shit, we haven't really established any rules, and I’m already going cavewoman here. Are we out in the open about this? Maybe we’ll need to hide it so that the media doesn't get wind of it? Do I want to be considered their dirty little secret? So many thoughts run through my mind as I start to panic, my breathing increasing and the boys exchanging another worried glance. Poor bastards are really getting the brunt of all my emotions this morning. Let’s just toss them right into the deep end of boyfriend duty.
“Harlow, what’s wrong?” Holden asks, squeezing my arm where we’re connected.
“Is this something we’re going to hide? I mean, I know I haven't talked to Kai, and I'm not even sure if Declan is fully on board or aware either? But are we going to hide the fact that I’m in a relationship with one of you, let alone most of you? Is this going to be a huge scandal and bad for Neighpalm Industries? What’s Dad going to think?”
Shit, I hadn't even considered Dad in this. I am a terrible daughter. I know Nana and Poppy will be fine with it. In fact, I bet Nana will get all smug and shit and say it was her idea all along. But what about Dad? How is he going to feel about his daughter dating most of his sons? Surely, the media will make it into something dirty. Is that going to damage the company? I’m shaking by the time all these thoughts run the gauntlet of my mind, and Holden keeps me close even though I try to pull away. Instead of giving me space, he pushes me up against the hallway wall and crowds in, Oliver next to him, until all I’m breathing in is sexy intoxicating maleness. My brain misfires with the feel of their bodies against mine, and all I can do is blink up at them above me.
“Shhhh, calm down,” Oliver soothes, stroking my hair as Holden takes one of my hands with his good one, putting it to his lips and placing a gentle kiss in the middle of it.
“No, we haven't worked out all the details, and yes, we will have a conversation with Dad before we go public with it so he’s not blindsided, but he’s not stupid. He knows Kai invited you to go to Hawaii with him, and I’m pretty sure he’s aware it’s not a brother/sister bonding trip. And no, we are definitelynotgoing to hide this, Harlow.” Holden’s voice is gentle but firm, like he’s reassuring a scared animal, and… I guess that’s what I kind of am.
“No way are we going to hide it. I want everyone to know that you’re my woman, making sure the men know that you're off the market,” Oliver grunts, all caveman-like, and I just scoff.Yeah, because I had so many offers previously. But at least I’m not the only one feeling a little possessive.
“For now, enjoy your trip. Talk to Kai and see if he’s on the same page as us. We’ll talk to Dad, and we will let you know what he said when you get home. Go and enjoy yourself drama free, and hopefully by the time you return, they will have caught the guy responsible for all your stress.”
Both kiss me, turning me into a puddle of goo again before they pull away, Holden tucking me under his good arm before we make our way downstairs. I’m still in a little bit of a daze when we stop at a door on the second floor, Oli knocking on it since Holden refuses to let me go.
