Harlow
Without answering, he quickly sets me down on my feet, pulling up his pants before picking up my clothes and throwing them at me. Grabbing a nearby pitchfork, he quietly moves to the doors, sliding out the gap. Logic dictates that I should let him, being the one who’s armed, handle this, but I’ve never been one to let someone else handle things for me. Undeterred, I pull my clothes back on and follow after him, grabbing a shovel off the wall to use as a weapon.
I can only hope it was just an animal or something, but with my luck, I’m sure that’s not it. When I get outside, he’s standing next to the window that looks into the stable. Glancing down, I find a set of footprints in the garden bed beneath the window, and the pretty flowers that had been planted there are trodden and broken. Nearby, a set of trash cans are on their side and dented, almost like they’ve been kicked.What the fuck?
I come up next to him, peering through the window and feeling slightly disgusted, and a gasp leaves my mouth as it dawns on me that someone had been watching the two of us. They’d seen Declan strip me naked, his back to them but my bare body completely in view. Declan shifts, the movement bringing my attention to him as he pulls his phone from his pocket. His eyes meet mine, the desire completely gone, leaving behind a different kind of anger this time. One that’s not directed at me. Taking the pitchfork from his hand, I return it and the shovel back inside as Declan holds a conversation with, I’m assuming, the detective in charge. One who had probably left not long ago.
When I get back to him, he’s returning his phone to his pocket. “Give me the keys to the beemer, and I’ll put it into Oliver’s spot in the garage. I don't want anything to happen to it overnight.” His demand is gruff, and when he looks at me, I see a hint of the disappointment I’m feeling, but that quickly disappears, becoming guilt.
Not wanting to start another fight, I hand over the keys and climb into the passenger seat. I’m not stupid! If this was a movie and I’d insisted on walking back to the house on my own, I’d end up kidnapped or dead. Why tempt fate to avoid an uncomfortable thirty-second trip?
The car ride is smooth and silent, but when we pull into the garage, he stops the car, locking all of the doors before I can get out. I look from the lock to Declan, and his eyes are clouded with indecision while he rubs at his stubbled jaw before sighing. It echoes loudly through the silence as he leans his head back against the headrest.
“Don't go, Harlow. Don't run away in some misguided attempt to save us or protect us. And don’t listen to Dad. He’s gone into protection mode, and to him, that means putting you out of the way of danger. Thomas and I think safety in numbers is a better idea, and the others tend to agree with me. You've got to deliver the horses. We’ll do that, and you can use the time to think about what you want to do, and when we get back, we’ll have a family meeting once Holden is home. Let’s talk it out in a sensible manner, not making overly emotional decisions brought on by stress and guilt.” I wince at what he’s saying, knowing I can’t really deny that all my decisions in the last few hours have been driven by exactly that. At least if I had followed through on what was about to happen in the barn, I would’ve enjoyed that bad decision.
I take a deep breath, willing myself to keep my words calm and even so that we can get through this conversation without having some kind of argument. He’s being reasonable so far, albeit a little controlling, but I feel like taking charge is a bit of his default setting. “Okay. I wasn't able to speak to Chuck, and it’s too late to organize a truck to deliver the horses tomorrow, so that’s what I was planning to do anyway. I’m still not convinced that leaving isn't the best option, but I realize I’m now a part of this family, and I owe it to Dad to discuss it like you suggested.”See? I can be perfectly reasonable too.
A minute passes as I wait for him to open the locks, but he doesn't. He sits there with his head back against the rest before blowing out another loud sigh and turning to me. The regret in his eyes is loud and clear, so I just hold up my hand, my chest aching with pain, and turn away from him.
When I was with Holden in the club, I felt so free. In the cover of all those moving bodies, Holden and I enjoying each other with no strings attached, I’d been able to just exist in that moment of pleasure, having a gorgeous man play with my body while letting myself be carried away by both his touch and the music. But Declan, he’s an entirely different beast. Back in the barn, I wanted to bury everything negative beneath the ecstasy that I know Declan would have wrung from every part of my body. I wanted to let him take control, stealing away the burden of having to decide what to do with myself while he used me in the best way. Now, instead of helping me lock myself away from any pain, if only for a short while, he’s adding to the cause of it.Of course. Because fuck my life.
“Don’t. It’s okay. I get it, okay? Let’s just leave it at that.” A moment later, the locks click, and I open the door, climbing out. Grabbing my bag, I hurry away to the soundtrack of him stomping much too closely behind me. I’m just about at the door to the house when my temper gets the better of me and I whirl on him. He stops where he is, surprise lighting his eyes as I stalk toward him.
“No, you know what? It’snotokay. This emotional whiplash that you’re all giving me is not okay. Especially you. Earlier today, you told me that it would always be Jacinta’s side that you take, but then you ravish me! If that’s not sending mixed fucking messages, I don’t know what does.”
I pace back and forth across the garage in front of him, anger only rising higher. “What is it with all of you? You think you can wind me up and get me all hot and bothered and then not follow through. Over and over again! You’re all a bunch of teases.” I stop and poke a finger into his well-formed pecs. “Stay away from me unless you’re willing to follow through on your actions. I amdonebeing a plaything to you and your brothers. Fuck you and fuck all of them.”
Wrenching open the door, I storm toward my wing of the house, leaving Declan in stunned silence behind me. On my way, I detour past the kitchen and grab an open bottle of wine out of the fridge. Mrs. Heyton goes to say something, but she must see the storm clouds on my face. Instead, she reaches into a cabinet and passes me a wine glass, her face wreathed with amusement. Grunting my thanks, I head to my room, a date with the bottom of this bottle and my vibrator on my mind. Today has been horrific, and I just need to lose myself for a while. What better way to do that than with alcohol and an orgasm? Even if it has to be a self-inflicted one.
First, though, I need to check on Princess and the kittens, but when I get to my wardrobe, I find they're not there. Declan must have moved them before he went out to wait for me by the stables. Putting my phone down after sending him a text to confirm, I pour myself a glass of wine and take it with me while I have the world's quickest shower. By the time I get back, there’s a message saying that he set Princess up in his room so that she wouldn’t bother me tonight. Well, that was kind of thoughtful, but I’ve got to say, I do miss my little bed buddy.
Switching off my phone, I dig around in my side drawer for the buddy I’m going to be using tonight then climb onto the bed. I set up my laptop, type Porn Hub into the search bar, and scroll through until I find a man fucking a woman against a wall. Closing my eyes and switching on my toy, I listen to them as my mind provides the visual of Declan and me back in the barn, throwing in all the details that I missed out on thanks to our interruption. His muscles rippling, head thrown back as he pounded his cock into my wet and wanting pussy. My heels digging into his ass as my hands gripped his shoulders tight. It’s not long before my orgasm is bursting out of me, and it’s Declan’s name that leaves my mouth in a moan of pleasure.
* * *
I’m up early the next morning with a slight headache sitting just behind my eyeballs. I chug my coffee like a junkie mainlining heroin just to shock my body into some semblance of enthusiasm. Only Mrs. Heyton is around to witness my walk of shame, thank god, and when I drop off my empty bottle and dirty glass, she informs me everyone had remained in town last night apart from Declan and myself. She also informed me, her lips twitching like she was fighting back a smile, that Declan was already up and had headed out to the stables a while ago.
“Fuck!” I slam down my coffee mug and grab my backpack, swinging it across my shoulders as I head through the back glass doors, across the patio area, and past the pool to the stables and the waiting horse truck. Scrambling around in my bag for my phone as I hurry is a little tricky, but I eventually get my hand on it and pull out the directions that Chuck had sent me a few days ago.
The movie is being filmed in Napa County. It’s about a six-hour drive from where we are, and I’m more than a little afraid it’s going to be awkward spending all that time with Declan. I’m not sure which of us is driving the truck, but I’ve brought my book just in case he does. I mean, what have we really got left to talk about?
Rushing across the grassy expanse between the house and the stables, I can hear the sounds of voices and clattering hooves as horses load into the truck.
When I round the corner, the truck's side load ramp is down, Josh leading Delilah up it. Standing behind him with a prancing Samson is Declan. Clad in jeans, a tight t-shirt, and work boots, it’s the most casual I’ve seen him apart from his sweats. I can’t deny it’s a damn good look on the man. How he can look as smoking hot in casual clothes as he does in a suit is just beyond my comprehension this early in the morning.
Last night is a blur brought on by the wine and two self-administered orgasms. The sexual tension Declan had wrought on my body made it so the first one practically leapt out of me, but both things contributed to me sleeping better than I have since I arrived here in California. There’s a good chance I may have overindulged, just slightly, on the wine though.
A throat clearing and Josh stepping between me and my view of Declan have me rousing out of my hangover stupor. Looking amused, he raises one eyebrow at me. Why does this man continue catching me checking out the Summers men? “Looking a little rough this morning, Harlow.” I’d thrown my hair up into a messy bun and put on a pair of old jeans and my favorite shirt that features an angry unicorn sayingI will cut you.I’d stuffed my riding clothes in my backpack and have my boots in hand.
“Drank a little too much wine last night,” I tell him, shrugging my shoulders before we both turn to watch Declan lead Samson onto the truck. Of course, the damn animal who’d usually be pitching a fit is as meek as a kitten, calmly walking on without any coaxing.
“They’re all loaded now, Harlow,” Josh tells me, and I lean over to give him a kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you so much, I’m sorry I’m running behind.”
He smiles and waves me off. “No problem at all. It’s the least I can do after everything that happened yesterday. I’m just glad Holden is going to be okay. The Bostons’ horses followed the other animals back yesterday, and we gave them all a rub down and checked them over; none were worse for wear.” The mention ofwehas me looking around.
“Where is Luke this morning? Is he coming with us? I wasn’t able to get a hold of Chuck to ask him what he wanted with Luke. I’m assuming he’s to go with the horses.”
