“It’s our love language,” she scrutinised me for a moment, “so what’s yours?”
I blinked dumbly at her, suddenly on the spot and not liking it at all.
“I… um… I don’t think I have one.”
“But you’re fucking Harley, right?”
“Probably ’bout time I gag you, little pain,” Grease grumbled, as I gasped and covered my face with both hands.
“It’s okay, she’s shutting up now. Just, you know, this is a safe place to say stuff. We’re his family. Maybe not the one he was born to, but the one he chose.”
“He choseyou? That seems like an error in judgement,” Jay sniped, and he tossed a piece of wire at her.
“Shut it, mouthy. All I’m saying is, if you’re with him, then we’re your family too. That’s all I’m getting at. So like if you have uh… like something worrying you, or whatever, then we’ve got your back.”
Jay looked from him to me, and her eyes suddenly laser focused on mine.
“Is someone bothering you, Caroline? Do you need help? I can’t arrest anyone anymore, but I’m great at breaking men’s nuts. Just ask Grease.”
“You wish, Jay.”
They were like a double act, but it wasn’t funny anymore. It was intrusive, and too focused on me, and I didn’t like it at all.
“I… um…”
“Oi, get off her desk, Jamie,” Harley suddenly popped up beside us, “Caroline, can I borrow you for a sec?”
He grabbed my hand and practically dragged me away from the desk, and into the workshop area. Rocket was nowhere to be seen, but Harley wasn’t paying attention to anything but me.
“Look at me, babe. If they’re upsetting you, I’ll send them away.”
I tried to ignore the way my heart thundered in my chest, and the heat of mortification still warming my cheeks.
“I um… do they know… do they… what we did last night. Do they know?”
Harley swallowed hard, and his eyes left mine for a split second, but it was enough to tell me all I needed to know.
“Oh my god. You talked about… about what we did!” I shoved him back, and to his credit, he didn’t resist, just shook his head at me.
“How could you?”
“It’s not like that.”
“So what is it like? You guys have a group chat you all post your exploits in? Your conquests? Is that what I am? Am I a conquest, Harley?”
He looked stunned by my question, finally losing his usual calm façade.
“Are you fucking kidding me!? Is that really what you think of me? After everything we’ve… fuck me. Last night meant nothing to you? Is that what’s happening here? You got what you wanted, and now you just want me gone?”
I opened my mouth, and it snapped shut again as he turned and clenched his fists.
“Fuck. I really thought…”
“What’s going on here, man?”
“None of your business,” he snapped at Grease, while Rocket poked his head in and quickly disappeared again. I wished Grease would do the same, especially when he focused those steady eyes on me.
“We possibly upset your lady, man. It wasn’t our intention, but… well, Jay’s a nosy pain in the ass, as you know-”
