“Your brain is part of you, Caroline. You might feel like you don’t function the ‘normal’ way, but can I be honest? I prefer theway you are. I prefer brutal honesty, and I prefer it when you blurt out the things on your mind, because that’s the stuff others withhold, that causes problems later. I don’t have to wonder where I am with you. You put it all out there, up front, like a fucking grown up.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and I groaned, pulling her into my arms, the last of the tension dropping from me, as I fucking held her. It was becoming clear to me that she wasn’t just a friend or a client, or even a potential anything. She was already fucking mine. I wasn’t sure if she was ready to hear it, but Jamie’s words rang out in my mind once more, so I bit the bullet.
“Caroline,” I murmured, waiting until her eyes lifted and she was looking at me, focused on me, and what I was about to say, and fuck it, I just did it, “I’m falling in love with you.”
Her mouth dropped open, and more tears slipped down her cheeks. Fuck me. If that wasn’t the most honest and visceral reaction to something I’d said, I don’t know what would be.
“Really hoping those are happy tears now…” I tried to sound offhand, or glib, but my fucking heart was on the line, and I needed to know.
“You… really? I don’t really know how it feels to fall in love, but it feels like something big is happening. Something huge.” I bit back the schoolboy in me who wanted to crow at those words, saying something along the lines of ‘that’s what she said’, like anyone else I knew would, because this was an important moment for both of us. Maybe the most important one ever.
“So we’re okay?” I used my thumbs to push her tears away, and she nodded.
“So okay, Harley. So so okay. I’m sorry I’m crying. That’s weird, huh?” She blushed, lowering her eyes, but I leaned close and kissed the tears from her cheeks, catching the sound of her breath as it hitched in her throat.
“Oh god,” she whispered, before she lifted her lips to mine, and we sealed our biggest conversation with a kiss. One that I hoped said everything better than I could have ever done. I wasn’t a master of words, but she seemed to understand me in a way nobody else did.
“Not to disturb you lovebirds or whatever, but there’s a customer out here, man,” Rocket said, actually sounding as discreet as I’d ever heard him, so I lifted a hand, offering him a thumbs up, as I gently teased my lips away from Caroline’s.
“I have to go deal with that, but this isn’t over. I need more of you, Caroline, I want to taste every inch of you this time.”
She shuddered, swiping her tongue over her lips in a way that made me want to dive back in.
“Get back to work, little lady.”
She giggled, reaching up to cup my cheek for a moment.
“I’m definitely at risk of falling for you, Harley.”
As I watched her hurry away, I forced myself to take a few slow breaths, pushing myself from loved up into work mode, but I already knew I’d lied to her. I wasn’t falling in love. I was already fucking there.
Caroline
IWAS AT MY desk for an hour, merrily scanning images, and uploading them, so comfortable in this space all of a sudden, but maybe that was Harley’s presence beside me that I was feeling. He was discussing complex modifications with a client, booking him in, and then he was back to working on Rocket’smotorcycle, which had clearly had some kind of catastrophe today.
“I’m telling you, man, nothing short of disaster would have made me late. I’m not that guy. I say I’m gonna be here, I’m fucking here,” he was grumbling at Harley as they left the room, but every time Harley passed me, he took the opportunity to touch me, or slip another coffee beside me. He was attentive and protective, and I was starting to think this really was love, because why else would I be so attuned to him that I knew where he was at any moment? His presence was bleeding through my concentration while I was in the zone, and that was unheard of.
“Sorry about before,” Jay said as she crouched by my desk, just as they were preparing to leave.
“That’s okay. I’m sorry I’m so easy to freak out.”
She shook her head. “Look, I was serious about offering support or whatever if you need it. Grease was too. There’s not much we can’t achieve when we work together, instead of butting heads. You’re gaining a whole family if you’re with Harley, you know. They’ll all learn how to conduct themselves around you so you feel safe. Even me,” she laughed then, waving a hand at herself, “I swear I have training in this stuff. Anyway, we’re off, but here,” she slid a business card at me. It had no name on it, just a telephone number.
“This is my mobile number, so if you need anything at all, I’m always just a call away.” She waited until I nodded, struck dumb by her kindness, and then she grinned.
“Anyway, I’m off to hand Grease his ass. He’s been far too sassy today.”
“Promises, promises, little pain.” Grease winked at me. “Nice to see you again, Caroline.”
They left, and just as I thought I’d get to spend some time with Harley, with fewer people around, my own mobile phone started ringing.
“Mum? Everything okay?” She normally rang on the same day, at the same time, so I knew to expect the call. Unexpected calls terrified me.
“Don’t panic, love. It’s just… your cousin V is here already, and she’s in a mess. I thought you could come over and help me support her.”
Poor V, Victoria her name was, but if you called her anything but V you were likely to get your ass kicked. Her husband, or now ex husband, had made many mistakes like that with her, but cheating on her with her friend had been the last straw.
She’d had to sell up and leave her whole life, and I couldn’t even imagine that much disruption to a life that was already so settled. No wonder she was a mess. I closed my laptop as I stood up.
