She watched Trent wrestle Red Barbie away from him.
Marching straight over, she grabbed the woman’s upper arm, digging in her nails so hard that she wasn’t sure she hadn’t drawn blood.
“Get your hands off my boyfriend,” she said with a calmness she didn’t really feel.
“Harper, seriously, this is not what it looks like.”Trent hadn’t moved, his eyebrows raised and his arm up in front of him in surrender.“Seriously darlin’, it’s not.”
“Your boyfriend?”the woman snarled, looking Harper up and down with a look that said she found Harper lacking.“Really?”The word oozed with sarcasm.
Harper tried not to take it to heart, but it was a thought she herself used to have every day.
The visual of Trent with Red was staggering.They looked made for each other, a thought that hurt her.
“I suggest you get out of here before I break your fingers,” Harper said.
“Listen.He and I are sleeping together, so unless you want to join us…”
“Once Harper, before we met.”His eyes focused on hers.
Red turned her attention back to Trent.“You can’t really be serious, honey.”
His gaze left Harper’s for a moment as he turned to Red.“Listen.I appreciate the offer, but there’s only one girl for me and she’s standing right there.”He nodded toward Harper.
Red’s face hardened.“Your loss,” the woman spat, turning around and looking for her friend.She grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the club.
Cujo deliberately adjusted his jeans.“Wow, Harper, you’re quite the cockblocker.”
“Did you seriously just say that?”Drea was frowning.“You have the sensitivity of a rock, you asshole.”
“Jealous, shortcake?”Cujo stared at her, his pierced eyebrow raised.
“In your dreams.”Drea walked over to Harper.“You okay, hon?”“No, I’m not.I need a minute.”She walked back to her drink, and downed it quickly.Her hands shook from the confrontation, and seeing Trent with another woman squeezed her heart painfully.
“Harper, darlin’.Wait,” Trent shouted, running after her.“Look, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry.Are you fucking kidding me?Sorry doesn’t even begin to cover it, you ass.”
“I didn’t plan this.She just showed up, caught me off guard.I get that it looks bad, and I’m sorry.Please.Stay here with me.She’s gone.I don’t want her here, I only want you.I promise.”
Harper wavered.The anger she felt was unnerving her.“Fine,” she snapped, trying to get her raging emotions under control.
Harper took the hand Trent offered and followed him back toward their table.“How many more women am I likely to see make out with you?”
Trent wiped his mouth with a cocktail napkin.“Christ, Harper, I didn’t ask the woman to come here and throw herself at me.It was my birthday weekend, the one before you walked into my studio and turned my world on its head.”
“You don’t do things like that when you are with someone else, Trent.I’m going to have an image in my head of you kissing another woman, and I won’t be able to get rid of it.Imagine how you’d feel if the tables were reversed.”
Trent pressed his lips flat against each other, and crossed his arms.“I’d punch the fucker’s lights out.”
Harper held her hands out to her side and bunched her shoulders.“Perhaps a little extreme, but exactly.”
“Okay,” he agreed.“Point taken.I wouldn’t want the tables reversed.Ever.So I’ll say it again.I’m sorry, darlin’.”
Harper looked away.Trent pulled her over to him slowly, sliding his hands onto her hips.
“It’s true, what I said,” he murmured, his nose sliding along her jaw toward the back of her ear.“You’ve rocked my world since the day you walked into it, and all she did just now was confirm how superficial my choice in women used to be.”
Harper shook her head and put her hands on his arms.
