Then there’s the problem of Brett. He’s going to skin my ass when he finds out. Not that he frightens me, but I’d hate to lose a decades-long friendship.
“So what are you saying? We pretend last night never happened?” I finally ask.
“I don’t know.” She pulls the sheet up to cover herself. “My career is just getting started, Cole. I can't afford for people to think I slept my way to success.”
“I’d hate for that to happen, too.” The hockey world is small and gossipy, and Harper deserves better than having her achievements questioned.
“Fine,” I say. “We keep it professional at work events.”
“And here?”
She’s asking too many questions too soon. But there’s no way I can go back to treating her like a roommate. She’s too fucking beautiful with her swollen lips and hair mussed from my hands.
No, this is not ending just yet. I pull her to me. “Here, you're mine.”
Her breath catches. “Cole.”
“Unless you tell me you don't want this. You have to want this as much as I do…and I think you do.”
She stares at me for a long moment, and I can see the war playing out in her expression. “I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“Of losing myself in you. Of forgetting why I worked so hard to get where I am.” She sits up. “You're Cole Maddox. You're used to getting everything you want. What happens when you decide you don't want this anymore?”
The vulnerability in her voice cuts through me. “Harper, I can’t predict that future, but I can promise you this. When I’m in, I’m in. I don’t play around.”
“I've spent my whole life trying to prove myself. I finally have something that's mine, something I built from nothing. I can't risk that,” she says, her gaze focused somewhere beyond the window.
I reach for her hand. “You won't lose that. What we have here doesn't change how incredible you are at your job.”
“I’m not so sure because right now, instead of analyzing last night's event and planning follow-up strategies, I'm in bed with my client, having the best sex of my life.”
Despite the seriousness of our conversation, I smirk. “Best sex of your life?”
She smacks my chest, but she's fighting a smile. “Don't let it go to your head.”
“Too late.” I capture her hand against my chest. “Stay here with me today. Let me show you that this doesn't have to complicate everything.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t. I promised Ariel I’d meet her for breakfast before going to work.”
“It's Sunday. The work will still be there tomorrow.”
To my disappointment, she stands up. “I want to write a report while the details are still fresh in my mind.” She grabs a towel and fastens it around her body. “Meanwhile, can I think about this?”
What is there to think about? We can't keep our hands off each other. Aloud, I say, “Sure, take all the time you need.”
12
Harper
“So you left him in your bed?” Ariel asks, leaning forward across our corner table at The Coffee Cove. She looks stunning in a gorgeous burgundy silk blouse and dark pants. But then she always does. It’s one of the perks of being a buyer for Fashion Fuels.
“Yeah, but after my shower, he was gone.”
Ariel raises an eyebrow. “Okay, let me get this straight.” She starts ticking off points on her manicured fingers. “The sex was incredible?—”
“The best I've ever had,” I interrupt, then immediately regret being so honest when her eyes light up with interest.
