We stare at each other across the living room, the tension crackling between us like a live wire.
“I'm going to bed,” she says finally, turning toward the hallway.
Her door shuts with a loud slam. How did I fuck that up so royally? Frustration simmering in my chest, I go to my room, slamming my door too.
But I can't relax. I pace the floor, replay the evening in my head, questioning myself. I should have played it cool with Harper. Coming on too strong probably frightened her away.
Fuck, I don’t know how to do this.
14
Harper
I lean against the door, my heart doing a frantic tap dance against my ribs. My cheeks are hot with anger that feels good, righteous.
Who the hell does he think he is?
Cole’s words replay in my head.
I don’t like other men hitting on you.
He doesn’t get to say that. He doesn’t get to look at me with that stormy, jealous intensity after a dinner where he barely said two words to me.
Jack and Tyler are friends. Brett’s teammates. Their flirting is harmless, and Cole’s reaction was arrogant and Neanderthal.
My anger begins to cool, curdling into something more complicated. I replay the evening again, but this time, I try to see it through his eyes. Me, laughing at Tyler’s stupid jokes. Me, leaning in to Jack.
From across the table, it might have looked like more.
A cold trickle of realization drips down my spine. My fury wasn’t just about his possessiveness. It was a shield. The second he demanded a claim he had no right to, I panicked. Because a claim means a definition.
Cole is asking me to commit to something I don’t understand, and it terrifies me.
His raw, unguarded jealousy wasn’t about control. It was about want. It was the same look he had right before he kissed me on the balcony. It was the same intensity he poured into me last night.
And I threw it back in his face because I’m scared.
The fight drains out of me, leaving me hollow and ashamed. I’m a hypocrite. I want his attention, but the second it becomes real, with real stakes, I push him away. I overthink it into oblivion.
Ariel’s voice rings in my head.You build walls so high that most people can’t even find the door.
I won’t do it this time. I won’t run away,
Before I can talk myself out of it, I'm opening my door and padding down the hallway. I raise my hand to knock on Cole’s door, then stop. What if he doesn't want to see me? What if I've pushed him too far?
The door opens before I can decide, and Cole is standing there in just a pair of shorts. “I was just coming to find you.”
“We need to talk,” I say at the same time.
He steps aside to let me into his room. “I'm sorry,” I say before he can speak. “You were right to be upset. I was being defensive.”
He sits on the edge of his bed, and I take the chair by his window. “I don't know how to do this, Harper. I've never wanted someone the way I want you.”
The honesty in his voice makes my chest tight. “I'm scared,” I admit. “I don't know what you want from this. From me.”
“I don't know either,” he says, and somehow that's exactly what I need to hear. “All I know is that I can't stand the thought of other men touching you.”
I look down at my hands. “I like it when things are defined. I'm a planner, Cole. I need to know where I stand.”
