Page 33 of Country Contract

“So, you’re trying to find the princess for your happily ever after?” I break our silence as we come to the fork that separates his home from mine.

He lets out a long sigh that turns into a groan.

“Why is that so funny to you?” He stops and parks the truck. “You don’t believe in those things?”

“I do, for the most part. Some people are lucky enough to experience that, but not everyone.”

“Do you think you will?” At some point at the table, when Harrison noticed the lipstick on his shirt sleeve, he rolled them up. His thick, muscular forearms now lay across each other on his steering wheel as he leans forward, taking me in. He looks so boyish. Charming, young, ignorant about the world. Fluffy hair all mussed up.

“I don’t. When I was younger, I had hoped for my own Gomez, but I’m okay with a mutual attraction that is emotionally and physically beneficial.” I rest my elbow on his center console and lean in comfortably.

“Gomez?” he asks.

“Yes, Morticia’s husband inThe Addams Family. He was her love, liked all the dark and weird things she did. Romantically cared for her in this unique way.”

“I didn’t watch movies too much growing up, so you lost me on that one. A mutual benefit doesn’t sound like love, Harlow.”

“Then it won’t be love, Harrison. It will be a relationship. Those can work, too.”

“Nah, you’re mistaken. It takes love to make relationships work,” he states firmly, sittingup straight.

“I am not. It takes agreement and understanding to make a relationship work. Do you think that emotionally stunted people can’t experience fulfilling relationships because they don’t convey love in the way that books, movies, and media portray it?”

“No,” he answers. “Are you emotionally stunted?” He is immediately embarrassed that he let the question leave his lips.

I smile at his youthfulness all over again. “No kiddo, I’m not. I am full of emotions, but I’m also equally rational. That’s all. Where I come from, love is a bonus, not a part of the foundation.”

He furrows his brows at me. “Don’t call me kiddo; you’re not that much older than me.” His argument sounds so childish, that it causes me to giggle.

“Yeah, yeah.” I unbuckle myself and his brows lift. “I can walk from here.”

Harrison’s hand shoots out to catch me before I can leave; I turn quickly to look at him. I hadn’t realized he had leaned over the console to stop me. I almost bump heads with him but stop a few inches away. His hand tightens on my forearm, and I feel tension under his calloused fingers. I take a quick breath, and when it leaves me, the air blows over his lips. He visibly shivers, causing my brows to rise and my lips to quirk in a knowing smile.

Sweet little vanilla bean,I think absently. Pulling myself away, I watch the tension stay in his shoulders as I open and exit the truck. With my hand on the door frame, I smile at him.

“Get some sleep, kiddo. I’m sure you’re tired.” He frowns at my words, and I smile wider, closing the door.

When I make it inside, I finally let out a long sigh and find a notebook I packed with me. I sit onthe couch and cross my legs, a familiar ache starting to grow between them. Cleo comes out to sit with me, and I give her a few gentle strokes before grabbing a random pen.

I start doing something I haven’t done in a long time; I start to write.

Chapter 15

Harrison

Kiddo.

Kiddo.

Kiddo.

I hate it. I hate feeling younger than I already do.

She’s older than me, sure.

Calling me, a grown-ass man, kiddo seems a little like overkill. Worse than that, I hate that I kind of liked it. Can you hate and enjoy something at the same time? Isn’t that what people call toxic attraction?

People say opposites attract, but I’m not so sure. Cassidy and Hunter are different in so many ways, but in others, they align perfectly. Opposite energies are supposed to draw each other in like magnets. Harlow and I are opposites, but if we were magnets, we would repel each other. Whenever we get close to each other, I can feel an electric current zipping through me, almost like a warning signal.

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