Page 49 of Country Contract

“This whole thing.” I drink my coffee, seeing if I have to elaborate or if she’ll just pick up where I left off. She doesn’t say anything. She patiently waits for me to continue. “Between us.”

She nods knowingly. “What about it?”

“Like, how is this all going to work? I told you before I can’t do casual, and here I am. Trying it. I don’t know what I’m doing.” A pink tinge takes over her cheeks followed by the slow, sweet curve of her smile. Her eyes gleam with mischief I’ve seen before, and I feel all the more nervous about this talk.

“What if I tell you it’s not casual, it’s contractual. This way, we’re both doing something we’ve never done. We can lay out our own rules. I’ll let you make most of them. I’m on vacation, so most of my rules are gone with the wind.”

She takes a full bite of the omelet and hums in appreciation. She nods and shoves a second bite in before she’s even finished the first.

That’s an approval if I’ve ever seen one.

“I thought I’d have more rules, but I feel like what Iwant is an understanding. Just accepting cash for my time with you makes me feel like an escort. Like in all those books and movies.” Her head pops up at my words.

“Books and movies?”

“Yeah, like those movies where the girl is going home for her cousin’s wedding, and she doesn’t want to show up alone, so she pays a guy to be her date, or where the guy needs a girl to be hisgirlfriendso he can tap into his trust fund or get the promotion.”

Harlow’s face screws up in confusion and then a small pinch of disgust.

“Not my genre, so I can’t say I’m completely familiar. My best friend Meg eats that shit up. It’s not like that. This is mutually beneficial, and we have an end date. I don’t live here. You do. It’s as simple as that.”

A loud laugh escapes me, and she startles.

“That’s what they all say.”

“Well, what don’t they say?” She shovels two more bites into her mouth.

“I only know what theydosay.”

Harlow lets out an exacerbated noise before she scarfs down another bite. She chews, swallows, and drinks some of her coffee before turning my way.

“Okay, maybe I should consult Meg and see what she says about all this. She could tell us the terms and conditions we would need to make sure this doesn’t get messy.”

“No! I don’t want to get the opinions of others, then it’s not what we want.”

Harlow rubs her temples and lets out a long sigh.

“Well, what do you want?” Her tone is irritated, and her gorgeous black eyes roll.

“I don’t know, I’ve never done this!”

“Harrison, I swear to God, if we go in this circle onemore damn time, I’ll makeno talkingone of the guidelines or whatever you want to call them.”

“No talking? Then you would literally only be sex. I would basically be a sex worker,” I grumble. My food has barely been touched, and she’s practically finished. She doesn’t look up at me as she continues to eat and drink. She hasn’t rebutted my escort comment, and I find it both irritating and amusing. Once she’s finished her food, she gathers her plate and stands.

“Harlow?”Shit, I fucked up.I went and pissed her off, and now she’s done with the whole thing.

After Harlow drops her things in the sink, she walks over to the coffee table and grabs a spiraled legal pad and a pen. Plopping back down in her seat, she looks at me.

“Fine. I’ll take you seriously, which is much harder than you think.” She narrows her eyes at me before opening her notebook to a blank page.

“H & H Terms & Conditions,” she states as she writes. When her eyes look over and meet mine, they shift quickly to my food and then back to my face. Her brows raise as if in a silent command to eat, and I comply. She nods and then writes.

“One, H&H consent to spending time together when it is convenient for each,” she starts.

“Two, H&H will respect the right for each person to have their space if requested. Three, under no circumstances shall this arrangement carry past Thanksgiving.”

“Thanksgiving?” I interrupt.

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