Page 102 of The Attraction

“Can you come home and stay in your old room? I promise to leave you be, and I know you don’t need protection anymore. We can take all those restrictions away for you… but I can’t bear to think of you crying out for me at night and I’m not there for you. It’s killing me. Can you let me do this one thing for you? I know you don’t need me, you can do this on your own, but let me share the load. You don’t have to weather this storm on your own anymore.”

I look up into those beautiful dark eyes that are so soft now compared to when we first met. The compassion he lets me see and the love he wants to share with me makes it hard to think clearly.

“Do you promise no nakedness between us?” He nods. “Will you date me and then kiss me good night at the bedroom door?” Again, he nods with the hint of a smile on his face starting to build. “And you will only come to me if I call for you, because I want to try to get to a point that these nightmares are gone completely, and that is going to mean pushing through the pain for a while.” His grin is bigger, and the nod is more enthusiastic now because he knows he’s got me.

“And lastly, you have to promise to continue writing me stupid little love notes every morning for breakfast, but you can ditch the stupid names.” I can feel the smile on my face, knowing I will find peace here, but I’m also proud of myself for staying true to my healing.

“Oh, you know they are just going to get cheesier now, don’t you?” He drops his head and touches his lips to mine.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.” I rise on my toes and wrap my arms around his neck. “Thank you for loving me when no one else would.”

“I didn’t have a choice, Harper. The moment you walked into my life, it hit me that I wasn’t lost, but that I had been waiting for you. And then I finally understood why the universe had been saving me just for you.” His words wrap another imaginary ribbon around my heart, continuing to heal to it.

One ribbon at a time.

* * *

“I can’t believe you have been back living with Forrest for two weeks now and you still haven’t slept together.” Felisha laughs at me. We’re both drinking champagne in The Ritz Bar after sealing a deal today that we have been working on for months.

“Well, technically, we sleep together every night still, just not in the way you mean. Who would have thought, me, the queen of sex and one-night stands, would be sleeping with a man in my bed with clothes on and just cuddling.” I hold up my glass to hers to clink together. “Here’s to progress and the building of the world’s biggest orgasm when we finally do get naked. Because holy shit, it’s getting harder every time he touches me.”

“I can only imagine.” Felisha takes a sip. “Now, can we talk about this wedding that my mother is trying to hijack and make bigger than the ones the royal family have?” She closes her eyes, hoping that when she opens them again, I’ll have some magic answer.

Laughing, I joke with her. “You could always get married in Vegas when we go with the guys next week for the Grand Prix, then just throw a big party when we get back. I mean, I can’t believe we gave a weekend up at the villa just to join them in the flashy-lights capital of the US.” Felisha looks at me, and we both giggle hysterically for a moment until she stops and gets that mischievous look in her eyes like she’s up to something.

“You might be on to something, my brilliant friend.” She places her glass down on the table and picks up her phone, opening up a search page.

“What? No. Don’t even think about it. Your mother would absolutely kill me, and Flynn’s mother would too.” I try to snatch her phone out of her hands as Forrest and Flynn walk up to our table to meet us for dinner.

“Hey, good looking, want to get married in Vegas next weekend?” Felisha looks up at Flynn with the smile of a devil in disguise.

“Are you joking?” He looks at her skeptically.

“Dead serious,” she says as he leans in to kiss her.

“Then fuck yeah, let’s bypass all the bullshit and do this.” He sits down beside her, and Forrest looks at me as if to saywhat the hell is happening?

“No, stop it, you can’t do that.” Now I wish I hadn’t opened my mouth. That’s what I get for trying to have a sense of humor all the time.

“Sure, we can, like you said, then we will throw a big party later when we come back. I mean, just think about it. There is no way we will have to fight off the paparazzi because we will be the least interesting people in town. It takes all the stress out of it, and I don’t have to put up with my mother driving me crazy.” Felisha smiles at the thought of not having to deal with her mum.

“Oh, you think Lady Kentwall is going to be happy when she finds out her only daughter got married at some roadside chapel by an Elvis impersonator? I think I’d rather put up with the bridezilla mother of the bride that we have now, thanks all the same,” I say as I put a hand on my hip to show I’m serious.

Felisha groans at me, and Flynn and Forrest aren’t game to enter into the argument.

“Okay, I suppose you’re right.” She throws a paper serviette at me.

“I always am, that’s why you love me.” I sit back into my seat, and Forrest squeezes me tight around the shoulder as I get comfortable snuggling into him.

Forrest’s deep voice close to my ear makes me shiver. “Well, I can tell you right now, that’s not one of the reasons I love you. Because thinking you are right all the time is damn annoying.”

“Says the man who argued with me this morning over how to stack the dishwasher.” I lay my hand down on his thigh and slowly run it up his leg, close to his groin.

“There is a fine art to that job, and it’s one you definitely have no idea about.” His voice is getting raspier, and I know he is being more affected by the minute by what I’m doing with my hand.

“I’m with my brother on this one…” Flynn starts in on describing the dos and don’ts of stacking a dishwasher as Forrest leans in close to my ear.

“If you don’t stop that right now, I’m going to lay you out on this table in front of the whole bar and fuck you… hard. My balls are at the limit of exploding and have been for days, so feel free to test out my threat.” The growl of a man about to lose control is the hottest thing ever.

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