Page 87 of The Attraction

“Hey, boss, here is your guy,” he says as we walk into an office that looks more like a control room.

“Thanks, Tal.” Ashton stands and comes to me, taking my hand to shake it and slapping me on the shoulder at the same time. He takes my suitcase from my hand and pushes it out of the way to the side of the room.

Then he stands in front of me in that same stance he had the first day I met him in the boardroom at the Kentwall Estates office. “So, tell me what brings my distant English cousin to my office, when the woman he is obviously in love with is on the other side of the world, vulnerable.” The smirk on his face is enough for me to let out a sigh.

“You worked it out?” I ask.

“What, that we are distantly related, or that you are in love with Harper?” His deep laugh makes the tension in my body release just a little.

“Yeah, both,” I answer.

“Well, the first one was easy to track, and let’s face it, with the same last name, there had to be some chance. The second one, it was written all over your face the day I met you and you looked at me like you would kill me if I so much as touched her. So now answer the real question.” He waves his hand in front of me like the floor is mine. “Why are you here, Forrest?”

“I want you to use me as bait and get this Chester guy to lay his hands on me, hurt me, which will then land him back in jail for breach of bail. Then I know she will be safe.” I speak with conviction that I’m fully committed to this plan.

“You what?” he exclaims.

“You heard me.” I stand my ground.

Then he lets out a deep laugh, pointing to the chair beside his desk. “Well, you better sit down for this one. I have a feeling this is going to need more than five minutes.” Ashton takes one seat, and I take the other.

“You could say that.” I sink into the chair, ready to lay it all out in front of him.

I’m sure he is looking at me with hidden annoyance, as I’m this uptight finance guy about to tell him, the head of a security firm with a world of experience in this field, how he should fix this. But he doesn’t show it, and if anything, his interest in what I’m saying shows me what a good guy he really is.

As I’m talking, my phone buzzes in my hand, and a message from Rem appears.

Rem: I know where you are, asshole! If you don’t get yourself killed, then I’m going to do it the moment I see you. Call me when you finish with Ashton!

Fuck, I forgot one piece of important information in my plan.

The GPS tracking in my phone.

Shit!

ChapterNineteen

HARPER

Talking to Felisha tonight, curled up on the couch with a glass of red and some wicked strawberries with chocolate sauce, has helped. That weight that has felt like an elephant sitting on my chest all day hasn’t lifted, but at least I have explained to someone what happened.

Flynn thankfully made an excuse that he had work to do and disappeared into his study so it was just the two of us and I could talk freely. We both ended up in tears when she started blaming herself for her words that sent me spiraling, but I assured her it wasn’t her fault. To be honest, me freaking out and running probably would have happened soon anyway. I’m not built for commitment, it’s as simple as that.

But I couldn’t bring myself to tell her about the catalyst of Forrest calling me the pet name my father gave me. I have never shared with anyone except my therapist the reason why I don’t like to be touched or hugged, not even Felisha. But I suspect my mother knows because I went from a daughter who loved to snuggle with her father, who would run to the front door as soon as I heard the handle turn and leap into his arms, to a twenty-year-old woman who would hyperventilate the moment anyone came too close to me. She never said anything to me, and it’s probably because she was dealing with so much of her own grief at the time, she just couldn’t take on any more.

I know strawberries and chocolate sauce are Felisha’s go-to when she is feeling overwhelmed, but the whole time I ate them, all I was thinking about was the night that Forrest made the chocolate mousse, and we had a very dirty time of spreading it over our bodies and then licking it back off. If you didn’t know Forrest and just looked at him, you would have no idea who he is behind closed doors. He looks stuffy and straitlaced, but to me he is sweet and caring, while also being dominant and sexy as hell. And no matter how much I tried to ignore it all, he left me swooning in the way he spoke and had me melting every single time.

There is something about the way he only gave the beautiful parts of himself to me. Like he had saved them all these years for just the right time to open his heart. And in a way, he did the same for me. I told him things and let him touch me in a way I hadn’t done before. It was hard at first, but the more I opened up to him, the easier it became, and I started to understand what I had been missing out on in life by hiding behind my fears.

When I went to find my pajamas tonight to crawl into bed, I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of my favorite pair sitting in Forrest’s drawer. Looking back, he knew from the time we left St. Tropez that things had changed, and so by him claiming them it makes more sense now, saying I could only have them back when I slept in his bed.

I have been doing plenty of soul searching today, and as much as I’m scared to close my eyes, my body is overtaking my stubbornness. The last I looked at my phone, it showed two am, and still there is nothing from Forrest. Three times since I got into bed, I have typed out the words“I miss you”and then deleted it because sending that would be the worst thing I could do, for both of us.

The darkness starts to take me, and I plead with whoever is listening that I make it through the night without the nightmares taking me down into that awful place.

Standing at the window, I can see my father as he waves to me, sadness in his eyes, and I start to cry because I know he’s not coming back. I feel like I have been here before and this isn’t a new story to me.

I want to call his name, plead with him to stay, to choose me, but instead, he walks away into the night, and the snow starts swirling. But I don’t want to chase him this time. Because I know he is doing what he feels is best for us all. It won’t be, but he doesn’t know that.

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