Page 51 of The Reluctant Siren
How she could look at him like he was a walking piece ofcrap. Well, he didn’t entirely not deserve it.
“Can we get you something, princess?” Niall stood, an overlyeager Golden Retriever who was not reading the same signs he was.
Or his friend was being optimistic.
“You could get me a ride out of here,” she repliedsarcastically.
Sometimes he had to deal with her by using logic. “I’ve gotsome burner phones. You can call Uber.”
She frowned, the light of battle hitting her eyes. “Oh, youwant to be cute?”
“Hey, maybe we shouldn’t piss her off more,” Niall said outof the corner of his mouth. He set his beer down. “Harlow, you know why we hadto do this.”
Oh, he was opening himself up to some bitchy comments.“Logic isn’t going to work.”
Harlow ignored him, zeroing in on Niall. “I know why I hadto do this. I know why Jensen had to do this. Why are you here, Niall? You arenot under some death warrant by mobsters.”
“You know why I’m here,” Niall tried.
This was going to be a long, drawn-out fight. Oh, hey, Niallmight know what TV shows she watched and how good her cookies tasted, but hadhe not met Harlow’s inner bitch? Had he never been flayed alive by herincredibly sexy and sharp tongue? He must not have topped her much. As hewatched them bicker…well Harlow bickered and Niall looked mostly confused…herealized he knew parts Niall hadn’t met yet.
Parts he brought out in her.
And he didn’t know all the parts Niall brought out in her.
She might never have talked about wanting the kind ofrelationship her parents had, but didn’t everyone learn from the people whoraised them? Right or wrong, a childhood prepared one for adulthood. Had shelearned she could have different parts of her personality and expect to haveall her sides fulfilled?
Yes, he was thinking about it. Sharing her. Not in the longterm. Maybe in the long term.
He didn’t know. He didn’t have to fucking figure this outtonight. He didn’t have to set the path of his life over the course of oneevening. They had all been through trauma and needed to heal, and she waspractically begging for one of them to take control.
Harlow struggled to let out her anxiety. It bubbled up andthen she shoved it deep, and it shut her down.
“I know I didn’t tell you the whole truth,” Niall wassaying. “But I had to talk to Jensen first.”
“I don’t care,” Harlow shot back.
But she did or she wouldn’t be standing here. She would bein her room plotting how to murder them both and where to bury their bodies.
He wanted their first time back together to be tender andloving. He’d envisioned it a thousand times, those dreams of her his onlyconsolation in the last few years.
But it looked like it was going to be hate sex, and he couldhandle that.
Could Niall?
“Feel free to walk out, baby.” Jensen pulled on his bad-boypersona. She didn’t want to hear him apologize right now. She didn’t want sweetwords. She wanted dominance and confrontation. “Town is to the east. All youhave to do is follow the road, though I wouldn’t expect to get a ride fromstrangers. There’s a prison not far from here, and we’re taught not to pick uphitchhikers.”
She turned his way. “Oh, you don’t think I can walk a coupleof miles?”
“I think you’ll need to jog because the minute you leave, myvow of silence is over and I’ll call your dad,” he promised with a nasty smirk.He meant every word. If he wasn’t going to be around to watch her, then her dadcould do the job.
In some ways he almost hoped she would do it. Then he couldgo back to stalking Hamilton and likely get his ass killed and it would beover.
Was he thinking that way?
“You wouldn’t,” she said.
“Try me.” Now she needed some honesty, and it was going tomake him vulnerable, but it didn’t matter. She could tear him apart, and hewould let her. “I’m only hiding here because of you, Harlow. If you walk, thenI will call your family and feel safe knowing that you’re with them. And thenI’ll go and finish the job.”
