Page 30 of Unpredictable
“This is the one?” He arched an eyebrow, inspecting the material as he studied the garment.
“It is,” I said. “Try it on. Trust me.”
He disappeared behind the curtain, and I stood there a moment, frozen as I heard the hiss of his zipper. The way his belt buckle jangled as it fell to the floor. I swallowed hard and took a few steps back so I wouldn’t be tempted to join him.
Ever since that night, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. The way he’d touched me, the way he spoke. The way he made me feel—sexy, powerful, alive. I felt all that and more any time he was near, but usually Olivia was with us. Soon, that wouldn’t be the case, though. Olivia would be off in London, and it would just be Harrison and me.Alone.
I busied myself with checking my emails, but I couldn’t ignore the grunts coming from behind the velvet curtain. “Everything okay?”
More sounds of a struggle, then he said, “I could use a hand.”
“Mm-hmm.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Likely story.”
“No, really. The jacket’s stuck.”
“Okay.” I sucked in a breath. “I’m coming in.”
I slipped behind the curtain, unable to contain my laughter when I saw his predicament. His face was red, and his arms were bound. His biceps were too thick for the sleeves, and he looked like he was caught in a straitjacket. Actually, as he spun, glancing over one shoulder then the other, he looked like a dog chasing his tail.
“You can stop laughing now.” He glared at my reflection in the mirror.
“I’m sorry.” I pressed my lips together, trying to contain my laughter. “It’s just—” I tugged on the jacket, doing my best to free him without damaging the expensive material. “You just—” I finally got it over his forearms and tugged to release him. Laughter spilled out of me the entire time.
“Just what?” He pinned me with a gaze, and I stopped laughing, stopped breathing.
“Nothing.”
I couldn’t think straight. I needed to get out of there—away from those kissable lips and questioning eyes. Away from this man who saw too much and demanded too much. A man who made me want things I shouldn’t.
His eyes darted between my eyes and my lips, and it was then I realized how close we were standing. Our chests nearly brushed against each other, the air between us filled with our shared breaths.
“Have dinner with me,” he rasped. It was more of a demand than a question.
Despite asking him to forget that night. Despite asking him to leave it be, leave us be. He wouldn’t give up. It was both flattering and exasperating—to be the sole focus of his attention.
I shook my head. “I can’t.”
“Does this have something to do with Ryan?”
It felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me, and I stumbled backward as if I’d been struck. “What do you know about Ryan?”
Harrison closed the distance between us, grasping my chin in his fingers. His eyes searched mine, and I felt more exposed than I had the night we’d had sex. “Did he hurt you?”
I swallowed, intimidated by the burning look in his eyes. My heart thumped out a beat that raced then stilled, as if it didn’t know how to react. I didn’t know how to react. He’d caught me off guard with his question about Ryan. And then he’d sent my body into overdrive by crowding me, by filling my lungs with his scent and my body with his warmth. My head spun, but his touch grounded me.
“Not in the way you’d expect.” I closed my eyes briefly, not wanting to get into it.
He frowned, his eyes darkening. “What does that mean?”
The seconds stretched on, and a muscle in his jaw twitched. “Juliana?”
I shook my head and backed away, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. “Drop it.” He opened his mouth as if to protest, and I gripped his hand. “Please.”
“If he hurt you—if he’s hurting you,” he revised. “Tell someone. I don’t care if it’s me or a friend or even a stranger. Just please tell someone.”
“He’s…” I huffed, angry that he was forcing me to explain. This wasn’t any of his business. My heart clenched, and my insides were a tumult of emotions. I waited to respond until I thought my voice wouldn’t shake. “Hewas—” I swallowed. “My fiancé.”
Confusion made way for compassion. He opened his mouth to say something, but then Olivia called, “Dad? Juliana?”
