~

 

“You were saying?” Harvey turned his attention back towards Jon.

“The hell if I know what I was saying,” Jon admitted.

“Wasn’t it how grateful you were to Harvey?” Owen put in and got another growl back for his trouble. “Just saying.”

“Well don’t,” Harvey growled.

“But, I just can’t help myself,” Owen chuckled again.

“My God — It’s like you two are married,” Jon shook his head in disbelief. “You are two grown-ass men with fangs, claws, and everything. And yet, you’re acting like sorority sisters on prom night.”

“It’s true,” Owen said. “You can be very bitchy, Harvey.”

Harvey grumbled another growl as he raised his eyes towards the leafy canopy of the trees and muttered annoyances under his breath. He had a mind to lay Owen out flat on his back with one punch, but somehow he resisted the urge.

“I wanted to thank you,” Jon started, bringing Harvey’s attention back down to earth. “Not necessarily for what you did in going up against the clan — although, I am grateful that you were there for Macy. But also for not walking away from your family when I gave you a reason to.”

“I would never do that,” Harvey grumbled back.

“Jordan needs that. She’s never had that. Neither has Macy.” Jon admitted. “Nobody will ever be good enough for my girls — and they’ve had a rough time of it over the years — but, Harvey, you come damn close.”

Harvey didn’t know what the hell to say. He already knew that in his own way Jon had been protecting Jordan and Macy. He admired him for that. But now with one less obstacle in his path to wooing his mate, Harvey truly felt elated.

“Well, I for one appreciate you saying that, Jon,” Owen stated and got the stink eye from Harvey for his trouble.

“You best come back to the house and wash up,” Jon offered Harvey.

“Oh, I’m fine,” Owen said.

“I’m not inviting you into my house,” Jon offered back.

“That’s a little harsh,” Owen said.

“Not in my book,” Jon grumbled.

“Your obvious trust in me is overwhelming,” Owen grinned.

“You’re a vampire. And even I know that you don’t invite a vampire into your house,” Jon said.

“You mean, a vampire that has spent the last few hundred years able to quash his bloodlust. The same vampire that now has access to blood bags, vampire groupies, and a tasty treat whenever he wants one?” Owen offered the man a toothy grin with just a little of his fangs showing.

“That would be the one,” Jon shot back.

The sound of Harvey’s deep chuckle caused Owen to do a double take of the man.

“Oh, look who’s gone from grumpy bear to happy bear. It’s always funny when it’s not you at the end of the pokey stick,” Owen scowled at the shifter.

“Isn’t it just.” Harvey grinned.

 

~

~

~

 

Harvey strolled out of the shower and into the bedroom was a towel wrapped low around his hips and the rest of his naked, wet body on display for Jordan’s viewing pleasure. He hadn’t known that she was standing there in the bedroom doorway, but even if he had, he wouldn’t have rushed to dress.

“Holy hell!” Jordan bit out.

They were the first words that had slammed into her mind even if they wouldn’t have been the first choice for her to say, except that her mind was otherwise occupied with what her eyes were seeing, and all rational thought had quickly vanished at the sight of him.

It was true that she’d seen Harvey with his shirt off before. Those muscles that packed his chest, his abdomen, and his arms were a sight to behold. But he wasn’t standing in her bedroom before, naked beneath a small towel, and setting her whole body on fire with feminine feelings that she hadn’t had in a very long time.

Jordan swallowed down a good portion of her tongue, even though it seemed like the hardest thing in the world to do because she was suddenly feeling very dehydrated. She knew that Harvey was watching her, but she still couldn’t seem to manage to stop her eyes from devouring his body.

“I thought you knew I was in here,” Harvey said.

Jordan was almost certain that the man’s deep tones had become even deeper — they were certainly sending vibrations through her body. For some strange reason that she couldn’t quite fathom, her eyes flicked towards the bed, and then back to Harvey once more.

There was a low rumble like thunder that came from him, and she somehow managed to drag her gaze up to his face.

“I did,” she breathed out, and then she dragged a breath back in again.

“Well, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Harvey said and held on to the grin that threatened his lips.

“Scare me…” Jordan echoed his words in the hope of understanding them. “You didn’t scare me.”

“Then I guess you like what you see,” Harvey said as he felt the grin tugging at his lips.

“Who wouldn’t?” She winced as her mouth offered more words than her brain hadn’t checked yet.

“In that case…” Harvey took just one step towards her and watched as she snapped her body to attention. “How about seeing it up close and personal?” He teased.

“I’m…umm… Good, thanks,” Jordan rushed out and with her words she made sure that Harvey never took the second step.

“I can handle good, and I can do very bad too,” Harvey couldn’t keep the growl from his voice.

“I bet you can,” Jordan allowed the wickedest grin that he had ever seen in his life appear on her lips. “But I didn’t come here for that.”

“I can’t say I’m not disappointed,” Harvey offered back. But as much as he wished that she had, it was pretty obvious to him, what with Macy and her father being downstairs, that things couldn’t go much further.

“Your wounds have healed,” Jordan said, allowing her eyes to roam over his body again. She felt well within her rights to do so now that she had come up with a good reason to do it.

“I’m good,” Harvey said.

He was more than aware that outwardly his wounds had healed. He still had a few angry -looking red welts on his skin from where the brother's claws had gone deeper into his flesh, but on the inside, the effort that it had taken for his body to heal him had also weakened him.

“Owen said…”

“You’ve been talking to the vampire — I should have known.” Harvey grumbled a different kind of a growl.

“He said you have a fight tonight,” Jordan offered back with concern.

“The vampire talks too much,” Harvey grumbled, biting down on his need to go and find Owen and silenced the man with one punch.

“Like a nun just getting released from a silent order,” Jordan tossed back.

“That’s… a strange way to describe Owen,” Harvey was still thinking about it.

“You’re not going to fight them again tonight, are you?” Jordan asked.

“Not them…”

“No, another brother,” Jordan folded her arms and pierced him with a steely gaze.

If his intention was to run rings around her and mislead her, then he was barking up the wrong tree. She was a mother and very used to dealing with those tactics.

“You shouldn’t be fighting at all.”

“It’s what I do.”

“Not tonight,” she tossed back.

It wasn’t that she liked the idea of Harvey in a bare knuckle fight at any time, but he’d been injured already, and that meant that it wasn’t a fair fight at all.

“Is that an order?” Harvey braced himself for her words.

He was good at what he did. He won. And going toe to toe with another shifter leveled out his bear.

“That’s not my call,” Jordan shrugged one shoulder.

“It’s been your call since the moment I met you,” Harvey offered back.

He watched as she tilted her head to one side like a curious beast, and she frowned as she took a moment to consider his words. Harvey waited.

If she told him that she didn’t want him to fight anymore, then after tonight, he would be done.

But that night’s fight would go ahead no matter what because he had given his word.