Harrison

Morning sunlight pours through the window, casting a golden hue on Brynne’s flawless skin. I caress her cheek with my knuckles, and she lets out a soft whimper in her sleep.

I explored every inch of her perfect body last night, and I know she’s going to be sore today. But I want her again. My cock is hard as I press against her, nudging her legs apart. Her eyes blink open, and a small smile curves her lips.

“Good morning,” she says huskily.

“It is a good morning when I wake up to your beautiful face.”

A trace of red creeps into her cheeks. “What time is it?”

“A little after ten.”

“Oh my God.” She starts to sit up, but I pull her back towards me. “I never sleep this late.”

“Considering we didn’t do much sleeping last night, I think-”

“Daddy?” A small voice echoes across the room.

I jerk my gaze to the door to find Penelope standing there, staring wide-eyed at Brynne. Thankfully, the sheets cover our nakedness, but I can still see the confusion in her eyes. I’ve never brought a woman home to meet her, let alone have one stay overnight.

Brynne lets out a small gasp, pulling the covers even tighter around herself.

Shit.

“Penelope. I told you to-” My mother reprimands Penny from the hallway, but stops short when she catches a glimpse of Brynne in my bed. “Oh my.”

Fucking perfect.

“Mother. Can you please take Penny downstairs while I get dressed?”

She gives a tight nod, then ushers Penny away.

“This isn’t happening,” Brynne mutters, rolling out of bed and gathering her clothes. “I knew I shouldn’t have stayed.”

I pull on my pants. “It’ll be fine. I’ll explain-”

“Explain?” There are tears in Brynne’s eyes, but she blinks them away before they fall across her cheeks. “There’s no explaining this. The minute she tells one of her friends, I’ll be out of a job.”

“She won’t tell anyone. And if she does, I’ll take care of it.”

Brynne shakes her head wildly as she finishes pulling on her dress. “I knew this was a bad idea. I never should have come here.”

I take her by the shoulders and force her to look at me. “We did nothing wrong.”

“You have no idea how wrong this is.”

“Why? Because of who your family is?”

She freezes, and I can practically see the blood drain from her face.

I regret the words instantly.

“You know?”

“I figured it out last night. It doesn’t matter-”

She takes a step back. “It does matter.”

“Brynne.”

“You knew and you didn’t say anything?”

“I figured you’d tell me in time.” I drag my fingers through my hair and let out a frustrated breath. “And I didn’t want to ruin the night.”

“You mean you didn’t want to ruin your chances of getting laid.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I need to go.” She starts towards the door.

“Stop.” I take her hand and bring it my lips. “Don’t run off. Not until we talk about this. About us.”

“Us?” Her lips pull up in a bitter smile. “There is no us. There never can be. I’ve already risked too much being with you. Please don’t make this more difficult than it has to be.”

The tears she’d been trying to hold back fall now, but when I reach out to comfort her, she pushes me away.

“You’re acting irrational.”

“Irrational?” She chuckles, but there’s no humor in the sound, only bitterness. “Try spending years having your name dragged through the mud just because of your name. Because of something you didn’t do. Having people stare and laugh just because you were born into the wrong family. I got away from that life. Started over. And I was happy here.”

“You can still be happy.” I take her face in my palms. “With me.”

A small sliver of hope creeps into her eyes, but when she blinks it’s gone, replaced by dismal acceptance.

She peels my fingers away from her face. “Thank you for a wonderful evening. I won’t forget it.”

With that, she turns and races from the room, taking a piece of my heart with her.