Chapter Five
Harper
When it comes right down to it, we didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not George’s girl and can sleep with Will if I want. But what I don’t want to do is hurt anyone, and now Will looks spooked. Yeah, we want each other in a physical way, but he still has no idea who I am.
Could this get any worse?
I glance around my warm, cozy room. While I really like it here, I should go. I should pack my bag and get out of Dodge before this goes any further. Deciding to do just that—after I find Will and tell him who I am—I pull on a pair of jeans and a sweater, and I’m about to close my suitcase when a knock comes on my door. Not the adjoining bathroom door, but the one leading to the hall.
I open it and find Claire and Annabella standing there, huge smiles on their faces. Their arms are linked, and they are so warm and welcoming, my heart squeezes. This is the kind of family I wanted growing up, the kind of family I gave up hoping for.
But you don’t want that anymore, Harper.
Yeah, right.
“Breakfast is ready, and then we can hit the garden,” Claire says.
“We’re having blueberry pancakes. Mom is famous for them, too,” Annabella says, then she crinkles her nose. “Wait, do you like blueberries?”
I stare at the two and try to harden my heart, angry with myself for feeling emotional when I should be paying attention to lessons learned. I need to leave this place right now. I open my mouth to tell them that, but instead find myself saying, “Who doesn’t?”
What the hell, Harper?
Annabella weaves her arm through mine, extending the comforting touch to me, and leads me into the hall. She hurries me down the stairs, talking a million miles an hour, about everything and nothing, and despite this situation, I can’t help but laugh. I always wanted a sister, and the way she’s taking me in, treating me like I’m already one of the family is…not good.
My throat tightens when I reach the kitchen and see everyone from last night gathered around the table. Their voices and laugher representing the type of camaraderie and love I’ve never known. It would be so easy to fall for them all, including Will.
Oh God, this is bad. So very, very bad.
“Everyone came back,” Claire said. She rolls her eyes, but I can tell she loves it. “It’s the pancakes.”
I rub my hands together. “Then I can’t wait to try them.”
As everyone ambushes me with a good morning greeting, I sit, and Claire slides a plate in front of me. My stomach rumbles, and everyone laughs.
“The horseback riding must have given you an appetite,” Annabella says and plunks herself down next to me.
It wasn’t the riding that gave me an appetite. Well, technically it was the riding, but it had nothing to do with Buttercup. “I think it’s all this fresh country air.” Wait! I stiffen. They knew I was out riding? How much did they see? “Oh, you knew I went out earlier?” I ask and try to pull off casual interest.
“I saw you and Will come back,” Annabella says. “I’m sure Buttercup loved it.”
“Will mentioned that you wouldn’t mind.”
“Of course not,” she says, and when she looks past my shoulder, I don’t need to turn to know Will just entered the room. I can feel him, feel the energy arcing between us. I glance around the table. Can the others feel it? I sure as hell hope not.
Claire sits in the chair on the other side of me, and I take that opportunity to pull myself together, my body still feeling the glorious effects of Will’s touch. “I’m glad he’s taken you under his wing. I would have cleared my schedule at the hospital, had I known George’s surprise was a beautiful woman from the States.”
George’s surprise from the States.
Could I be in any deeper?
“Oh, it’s fine.” I wave my hand. “I’m sure I can keep myself busy.” The truth is, I’d like nothing better than to go to my room, curl up in a ball, and figure out how to get myself out of this mess.
“Don’t be foolish, child,” Claire says. “Will would be happy to show you around this week. Isn’t that right, Will?”
I take in the apprehension on Will’s face and tighten my grip on my fork. “Aunt Claire, I—”
“See, I told you so. Now eat up.”
I tear my gaze from Will’s as he takes a seat across from me, but my eyes stray back. When I see the tortured look on his face, I know we need to talk. I have to straighten this out. No way can I let him think I’m with George, or not with George, or…ugh.
“Eat up,” Claire says, and I dig into the pancakes even though my appetite is on a return trip back to the States. But as soon as I take a bite, the flavor explodes on my tongue, and my appetite comes rushing back.
“These are delicious,” I say, and Claire beams at me. Bronwyn delivers me a cup of coffee, and I give her a grateful smile.
“What are your plans for today, Will?” Claire asks.
“Nothing, really.”
“Maybe after we finish our gardening, you could take Harper into town. She’d probably love to see the museum.”
My eyes snap up—that will give us the perfect opportunity to talk in private—but I school my features into polite interest, not wanting to sound too eager. “Oh, that would be nice.”
Will hesitates, then his gaze roams my face. His jaw relaxes, something inside him softening, and he says, “I…sure. If that’s what you want.”
“Yeah, I do,” I say.
Everyone goes back to their pancakes and conversation picks up again. I listen to them talk about work and learn that Claire, Bronwyn, and Annabella are all nurses at the hospital. Ned, who is George’s father, and his other sons all work at the bank. I smile to myself at how the kids followed in their parents’ footsteps. Grandma and Gramps are both retired and live here in the castle. The cousins have various jobs, and every member of the family lives nearby.
After our plates are empty, I help Claire with the dishes and everyone files out to get on with their day. Annabella excuses herself—she has a shift at the hospital—and Claire, Bronwyn, and I head to the shed out back. I take in the gardens and annuals as we walk the cobblestone path.
“Your flowers are gorgeous,” I say. “Do you do all this yourself?”
“Bronwyn and I enjoy our gardens. It’s something we do together.”
My heart pinches. “That’s so nice. It’s nice how close you all are,” I say quietly.
Claire puts her arm around me. “Well, you and George might not yet be married, but you’re a part of our family now, too.”
Guilt swamps me. I need to put an end to this now, no matter how much I love the idea of belonging, being a part of this big family. I take a deep breath and rack my brain. How do I tell them about the pact, and that George might somehow be involved, without coming off as crazy or desperate?
“Claire,” I begin, but Bronwyn stumbles from the shed and falls, the roll of burlap she was carrying rolling away.
“I’m okay,” she yells, and I can’t help but laugh. Of course, as I do, it reminds me of earlier, and how Will laughed when I fell off the damn horse.
Claire and I rush toward her, and she’s laughing. “I can’t believe I just did that.” Claire helps her up as I reroll the burlap. “I’m not normally so clumsy.”
“Don’t worry about it. I actually fell off Buttercup this morning.”
Bronwyn’s eyes open wide. “Were you hurt?”
“Just my pride.”
“Thank God Will was there to help you,” she says.
“Help?” I say. “He laughed at me.”
Claire looks horrified. “He did?”
I wink at her. “Yeah, but don’t worry. I kicked his legs out from underneath him and he fell, too.”
Claire and Bronwyn laugh. “Good for you,” Claire says.
“You’re going to fit right in here,” Bronwyn says.
A lump forms in my throat. She has no idea how much I want that to be true.
After rerolling the burlap, we all head into the shed and put on gardening gloves and grab the gear we’ll need to tend to the plants. I don’t really know too much about gardening but, fortunately, am able to follow along. The morning flies by quickly as we chat and tend to the plants, and I have to say, I never thought I’d enjoy gardening, but I kind of like it. Then again, it could have more to do with the good company.
With the morning behind us, we grab a sandwich and then I head to my room to wash up before Will takes me to the museum. I change my clothes and go looking for Will. I find him bent over a laptop in front of the fireplace on the main level.
“Will,” I say, and he looks up at me. “Are you ready?”
He closes his laptop. “Yeah.”
It’s hard to peel my eyes off him as he stands and unfolds his long, lean body. My gaze moves over him, takes in the sweater that does nothing to hide his muscles and the jeans that hug him in all the right places. While he looked amazing in his suit, I have to say he looks equally as good now. So good, in fact, my body warms, wanting more of what happened in the bathroom—wanting to finish what we started.
Is that wise, Harper?
No, and after I tell him the truth, he’s probably going to think I’m crazy and run for the hills. I mean, who sets up an adventure for epic sex, right? My throat squeezes at the thought of never seeing him again, and I force myself to look away. I can’t blame him for hating me, but at least he won’t think I’ve cheated on George, or that he did something wrong. Integrity is important to me.
Silence hangs heavy, taking up space between us as I follow him out to the car. I climb into the passenger seat, and Will adjusts the temperature before backing out of the long driveway.
I take in the pretty countryside as he drives along the lane.
“Which museum would you like to see?” he asks, his voice strained.
“I hear there is a great wax museum not too far from here. I’ve never been to one.”
“Really?”
“I’m curious.”
“It’s pretty cool, actually.”
With the small talk gone, silence falls heavy again, and I know it’s my opportunity to clear the air. I gather my courage and say, “Will, about this morning.”
He shakes his head and holds his hand up to stop me. “Yeah, we need to talk. Who are you?”
“I can tell you who I’m not.” His eyes narrow in on me. “I’m not George’s girlfriend. I’m not George’s anything. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d never met him. In person or online.”
His face tightens. “What the hell is going on?”
“I’m not who everyone thinks I am.”
“What the fuck.” He pulls the car over and kills the ignition. “Okay, start talking.”
“This is all a huge mistake. I think. Or maybe it wasn’t.” No, meeting Will and becoming intimate with him was definitely not a mistake at all.
I fidget at the way he’s looking at me, like I’ve lost my mind. Jeez, maybe I have.
“So, you’re not George’s girl.”
“No.” I hold my phone out to show the message from Piper.
He reads the words out loud. “‘You’re not where you’re supposed to be!’” Then he says, “I still don’t get it.”
“I’m not George’s girl. I’m Harper Clark, here on an epic adventure. In my real life I’m a boring lawyer from Pratt and Whitney Law Firm.”
He grips the steering wheel and squeezes. “Holy fuck, that’s how I know you.”
“You…you know me?” How the hell would he know me?
“No, I just…I saw you before when I was doing work for the firm. A guy never forgets a beautiful woman like you. I just couldn’t place you. I thought it might have been on the plane.”
“Oh,” I say for lack of anything else as my heart pounds, so worried about what I’m supposed to do now, and how much Will is going to hate me.
“I knew none of this made sense. George and I are close. We tell each other everything. At least we used to.” He looks down, like he’s trying to puzzle things out. “I still don’t know how you got mixed up with my family.”
“It’s like this. I’m here because well, because of a New Year’s Eve game I played with my friends.” He quirks a brow, and I go on to explain. “I thought one of my friends might have been impersonating me online, hoping I’d come here, fall into the role of George’s girl, and fall in love with him.”
His head rears back again. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I know how it sounds.”
“Insane?”
“When you put it that way, yeah.” I stare out the window for a second. “I found out before…well, before you came into the bathroom, that I was dropped at the wrong castle. I’m on the wrong adventure. Grandpa saw me and assumed I was George’s big surprise. I was going to leave earlier, but Claire made pancakes, and then we had such fun in the garden, and well…I don’t know. They’re all so nice.”
His gaze moves over my face, and he nods like he understands where I’m coming from. “They’re great, aren’t they?”
“Yes, and now that I know the truth, I shouldn’t be pretending to be something I’m not. I just wasn’t sure what was going on before Piper texted, and now, well, I’m not sure how to fix it without your family hating me.” I lower my voice to a whisper and say, “Without you hating me.”
His face softens. “I don’t hate you Harper.”
A burst of relief expands my lungs. “No?”
“Now tell me more about this game you played. What’s supposed to happen on your adventure?”
“Well, during the month of our twenty-fifth birthday, whoever drew our name sends us a dossier for an adventure. Part of it is we’re not supposed to come home until we’ve had epic sex.”
The corners of his mouth twitches, and rather than being angry with me, he seems happy. Euphoria dances along my spine. “I guess you can check that off your list.”
A laugh bubbles out of me, releasing a measure of stress. “Yeah.”
He shifts in his seat. “You said you thought your friend set this up so you could fall in love with George.”
“I have no intention of falling in love. I was just hoping to break a dry spell.”
“Dry spell?” His gaze slides over me like a hot caress, his expression dubious. “You?”
I shrug. “I work sixteen-hour days.”
He nods like he gets that. “When is your birthday?”
I’m confused by the question. Why would he want to know that? “Why?”
He shrugs. “Just curious, and of course, I don’t want to miss out on giving you twenty-five spankings.”
A thrill races through me, and I make a face like the idea is horrible. It’s not. “I don’t think so.”
He grins like he can see through the lie. He’s well aware of how much I liked his dirty talk, the way he owned my body. “When is it?”
“The thirtieth of the month. I’ll be home by then.”
He nods. “I have a confession,” he says.
What? Really?
“Yeah?” I say, not sure what it could be. What secret has he been holding?
“This whole meeting online thing didn’t sit right with me. George is a dreamer, and I’m a realist. Believe me, I know how most women see us.”
“How’s that?” I ask.
“They want what’s in our bank account, mostly.”
Does he think I’m one of those women?
“I set out to prove that you were a gold digger.”
My pulse jumps in my throat, a little taken back by that. “Why would you think that?”
“From experience.”
He looks down, and I get the sense that he has a hard time trusting. Has he been hurt? Some social climbing woman wanting him for his money and stature? Or maybe he’s seen his family get hurt and won’t open himself up to it. Either way, who am I to judge? I try to keep men at an emotional distance, as well.
“How were you going to prove it?” I ask.
“By seducing you. I figured if you were in love with George, then you wouldn’t have sex with me.”
My stomach knots, and I swallow hard. Here I thought we had a connection, a sexual pull so strong that it had us acting on our urges despite the consequences. Could I have been so wrong? Then again, I’ve been wrong about a lot of things so far this week.
“So that’s why we were intimate,” I say. “You were testing me?”
“Jesus, no,” he says, his words rushed. “You’re beautiful, Harper. I wanted you from the second I met you, and I couldn’t help myself. It happened because my brain wasn’t working. I’d never do anything to hurt George.”
Relief moves through me. “I wanted you from the second I met you, too,” I admit, then shake my head at all the confusion. “What a pair we make.” I wring my hands together. “I have to come clean and tell your family. I just need to find the right moment.”
“Agreed.” He scrubs his chin, looking off into the distance. “How about this? I’ll keep your secret for as long as you need me to, on one condition.”
“Oh, what might that be?”
He grins is slow, like the devil’s himself when he says, “We go for epic again…and again.”
My pulse speeds up. “Blackmail?”
“More like an improper proposal.”