The door to Harper’s apartment opens. Finally. She’s back. I haven’t been waiting long, but it feels like forever. I drove by her store first, and she wasn’t there, so I assumed she would be home. When I let myself in and she wasn’t here, I decided I’d stay until she was.

When I walk out to her living room, she’s leaning against her front door looking exhausted. “Hey, Sugar.”

Her eyes snap open and her mouth falls in surprise. I walk toward her, ready for her to replace the stench from the motel. “What are you doing here?” she snaps.

“Came to talk some more.” I don’t stop walking until I’m in her space. “Where were you?”

“I had brunch with Rafael. I wanted more answers.” She shrugs as if this isn’t a big deal.

A growl starts low in my chest. She’s got to be shitting me. “Come again?”

Harper tries using all her strength to push me backward, but I don’t move.

“Nah, Sugar. Tell me you’re joking, then I’ll move.”

Her head falls against the door, and she rolls her eyes. “I’m not joking, now please move.”

“I told you not to go near him.” I can’t stop the frustration in my tone.

“You’re my keeper now?” She shoves at my chest again, but I don’t budge.

“Why did you have lunch with him?”

“Brunch, not lunch. I wanted answers.”

I step back from her, about to demand that she not see him again. But she must read it on my face because she beats me to speaking. “I’ve already dealt with you this morning and then Rafael’s anger at brunch. I can’t do this right now. Just leave, Roman.”

That stops me cold in my tracks. Rafael’s anger. What the fuck does that mean? She is not seeing him again. My voice is rough and demanding when I croak my next words. “Tell me everything.”

She sighs as she walks around me toward the couch. I sit close to her but give her enough room, so she won’t argue with me and will get on with her story.

“He stopped by not long after you left this morning. I actually thought it was you coming back. Should’ve known better.” She shakes her head, looking at the ceiling. “You wouldn’t have knocked.”

“How does he know where you live?”

Harper opens her mouth and closes it again, like she hadn’t even thought of that. “I—I don’t know. I guess he saw my address on my lease agreement.” Her head falls against her palm as she groans.

“Don’t think he’s supposed to take it to make a personal call.” I need her to see that he’s a potential threat and she shouldn’t be anywhere near him.

“God, I’m such an idiot.” Harper’s voice breaks, as tears swim in her eyes. She leans forward, doubled over, tapping her fingers against her forehead. I edge closer, trying to bring her to me, but she resists. I bite my tongue instead of demanding she let me hold her. Instead, I rub her back in soft circles.

“You’re not an idiot. It’s probably my fault, my good looks invaded your mind. You were probably too preoccupied thinking what it will be like when I’m inside you again.”

I can’t make out her next words, but she doesn’t laugh like I hope she will. They’re too muffled through her quiet tears and hands. I try again.

“What? I can’t hear you.”

She pops up with tears still falling down her face. Her beautiful face is red and angry. “Yes, I am! My best friend got kidnapped by a psycho and almost died, and here I am not even thinking how he knew where I lived.”

Clearly, I didn’t do enough digging in Harper’s life. “What?”

She waves me off before wiping her eyes and taking a deep, settling breath. “Nothing. Long story.”

I remind myself that I will find out what happened with that later. If Harper has other threats in her life, I’m going to know about them. Not going to be so casual with my searches. Everyone in her life is going to have their rock overturned. When I’m done, I’ll know every skeleton they’re trying to hide.

“Anyway,” Harper starts, already back to her composed self, not a trace of the flush that stained her angry face just a minute before. “He showed up, asking to take me to brunch. I agreed. I wanted to know more. I need to know more.”

“You shouldn’t have gone with him.”

Harper rolls her eyes. “You don’t have the right to dictate anything in my life, Roman.”

I grumble, leaning toward her about to say that she’ll always be my business and I have never lost the right to know something about her. I don’t care about the years between us.

She beats me to it before I can voice any of this, continuing with her story. “Rafael has this frustrating way of hypnotizing me when he’s near me.” Stopping the growl that erupts from my chest would be next to impossible. I hate his name on her lips or thinking of anyone near her.

Harper shakes her head, biting her lip and staring at the blank TV screen, running a frustrated hand through her hair. She sighs before speaking again. “He kept asking me questions about my dad and the relationship I had with him. It was weird. His questions weren’t normal getting-to-know-you conversations, he wanted to know about his business and if Santiago was a client of his.”

“Did you tell him?” The potential outcomes start racing through my mind.

“Yes.” She turns her guilty face down to look at her hands fiddling in her lap.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, reining in my anger. “Harper.” Her name comes out of my mouth drenched in annoyance. She’s always been too open, too trusting. I love her easy way of being around people but hate that she can’t see the potential danger.

“I know, okay? I get it.” She pops up from the couch standing in front of me with an arm crossed over her stomach and the other waving wildly as she speaks. “You’ve always told me not tell personal information to complete strangers. Here’s something you don’t get, though. I don’t think like you do. I’m not scared something is out to get me at every turn. Sure, I’m careful after everything with Savannah but still, I’m not someone who can go around not trusting a soul. I want to believe people are good and honest.”

I stand, placing myself right in front of her, bringing my hands to her shoulders so she stops moving and fidgeting. “You know damn well I love those things about you.”

She steps out of my grasp, holding up a finger. “Don’t you dare say that word near me. Don’t you fucking dare.” Her eyes fill with tears, but not a single one falls to her red cheeks.

I hold up my hands in surrender. “I know you trust people, Harper, but we don’t know his motives.” I try to restrain the frustration from my words.

“Don’t you think I get that? I called you, remember? Rafael just has this way of taking my guard down and before realizing it, I tell him too much information. I started to question him about Santiago and he got a little upset. It wasn’t until I brought you up though that he really got angry.”

“Me?” I ask.

“I said something about you, and he kind of went a little crazy. I swear, I can watch him put on a mask and compose his emotions perfectly. It’s when it slips that it gets scary. Being there with him in a booth when I saw the absolute fury enter his eyes scared me, so I got out of there.”

“Did you ask why he got upset?” I sit back down on the couch, pulling on Harper’s hand until she lands next to me. I tug her into my side, not releasing her until she stops resisting. Harper groans but she relaxes into my side. A victorious smile crosses my face.

“He said he was jealous. It felt like more than that, though. He was angry when I mentioned you. That reaction seems a little extreme for someone he’s met only a couple of times.”

I don’t bother mentioning I was jealous of every person who spoke to Harper when I first laid eyes on her. Harper’s head lands against my chest as she stifles a yawn. “Get some rest. We’ll talk later,” I whisper. Harper likes to sleep after anything emotional. Every time we fought, I’d find her napping when I came to apologize. She nods and tries to get up. I tighten my arm around her and we fall to the side until we’re lying on the couch with her between me and the cushion. Covering her mouth when she starts to protest, I hug her tighter and nuzzle her neck, breathing her in. After she stops resisting, I take my hand away from her mouth.

“If I weren’t so tired,” she hisses. “This would not be happening.”

I chuckle, knowing nothing would keep this from happening.