Roman’s steps echo behind me up the stairs and down my hallway. My eyes are cast down, staring at my feet taking each step toward my apartment. I’m walking as slowly as I can without crawling, not ready to have it out with Roman. All week I successfully avoided saying anything to him. Only letting myself look at him when I was certain his eyes were somewhere else. Then he had to switch the tables on me today, using my own game against me. I know what I’ve been doing, wearing red all week. I know how it drives him wild, but he knows how much I’ve always loved his chest.

My head snaps up when I hear Roman curse behind me and come to a complete stop. A man I’ve never seen before is casually leaning against my door, flipping his keys around his finger before catching them in his palm and then starting over. Flip. Catch. Flip. Catch. He’s staring at me, scanning my body from head to toe with a gigantic grin on his face like he knows a secret. Roman runs into my back since I stopped abruptly.

“Please tell me this isn’t Harper,” the stranger says. My spine stiffens when he says my name, and Roman curses again. He steps in front of me. “She is far too sexy for the likes of your ugly mug.”

“Stop looking at her like that.”

“Ah, so it is the famous Harper.” I peek over Roman’s shoulder to see the stranger rubbing his hands together gleefully. He’s gorgeous.

“Wow,” I whisper. Roman turns, glaring at me. My eyes widen, motioning toward the stranger whose grin grows even larger, showing perfectly straight, white teeth. He’s about Roman’s height but isn’t as broad as Roman. His deep, vivid, blue eyes are twinkling as he watches us, running a hand through the messy dark blonde locks on his head. The hair on the sides of his head is cropped close, but it’s long on top and looks incredibly silky.

“Kiernan.” Roman’s tone is threatening and menacing. So, not a stranger?

Kiernan pushes off the door and comes straight into Roman’s space, and they stare at each other before Kiernan breaks out in a laugh. “You should have seen your face.”

Roman’s lips twitch as he tries to hide his smile, and the two hug and slap each other on the back.

Roman brings me to his side, wrapping an arm around me. I roll my shoulder, pushing his arm off of me. Roman growls while Kiernan throws back his head, laughing again.

He picks up my hand and brings it to his lips, flicking his eyes over to Roman, before he presses a kiss against my hand. Roman yanks my hand away from him, muttering to himself.

“I’m Kiernan, love. I’ve heard so much about you.” He’s still grinning, happily staring at me.

“I haven’t heard a thing about you,” I respond, looking between Roman and Kiernan. “I’m Harper.”

“Kiernan Brooks. Best friend and righthand man to your lover boy. I’m sure we’ll get to know each other really well.” He shoots me a wink.

I start shaking my head and waving my hands in front of me. “He’s not my lover boy,” I say in exasperation, using my fingers to emphasize the last part with air quotes.

Roman interrupts before either one of us can say anything else. “What are you doing here, Kiernan?”

“You’ve been talking non-stop about the gorgeous Harper here for the last decade. Thought I should take the chance to meet her. I have to say, you didn’t do her justice. I think you might be too ugly for her. Think I can convince her to go for someone better looking than you? Someone like me?”

Roman steps in front of me, blocking my view of Kiernan. His hands are balled into fists and he leans forward, going nose to nose with Kiernan. “Back the fuck off, man.”

Kiernan smiles, patting Roman on the shoulder, not in the least affected by his alpha male show. I push past the both of them, unlocking the door to my apartment and going inside. I try shutting the door in their faces, done with both of them, but Roman’s foot finds his way inside the door frame. “Nice try, Sugar.”

“I think I love her,” Kiernan laughs, following Roman inside. I walk to the fridge, grabbing a water for myself and a beer for Kiernan. After I open it, I hand it to him. Roman stands there staring at me, waiting for me to hand him something. I shrug and turn my back on him. He can get it himself. Or better yet, he can leave and walk straight out that door. Maybe I can convince Kiernan to take him back to Tennessee.

I try shutting down the question looping through my mind. Did Roman really talk about me? I shudder, thinking about what he must have said. If he laughed about me with a girl in his bed, he probably said even worse to his guy friends. I close my eyes, shutting off the pain easing into my splintered heart.

“So, you two know each other?” I ask, turning back toward him, sliding a fake smile into its place.

“He’s VP of my security company,” Roman states, staring at my lips with his eyebrow drawn in and a frown on his face.

His security company? I didn’t realize he owned the company. What the hell is he doing here? I bet he needs to get back. I can use this to get him out of my life. I can use this to make him walk out that door before he completely destroys me for the second time. I’ve barely gotten to a place where I can feel my heart beating without feeling pain and here he is, looking devilishly sexy every day, threatening to send me back into an abyss of desperation and sadness.

Kiernan expands on Roman’s simple statement. “We met at basic training. I haven’t been able to get rid of him for the last ten years.”

Roman rolls his eyes and pushes Kiernan on his way to the fridge to grab a beer.

“He’s kind of like a fungus that way, isn’t he? Once it’s there, it doesn’t leave, just infects your life and destroys everything.”

Roman’s head turns, watching me, his frown still tightly in place. He doesn’t say anything as we stare at each other with Kiernan’s laugh booming in the background.

When Kiernan’s laugh settles down, he crosses his arms over his chest, with a take-no-prisoners attitude. “I came because you’re going to need some backup, Rome.”

I swing my head to Roman’s, and his head is slightly shaking. Kiernan continued speaking. “I found some cartel chatter about Rafael’s activities. It ain’t good, man. He’s the real fuckin’ deal.”

“Cartel?” I whisper. Roman mutters a curse as Kiernan looks at me, surprised. “Cartel? As in the freaking drug cartel?”

Kiernan looks back at Roman. “You didn’t tell her.” It’s not a question, just an angry statement.

“Want to fill me in, Roman?” I ask, putting my hand on my hip.

“Nope,” Roman says popping the p, staring at me, daring me to argue with him. I stand up to my full height ready to lay into him when Kiernan beats me to it.

“That’s fucked up, man. This is her life. She deserves to know.”

“This isn’t any of your business,” Roman hisses through his teeth.

“You’re asking me to dig into things. It sure as hell is my business.”

I snap my fingers, getting their attention and breaking their stare down. “Rafael is interested in me. It is my business.”

Roman stares at me, reading every emotion on my face. His jaw twitches as the gears in his head turn. He closes his eyes, clenching his jaw so tightly, I hear the grinding of his teeth. “Fine.”

I nod, crossing my arms over my chest, satisfied I won this round.

“Rafael’s in a cartel.”

I stare at him waiting for more of an explanation but he doesn’t give me one. “Taking lessons from James?”

He pops an eyebrow, watching me. I want to launch myself across the room and strangle him.

Kiernan’s eyes bounce back and forth between us, waiting for one of us to break. When the silence continues, he grumbles before he starts speaking. “Rafael is the head of a cartel. James is helping Roman track down some more intel.”

“Wait,” I say, holding up my hands. “I was joking. You brought James into this?”

Roman shrugs.

“Is that a problem?” Kiernan asks. “Is James a dick or something?”

“No,” I say quickly and defensively. “James is the best.” I cut my eyes to Roman. “Which is why he shouldn’t be involved. How dare you drag my friends into this.”

Roman stalks toward me, breathing hard. “I already told you, Sugar, I’ll do anything to keep you safe. James will be fine. He knows what this is.”

“You haven’t told her a goddamn thing, have you?” Kiernan asks, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling at Roman.

I answer for Roman. “No, he hasn’t. He hasn’t told me anything. He lies. He leaves. Pretty charming, isn’t it?” My stare doesn’t break from Roman; he’s fuming, nostrils flaring and eyes on fire.

“You know enough.” His short reply makes me even angrier.

“Do what you’re good at and get the hell out. Leave me alone.”

“Got a place to stay, Kiernan?”

“Yeah, man. Down the street at a motel.”

“I’ll call you in the morning.” Roman doesn’t take his eyes away from me or stop crowding me during this brief exchange.

I avoid Roman’s gaze as I watch Kiernan walk toward the door and pause in the entryway. He looks back over his shoulder at the two of us. His eyes briefly meet mine before staring at Roman’s profile.

When Kiernan starts speaking, I turn my gaze back to Roman to watch his reaction. “This is her life, Roman. She deserves to know. She deserves to know everything.”