When I opened my eyes, I was aware of Harper on my chest. I tipped my head and glanced down at her. She was sleeping peacefully, her long lashes brushing her cheeks and her red hair fanned over my chest. She was angelic when she slept. I had seen a lot of women sleep—it was usually my cue to skip out on them—but none of them were ever as beautiful as Harper. Maybe I was biased after having the best fucking sex ever.

I liked having Harper lying on my chest, fast asleep and without a care in the world. It was almost like she really was my girlfriend. It was probably the closest I would ever get to having something like this. Best enjoy it while I had the chance. I’d never had a real girlfriend. I’d had flings in school and plenty of women that hunted me down, but I hadn’t dated anyone long-term. The commitment never made sense to me. But if it felt anything like it did with Harper, maybe it was worth a shot.

Harper shifted and sighed before she opened her eyes and looked up at me.

“We were squashed in this little bed all night,” she said.

“I don’t mind,” I said, grinning down at her.

Harper sat up, taking the sheets with her. Her red hair hung in a waterfall down her back, a beautiful contrast against her milky skin.

“I’m going to take a shower,” she announced. Harper climbed out of bed, walking naked to the bathroom with confidence and grace. She was the most self-assured woman I had ever seen.

Only when she closed the door and the water ran, did I realize that I wanted to be in there with her, fucking her again. It’s not like it’d been with previous girls, where I couldn’t imagine wanting to fuck them again. One and done has always been my philosophy, but this was different.

Like a gentleman, I waited for Harper to finish and dress before I jumped into the shower as well. When we were dressed and ready, Harper and I headed out in search of breakfast. The hotel offered a breakfast buffet, but I wanted to get out on the town and explore a little and Harper agreed.

We walked the streets of LA, enjoying the sun we saw so little of in Seattle, and came across a tiny bistro that served breakfast. It looked out over a promenade that wound along the beaches.

Harper ordered eggs and bacon. I ordered the breakfast burger and we both ordered orange juice.

“How’s your head?” I asked.

“I’m not suffering, actually,” Harper said.

“Me either,” I confessed. Usually, I died the day after I drank so much wine.

“Maybe it was because of our extra-curricular activities,” I said. Harper blushed and I smiled. I loved seeing her blush. It was a rare and beautiful sight and it made me want to do everything in my power to make it happen again.

“How do you think they’re holding up at the restaurant?” Harper asked.

“I was wondering the same thing,” I said. “But I think they have it under control for now. I was thinking of calling Zach and asking him to help me out for a few days.”

Harper nodded. She had met Zach a few times. Zach was the one that had helped me start up the restaurant and even though he was a lumberjack, I knew he could help me run the place for a few days.

“That’s a good idea,” Harper said.

After breakfast, we returned to the hotel. We still had a few hours to kill before we had to see Danbury again. I could think of a way we could spend those hours but I had promised myself I wouldn’t sleep with a girl twice, and Harper wasn’t just any girl. So, instead of making a move on her the way I so desperately wanted to, I left the hotel room and made my way to the lobby and out onto the street. I dialed Zach’s number.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m good, all good.”

“Rumor has it you’re in Cali with a girl,” Zach said.

I chuckled. “Yeah, rumor would be right. She’s quite something, too.”

“Engaged?”

“Word travels fast.”

Zach laughed. “I talked to Greyson. He seems to think you’re in trouble.”

I snorted. “The only trouble I get in with women is when they get clingy on me. You know how it goes.”

“All too well,” Zach said. “You should enjoy your time off, though. It’s not often you get a break. Not since you opened the Cow.”

Zach loved ripping off the name of my restaurant. I had nearly called it Hoppin’ Hoppers, but luckily had come to my senses before I’d registered it. The Spiced Cow was much classier.

“So, why are you calling?” Zach asked.

“Can’t I just call to say hi and catch up?” I asked.

“Not usually,” Zach said.

I shook my head. “Yeah, okay. I need a favor.”

“Of course you do.”

“Fuck you,” I said, but I was laughing. “I’m out of town, as you know, and I don’t want the restaurant without management for so long. Greyson is great but he’s just one guy. He can’t cover three people’s shifts.”

“I gotcha,” Zach said.

“Will you keep an eye for me?”

“You’ll be lucky if you get back and the place is still the same as you left it. I might just redecorate.”

“Touch my shit and you die,” I threatened.

Zach laughed. “I’ll keep you posted, don’t sweat.”

It was a relief knowing Zach would take care of my restaurant while I was gone. I trusted the guy with my life. He would ensure everything ran smoothly until Harper and I returned. A part of me hoped it wouldn’t be too long, I was anxious to get back. Another part wanted it to be as long as possible, so I could spend more time with Harper. But that was just looking for trouble. Or maybe it was my dick talking.

“So, tell me about her,” Zach said. “How is she doing?”

“Really well,” I said. “You should see her in action. If she wasn’t pretending to be my fiancée I bet she could have charmed the pants of Danbury.”

“What about you? Has she charmed the pants off you yet?”

I wasn’t going to tell Zach that it was exactly what she’d done. “We’re here for business,” I said. “Not pleasure.”

“You can’t tell the difference,” Zach teased.

I laughed, “Jealousy makes you nasty.”

“Fuck off,” Zach said. “But seriously though, Harper isn’t the dating kind. Don’t go that route.”

I shook my head. “Why does everyone think I need to be warned about her? I’m the player, the one that walks out every time. If anything, she should be warned about me.”

“You know what the difference is between you and Harper?” Zach asked.

“What?” I asked. What the hell did Zach know about a woman he had only met a handful of times?

“You might hit and run, doing one-night stands but you still need it. Harper doesn’t need anyone to define her.”

I wanted to argue, but Zach was right. Even if I hated it, I needed the quick fucks to make me feel like a man.

“So?” I asked.

“So, who do you think draws the short straw when only one of you needs something?”

“Fuck, I hate your logic,” I said.

Zach chuckled. “It’s why you keep me around. Without me, you’re screwed.”

“Don’t bet on that,” I said. “I’m not getting into trouble with this woman, I swear. It’s for the money, for God’s sake.”

“The money seems like a small thing compared to the price of a broken heart.”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean? Don’t spew some Confucius shit here, man.”

Zach was silent and I could imagine him shrugging.

“I’m just saying,” he finally said. “Be careful.”

“No. I’ll be fine. You watch, I’m coming home with the cash and an appetite for more women because I’m not doing Harper or falling for her.”

Zach laughed, “Do you want to emphasize how you didn’t fuck her again?”

I wasn’t going to give Zach the pleasure. The asshole knew me far too well.

“I have to get going,” I said. “The appointment is soon.”

“Go on, make your millions,” Zach said. “I’ll keep you posted on the restaurant. Take care of yourself.”

“Yes, dad,” I said and hung up. I was pissed off that Zach figured I couldn’t get a handle on my heart. Harper was just another woman. I could fuck her and forget about her like everyone else.

Except that was a lie. Harper was more than anyone else. She worked for me and we were friends.

I walked back through the lobby and rode the elevator up to our floor. When I opened the door, Harper lay on her bed with a magazine, kicking her legs in the air like a teenager.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

I nodded. “Zach will take care of the restaurant while we’re here.”

Harper smiled and her smile was enough to drive it all away—the doubts and the questions, and the irritation that everyone else thought I didn’t know what I was doing. Harper was a ray of sunshine. She was beautiful and I would enjoy her company and everything else she had to offer while we were here. We would head back to reality eventually and I would stick my heart right back in its little cage. For now, I could afford to relax. It was just Harper. Everyone acted like she was such a heartbreaker, but I didn’t believe it. I was getting to know her better and I was willing to bet that she wasn’t anywhere close to being the queen of shredding men’s hearts that Zach and Greyson said she was.

“Are you ready for our appointment?” I asked, sitting on the edge of her bed. She closed the magazine and sat up, nodding.

“I think so. I don’t think there’s much more to do than what we already set up yesterday. Danbury won’t have any questions about us, so you’ll only have to sign and then we’re home free.”

I smiled. I wanted to kiss her. I had recently realized that her mouth was mesmerizing when she spoke, and it made me want to kiss her every time she said something. What the fuck was wrong with me? I was thinking grossly romantic things about her.

But Harper was magnetic. Everyone knew it. She was just using her charm on me, the way I sometimes did on her.

It didn’t help my cause that we had slept together, but I pushed away the feelings and thoughts of her and stood up from the bed to put distance between us. Zach was wrong, I wasn’t in danger around her. I could distance myself and not feel a thing.

Besides, Harper wasn’t a man-eater. She was caring and beautiful and kind and funny and she was doing all this because she cared for me as a person. She wasn’t here to shred my heart any more than I was here to shred hers. We were just two friends on an adventure together. A very sexy, taunting adventure.

“Ready to go?” I asked, distracting myself from the thoughts that formed in my mind.

“I just want to run a brush through my hair again and put on my jewelry,” Harper said.

I nodded and walked to the bathroom. I closed the door and splashed cold water on my face, patting it dry with a towel.

“You’ve got this,” I said to myself in the mirror, but for the first time since I’d started saying that to myself years ago, I was starting to doubt if it was true.