Fuck.

I never should’ve even talked to Rosa. That girl is fucking trouble.

I only did it to be polite.

At the party, I was introduced as an honorary member of old man Foster’s family. I thought being friendly to everyone would be the respectful thing to do, after all he’s done for me.

But if I knew Rosa would go on to become such a pain in the ass, I would’ve ignored her when she approached me. I should’ve excused myself to smoke outside on the balcony and disappeared for the rest of the night.

Instead, I listened to her yap on about her trips abroad and her vapid friends. I thought I was doing old man Foster a favor, but obviously that was the wrong move.

Later that night, she pulled the hem of her dress up to show off her thigh tattoo.

“Touch it,” she said. “I just got it done a couple of days ago, so it’s still kind of raised.”

I laughed nervously and politely declined. I’d had some wine because there was an open bar, but I wasn’t so out of it that I’d think groping the daughter of a mobster would be a good idea.

As it turned out, refusing to grope her wasn’t such a good idea either. How was I supposed to know, though?

Rosa kept touching my arm and pressing her tits against me. The hall was pretty full, but it wasn’t that crowded.

At some point, she straight up grabbed my head and pulled me into a kiss, at which point I stopped her and said, “Sorry, I can’t do this.”

“Why not?” she pouted.

“I’m not the kind of guy you want. Trust me.”

“Let me decide that for myself,” she said like a truly spoiled princess. “Is it because of my dad?”

“That’s part of it.” I’m not normally into casual hook-ups anyway, but her dad being the leader of a notorious mafia family definitely didn’t make it seem more appealing.

“Don’t worry about him. I promise you, you can do anything you want to me tonight, and he won’t touch you,” she said. She was persistent.

I checked my watch. In an attempt to save her face, I said, “I have an early morning tomorrow. I should go to bed. It’s been a pleasure to—”

“If you walk away from me, I can’t promise you my dad won’t touch you,” she threatened, her face contorted into an angry, ugly mask.

“You’ve had a lot to drink tonight,” I said, noting that she didn’t look twenty-one. “It’s probably best for us to end the night here. Like I said, it’s been a pleasure chatting with you.”

It was a lie, of course. I found her drivel absolutely boring. But I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

Some good it has done me.

Now, I have to cut my trip short because of Rosa.

For future reference, I should stop trying to be polite or friendly. My attempts at being a decent human being have never gone very well at all.

“Good evening, Sir. I hope you’ve had a pleasant stay,” says the doorman as he glances at my duffel bag. “I hope the lady is feeling better.”

I give him a nod but ignore his comment about “the lady.”

Harper.

I shouldn’t have rescued her.

I could smell trouble on her from the moment I turned around and saw her walking toward me, rain dripping off her.

As much as I tell myself I was only trying to do my duty as a physician, I can’t believe my own lie.

There was no need to kiss her. There was certainly no need to kiss her like that.

To make things worse, just now in the hotel room, I wanted to kiss her again.

I’ve never experienced a kiss quite as intoxicating as the one we shared in the cemetery. And, to be honest, I wanted more. Maybe I still do.

Hell, if it wasn’t for that text coming right on time, I’d probably be giving her more than just a kiss by now.

I get into my car and close the door. There’s still a whiff of Harper’s scent inside. Wild jasmine.

The fragrance evokes memories of those hot, plump lips. Those small, naughty nibbles. That teasing tongue.

I wanted to swallow her whole. I wanted to claim not just her mouth, but all of her.

Sighing deeply, I turn on the ignition and start the long drive home.

I won’t ever see Harper again. And that’s for the best. Not just for me but also for her.

Getting involved with me would be way too dangerous for a nice girl like her, especially right now.