Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

HARRIET

If there’s one thing I know to the bottom of my soul, I compare every man I’m with to Riftan McKiernan. However, he doesn’t even know it. I’m sure he thinks of me as nothing but a little sister.

Yeah, he’s my older brother’s best friend. I’ve known him since I was a baby. Not that I remember being a baby, but ever since I could, he was always hanging around my big brother. Or it was the other way around. Something made my older brother Sean gravitate towards him like a moth to a flame.

Riftan was a loner, always kept to himself, broody, intense— the way he could stare at you as if he was ready to either burn you alive or unalive you was both intimidating and a super turn-on. He comes from what most people would deem “ the wrong side of the tracks ”, but his mother is the sweetest, most hardworking woman I’ve met. Even though he is a man of few words, Riftan is very protective of his mother and very much a momma’s boy when no one’s around. I know because I might possibly, maybe, okay, a lot, have stalked him most of my life. I’ve also crushed on him as long.

Even though he and Sean are about seven years older than me, I trailed behind as a kid in our small town of Little Horn on the outskirts of Raleigh, North Carolina. Mostly vast grassland and Dogwood trees as far as the eyes can see. With a town of only eleven thousand people, if you had any smarts, you either joined the military or found work in Raleigh.

Riftan was dependable, fiercely loyal, and smart. That’s why he’s such a good enforcer at my family’s security firm, Bullseye Security, where I’m the secretary to my dad. I’m the woman who makes sure everything gets done.

While I have crushed on Riftan all my life, there’s no way we could ever be together. He’s my big brother’s best friend, and I’ve heard Sean give him the ‘touch my baby sister and die’ conversation, which only made me wary of being around him.

My mother said I wore my heart on my sleeve, and she was right. I have hearts in my eyes most of the time I look right at him. Of course, who wouldn’t? Not only does he have strong, smart, broody anti-hero vibes going on for him, he’s six and a half feet tall with bronze flesh as if he’s been out in the sun for too long and jet-black hair that’s tinted blue in the sunlight and midnight blue eyes that could almost look black. He’s built like a brick, and nothing has ever been sexier than Riftan McKeirnan.

“Get your head out of the gutter, dumb-butt.”

“Who’s a dumb-butt?”

“AH!”

I whirl around in my chair to see the man of my thoughts leaning against the doorframe with his arms and legs crossed, those dark blue eyes slowly rolling over me from head to toe and then back up. How long has he been standing there? He’s like a sleek panther ready to pounce on his prey.

“Sorry, Harriet. You know I’d never intentionally freak you out. You must’ve been deep in thought.”

His brow crunches as if he doesn’t like that his presence made me jolt and scream. He’s always been that way too. Considerate and sweet. At least, he’s always been that way to me .

Another reason I compare every man I date to him is that no one ever measures up, either. It’s like I’m attracted to red-flag, toxic men.

I’m what most people call a serial dater. I just broke off a three-month relationship. That’s usually the length of time I spend dating someone before I know if I want to pursue something further or not. Tom, the man I was dating— we were not an official couple; one, he never asked me to be his girlfriend, and two, the one time we had sex, he was subpar, and he didn’t do anything for me. His personality, his true one, anyway, was starting to come out. Tom was sweet and charming at first, but as soon as we did the deed, it was like he thought he owned me, becoming overbearing and narcissistic.

Please. I broke it off two weeks ago, and I’ve been dealing with a bunch of backlash from him as if breaking off our dating was the wrong thing to do.

I’m not a promiscuous woman, having only had sex with three guys, and of course, they were below average. I did say I compared them to this big, strapping, broody man, didn’t I?

Naturally, all the women he’s been with praise him for being a stud in the sack. Trust me, Little Horn and Raleigh were not metropolises. Word got around. Riftan was a god when it came to the bedroom. Or so I heard.

It both infuriated me and made me wish I could be the one in his bed. Women of all sorts come in here for both Sean and Riftan as if they’re the hottest bachelors in North Carolina. My brother Sean is one of the biggest playboys, that’s for sure. He’s the total opposite of Riftan. Oh, he can be as intense and scary when it comes to work, but as soon as he’s done with a job or off the clock, it’s playtime for him.

Looking at Riftan right now, all I want to do is sigh dreamily, although he is still looking at me with that silent intensity.

Oh, crap. I didn’t respond.

“Oh, I’m fine. It’s… it’s fine. Everything’s fine.”

God, could I be any more of an idiot?

“Yes, you are fine.”

Wait. What? I blink. Then I blink again. Is he agreeing with me or saying I’m fine, as in… I’m hot? Because the dark, intense, broody stare he’s giving me is making my panties damp with arousal. God, he’s so sexy, all quiet and morally-grey like that.

Drop-dead sexy. God, I’d lick his body from head to toe if he gave me the time of day in that way. No. I’m sure he sees me as nothing more than a little sister. Someone to watch over for his best friend. Because Sean is nothing else but a big, overprotective brother who likes telling me my taste in men sucks.

He’s not wrong, but hey! I always give the men I’ve dated the benefit of the doubt.

“Uh, can I help you, or are you going to stare at me all day?”

This dark, sensual smirk curls up one side of his mouth as he mutters, “Would you let me?”