23. Kyle

Three hours, four dances, two drinks, and one Disney song later, we pulled up in front of her building. All the uncertainty that had plagued me a few hours earlier had disappeared. A switch had flipped tonight. And it had happened even before my lips touched hers.

For one long second, when Harper had casually asked about letting a guy down easy, my heart plummeted. My first thought was that she had been referring to me. It was in that moment that it became abundantly clear: I never wanted to be friend-zoned by this woman.

Elation rushed through me like a tidal wave when I realized she was talking about her douchey neighbor. The sensation was only slightly cooled by the reality of the situation I’d found myself in. But it was too late to fight it. It might be wrong, but I wanted her anyway.

I never walked away from a challenge, and this had the potential to be the biggest one of my life.

I needed to kiss her again. To hold her in my arms. To call her mine.

I was going to have to talk to JJ. And my parents. My entire family would have a lot to say about this. There would be heated opinions about a relationship between Harper and me. But that problem wasn’t insurmountable. It was a topic I’d broach when I was home for Thanksgiving next week. Emotions might run high at first, but they’d all settle in time. Once I handled that, I could talk to Harper.

“Well.” She glanced at me, then out the window, clearly nervous, as the driver stopped at the curb. “This is me.”

Like I didn’t know where she lived.

A flustered Harper might give baby kittens a run for their money in the cuteness department.

“Yeah.” I opened the door and climbed out, then turned and held out a hand to her.

“Y-you’re coming in?” She blinked in a way that reminded me so much of Piper. Her eyes were filled with a mix of uncertainty and concern, emotions her daughter, unfortunately, experienced too often.

“I grew up in Texas, and where I come from, walking a woman to her door is nonnegotiable.”

With a light sigh, she took my hand and stepped down.

“What happens after we get to her door,” I murmured, pulling her close, “is in her hands.”

She froze for a beat, letting me hold her there. But when she finally rebooted and brushed past me, I got another whiff of the whipped-cream scent. It had faded as the night went on, but like a moth to a flame, I had to lean in as she passed.

“Did you just sniff me?” She spun, her lips pursed with displeasure as she assessed me.

I shrugged.

“Do I smell?” she asked, her tone laced with worry.

Chuckling, I tucked her into my side. “Like the best kind of dessert, Crabby.” I pressed my lips to the crown of her head.

She pulled out her key fob, but before we made it to the front door, I took it, along with her door key.

“Hey!” She pouted.

“You’re drunk. I don’t want you dropping them.”

For that comment, she rewarded me with the cute little line between her brows that came only when she glared. Pissing her off should not light me up the way it did, but I’d developed this obsession with getting her riled up, then working to make her smile again.

Clearly, there was something wrong with me.

“You’re doing it on purpose. Aren’t you?” she accused as I held the fob up to the sensor.

“Of course,” I said, grasping the door handle. “We want to go inside, so obviously, opening the door is required.”

“No.” She stomped straight for the elevator, leaving me behind. “I meant making me nuts.”

“Oh,” I said, feigning ignorance. “We should watch that mermaid movie together. I’m telling you, the entire point of it was that the mermaid made the crab nuts.”

At the elevator bank, she crossed her arms, the move forcing her breasts up and together. There was no stopping the way I homed in on her tits. They were full and round, and they pushed against the tight knit fabric of her sweater in a way that made my body temperature spike. More than once tonight, I’d imagined cupping them in my palms. Running my tongue from one to the other. I could picture them, pale and covered in freckles, just like her shoulder. And I could imagine the way her nipple would tighten to a firm bud I could pull between my lips.

“Kyle.”

I blinked and silently chastised myself for getting lost in my fantasies. “Should I sing ‘Under the Sea’ again?”

With a groan, she shook her head. “That once-in-a-lifetime experience has already happened tonight.”

And we’d crushed that. I’d started out alone, but Asher had jumped in—the guy knew the words, thanks to his kids. Emerson was next, because the guy always had to be in on the fun. Even Mason and Eddie Martinez hopped up to finish us off. The best part of it all was Harper’s smile as she laughed at us. In that moment, I understood why Emerson was so willing to act like a lovesick puppy for Gianna. Even grumpy-ass Chris would pretzel himself for a smile from Avery. Getting a smile from the right woman could feel like the biggest win.

She leaned into the wall, and her sweater slipped down her arm again. The red mark it uncovered looked angry in the bright light of the lobby.

“What happened?”

She tucked her chin and inspected it, catching on to what I was referring to quickly. “Oh.” Looking up, but not at me, she swallowed. “Cutting Piper’s nails is like going into battle, so I put it off. But she got upset last night, and I paid the price for not taking care of them when I should have.”

The outbursts. Ryan had them too. They got better as he got older, but for years, my mom worked to teach him how to manage his anger and frustration. It was a long, bumpy road. That was for sure.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open.

“Harper,” I murmured as I followed her off.

She peered up at me, her lips pressed into a straight line, probably bracing for a comment about Piper.

“Tonight was one of my favorite nights in years.” I brushed a strand of her silky red hair back from her face. “I really like hanging out with you.”

She pressed her teeth into her bottom lip, but the smile that spread across her face pulled it free. “Me too.” She blinked at me, her expression full of apprehension and hope, then lowered her eyes, trying to hide it all from me.

I brushed the back of my hand over her satin skin as I tipped her chin up.

“I’d really like to do it again.”

“I would too. But…” She shook her head, pain flashing across her face. “I have Piper and Sam.”

“I’m well aware.” I chuckled. “I spend eight hours a day with one of them.”

She rolled her amber-colored eyes, though she was still more subdued than I was used to.

“But I wouldn’t mind if we hung out here. With them.”

When the elevator doors opened, I followed her into her hall. She was two doors down on the right side, the door with the Revs sticker at the bottom.

When we reached her apartment, she spun with her back to it and took a breath. “I might be willing to give that a try.”

This answer was all coy. The shyness from moments ago had completely evaporated.

“Might, huh?” I stepped between her legs and rested my palm on the warm bare skin of her shoulder. “How might I get a firmer yes?”

Smiling, she shrugged, but she didn’t respond.

I ran my hand up to her neck and held it there, brushing my thumb over her jawline.

She tilted her chin up to mine, and I dropped my face closer to hers.

Her breath skated against my lips.

“I lied.” I swallowed, pulling back a little and blinking.

She inhaled a little sharply, her eyes narrowing on me.

“In fairness,” I said, rushing the words, out, “when I said it, it was true.”

“I don’t understand,” she said, frowning, each word pressing against me.

“I said I didn’t want anything from you. But lately, I have this want—this need—and I can’t stop it,” I admitted, resting my forehead against hers.

“What is it you want from me?” she whispered, closing her eyes.

“The ability to call you mine.”

Her eyes flew open, and her lips parted in a shocked breath.

Without second-guessing myself, I stole my chance and dropped my mouth to hers.

As I cupped the sides of her face, keeping her close, she melted into me. I swept my tongue along her bottom lip, then into her mouth, dominating, dancing with hers, every move full of desire, of need. The tastes of her flooded my mouth, made me desperate for more.

She looped her arms around my neck, pressing every soft curve of her body against me.

My heart pounded, causing blood to rush in my ears and to my cock, as I savored each moment her soft lips touched mine. It was a perfect kiss—sweet, warm, and wet. But as a soft moan left her lips, I remembered exactly what I needed to say.

I pulled back and rested my forehead against hers. Our ragged breaths mingled, and her soft, sweet scent surrounded me, making my cock throb. I wanted her. More than I’d ever wanted anything.

“Harper,” I panted, “before this goes any farther, I need to tell you some things.”

Slowly, she blinked once, twice, and focused on me, her eyes swimming with need. “Kyle, I know a kiss isn’t a promise of forever.”

I frowned, my heart sinking. That wasn’t at all what I meant. I’d probably said those exact words more than once, but that was the furthest thing from my mind right now. With Harper, there was no need to seek reassurance that she was good with just one night, because I wanted more than that.

That little line appeared between her eyes again, and for the first time tonight, I didn’t enjoy the sight of it.

“I’m not going to cry or freak out if you don’t call me tomorrow.”

I wanted to call her tomorrow. What was she talking about?

“Don’t worry,” she said, her tone far too even, unaffected.

“No. Call me any time you want. Hearing from you is the highlight of my day.” I shook my head and pulled back a bit more. “I’m not walking through this door if you’re thinking this is just a one-off.”

“Oh.” Her lips parted, her eyes going wide.

I traced her plush bottom lip with my thumb. She shivered in response, the unintentional move making my gut tighten. I angled in, ready to claim her mouth once more, but before my lips could touch hers, I forced myself to stop. Words. Dumbass.

“I…just.” I sighed, straightening again. Start with the easy part. “You need to know that I’m the one paying for Piper’s therapy.”

In an instant, she went from chocolate syrup, warm and gooey, to solid ice, rigid and cold and sharp.

“What?” she hissed, yanking her arms from around my neck and taking a step back. “You, as in Hope Speaks, you mean.”

The desperate hope in that sentence made me feel like a jerk.

I shook my head. “No, me. Kyle Bosco.”

She reared back, stumbling into the door in her haste. And when I reached out to steady her, she flinched away. A sharp piece of that ice pierced my heart. Dammit. I hadn’t intended to hurt her. I wanted to help.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

I pressed a palm to my chest and rubbed a small circle. But the betrayal in her eyes only made the pain flare. “I’m telling you now,” I said. Now. Before it went any farther. Before our relationship shifted, and details like that would matter.

Hands balled into fists, she lifted her chin, those golden eyes hard. “Why. Not. Before?” The tone reminded me so much of Piper. Each angry word was like a peck to the pain in my chest.

This wasn’t the kind of mad I liked. The kind of exasperation I worked to pull out of her. No, this was something else.

I didn’t want to lie to her. I could live with not giving her every detail, but I would never lie.

“Because Piper needed it. And if not for our connection, she would have easily been chosen for a grant.”

Understanding flashed across her face, and for a moment, I thought maybe we would get through this. Either way, I wouldn’t go down without a fight.

“That connection, which ultimately meant we couldn’t consider her, wasn’t her fault. And it wasn’t your fault. It was mine.” I reached across the two feet of space between us, a small distance that felt more like the length of I-95. But the second my thumb brushed her cheek, she jerked back so hard her head hit the door.

“Don’t,” she snapped.

“I wanted to help,” I whispered. “I want Piper to have what she needs.” I could lie, sugarcoat the truth, but I wouldn’t, even though it wouldn’t go over well. “And I was worried you would throw a fit and refuse to accept my help.”

She scoffed and crossed her arms, her nails digging into her sweater. “I am not so proud that I would throw a fit when offered help for my daughter.”

Now probably wasn’t the time to point out the argument we’d had about Little Fingers.

“I would have worked something out. I would have figured out a payment plan or called it a loan or, I don’t know, pawned jewelry if I needed to.” She ran her hands over her face. “But it was wrong of you not to tell me.”

“ I’m sorry .” I hoped like hell she could see my honest remorse, because I never meant to hurt her. “I was trying to take some stress off you.”

She snapped her head up, her eyes slits. “This was the exact type of bulldozing I told you I wasn’t okay with.”

“Technically,” I argued, though she was so fucking right, “that conversation was after I’d done this.” I flashed her my most adorable smile.

Rather than crack a smile like I hoped—clearly, being my cute-ass self wasn’t going to help me right now—she glowered. “Go home, Kyle.”

“Harper, please. I was kidding.”

“Go home,” she repeated, holding her hand out.

Deflating, I dropped the keys into her palm. Then I watched as she opened the door and disappeared inside without looking back. The door clicked shut, and at the metallic sound of the lock turning, I splayed my hand on the solid wood painted white and leaned close.

“I’m sorry, Harper. I just want to take care of you and the kids. Make all your lives better.” I waited, resting my forehead against the door, and when she didn’t respond after several heartbeats, I turned back to the elevator. I’d only taken a step or two when the stainless-steel doors slid open and Trevor stepped off. Twenty minutes ago, I might have made a smug remark. Now? I couldn’t bring myself to even speak. So I gave him a quick chin tilt and walked past.

“Hey, Bosco,” he called as I stepped onto the elevator. “Harper is great,” he said when I met his eye. “Just be good to her, okay?”

With a nod, I swallowed the lump in my throat. Harper was amazing. And I was trying to be good to her, but I was apparently terrible at it. Even so, I was the kind of guy who always went down swinging. I just had to figure out how to fix this. Because if anything was worth my effort, it was Harper.