Love like Yours Series (Box Set #1-4)

by Nicole S. Goodin

  I knew he was keeping something from me, but he’d said it was nothing I needed to worry about.

  Do I trust him?

  Truth was, I did. I couldn’t explain why, when only a few hours earlier he’d lied right to my face.

  Credit where credit was due though, he was here now, apologizing, and wanting to do better.

  “Okay.” I lifted the blanket in a hint that he should climb in.

  “Really?” he asked, shock written all over his face.

  I couldn’t help but laugh lightly. “Yeah, really. You said it’s nothing I need to be worried about, and while I’d prefer you’d just be honest with me, I get that this is still new, and maybe one day you’ll feel like you can tell me anything... I guess today just isn’t that day.”

  His mouth twisted in a grimace.

  “Quinn, I—”

  “It’s okay,” I reassured him. “I’m not going to lie and say I’m not disappointed, but I’m fine. I trust you, if you say everything is okay... then I believe you.”

  I tugged on the blanket again and he slid out of the way to allow me to lift it.

  “How’d I get so lucky?” he murmured as he leaned in to brush his lips against mine.

  “I know right?” I replied as I watched him slip his shirt over his head and let his pants fall to the ground.

  He slid in next to me and tugged me into his arms.

  “How about...” he growled his stubble rough at my ear. “For the next couple of hours, I show you just how grateful I am?”

  I didn’t even get a chance to respond before his mouth was on mine, hot and persistent until I submitted to him fully.

  ***

  “Can we hang out with Stella today?” he called from the bathroom, fresh from his shower.

  I could feel my face stretching, my grin was so big.

  Harrison loved Stella and Stella loved him right back. It was the sweetest thing in the world to watch.

  We’d taken her to the supermarket with us a couple of weekends back and he’d spent the entire time getting things down off the shelves for her. Stella would point and yell ‘ta!’ so Harrison would spend five minutes trying to figure out which item she wanted.

  It was ridiculous, but adorable.

  She’d pout – something she learned from El – and cry ‘no!’ every time he got it wrong, then clap and cheer when he finally got the right thing down.

  We’d left the store after an hour and a half with a stupid amount of extras, all randomly hand-picked by Stella.

  “You in the mood for another jar of pickles and mega box of tampons?” I called back to him.

  His deep laugh sent goosebumps over my skin.

  “I can’t believe she made us buy all that shit.” He chuckled.

  I rolled my eyes, he was so soft with Stella, we’d argued about it inside the store. I didn’t want to buy it all, and he didn’t want Stella to cry.

  “She didn’t, you were just too chicken-shit to upset her. El would never—” My sentence fell away as I caught sight of him walking into the room. “Oh... wow.”

  He had a white towel wrapped low around his hips and was drying off his hair with another one. His tight chest was glistening with drops of water.

  I watched as a trickle of water ran down his abdomen.

  I felt my tongue dart out to moisten my lips.

  “You know what’s gonna happen if you keep looking at me like that right?” He smirked, his voice cocky.

  “A girl can look, can’t she?”

  He strolled over to the set of drawers and dropped the towel to the floor.

  God damn.

  His ass was just as fine as the rest of him.

  He looked back over his shoulder at me. “We doing this?” he asked, trying his best to sound like a cocky douche bag.

  “Meh,” I replied, seeming unfazed. “I think I’ll pass.” I grinned.

  He gave me a crooked smile and muttered something to himself before pulling out some briefs and throwing them on.

  ***

  Stella was shrieking with joy as Harrison pushed her gently on the swing in the park. Every now and then he’d pretend that she had kicked him over and do a big Hollywood fall. Stella had giggled uncontrollably every single time.

  “Coo coo!” she cried as she swung higher, a huge grin on her face.

  “I see you, Stella girl.” I reached out and tried to tickle her feet as they swung past me.

  Harrison slid his free arm around my waist and kissed the top of my head.

  “I could totally be a stay-at-home dad.”

  I laughed and looked up at him. “Liar. You love your job.”

  He pushed Stella again.

  “Yeah I know.” He pretended to grab her foot and she shrieked with laughter again.

  We both laughed too, her enthusiasm was contagious.

  “What about part time?” he mused.

  “You can do whatever you want for our imaginary children, baby,” I teased him.

  “Trading the briefcase for a diaper bag wouldn’t be so bad sometimes.”

  We both watched Stella as she yelled “dog!” and pointed as a big dog ran past with its owner.

  “Why’d you decide to become a lawyer?”

  He thought about it for a moment. “I can’t really recall ever making the decision to be honest, I’ve always been interested in the law and the way the justice system works. For a while there I considered becoming a cop.”

  “Really?” I looked him up and down. “God, you’d look fine in a uniform.”

  He chuckled and nuzzled my hair. “Thanks, babe.”

  “You’re a good lawyer, Harrison, I’m really glad you ended up here with me. You and Reeve, you’re really making a difference.”

  I felt him tense slightly, like maybe he didn’t agree with my statement, but I didn’t say a word. I’d noticed that Harrison had some issues with receiving praise for his work, but it wasn’t going to stop me from giving it.

  The rest of the day was perfect.

  We played with Stella in the park for another half-hour and then met up with El and Lawson for lunch. I loved spending time with Stella, but it was nice to be able to give her back when she got grumpy and tired.

  ***

  The work week passed in a blur and before I knew it, it was the weekend again. Harrison and I spent the weekend together – always, and a few nights during the week too. I liked it that way and he didn’t seem to be complaining, so here we were, snuggled up in bed at his place. Takeout and movie was quickly becoming my favorite way to spend a Saturday evening.

  It doesn’t get better than this.

  “I can’t believe that’s the end of it.” I sobbed to Harrison as ‘See You Again’ by Charlie Puth started playing from the T.V. We were watching the latest Fast and Furious movie, which I discovered I actually loved, and they’d just had Dom and Brian go their separate ways.

  Harrison was holding back laughing at me.

  “It’s not funny,” I snapped. “He’s really gone.”

  “I know, Skippy.” He tried to pull me in for a hug, but I was having none of it. There was still a barely contained grin on his face.

  “Stop laughing at me.”

  “Sorry.” He didn’t look sorry.

  “I only watched these bloody movies for you, and now you’re laughing at me for being upset.” I sat up in bed. “Paul Walker dying isn’t funny, Harrison.”

  “I know it’s not,” he insisted.

  I pinned him with a glare and he erupted into laughter.

  “Ugh!” I cried, throwing the covers off. “You’re such an asshole.”

  I stalked out of the room and down the hallway. To be honest, I had no idea why I was making such a big deal out of it. But there was just something about that man that had the ability to infuriate me like nothing I’d ever experienced.

  “Quinn,” he called down the staircase. “Come back to bed, babe, I’m sorry I laughed. You just looked so cute.”

  I flipped him the b
ird even though he couldn’t see, and went about making myself a cup of tea.

  A few sips in and I got over myself. That was the way it went with us, a few heated words, a few minutes of space and we were ready to get on with it.

  I slinked back up to bed and slid in next to him, burying my face into his side.

  “I’m sorry,” I murmured against his bare skin.

  God, he smelled so good, like soap and something else, I couldn’t name it, it was just him.

  He kissed my forehead and chuckled. “You’re such a little firecracker.”

  “I’m only this crazy with you.”

  He tipped my chin up so I was looking at him. “We seem to bring out each other’s crazy.” He grinned and placed a soft, tender kiss on my lips. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  I sighed and nodded in agreement.

  El and Law and their perfect love might have been a pretty sweet deal, but personally, I liked a bit of fire.

  ***

  “Happy birthday, gorgeous,” Harrison breathed in my ear.

  A huge grin spread across my face. He’d asked me once when my birthday was, right back on our first date, and he’d never mentioned it again. I was convinced he wouldn’t remember and I wasn’t the kind of girl that needed a big fuss made, so I’d said nothing.

  I rolled over to face him. “You remembered?”

  “Of course I remembered,” he growled. “Did you think I was gonna forget your birthday?” He gave me a cocky smirk.

  I gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for remembering.”

  “You’re my girl,” he answered by way of explanation.

  My heart swelled. I loved it when he laid claim to me. It made me feel wanted. I’d never realized how rewarding being in a committed relationship could be; I’d had boyfriends before, but nothing serious. At school I’d focused on my study, and preferred to keep my sexual encounters casual.

  Sometimes it was just easier that way.

  Since then, I’d been so busy with work, dancing, and friends, that it had never happened for me. I’d never been opposed to finding love – there was no big dramatic heartbreak in my past that had scarred me for life – it was more a matter of just never having found the right person at the right time.

  I looked into Harrison’s caramel eyes and knew I’d found the right person. Perhaps the timing might have been questionable, but it had worked out for us in the end. We were here, and at least eighty-five percent of the time we were happy.

  “Do you want to open your presents?” he asked like an excited little boy.

  I giggled at him scrambling off the bed. “You got me a present?”

  “Presents,” he emphasized the ‘s’. “Plural.”

  I sat up and stuffed the pillows behind my back. I was incredibly eager to see what he’d got for me.

  He returned with an envelope, a big shoe-sized box, and a massive grin.

  “Happy birthday,” he told me again as he handed them to me.

  He went to pull away, but I reached for his neck and tugged him back towards me.

  I pressed my lips to his. “Thank you,” I murmured against his mouth.

  He tapped my nose. “You might want to open them before you thank me.” He grinned at me deviously and I suddenly felt nervous for what I might find in the box.

  I decided to start with the envelope, it looked safest.

  I tore it open and glanced up at him; he was watching me in anticipation.

  I laughed loudly as I figured out why he was looking like such a smartass.

  “Cooking lessons.” I giggled. “What are you suggesting? That I can’t cook?” I asked in mock outrage.

  He chuckled. “Woman, I wasn’t suggesting, I was stating a fact, you can’t cook to save your life.”

  He was not wrong about that.

  “Open it.” He nudged the box closer to me.

  He looks nervous.

  I undid the ribbon and slid the lid off the box. I gasped. Nestled in the tissue paper was an incredible book, ‘It Ends With Us’ by Colleen Hoover.

  I trailed my finger over the cover.

  “It’s signed,” he murmured.

  I couldn’t believe he’d listened to me ramble on and on about this amazing book, I was sure he hadn’t heard a word of it, let alone paid enough attention to buy me my own copy.

  I quickly flipped open the cover.

  “Happy birthday, Quinn, enjoy your day. P.s. your boyfriend is a total babe.”

  Signed by Colleen Hoover.

  I laughed out loud at the inscription. She had good taste – my boyfriend was a total babe.

  “Thank you, I love it.”

  I leaned in to kiss him, but he pulled back before I could.

  “There’s more.” He tapped the side of the box.

  I lifted the book out and grinned at the small black Ford Mustang keychain.

  “Something to remember it by.” He had a giant shit-eating grin on his face.

  “You think I was going to forget that any time soon?” I giggled.

  I lifted it from the box to have a closer look. A small silver charm swung to the side as I picked it up.

  “What’s that?” I murmured, more to myself than him.

  My heart thumped loudly as I took in the small infinity charm that he’d attached to the keychain.

  I looked back up to meet his eyes, but I didn’t know what to say. I was shocked by his sweet gesture; he wasn’t one to talk about feelings a lot, so this small charm held a lot of meaning to me.

  “Harrison... thank you,” I whispered as I crawled towards him and curled up in his lap, still holding the keychain in my hand. “I love it.”

  I could feel tears building in my eyes and I tried to blink them away.

  When did I get so emotional?

  “It’s just a keychain, Skippy,” he replied with a chuckle.

  “No, it’s not,” I replied, tilting my head up to face him. “It’s perfect.”

  So perfect.

  28. Harrison

  I knew I was in trouble when I saw the light on.

  I don’t know why I keep doing this...

  She’d only just forgiven me for my last disappearance a week ago, now I was going to have to come up with another lie, another apology...

  It wasn’t even worth the risk.

  Tonight had been a waste of my time. I still wasn’t sure what had possessed me to get up and go out, but I had. Part of me needed to feel useful. Like I was doing something to put a stop to Max and his reign of terror.

  “Shit,” I muttered to myself as I approached the front door and slipped the key into the lock.

  I crept up the stairs, hopeful that maybe she’d have fallen back asleep by now.

  The door was slightly ajar and I could see her sitting up, reading a book in the light of the lamp.

  “Hey,” I called softly. “What are you doing up?”

  She jumped slightly at the sound of my voice, obviously caught up in her latest romance novel.

  “You scared me,” she confirmed, as she shut the book and sat it on the bedside. “I woke up and you were gone.”

  I breathed in and out slowly as I approached the bed. “I went for a run.”

  “A run?” She frowned at me in disbelief. “It’s two in the morning?”

  I shrugged and looked down at my feet before answering her. “I couldn’t sleep.”

  Her eyes studied my face, looking for answers.

  “Is everything okay, Harrison?” she asked quietly, tears threatening to spill down her face.

  “Hey.” I moved toward her. “Please don’t cry.”

  I’m such an idiot.

  “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I don’t know why I’m crying.” She spluttered out a laugh. “I don’t even cry.”

  I held her tight against me, rubbing slow circles on her back.

  “I didn’t know what to do when you weren’t here. I was worried.”

  “I’m sorry.” Guilt ripped through me. I
was putting her through this, for what?

  Tonight was nothing.

  I shouldn’t have left her.

  I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t leave Quinn like this again... not unless it really mattered.

  “I’m here now.” I comforted her, as she lay down. “Just let me shower and we’ll get some sleep, okay?”

  She nodded and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

  I felt her eyes on my back the whole walk across the room to the bathroom.

  I rested my hands on the bathroom sink and looked myself hard in the eyes.

  What the fuck is wrong with me?

  Why can’t I let this go?

  I knew I should have stopped this a long time ago. Long before this mess with Max. But I couldn’t... all it took was one look at those innocent people in those court rooms and my resolve crumbled.

  What kind of man would I be if I didn’t help?

  ***

  I woke with a sleeping Quinn still in my arms. She’d already fallen asleep when I got back to bed last night, and I’d sat and watched her sleep peacefully for nearly an hour, guilt threatening to overwhelm me.

  I knew I should just come clean and tell her, but the risk of her running was too great.

  I was a greedy bastard. I wanted everything.

  “Good morning.” Her sleepy voice pulled me from my thoughts.

  “Good morning, babe.” I kissed her forehead.

  She smiled at me and I felt the guilt rip through me again.

  I don’t deserve her.

  “I’m sorry again about upsetting you last night,” I told her quietly as I pulled her in closer, tucking her head under my chin.

  She laid half on top of me, tracing light patterns over my chest.

  “I overreacted.” She placed a kiss to my jaw. “Let’s just forget it.”

  She hadn’t overreacted, not in the slightest... but I was too chicken-shit to tell her that.

  I had to admit, I was confused with her response. I’d let her down, only a few days earlier. She knew I was keeping something from her, but I’d asked her to trust me.

  Is that what is happening here?

  Was Quinn trusting me?

  “Deal.” I tipped her face up to look at mine. “I can think of much better things for us to do anyway.”

  Her stare turned heated and she began to rub herself against my thigh.