by Fiona Archer
“Of course.” Stanton Fox shook hands with his brother.
“Who’d have thought little bro’s obsession with technology would reap such rewards?” Dillon snagged a beer from another passing waiter and unbuttoned his grey suit jacket, showing his white and black striped shirt underneath. “Hard to believe what he’s achieved in only three years.”
“What we’ve achieved.” Seth couldn’t have made the company a success without Dillon’s business smarts. While his three other brothers had gone into vastly divergent careers, Dillon had been a mentor. “We’re a team.”
“Family’s important.” Stanton said.
A rattling and clinking of glasses in the background plus a loud “Oh no” in a lovely feminine contralto drew Stanton’s attention as he glowered. “Speaking of which...” His lips thinned, and the businessman looked as if he wanted to throttle someone.
The same lovely female voice sounded clearly in the male-dominated space. “Oh, I’m so sorry. All my fault. Here, let me help.”
Seth looked over his shoulder, toward the doorway, and caught a glimpse of a woman steadying a tray while a harried waiter rearranged the glasses so they wouldn’t fall, crashing to the pavers.
“Hey there, Harper,” Dillon called out, his tone surprised.
Seth glanced at his brother, and back toward the doorway.
“Excuse me.” The woman, who’d had the near miss with the waiter, eased her way between two players nearly tripping over one of the men’s big feet.
At first glance, Seth noticed how tiny the woman looked as she moved past the huge jock. When she turned around and headed their way, his second, better look caused his chest to constrict tightly on an indrawn breath.
She was fucking gorgeous. Short, maybe five foot four with a mass of brown hair that fell past her shoulders and over a pair of breasts that would fit in his hands perfectly. She had on some kind of wraparound dress in a deep shade of blue-green, which showed off her curves to perfection.
But it was her smile—full, open and self-effacing in the light of her own clumsiness—and the way it lit up her face that held his gaze hostage. This was a woman who enjoyed life and embraced it fully.
“Dillon, what a cool surprise.” The woman Dillon had called Harper, walked toward his brother. She’d taken two steps when the heel of her strappy shoe caught on the edge of a stone paver.
As she fell forward, Seth shoved his beer at Dillon, vaguely aware of liquid sloshing over his hand, and rushed toward her, arms outstretched. She crashed into him, propelling him backward as he put his arms around her seconds before his foot slipped on something, and he hit the hard ground.
“Ooof.” His body jarred from the impact as he shielded Harper from the fall. He tightened his embrace automatically and held her closer to his body to keep her from falling onto the rough surface. A sweet armful of soft woman lay heavily on top of him, but he didn’t care. He could stay this way all day.
Harper pressed her hands against his chest. He tightened his hold, reluctant to let her go. Staring into wide brown eyes framed with the long black lashes of a temptress, he smiled.
“Hello there.” Seth couldn’t hold back his chuckle at her startled breath. He itched to stroke his fingers over the blush on her cheeks. “You normally fall for the first guy you meet?” he joked, wanting to put her at ease.
Her eyes narrowed a fraction. Was that a spark of challenge he saw flare in their caramel depths?
“I usually get a name first.” Her husky voice conjured images of a dark nightclub with mellow lighting, jazz playing in the background, and a glass of top-shelf, aged bourbon at his fingertips. “But for you, I broke the rules.” She winked, and her lips curved into a grin.
A sense of humor and grace under pressure. A woman after his own heart. Whoever Harper was, he planned on getting to know her a hell of a lot better.
****
Harper blinked at her own audacity. What the hell had gotten into her? She was lying on top of a big, muscled stranger and giving sass in front of a huge audience. Far from a wallflower, even that amount of boldness was new for her. Not the sass part, but the lying on top of a guy in public? For sure.
But it was the rock hard strength of his arms wrapped around her that tempted Harper to settle in and enjoy the moment.
And that gorgeous accent? Holy down-under sexy, Batman!
“For God’s sake, Harper, get up,” her father hissed from above.
She sighed at the unhappy reminder she and Seth weren’t alone and closed her eyes, wishing she could start the day over.
The man under her moved one arm. He tilted her face to his concerned blue gaze then, with a gentle finger, traced the lines on her forehead and at the corner of her eyes and the downturned corner of her mouth. He murmured, “What’s wrong, sweetness? You hurt?”
Harper shook her head and pasted on a smile. She moved one leg off him, ignoring the way the action lowered her body much, much closer to the man below her. She put her weight on her knee, braced her hands on either side of his chest, and struggled to rise with as much dignity as possible.
“Here, let me.”
She glanced up. Dillon Justice, a longtime customer, stood next to her. He clasped her arm and helped her get to her feet, despite her lurching sideways.
She had the coordination skills of a drunken moose. The two-inch heels she wore made for a dangerous combination.
“Thanks, Dillon.” She risked a glance at her unintended victim, who rose from the ground with an easy athletic grace. Blue eyes, filled with interest, studied her. She was a willing prisoner of that gaze.
A ray of late afternoon summer sun highlighted a streak of blond mixed in with the brown in his short, wavy hair. Walnut brown. It looked so thick, she almost reached to touch it, but a discreet cough reminded her others were looking on.
Say something, ninny. “I’m so sorry for running into you.”
Her father’s grunt of annoyance had the man in front of her casting her dad a sharp look. Bringing his attention back to herself and away from her disapproving father, she asked, “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No worries.” His cheeks, darkened by a five o-clock shadow, creased with his smile. “Seth Justice.” He offered his hand.
“Harper Fox.” She tried to hide her shiver as his hand wrapped around hers. Strong. Firm. Seconds ticked by before she remembered to pull her hand free. She immediately regretted the loss of contact.
Then his name clicked.
“Justice? You’re related to Dillon?” Glancing to her right, she smiled at the attractive blond Dillon. “He’s a regular every morning at my café. Has to get his espresso fix. “
Dillon’s relaxed smile put her at ease. “Hey, it’s the best coffee in town.” He turned toward his brother. “Seth is my brother, youngest of another three. All Aussies. I’m the only Yank in the group.”
“Yeah, but we don’t hold that against him.” Seth chuckled as he switched his gaze to Dillon and then back to her. And kept it there.
Suddenly feeling awfully exposed, she scrunched her toes so as not to shuffle her feet. Seth was dangerous to her equilibrium. Trouble with a capital T. Not hide-behind-the-door-and-hold-your-breath trouble. No, Seth was something way more dangerous. Those all-knowing eyes and his charming smile could tempt a woman to sin so deeply she’d forget her way back to the path of the straight and narrow.
Since she considered herself a good girl, the kind who worked hard and followed all the rules—well, all the rules that weren’t her father’s—she was surprised by how much the idea appealed.
“Harper.” The sour note in her father’s voice dragged her back to reality.
His obvious displeasure at her clumsiness hauled her out of her fantasy world in which Seth swept her off her feet and did wicked things to her body.
“Father, sorry for my entrance.” All the warmth Seth had imparted in those few seconds of contact had fled from her body. She stood on tiptoes and planted a swift kiss on h
is cheek. God forbid, the man should bend to make it easier for the required greeting when in his company.
Her father’s brows drew together. “Your mother didn’t mention you’d be attending.” And judging from the tightness around his mouth, she wasn’t welcome.
Some things never changed.
“Sienna asked me to pop in.” Harper scanned behind her father and caught a glimpse of her sister walking toward them. “I have her tickets for a concert she’s attending Saturday night.”
Her words sounded flat, her tone, dammit, almost apologetic. Why did she let his constant disappointment in her cut so deep? Why did she feel a sting from the need to justify her appearance?
Unfortunately, her fractured family dynamic had an audience. She pasted on a just-for-the-public smile for Seth and Dillon’s benefit. “Hey, never fear. I promise my grand entrance will be my only klutz moment of the evening. I’ll stand in this one spot just to make sure.”
Seth moved, drawing all eyes to him. The handsome Aussie had one hand in his pocket and held a glass of beer with the other. Tall, broad-shouldered and confident, his casual stance did nothing to lessen the air of command he radiated. “Dillon and I will keep you company and ensure the safety of all passers-by.”
Harper’s pulse skipped a beat. Seth Justice was far from a calming influence to her nerves.
“Great idea, Seth.” Dillon’s grin suited his handsome face. “It’ll be great to have a chance to talk with Harper for longer than my usual quick morning catch-up.”
Her dad’s disparaging expression was matched by his tone. “How amusing that you know Harper from her little commercial enterprise.”
Seth and Dillon stiffened, and the atmosphere around them grew ominous. Dillon, a frown creasing his forehead, turned to his brother. “Harper owns this great café. Like I said before, it has the best coffee in Seattle.”
Seth’s gaze on her reflected only approval and support.
“My father thinks any commercial enterprise that grosses less than eight figures is not worth the time spent on it,” she explained, injecting humor into her voice. “ But I like it.”
“It’s important to like your work,” Seth murmured. “Good on you.”
Seth’s honest praise heated her cheeks with pleasure.
“Maybe if it was a five-star restaurant …but it’s not.” Her father’s hard gaze swept over her, as if cataloguing any discernable imperfection overlooked from his last viewing. The tightening of the fine muscles around his mouth didn’t bode well. “At least you came dressed appropriately.”
Dillon inhaled sharply and Seth? Well, he growled.
Harper lifted her chin just that bit higher and, despite the ridiculous urge to cry, did the only thing she could in company, treated it with humor. “I checked in my apron and order pad at the reception desk.”
After years of trying and failing to please her father, she’d finally accepted she’d never have his approval. He disliked everything about her—from her growth as a person, to the friends she’d chosen, to the business she ran, and hell, to her body, which was too heavy for his patrician taste.
That realization, however, still didn’t take away the hurt. But, in the last few years, she’d decided to be herself and not live her life subject to another person’s flawed demands.
“Hey sis, thanks for dropping by.” Sienna, looking gorgeous in a red halter dress that showed off her sleek blonde hair, tanned skin, and lithe figure, stepped in past the men and hugged Harper. “Two minutes and you’ll be free,” she whispered in Harper’s ear before letting go. “You look gorgeous tonight, honey.”
Sienna never failed to give Harper compliments, especially in front of their father. The two women had always been different, but Harper never doubted her sister loved her. She was the epitome of what their parents felt was a proper daughter. Her older sister was gorgeous, the perfect corporate wife, and a mother; she rarely argued with their father. Whereas once Harper graduated college, she’d danced to her own sometimes out-of-step beat far away from the world of country clubs and corporate shenanigans.
Sienna was the strongest link Harper still had to her family.
As her father made introductions, Harper couldn’t miss Seth’s gaze flicking between her and Sienna. Yeah, they looked nothing alike.
Did Seth think anything of the physical differences between her and her sister? Harper mentally shook her head. Why would that even matter? She hardly knew the man.
“Lance and I owe you big time for the tickets.” Sienna addressed Harper, pulling her back into the conversation. Her sister grinned and rubbed her hands together. “My darling husband has worked every day for the last month on a huge deal and needs a break.” She dashed a look at her father. “Not that he’s complaining.”
Lance was on the management team at Brooke-Porter Digital, a job he’d held before meeting and marrying Sienna five years ago.
“But it will be great to have some fun,” Sienna continued. “We’ve booked the babysitter too, so it’s all systems go.”
“Harper mentioned a concert,” their father said. His tone implied he wasn’t impressed.
Sienna nodded. “A rock concert.” She named a popular band from England.
“They’re awesome live. You’ll enjoy yourselves.” Seth smiled at her sister, revealing the hint of a dimple in one stubble-covered cheek.
Sienna stared back, her mouth slightly open and blinked as if catching herself. “Ah, thanks.”
Yeah, there was magic in Seth Justice’s smile.
“The manager of the venue is a customer of mine.” Harper pulled out an envelope from her purse and handed it to Sienna. “Two tickets, fourth row, right in the middle.”
“Fantastic.” Sienna clutched the envelope to her chest.
Her father looked at the white package as if it were contagious. “Is this some new side business of yours, Harper? Bartering with your customers?”
The group went quiet. Seth and Dillon exchanged looks. Seth’s face darkened with some strong emotion as his lips thinned. Sienna’s back went ramrod straight.
Harper gritted her teeth. She wanted to kick the pointed toe of her shoe into her father’s shin, but damned if she’d reveal how deeply his insults cut.
“Yeah, Father, I have a whole black market enterprise.” She leaned forward, looked left then right, and murmured, “I can get you a knock-off Rolex. Or maybe a fake Fendi clutch for Mother?”
Seth choked on his mouthful of beer, his gaze glittering. He wiped his mouth and grinned at Harper. Dillion chuckled as he lifted his glass to his mouth.
Sienna gave Harper a laughing look before tactfully changing the subject. “Great crowd here tonight, Dad.”
From the stony expression on her dad’s face as he nodded at Sienna, he didn’t share everyone’s humor. But he would have to have a sense of humor in the first place.
“Sienna,” a man called from behind them.
Her sister glanced back and waved at an older looking man standing with a stylishly dressed woman around the same age.
Sienna turned to Harper, regret filling her gaze. “I’ve got to go. He’s a huge client of Lance’s. We’re joining him and his wife for dinner. I’ll call you Sunday.” As she hugged Harper, Sienna whispered in her ear, “If you leave this party without having a drink with that tall hunk of Aussie, I’ll disown you.”
Taking a step back, she nodded to the men. “Gentlemen. Father.” Then she left.
Her father looked toward the other side of the gardens. “I see someone I need to speak with.” He turned to Seth. “I’m pleased we got the deal wrapped up today. Please, stay and enjoy the evening.” He shook hands with both men. “The announcement should have gone live by now.” He faced Dillon. “My team will be in touch first thing tomorrow.”
Dillon straightened his shoulders. “We’ll be ready.”
“We’re pleased too, Stanton, and thanks for the invite.” Seth lifted his glass in a salute.
Her father inclined
his head and turned toward her. “Harper, no doubt I’ll see you at your sister’s birthday dinner. Until then...”
“Yes, I’ll be there.” Her words met the back of his already retreating figure. She sighed and turned to Dillon as she tried to ignore the burn of Seth’s watchful gaze on her.
“Dad’s team?” Why hide her curiosity? Harper had never been into playing games.
“We’ve entered into negotiations for Brooke-Porter Digital to buy Seth’s app design business,” Dillon shared.
Impressive. Her father didn’t do deals with just anyone. “Exciting times for you both.” She flicked her gaze to Seth.
“Absolutely.” The handsome Aussie studied her before asking, “So you own a café?”
“That’s right. Seven Dishes.”
“Their pastries are why I belong to a gym.” Dillon looked ready to say something else but was interrupted by distinct pings coming from his and Seth’s coat pockets.
“Please excuse us, we’re expecting your father’s announcement to go public,” Seth said as the men pulled out their phones.
Dillon scanned his cell. His eyes shone with excitement when he glanced back at Harper. “And there it is. We’ll be fielding press calls for the rest of the evening.”
“Oh.” She couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice. Losing the chance to get to know Seth was…regrettable. Not that she wasn’t happy for his good fortune.
“I’m sure you can handle any inquiries.” Seth held his brother’s gaze for a long moment, and Harper sensed some silent message had been exchanged.
Dillon’s expression seemed contemplative before his forehead creased with a scowl. “There’s no talking you out of it?”
Out of what?
“Nope.”
Dillon’s sigh sounded resigned. “I never stood a chance did I?”
Seth raised a brow. “No, unless you need to share something?”
“No, you beat me to it. Lucky bastard.” Dillon turned to Harper. “Enjoy your evening, Harper. I’ll see you tomorrow for my usual.” With a smile, he walked through the throng of players and disappeared.