by Fiona Archer
“You said you had foster parents. What happened to your mom and dad?”
“No idea who fathered me. Mum was a working girl.” No point dressing it up any differently. “She checked out via a heroin overdose when I was twelve. My grandparents kept my younger brother, but handed me to the authorities three months later.” When he had needed them the most.
“You’re bad. Just like your mother. A bad, bad boy.”
“I can’t imagine.” She shook her head. “And I’m not going to give you platitudes about how you’ve come so far, and tough times make you stronger. You already know that. But whatever led to you being adopted and taken out of that situation, I’m grateful it happened for all four of you.”
Perfect answer.
“Considering the price was Dillon nearly drowning, he’d probably have preferred something less dramatic.” At her wide-eyed stare, Seth explained his adopted brother’s first experience in Sydney’s surf. By the time he’d finished, Harper was sitting back in her chair, her meal eaten, and her gaze held a kind of fantastic wonder.
“Adopted by the wealthy sister of a state senator. Freaking heck, it reads like a movie script.” She quickly raised her hand at his dry laugh. “Please, don’t get me wrong, this is your family. But you’ve got to admit, it’s a larger than life tale.” She lifted her wine to her lips.
“It is what it is.” He shrugged, the usual guardedness coming to the fore.
Harper’s eyes lit with her smile. “Aurora must be proud of you, especially with the news today.”
Sadness engulfed him, flushing out the joy from a minute ago and leaving him like a rock pool at low tide, bare and exposed. “She would have been.” His voice sounded hoarse even to his own ears. The concern flooding Harper’s gaze proved as much. “Aurora passed away six years ago. Breast cancer.” Two days after he’d graduated top of his class at Stanford. She’d insisted on attending the graduation ceremony. Her head wrapped in a pink scarf and wearing a yellow patterned blouse and black pants that had hung on her frame, she’d sat between Dillon and Heath, with Zach there, too. Her beaming smile had, for a tiny moment, hidden the veil of pain that shadowed her features. “You’re going to do wonderful things, Seth.” Aurora had lifted up a too-thin arm and stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers. “I just know it.”
Sometimes, if he closed his eyes, he could feel her touch, that gentleness that he’d only ever felt from her.
“I’m so sorry.” Harper’s soft voice drew his attention back to her face. “From what you’ve shared, she sounded like a fabulous woman.”
Fuck. He shook his head. This wasn’t the night for getting lost in self-pity bullshit. Aurora would want him to seize the moment—and the girl. “She was.” He smiled on his next thought. “And she’d have liked you, Harper. A woman running her own business, being challenged and happy, fits in with Aurora’s ethos of doing what you loved.” His grin got bigger as pleasure brightened her gaze and added warmth to her cheeks.
“I bet I would have liked her, too.” The simple honesty in Harper’s voice lightened his chest. “And I’m guessing she’d be so proud of you after today’s news.”
He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “I hope so.”
“Were you a computer geek in high school? Is that how Shazad came about?
Christ, far from it. “No, I had to repeat a year of high school in the US just to catch up. That’s why I graduated at twenty-three from Stanford. I’d always been interested in technology, making it easier to use, and making it work for you. I shared my ideas with Dillon, and he jumped on board.”
“It must be awesome having him by your side.”
“It is. He’s a planner. Patient and steady, a master of the long game. Plus, he takes care of the dry business aspects and lets me get on with creating and marketing. We work well together. He understands my goals.” Had right from the start. Dillon had that edge, the insight that blood was spilled in business as much as on any battlefield, and winning meant being smart and showing no fear.
“I’m curious; was it always your intention to sell your company at some stage? Most people want to grow a business, or at least consolidate.”
“I knew Shazad’s app designs would draw interest from companies that buy you out. Digital conglomerates want to own the technology, not pay for a license to market the product.” He shrugged. “The buyout is the key to the money.”
“Is that what it was all about? Money?” Her tone held caution, maybe even a thread of disappointment.
“No, it’s about achieving a goal. Providing for my family. Making my mark and showing my worth. There’s no prize in business for trying hard.” And he’d made promises. To himself. To his brothers. To Aurora as they’d lowered her into her grave.
He cocked his head to the side. “Daughter of the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Running a café in Seattle. Your life’s not exactly pedestrian. Tell me about yourself.”
Her expression warmed with a slow smile.
“I was born in Seattle. My hair goes frizzy when I get caught in the rain. And I covet office supplies.” At his raised eyebrows, she continued. “It’s true. There’s a small store near my apartment. They have the full range of Sharpie markers in all the shades you can imagine in a huge display. I call it the ‘Wall of Color’.” She sighed. “It’s my happy place.”
He smiled to himself. That explained her comment regarding an ‘extravaganza’ at the Staples store. “After that confession, you can’t stop there.”
She lifted her chin, giving him a glimpse of the long, sensuous line of her throat. “Oh, there’s much more to share, but it’s going to take you way longer than one meal to appreciate all that’s me, Seth.”
He was counting on it.
“How about the extended version? I’m listening.” It was no lie. He wanted to know everything about her. For the first time in ages, Seth was relaxed, laughing, and enjoying himself. And it had nothing to do with the fact he’d now entered formal negotiations with her father’s company.
This was more, deeper somehow. And it revolved around Harper.
Too bloody right he wanted to hear her extended version.
****
Harper had done it now. The pressure was on to make herself more interesting than a hummer full of Kardashians on Emmy night.
“Well,” Great start. “In reference to your earlier comment about me being the daughter of a Fortune 500 CEO, I want to make it clear I’m not some poor little rich girl.” Okay, not strictly true. “I mean, I’m rich—well, my family is—but I’m not a sad case who has her shrink on speed-dial.”
“Duly noted.” Seth took a swig of his beer. All the time his gaze stayed locked with hers.
She blinked against the intensity of his scrutiny. “And I’m the black sheep of my family. My parents disapprove of my chosen career as a café owner.” Or ‘food outlet’ as her dad referred to Seven Dishes. “I insist on being friends with people outside what they would deem my social set, and my mom is close to disowning me if I don’t hurry up and marry well.”
Two spectacular crash and burn encounters on the romance front made Harper suspicious of sharing her heart again. Todd, her first serious lover in college, with his dream boy smile and man-whore behavior. “Babe, I couldn’t help myself. No guy wants to be tied down.”
And Aiden, her ex-fiancé who’d wanted her so badly until she wouldn’t conform to his expectations. “If you just lost thirty pounds and ditched your weirdo friends, people wouldn’t stare at you so much.”
Why couldn’t her mom ease off about marriage? After all, Sienna had fulfilled the expectations by marrying Lance and having two kids. Wasn’t one obedient daughter enough?
Seth raised his beer to his mouth, giving her another glimpse of a strong wrist and sculptured forearm. “You’re not planning a trip down the aisle anytime soon?”
“Not this month.” She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Busy at the café. Plus, it’s summer, and who can fit a
wedding in with all those weekend barbecues and long days frolicking about in the sunshine?”
His lips twitched as he set down his now empty glass. “One can’t pass up the chance of a good frolic.”
Hearing this alpha male, who carried himself like he could hold his own in a bar fight, say the word frolic was too much. Her laugh rang out in a loud burst.
And then it happened, as it invariably always did in these moments.
She snorted.
Right there. In the open.
It was a doozy.
She quickly covered her mouth, but there was no denying it.
Seth’s voice shook with humor. “Seriously, too fucking cute.”
“I’m sorry.” She rushed out. “I do that sometimes. It’s a quirk.” Curse. “Of mine.”
He huffed a laugh. “Don’t apologize.”
“No, really, I’m not graceful like my sister.”
“Harper—”
“My mom even sent me to deportment lessons. Miss Stoddard’s Academy for Young Girls.” She rolled her eyes at the memory. “I failed ‘Rise and Greet’. Crashed into a side table and sprained my wrist.” Why the hell had she shared that? But hey, why stop there? “That was after I’d spilled the wine over my instructor. Mom never sent me back after that. She said—”
“Harper.” Seth’s forceful command silenced her confession. “You done?”
“Yep.” Why was she babbling? When was the last time she’d been so nervous around a guy?
Seth reached out, capturing one of her hands. “First, when I say don’t apologize, I mean it.” He swept his thumb over her knuckles, and she couldn’t hide her shiver. Embarrassed at, heck, everything, she tugged on his grip. He firmed his hold. Caught. A hot thrill shot through her system.
“Second, never, and I mean never, give up that snort.”
She blinked. “Why?”
His voice deepened. “Because it’s you, sweetheart. Spontaneous and genuine.”
Her chest locked on her indrawn breath. Well, that was…just lovely.
“All righty then.” Just like that, her mouth formed a smile.
And the surge of delight that swept through her at his answering grin? Priceless.
“As much as I’m enjoying hearing your exploits at that fancy arse deportment school, I’d prefer it without an audience.” He glanced to his left.
She followed his prompt, and her mouth dropped open at the sight of Theo and two younger men obviously related to him sitting at one of the tables a few feet away watching her and Seth. Her observers grinned. Not an ounce of shame marred their faces.
Okaaay. “What do you suggest?”
Seth’s phone rang, stalling his reply. He glanced at the screen. “I need to take this call.”
“No problem. I’m going to the restroom.” She gathered her clutch as Seth nodded. With a smile at Theo and his staff, she skirted around them and entered a short hallway that led to the restroom.
Once inside, she dropped her purse on the ledge above the vanity and drew in a deep breath.
Her gaze lifted to the mirror above the sink. A dab of powder on her nose and a swipe of lipstick, but no major cosmetic repairs needed. Grabbing her compact, she removed the trace of shine from her face. As she held the lipstick, her hand stilled.
Seth wanted to leave. Where would they go? A bar? All that noise and crowds. No thanks. She wanted somewhere quiet, where they could keep talking.
Quiet. Private. Could she invite him back to her apartment? She chewed her lip. Was she nuts for even contemplating that after knowing him only a few hours? But she felt safe with Seth. More time with him would be wonderful.
Would the chemistry they’d found here evaporate once inside her home? Or would Seth turned out to be a toad in disguise?
Wouldn’t be the first time.
She dropped her gaze to the white basin, concentrating on the pristine cleanliness of the porcelain.
Why does it matter who else I fuck? Aiden’s face had twisted with a sneer. You won’t change for me, why should I for you? She’d tried to hide her tears, tried to sound reasonable, even as disbelief had flooded her voice. How can you equate your lack of faithfulness to my not losing weight? Nobody is that shallow. But he had been. And though her gut and her head told her she was far better off without such a callous bastard as her future husband, that knowledge didn’t dull the pain of his betrayal.
But living in the past served no purpose.
Lifting her head, she looked at herself in the mirror. After another cleansing breath, she raised her lipstick, the gorgeous plum colored MAC she’d gifted herself last month, and skimmed the lush creaminess over her lips.
Was it ridiculous how much she wanted tonight to go well with Seth? Likely, yes. But wasn’t that the awesome part about meeting a great guy? When you hoped for more?
He was sexy and funny, and while her attraction to him was definitely intense, it ran deeper than just physical. He’d grabbed her attention with his loyalty to his adopted family and the way he’d had her back with her dad at the cocktail party. And, icing on the cake, he’d made her laugh, too.
She glanced at her watch. Eight. Still early. Okay then. She snapped the top on her lipstick and dumped it in her clutch. After washing her hands, she headed out the door and back to their table. Seth was placing a credit card back in his wallet as she stopped beside her chair.
Oh my God, I’m really doing this.
“I know a place. The coffee’s awesome, plus there’s chocolate cake.”
Seth grinned. “Tempting my sweet tooth as well as gorgeous. You’re racking up some serious brownie points, luv.”
The nerves in her belly fluttered like the wings of a swarm of butterflies. It was a simple compliment, but it was the way he’d delivered it. No smarmy charm, but with a directness she’d learned was all Seth. And he’d called her ‘luv’ in that epic accent of his. She totally loved that.
She lifted a hand to Theo and his sons as they called out their goodbyes.
Once in the cab, she gave the driver directions to Seven Dishes. Seth raised his brows. “I thought we were headed somewhere different.”
“I live upstairs. The coffee’s great, and I have two slices of chocolate cake going begging.” Did that sound too forward? They weren’t teenagers, and she was only offering coffee and cake.
“Good plan.” He reached over and squeezed her hand, but didn’t let go. A frisson of excitement raced over her skin. His larger hand around hers reminded her of his size and masculinity. He was both protector and hunter.
The first title was yummy, like a giant taking her in his arms and placing her behind him against all comers. And the hunter part was panty melting in all its primitive glory.
The ten-minute drive went by in a flash. Neither of them talked much, both caught up in their own thoughts. When the cab stopped in front of the café’s black and white metal sign that hung from a large cast iron hinge, she automatically dug in her clutch for some money for the driver.
Seth placed his hand over both of hers. “When I ask a woman out, I pay.” The look in his eyes warned her not to argue.
“Okay.” She would content herself with supplying the coffee and cake. “Thank you.”
Light streamed out of Seven Dishes’ large glass windows and spilled onto the pavement. With a fifty-foot wide street frontage, the old building afforded a huge area for the café, The exposed brick interior was complimented by square wooden tables and mismatched chairs. At the other end, an assortment of vintage upholstered chairs and leather sofas were teamed with end tables and lamps—a favorite haunt of their regular customers who liked to sit and drink their coffee, often while perusing a recent purchase from the bookstore next door.
Harper caught sight of two of her staff serving customers from behind the silver pressed tin counter. A few tables were occupied, and two women were seated together on one of the sofas. Nitro and Abigail would be winding things down soon. No point disturbing them.
Sh
e turned at the sound of the cab’s door closing, and nearly bumped into Seth who’d moved up behind her.
He nodded toward the cafe. “Nice digs, Harper.”
“I like it.” Moving to the glossy black painted door located at the far right of the building, she pressed the entry code on the keypad to gain access—the one consideration to modernity in the building’s otherwise restored frontage. After careful sandblasting, the brick façade of the three story structure showed all the character of its original reddish browns, beige, and clay hues.
Then a thought struck her. “Hey, I haven’t asked, but where do you live?”
“I rent an apartment five blocks from here.” He named one of the new towers that graced the Seattle skyline.
Super stylish. And only a ten-minute walk away.
Stepping through the doorway, she waved to the wide mahogany staircase past the foyer’s Victorian tiled floor with its intricate design of an urn filled with lilies and ivy. “There’s no elevator, but I’ve convinced myself the stairs are like a free gym membership.” Unless she was carrying heavy groceries. At those times, her pseudo-Stairmaster totally sucked.
She stood next to the standing chrome lamp, which shone a burst of light inside the foyer’s entry and reflected on the soft gray walls.
“This is lovely, Harper.” Seth glanced down at the pattern in the tiles before following her to the staircase. A pewter colored carpet runner, set in place with brass strips on each step, flowed down the steps in a long trail. “Your landlord takes care of his investment.” His gaze caught hers as he waved for her to go first.
“You could say that.” Since she owned the building, a part of her inheritance, absolutely she was invested. For now, she’d keep that fact to herself. Having been played for a fool twice, her caution was more automatic than actual suspicion of Seth’s motives. After all, the guy was in talks with her dad. He’d soon have some serious money of his own.
With each step up the stairs, Seth’s nearness—the way she glimpsed his wide shoulders and veined forearm as she rounded a flight of stairs, the faint smell of his aftershave, and the rich timbre of his voice—made her ultra-aware of everything, from the sound of her dress moving against her legs to her breathing and the way her pulse raced as they neared their destination.