by Emma Roman
If she’d merely had a bad day, Harper would expect to find her up in her tub with her eReader. He drew up short, cursing his dick. Thinking about Ari slick and covered in bubbles wasn’t the right direction for his mind to go. Not now.
But since Ari had probably dealt with Justin that day, Harper had a feeling this might take more than a bubble bath to get over.
He headed to the kitchen, and that’s where he found her.
She sat on the kitchen floor between the two counters, her shoes beside her tossed to the side. Was it wrong that she looked damn sexy with those stocking feet and short skirt even though he knew she probably wanted to scream or cry at the moment?
Her light pink and grey outfit had wrinkles in it—something he never thought he’d see on Ari, and even her sexy blonde hair looked like she’d run her fingers through it over and over.
Oh, sweet Jesus, his Ari looked like hell.
Without a second thought, he took off his jacket and slid down beside her without speaking. She looked up at him with those big green eyes, and he fell for her all over again.
Not that he’d tell her that.
“Hey, you,” she said, her voice a little slurred.
That’s when he noticed the beer bottle in her hands. He raised a brow. “Beer, Ari, really?”
She grinned up at him and leaned into his side. He lifted his arm so she could sink into him. “You know I hate wine. People say it’s fruity or whatever, but all I can taste is chemicals.”
“You just aren’t drinking the right wine.” He ran his hand down her side, and she sighed. The little sound went straight to his cock but he’d long since learned how to control his physical responses around Ari.
At least he tried to.
“Shut up, Harper. You don’t like wine either.” She brought the beer up to her lips, and he patted her thigh.
“True. I’m more of a beer man myself.” With that, he took the beer out of her hands and took a sip.
“Hey, that’s mine.” She slapped his stomach, and he grinned around the bottle. “Why is your stomach so hard? I think I hurt my hand.”
He sucked in a breath and told his dick to calm down. She was drunk, and he wasn’t an idiot.
“What? It looked good,” he teased.
She smiled at him, and for once, it looked like a true one. He relaxed somewhat. If she could still smile at him, then all was not lost.
“Get your own, thief.” Her smile wobbled, and she leaned her head on his chest.
He set down her beer and wrapped both arms around her, pulling her closer. “Tell me what’s wrong, Ari.”
“Don’t you already know? That’s why you’re here, right? I figured Holly or Colleen called you.”
He kissed the crown of her head. “Justin called me to tell me the news, but I wanted to hear it from you.”
She pulled away and narrowed her eyes at him. “What did the bastard say?”
He cupped her face and used the pad of his thumb to brush away her tears. She leaned into his touch, and it took all within him not to pull her closer and never let go.
“Just tell me what happened.”
She pulled away and took her beer back, chugging the rest before letting her shoulders fall. “Well, first I thought I was getting a promotion.”
“I remember, you said your father was retiring.” He ran his fingers over her knee, needing to touch her.
“Well, he is retiring, but he’s taking everything with him when he goes. Apparently, I suck, and I’m not good enough for his company. So either he sells it to our rival, or I marry your brother. Because, you know, it’s the Regency era and all that. So instead of doing either of those things, I quit my job. So now, I’m poor, jobless, soon to be homeless, and hopeless.”
Harper took a deep breath and prayed for patience, rage consuming him. What the fuck were Xavier and Justin thinking? They wanted to control her so they did something like this? “Why don’t I go to Justin’s and beat the shit out of him?”
Ari raised her brow before weaving. He pulled her onto his lap so she wouldn’t fall. Though she felt nice where she was—really nice—she was drunk, and there was no way he’d take advantage.
“Stop trying to fix everything for me, Harper. I’m a big girl.”
Harper pushed her hair from her face and kissed her forehead. “I know you are, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to kick his ass anyway. I’m sure I can find another reason in a jiffy.” He snapped his fingers. “Ha. Already thought of one.”
She snorted then sighed, her breath tingling his neck. “This sucks.”
“I know.”
“What am I going to do?” she asked, her voice so small.
God, he’d never heard Ari this fragile, this broken before. He’d rather have her fighting back and telling him where to shove it rather than asking him what to do.
“You’re going to do what you always do when your father acts like an asshole. Pick yourself up and plan weddings. You’re freaking awesome at it, and we both know it. You don’t need King’s Weddings to live your life.”
“But I’m a King. Well, not according to my father, but damn it, I’m a King. I was supposed to take over and do what I was born to do and actually do it my way. Instead, I ran away from it all.”
He pushed her back so he could look into her eyes. “Baby, you’re more than the King name. We both know that. Stop tearing yourself down because your father doesn’t realize how special you are.”
She sighed and ran a hand over his cheek. “You always see something in me that no one else does. Are you sure it’s even there, Harper?”
He fought the urge to turn his face and kiss her palm. “I see you, that’s what matters. Now, I’m going to take you upstairs and tuck you into bed so you can sleep off your drunk. In the morning, you and I can talk about exactly how you’re going to face this head-on. You can do whatever you set your mind to, and you don’t need your stinking father to make that happen. And while we’re at it, you don’t need Justin for anything.”
She snorted and tried to stand. When she wobbled, he got up, taking her with him and hoisting her into his arms. She was so freaking light, even with all those sexy curves. Ari wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed into him again.
“You’re acting like my white knight again, Harper.”
He made his way down the hall to her room, trying not to let the feel of her body against his seep into his bones. “I’m not the white knight, more of the dented armored stable boy.”
“Did stable boys wear armor?” she asked, sleepily.
“Well, they should have with all those swords and lances everywhere.” He tucked her into bed, her clothes still in place. He wasn’t that much of a saint, and even trying to get her comfortable by stripping her down would have been too much for him.
Harper leaned down and brushed a kiss against her forehead. “Get some sleep, and we can figure it all out in the morning. I’m here, Ari, I’m never going away.”
She didn’t answer, her chest rising and falling as she slept.
It was just as well; if she’d answered, he was afraid she’d say she didn’t need him, and he couldn’t live with that. Not anymore.
3
Three days later, Arianna had the feeling if she didn’t start planning her life, Harper would just do it for her. Not that Harper couldn’t probably do everything on his own and have it end up better than she dreamed, but that wasn’t how she worked.
She needed to do this on her own.
Whatever this was.
Great, now she sounded like an ungrateful brat for all Harper had done for her. Her neighbor and best friend had always been there for her and supported her decisions—even when she had a feeling he didn’t agree with them.
Sure, he wouldn’t let her do something immensely stupid because, after all, friends were there to keep you from making those types of decisions. Harper, however, had always let her do what she thought she needed to do.
Arianna didn’t like th
e person she’d become in the past three days of sitting on the couch, trying to come up with a reason to actually find a new path. In fact, she wasn’t sure she liked the person she’d been for the last couple of years. When she’d been working for her father, she’d ignored all around her beyond the job. Everything she did at work had to be perfect; failure was not an option. Every single wedding had to be more spectacular, have more sparkle, be even more unique and talked about than the last.
She’d done that and more.
King’s Weddings had a two-year waiting list for couples that wanted to work with them. Though they could have hired more planners and delegated, her father had wanted them to be exclusive—and thereby, give them the ability to increase the minimum price they required for each wedding.
King’s Weddings dealt in the billions of dollars each year for a reason.
Arianna had put every ounce of herself into her work. Hence why her only girlfriend was Colleen—someone she’d met at work—and her best friend was Harper.
Okay, that wasn’t fair to make it sound like being friends with Harper was a hardship. Far from it. They’d known each other since they were kids and had quickly grown into friends even though he was a couple of years older. She’d even bought the house next to his when it came available because he’d been the one to recommend it. It hadn’t hurt that she’d been too busy to really shop around for a new home, but she’d trusted Harper.
She trusted Harper with everything.
And that said it all.
She knew it hurt him to know that she needed to pull away, do things on her own, but if she didn’t, she wouldn’t be Arianna anymore. Harper might want to fix everything, but she needed to do it herself, as well.
That’s why they were friends and not…more.
She blinked. Well, then. Where had that thought come from? She’d never had romantic feelings for Harper. He’d always been permanently in the back of her mind as just a friend, where it was safe. Sure, those sexy blue eyes always seemed to see too much, and she’d checked out his body before. Who hadn’t? His lean muscles and trim waist with strong thighs would totally appeal to her if she thought of him that way.
Which she didn’t.
At all.
She set down her coffee and stood up. Time to clear her thoughts of Harper’s body and take a shower…and not think of Harper joining her.
What the hell was wrong with her?
Three days away from her past life and the work she’d put everything into, and she was already lusting after her poor neighbor?
Maybe she really was going crazy. She just needed a cat to join her in her lonely house to make the set.
She quickly showered—and did her best to not think of Harper while in there—then dressed in nice jeans and a blouse, and went downstairs to her kitchen table. This would be her war room. She’d figure out what the hell she was doing with the rest of her life here. Harper had already started by buying self-help books and getting her office supplies organized in nice little piles.
With a fresh cup of coffee in her hand and her chin held high, Arianna picked up a new notebook and inhaled, the crisp paper smell intoxication to an organization fiend like her. Okay, so at this point, if anyone had been looking in on her, she knew she’d look crazy, but whatever. She needed things that made her happy right then, and office supplies did that.
Pads of papers, markers, and pens that Harper had bought for her.
The man knew her inside and out, and that fact started to scare her.
She quickly pushed those thoughts from her mind. She didn’t have time to worry about men and everything that came with them.
Arianna had a life to plan.
The doorbell rang, and she sighed. Thank God for distractions because she had no idea what to do.
When she opened the door, she froze, not expecting to see who waited there. Not only Harper but also Colleen. Colleen looked a bit tired, but much better than Arianna must look at the moment.
“Hey, Ari, I was walking over to get your butt off the couch when I saw your friend Colleen here get out of her car,” Harper said as he pushed his way into the house.
She glared at him before trying to smile at Colleen. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
Colleen raised her eyebrows then looked behind Arianna. She followed Colleen’s gaze to Harper’s ass and held back a grin. Well, he did have a nice ass. And neither one of them should be staring at it.
“Colleen, snap out of it,” Arianna whispered, though she smiled.
Her friend shook her head then faced Arianna. “Why did you never bring him to work or one of our lunches?”
Arianna rolled her eyes. “Get your mind out of the gutter, woman. Also, I never brought him to work because he’s Justin’s brother.”
Colleen’s smile deflated. “Oh.”
“I’m not like Justin,” Harper said from the kitchen doorway, a slight growl in his voice.
“Good to know,” Arianna said absently before wincing. “Sorry. I know you aren’t your brother.” Arianna and Colleen made their way into the kitchen, and Arianna brushed by Harper, doing her best not to touch him. She didn’t know what was going on with her right then, but she needed to stop from freaking out more than she already was. She had enough on her plate. “And thank you for all of your supplies. I have no idea how you have everything ready for me already. Honestly, you have your head on way straighter than I do right now.”
Harper studied her face. “You needed help, and I was able to give it. I know you’d do the same for me if I were where you are. Hell, I was where you are a year ago when I was looking for another company to work for. You helped me get ready to work with Montgomery Inc.. That’s what friends are for.”
Not knowing what to say, and with an odd emotion clogging her throat, Arianna went to his side and wrapped her arms around his waist. He froze for a moment before returning the hug. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” he grunted then pulled away.
Arianna turned back to the table only to see Colleen staring at them with a knowing look on her face.
“What?” she asked, her voice low, though Harper would have been able to hear her anyway.
“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all,” her friend answered coyly.
Arianna didn’t believe her, but it wasn’t like she could question her friend with Harper in the room. “So, what are you two doing here? Not that I don’t enjoy seeing you, because I do, it’s just odd that you’re both here.”
“Is it?” Harper asked as he put a plate in her hand. “Eat this. You haven’t been eating right even though I put things in your fridge. I let you wallow for three days because you needed to. Now, we can make plans.”
Irritation boiled through her. She’d needed time to breathe after quitting the only thing she truly loved. She might trust Harper fully, but she wouldn’t take him making her feel like crap. “Wallow? Jesus, you’re high-handed. Maybe you should go if you’re going to be an ass about it.”
Harper gave her a look and poured iced tea. “I’m not acting any differently than I usually do. We push each other. That’s how we work. Plus, if you’re going to move on, you need someone in your corner. Or in this case, more than one someone. At least, that’s what I’m gathering by Colleen’s presence.”
Arianna sat down on the stool and took a bite of her sandwich, knowing Harper was right about the fact that sugar and caffeine weren’t the best things to live off of.
“Thank you for the food,” Colleen said as she smiled at Harper. “Okay, so why am I here you ask? I’m here for you, of course, Arianna. There’s no way I could just let you leave like that. I waited as long as I could because I know you hate letting me see you down, and I had a few things to handle at King’s, but now, I’m here. For you.”
Arianna shook her head, a sense of warmth from her friend sliding through her, mixing with the ice that had so long ago taken hold. “I’m not going back. I can’t. You know why.” On her way out the door while she�
��d been in her haze, Colleen had come to ask what had happened. After Arianna had explained, the other woman had even helped her pack. Not that Arianna had owned many personal things for her desk. Everything had been…fluff. Ice to go with her image and nothing too personal and emotional.
Who had she become in these past two years?
“Oh, there’s no way you’re going back,” Colleen said. “In fact, I’m coming with you.”
Tea went down the wrong pipe, and Arianna choked. Harper came up to her and rubbed her back until the stinging left her eyes. It wasn’t her fault that she leaned into his touch.
Not at all.
“You can’t come with me, honey. I’m not going anywhere for you to come with. You’re doing so well at King’s.”
Colleen shook her head. “No, I was doing well there because you protected me from your father. Even though I told you not to. He’s a freaking tyrant, and we both know it. I don’t want to be there without you. You were the driving force, and I know that anything you do in the future is not only going to be successful, it’s also going to be amazing. So, I want to be part of it. Yes, that’s selfish, but you’ll need me anyway.”
Arianna couldn’t believe it. Colleen was ready to jump ship and join her in an endeavor she hadn’t even planned yet. Planning weddings and organizing everything having to do with that special day were the only things she knew how to do, but she still didn’t have a full idea.
“Colleen—”
“See? You already have an employee,” Harper interrupted. “You’re well on your way.”
“Exactly,” Colleen agreed. “And then, when I’m able, I’ll buy in as partner, and we’ll go even further.”
Arianna slammed her hand down on the counter. “Stop it. Stop making plans that I haven’t even thought of. Stop counting on this whole big idea when I don’t even have the idea yet. I haven’t even made a decision as to what I’m doing.”