“It bothers me. I want to fuck you senseless every time I get up to leave. This morning, I kissed you because I couldn’t stop myself, but you were so out of it you didn’t even stir. You work too fucking hard.”
I’m touched that he not only struggles to leave me in bed alone each morning, but that he is man enough to admit it.
“Fuck sleep. I’d much rather have you balls deep inside me than just fantasizing about it,” I admit, belatedly thinking to check around us, making sure no one is within listening distance.
No man has ever led me to distraction like Harvey.
“Is that what you do? Dream about me fucking you?” He has a cocky smirk on his lips.
I smile, but it turns more into a grimace when I recall my dream. “Sometimes, but not last night.”
He catches on to my gloomy tone and reaches over the bar, touching my arm and keeping me from looking away from him. “What happened last night?”
I take a deep breath, wishing the shakiness wasn’t there, and figure I will feel better if I got it out.
“I dreamt about you, about us, but then my dad showed up, and he …” I trail off, not sure I can voice what happened next. Seeing it was bad enough.
“What did he do?”
I look over his shoulder, unable to meet his eyes. “He shot you, you fell to the ground, and then you … you bled out. And I knew I put you in danger. I was the reason you were dead.”
“Fuck,” he gasps, reaching out and touching my neck, getting right in my face so I have to look him in the eyes. “I should have stayed. Should have been there for you when you woke up from that.”
I shake my head, attempting to give him a reassuring smile, not that it comes out more than a purse of my lips. “I wasn’t really upset about being alone, Harvey. I was fucking angry about the fact that it’s true. If it weren’t for my dad, you wouldn’t have had a hit out on you. You’re a target now.”
“That isn’t your fault. And not that I would ever blame your mother, but it was her who came to me, not you.”
“But it’s the fact that you’ve been seen with me that Dad is holding it over me.”
“Don’t you remember what he said? I don’t have a hit on me because he can hold me over you. Before, when there was a hit on me, it was because he didn’t realize he could hold me over you. So, if we hadn’t hooked up, or at least appeared that way to your father’s men, then he would have picked someone else, like Scarlett, to torment you with, and I’d likely be dead.”
I pull away, knowing what he says is true. I have even thought that myself. Still, it does little to make me feel any better or less responsible.
“Can we talk about something else? I’m beginning to feel sick,” I admit.
He sits back down and nods. “So, what do you want to talk about?”
“I don’t know. What made you come in today? Didn’t you want to talk about last night?”
“Yeah, but it’s about what we found out from the meeting. If you want a break from talking about that shit, we can talk about it later.”
I wince, not sure I’m ready to hear more about it. I doubt any of it will be good news, and right now, I need a pick-me-up, not another knock to my spirit.
“Just give me a little distraction. What else you got?” I ask.
He seems stumped.
One of the waiters then hands me a drink slip before leaving to drop off a food order to the kitchen. I get it ready, my mind already slipping back to last night.
When will my next meeting be? Will it be similar to last night’s, or even more intense?
And what the hell was up with Donny? He was definitely sending out vibes that I have never seen from him. Was he really interested in me? Or just messing with me?
“I’ve been a P.I. for five years. Before that, I served in the military. Before that, I worked at my dad’s bar,” Harvey announces.
I look up at him as I try to take in all that information.
“Okay…?” I say unsurely. Why is he telling me that?
“Pick a topic you want me to talk about, Nix,” he says with exasperation.
It has to be the military, right? I want to picture that in my head. I recall the dog tags I saw yesterday, as well as other tattoo clues.
“Military?”
He stares at me for a while, his gaze turning stormy as he considers this.
I don’t think this is the topic he hoped I would choose. And maybe it isn’t the right place or time to open that can of worms.
Giving in, I reach over and wrap my hand over his where it rests by his drink. “Just answer me this: you still got the uniform?”
When he smirks at me, I go from hot to full-blown hard in three seconds flat. I don’t even know what his uniform looks like, but I’m pretty sure I would be turned on by any uniform Harvey wore.
“Fuck, I’m at work, man,” I groan, then find myself getting a strange look from Jonah, the waiter, who returns with Harvey’s club chicken and grabs the drinks waiting for him.
Harvey laughs. It doesn’t take long before he’s digging into his sandwich.
“Okay, different topic. So, your dad owns a bar? Anywhere I’d know?”
“He did own a bar. It was out on Lincoln.”
I shrug. I haven’t had much of a social life these past few years, and before that, I tended to stick to gay bars.
“Did own a bar?” I feel like there are minefields around and I should be careful where I step.
“He sold it a few years ago. He had a heart attack, which led to them finding lung cancer. He recovered from the heart attack, beat the cancer, but the doc told him to slow down.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
Harvey simply shrugs, yet I can see the tension in his shoulders. Didn’t he tell me once he’s not close to his family?
I get another drink slip and busy myself filling it, giving Harvey time to either decide to talk about this some more, or think of a subject change.
As soon as I finish and the drinks are taken away, I stand back in front of Harvey, who is staring intently at his meal.
“I’d come out to them a couple years before,” he begins, still not making eye contact. “They weren’t happy about it, and basically told me to keep that shit to myself. Then, a few days before the attack, Dad caught me kissing some guy. He wasn’t even anyone important, but he went off on me. Kicked me out of the house. Then, once he had the heart attack and got the cancer diagnosis, they all blamed it on me—my parents, my sister. Said I was toxic and made him sick. I haven’t spoken to them since.”
My mouth is agape while Harvey just takes a swig of his ale then a large bite out of his sandwich.
“That’s messed up,” I point out unnecessarily.
He gives me a one-shoulder shrug. “It’s been years now. I’m angry that they’re assholes, but I don’t give them much thought anymore. Got an uncle I occasionally still talk to; that’s enough for me.”
I shake my head, hating that he had that crap put on him.
What is wrong with some people?
“That is still fucked up. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
“Yeah, well, it put my whole life on a spin. I was living at home while Dad showed me the ropes at the bar. I didn’t love working there, but it was okay, and Dad said it was his legacy. He wanted it kept in the family. But once I was ousted, I had nowhere to go and shit-all saved up, so I did what a lot of nineteen-year-old lost kids do. I joined the Army.” His eyes drop now. He looks much more affected by this part of his story than him telling me his parents and sister disowned him.
“And then you decided to become a private investigator?” I ask, hoping to get him out of his funk and that era of his life.
“Yeah, I worked freelance before I joined with J.P.I. a couple years ago.”
“And you like it there?”
“Sure, it’s okay.” He shrugs, but there is a small smile over his lips. I don’t think he even realizes he is showing it. “They’re all nosy shi
ts, and it’s hard to keep anything to yourself, but when I called Joey last night, he dropped everything to meet me. Spent an hour following that guy back to his business, and then spent all morning finding out who he was and what he does. This isn’t even a paid case, but he did it because I asked for his help.”
I cringe over the money comment. “I was meant to come around and sign a contract, wasn’t I? If you bring some paperwork in, I can sign whatever needs—”
“I’m not charging you for this, Nix. It’s pretty fucking clear something is going on between us. So, no charging.”
I smile, liking that he’s willing to admit now that there is something between us. Besides, I can’t help thinking it would put an unsavory light on things if we started mixing money into this.
“Then it sounds like I owe a lot of you some drinks.”
“I wouldn’t offer that lightly,” he warns. “Those guys know how to drink, but it’s the women you have to be wary of.”
I nod, not doubting that for a second. “I figured that one out for myself. They are some scary, intimidating women.”
Harvey grins, finishing his meal then wiping his mouth on a napkin. “Well, you have Sasha’s approval. She’s been gushing about you since yesterday, talking my ear off any chance she gets. And she’s sent me about a dozen pictures of you and that asshole friend of hers together.”
I roll my eyes, wishing I had figured out her game early enough to have avoided that.
“I’m not sure if having her support is a good thing or not,” I point out, knowing Teagan is the one I need to win over. She’s the one who matters the most.
“True. Ava likes you,” he says. “She apparently mentioned to Sasha about inviting you over for a meal. My advice? Run.”
I snort, figuring that’s his advice when it comes to those women ninety-nine percent of the time.
“She seems … less crazy,” I concede.
“Cynthia isn’t likely to reveal any feeling about you to me, so I have no idea about her.”
“Her opinion will probably stand by whatever happens with Scarlett.” I glance over at Scarlett, seeing she is giving us some serious eyeing off.
I have been trying to avoid her gaze, but I would bet every cent I have that she has kept her attention on us the entire time.
Her tips are going to suck today.
“Hmm,” Harvey agrees, finishing off his ale and leaving me completely hanging on where I stand with Teagan.
“Well?” I finally demand when he doesn’t seem like he’s going to say more.
“Well what?”
“What about Teagan? She’s the important one, right? Your best friend? What does she think?”
He scratches his chin as he seems to think on how to say it. But he doesn’t need to. I can already see it in his face.
She’s not sold on me. Yet.
Before he can come up with anything, my phone vibrates in my pants. The light mood evaporates as I pull my phone out, expecting the worst, but seeing the international number popping up.
“Nix, there’s a customer who isn’t happy with his food,” Scarlett interrupts.
I glance over to see the man in question. He is standing up and hissing at one of my new staff members.
“Shit.”
“Is it …?” Harvey trails off, indicating my phone.
I shake my head as I round the bar. “It’s Mom.”
“I’ll take it,” he offers.
I pull up short as he grabs my phone out of my hand and slides the green call button to pick up the call.
“Hi, Nina,” he says with warmth in his voice. I’m completely shocked that he’s happily chatting to my mother.
When has a guy I have ever been interested in been that comfortable?
For someone who keeps saying he doesn’t do relationships, he’s sending some seriously mixed signals.
I walk over to the customer who is being an asshole for no good reason. He says his food didn’t taste good, yet it was apparently good enough to eat almost the entire thing before complaining. Despite that, he gets a free meal out of his hissy fit, and my new waiter gets a confidence kick after only doing this for a couple weeks. Of course the guy then leaves without tipping.
I resist the urge to grab my phone from Harvey so I can take the man’s photo and pin it up on a wall that says he’s banned. However, we get people like that too often to do that.
Unfortunately, a lot of our business is word of mouth. All it takes is one well-written bad review, and it will go viral. Then your business sinks.
I walk back over to the bar and listen as Harvey laughs at God knows what my mother is saying.
His eyes move over to me, and then he says goodbye to my mother like they are old friends before passing over the phone.
“Hey, Mom, I can’t really—”
“I love him!”
“Who? Marty?” I ask, purposely being annoying.
“No! You know who I mean. Harvey is perfect!” she gushes.
“Well, I think he’s gay, Mom. I can ask him if he’ll swing that way for you, but—”
“Oh, shut up,” she cuts me off. “Are you happy?”
As much as it makes me sound like a pathetic momma’s boy, I’m used to seeing her every few days and we talked daily, even if it was just a random text. Now she’s on the other side of the world. I miss her.
“Yes, Mom,” I assure her, then listen to her relieved sigh.
“Good. I love you, too, you know. I wish I could be with you, but it makes me feel incredibly relieved to know he’s watching over you.”
“He’s not my guardian angel. He’s a real person with a real job, and I don’t need a bodyguard,” I remind her. Though, with all this shit with Donny and my dad, maybe a bodyguard wouldn’t go amiss.
“I know, I know. I’m just happy knowing you have someone looking out for you,” she says with a lightness in her voice I don’t think I have ever heard before.
“Thanks. And you? You’re happy, right?”
“Yes!” she squeals. “I’ve fallen in love with New Zealand. It’s so pretty here and warm. I can’t wait to bring you both over here someday soon.”
I roll my eyes, smiling when Harvey snorts over what he is no doubt overhearing.
“Right, well, how about you let Harvey and I know each other longer than a week before you start planning overseas vacations for us?”
“Were you always this sassy? I think Harvey has brought this side out of you.”
“I’ll let you take that up with him another time. I have to go, Mom. I’m at work and getting orders. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Tell Harvey I said goodbye.”
“I will.”
I hang up, feeling a small pang of sadness that she’s gone, but I can’t help chuckling over her words.
“Man, you have her mooning over you,” I tell Harvey, who grins happily at me.
“She makes it easy. Who are the usual assholes you date to make me look so good?”
My breath catches from the inference that we are dating.
Is that what is happening? Is he finally willing to admit it? And if he is, how long before he gets sick of me not having enough time for him?
“Nix?”
“Sorry, was distracted,” I tell him as I look at the two order slips I was given then quickly get those drinks ready, also offering Harvey a top off, which he declines.
“I haven’t done much dating,” I admit. “At least, not to a point where I introduced anyone to my mother. I had one serious enough boyfriend, but after I got this place and had no time for him, he left pretty quickly. The only men she has met are the ones she tried to set me up with.”
“And I’m the winner?” he says with a smirk.
“You are the first she has declared her love for, yes.”
Harvey seems proud of this, and I laugh at his reaction.
“Listen, I need to head off soon,” he tells me as his smirk is replaced with a somber look. “Do you want to talk
about last night before I go, or do you want to wait? I promise you, it’s nothing bad, just wanted you to be kept in the loop.”
“Is this a go-into-my-office talk, or is out here in the open fine?”
When he gives me a knowing look, I realize I’m able to read Harvey’s looks much easier than before.
“I get the feeling, if we go into your office, there will be little talking and you can kiss your clothes goodbye.”
“Out here,” I quickly suggest, mainly because Scarlett would never let me live it down if we disappeared and I came back out looking satisfied and wearing new clothes.
He leans forward on his stool, and I do the same so we can talk quietly.
“Joey followed that guy and his gang back to a sports bar up in Gage Park. The owner has long been thought of as the infamous bookie, Shark. They call him that because you get one warning if you don’t pay him back on time, and that warning draws blood. Once your blood’s been spilled, then Shark is coming for you.”
“Sounds creepy.”
“There are dozens of murder victims who have been suspected to be linked to him, but since no one can get any proof that the guy is Shark, there is no way to convict him.”
“Okay …” I try to follow what he’s saying. “So, last night, my father paid off a bookie? Do you think he owed him money?”
“Your father has never been short on money,” Harvey points out.
“Then, what was last night?”
“We’re thinking it was about paying off someone else’s debt.”
I recall something being said about a debt. What does that mean? Why would he do that?
“What is my father, the fairy debt godfather?” I reply on a snort. My father wouldn’t give a dollar to a worthy charity, let alone pay off half a million debt for someone else.
“He could be, if he wants the person he is paying the debt off to owing him.”
My eyes widen at the possibility. “Is that what you think?”
“From what it sounded like, yes. But the hard part is figuring out who that could be. Joey is looking closer into the bar to see if he can find out who frequents there, and see if he can find any connections to your father. But it’s probably a long shot.”
I nod, feeling despair at the lack of progress. What if this doesn’t mean anything by the end? What if these meetings keep coming back and there is nothing to stop my father from demanding more and more from me?
I Broke Into His Office (Love at First Crime Book 4) Page 14