I Broke Into His Office (Love at First Crime Book 4)

by Jessica Frances

  “Yeah, I’ll go with you,” I agree.

  He sighs in relief before taking my hand and leading me back to his car. I didn’t even spot Scarlett, but she’s probably somewhere amongst the crowd.

  As Harvey drives us back to Zander’s, I wonder if, instead of running away to escape from Zander and Ava’s apartment, I’m going to get kicked out. Who the hell wants me around them after everything I caused?

  A drive-by shooting, an attack, a murder, and two serious fires sound like I already ran out of chances with Harvey’s friends.

  How long before he gives up on me, too?

  Chapter 16

  We are barely at Zander’s for five minutes before Harvey gets a phone call that Donny is on the move. Instead of just one or two of them leaving, they all go, but not before all the guys lay one on their respective women. And no one is as shocked as me when Harvey pulls me to him to give me a quick peck.

  Harvey does not strike me as someone to show affection in public, or around his friends. Hell, I’m not usually someone who cares for that, either. With Harvey, though? Yeah, I can quickly become a fan of kissing in public.

  Ava and Sasha actually squeal, and even Teagan has a soft smile on her lips. Only Cynthia looks unaffected. Meanwhile, though the guys don’t seem to care, they sure do give Harvey shit about it as they leave, teasing him that he will be whipped in no time, and asking him why he took so long to move me in with him, which makes no sense. We only just met. There is no way I’m even close to ready to live with someone, even if that someone is a hunk like Harvey.

  It seems like an inside joke, so I don’t think too hard on it. As an alternative, I focus on not missing someone who shouldn’t affect me so much already.

  I have always been a little guarded, a little hard to get through. That’s partly because my restaurant always comes first, and partly because of how I was raised. But, with Harvey, I seem to become a different person.

  I’m just not entirely sure if I like this person or not yet.

  I dump myself down on the couch, my eyes straying to Ava’s son, Jensen, who has his eyes glued to some cartoon on TV, and then to the others who don’t appear to think I’m a menace. At least, not outwardly.

  Not only have these guys been shot at, but their office has been targeted yet again. Thankfully, no one was inside or hurt, but this clearly has moved beyond personal now.

  “I can’t believe I got your office set alight,” I moan as Ava passes me a glass of wine.

  We are all sitting on the large wraparound couch. The girls, except Teagan, all have glasses of wine. Teagan is cuddling Ava’s baby girl in her arms, her attention constantly drifting down to her, though her eyes also drift over to me often.

  When Harvey was here, they had hushed words that I couldn’t get a read on. Harvey mentioned they were best friends, but their body language said something more hostile was going on. I can’t help thinking they were likely arguing over me. Teagan obviously wants me out of Harvey’s life.

  I’m definitely too much trouble, which makes me question: does Harvey have a thing for lost causes? Is that why I caught his eye? What is it about me that made him willing to bend or maybe even break his strict rules? And how long can I expect this to last between us before he’s had enough of all the shit that comes with me?

  Just the thought of losing Harvey forces me to take a large gulp of the too sweet wine.

  I have never been much of a wine drinker, but I need alcohol badly enough to take whatever I can get.

  “Oh, trust me; this isn’t even the worst. It’s bad, but it’s fixable. You’re one-up on all of us,” Sasha says from next to me.

  As soon as I plonked my ass down, she scooted over so we are almost touching. I think she believes the closer she is to me, the more likely she will be able to get me to spill juicy details about Harvey.

  If I continue drinking like I am, she will be right.

  “What do you mean?” I finally ask after another long gulp of wine.

  Working around alcohol, I know wine should be appreciated and sipped slowly. Regardless, I would appreciate if the alcohol would do its job and wash away the unease that has settled in my gut.

  “In the past five years, we’ve had four offices. Two exploded due to bombs, and one had a car plow through it. The problem with that was a support beam, which was integral to the building staying upright, ended up collapsing, bringing the entire building down. Shooting the place up, and then setting fire to it surprisingly didn’t do much. We can work with that,” Sasha calmly informs me.

  I attempt to take all that in, not sure if I’m being fed something so outrageous that it must be bullshit.

  Are they trying to see how gullible I am? Harvey never mentioned any of that to me.

  “I don’t believe any of that shit,” I finally announce, deciding I would rather be laughed at for not believing them rather than laughed at for looking like such a gullible noob. “Even if that were true, all your things are ruined from the fire. All your information and—”

  “We always back our stuff up,” Cynthia interrupts. “We all learned two buildings ago not to bring anything important into the office. At this point, we might as well have a standing order with the office furniture company we go through.”

  Ava laughs, while the other women crack a smile, even Teagan, who is still eyeballing me warily.

  “You’re all so calm about this,” I say before taking another long gulp of wine, already almost finished with it.

  “We’re all just glad no one was hurt in the fires,” Sasha says.

  “This time,” I mutter to myself, not that Sasha doesn’t hear, given her pursed lips and disapproving stare.

  “The guys are working on it. It’ll be over soon,” Cynthia assures me, also taking a healthy gulp of her wine.

  What has her shooting back wine? I hope it isn’t Scarlett. The last thing I need is to be responsible for introducing two people, even if it wasn’t exactly my choice, who then ended up not even lasting a fortnight.

  “Well, I guess this is the shittiest Christmas you all have ever had, right?” I say sullenly. It’s definitely the shittiest Christmas I have ever had.

  Even as that thought enters my mind, I immediately picture Harvey. I can’t exactly say it’s been a complete dud. Regardless of the drama, I can’t bring myself to regret the fun I have had with him leading up to the day.

  “Nowhere near it,” Teagan contradicts on a dreamy smile as she bounces Ava’s baby on her lap, making cooing sounds.

  “Pregnancy hormones aside, Teagan is right. This isn’t a big deal for us,” Ava affirms before taking a sip of her wine.

  I stare over them all, noticing they appear relaxed and calm. “Aren’t any of you worried?”

  “About the office? Most of us are capable of working from home. The office is more because it’s easier to work with the others and for the clients’ sakes. I think we should just give it up,” Cynthia says.

  “No way! I like there being an office. It’s professional,” Ava immediately argues.

  “You just like fucking in the office,” Sasha teases Ava, who then turns bright red. “And right now, in this apartment, you share an office with Zander, and it drives you mental. Not so much fun living with a neat freak when it comes to your work,” she says sweetly, while Ava winces in response.

  “He moves my keyboard every night so it’s perfectly aligned with the screen! Who does that?”

  “Zander does,” Sasha says on a laugh.

  “You’re going to have to move, anyway, right? You need the space for Kiera, unless you intend on her sharing a room with Jensen once she’s out of your bedroom. Besides, with the way you guys are going, number three won’t be far off,” Cynthia declares.

  I glance around the nice area, speculating just how well being a private investigator pays since this place is swank.

  “First of all, if you were my kid, I would get you to wash your mouth with soap. My vagina is having a long-needed break from pus
hing kids out. At this stage, not even Zander is allowed entry, except for special occasions,” Ava overshares.

  “Special like any day that ends in Y?” Sasha smiles cheekily.

  “Shut up,” she snaps right back, no heat in her voice. “Van is going back to college next week, so we’ll have a little more time to sort things out before he returns in the summer.”

  Sasha’s eyes soften as she reaches out to touch Ava’s arm. “You miss him.”

  “Of course I do. It doesn’t help that he’s barely been home since he returned. He’s out most nights with his friends,” she replies with a shine to her eyes that I fear will lead to crying soon. I have seen everything at the restaurant when it comes to crying—happy tears, sad tears, angry tears, and even I’ve-overdone-it-on-the-hot-sauce tears. That doesn’t mean I have a clue what to do when they happen, except for the last one, which is to hand out milk and try not to laugh at the wonderful shade of red the person inevitably shifts to.

  “Luckily,” Ava continues, “I have a screaming baby and a frustrated three-and-a-half-year-old to distract me.”

  “You know, I always figured you guys would be baby making machines. I pictured a kid every year for a while,” Sasha admits.

  “Me? What about you?” Ava counters. “I thought once you and Declan got settled, you would be all about kids. You haven’t even set a date for your wedding yet!”

  I finish off my wine, hoping an instant refill is in my near future.

  Why did Harvey leave me here? Couldn’t he have taken me with him? Being surrounded by women talking about vaginas and kids has to be a new form of torture. Is Harvey punishing me?

  “We are all about kids,” Sasha says, leaning back and placing her hand on my leg, perhaps sensing the flight mode gathering steam inside me. “We’re just not there yet. Same with the wedding. It will happen when it happens. Besides, Teagan is having a kid next. When I’m pregnant, I want all the limelight to be on me.”

  She sounds confident and light, but I hear something else there. Maybe sadness? Frustration?

  “Well, good luck to you. I already told Joey I want a big family,” Teagan announces.

  “How big are we talking here?” Cynthia sounds concerned.

  “At least four,” she says this calmly, while my eyes bug out of my head.

  Who would voluntarily want that many kids? Surely, one is enough to cause you to rip out all your hair?

  I half-heartedly listen to the women talk more and more about children, which leads into childbirth talk. To give me strength, I grab the newly opened bottle from the table and, ignoring manners, chug back the wine until I finish the bottle. Then I get another bottle.

  The girls try to keep up, but I start to play a game where, every time the word baby is mentioned, I chug back a large gulp. It doesn’t take long before I’m smashed and laughing uproariously at everything. I even laugh when Ava and Sasha begin to seriously overshare about their partners, trying to one-up each other with their over-the-top details.

  “What type of person spends most of his time working the bar yet can’t hold his alcohol?” Sasha demands. I think her voice is slurred.

  I’m not the only one who is three sheets to the wind.

  “Sash, he’s had, like, two bottles to himself,” Cynthia points out.

  I don’t know how she isn’t drunk herself. She’s half my size and has easily had as much as me.

  “Geeze, we’re not that bad,” Ava mumbles, taking a quick sip of her wine. She’s so far behind that I doubt she will catch up to us now.

  Teagan gazes at us disapprovingly, but my fears about her liking me are buried under all the alcohol in my system.

  “I’ve been playing a game,” I admit, my words slurring together. “Every time you guys say baby or something baby-related, I take a swig.”

  This is met with a couple laughs and a wince from Sasha.

  “Well, I’m surprised you aren’t passed out, then,” Ava jokes.

  “You’re right,” Sasha jumps in. “I sat next to you to talk about something way more fun than baby talk, but I like this game. Let’s do this whenever Nix says the word penis, or a word meaning penis.”

  I’m too drunk to worry whether I should be offended or not. Or ask why she’s saying this when I haven’t said penis once tonight.

  “Why would I talk that much about penises?” I ask, then watch as the girls all take a drink while Teagan gives us all an eye roll. She is still cradling a sleeping Kiera in her arms. Jensen long ago put himself to bed.

  “So, tell us about Harvey,” Ava says with a smirk.

  “Harvey is great,” I admit, aware I have a pathetic, dreamy smile on my lips. I can’t help it. I’m unable to sensor myself in my current state. Besides, what is the worst that can happen by letting my walls down a little with these women?

  “Great in bed?” Sasha leads.

  I smile happily at her. “He’s amazing in bed. His cock is magical.”

  They all take a drink while smirking at each other.

  “How magical?” Sasha urges, her gaze rapt with attention.

  I try to think of how to word just how magical Harvey’s penis is. It shouldn’t be so hard to describe, but with my foggy head and Teagan’s disapproving stare, my mind blanks. It takes me ages to think through it all and get to what I want to say.

  “It makes me sees stars. I think I’m in love with it.”

  “In love with what?” Ava waves her hand for me to continue.

  I quickly gather what she wants me to say and unbashful announce it to all, uncaring that I’m being far too loud for an apartment with neighbors close by, “His beautiful dick.”

  They all snigger, taking another drink.

  I may be the one who is swaying, but I’m certain Sasha and Cynthia are starting to look worse for wear. Ava is taking smaller sips, the cheat!

  “I just don’t get penises,” Cynthia slurs.

  “Of course you don’t.” Sasha rolls her eyes at her while Ava giggles.

  “And men are weird, don’t you think?” She looks to me, and I wonder if she’s forgotten I’m gay and love men. “They look weird naked. I mean, they have dangly bits. Like, they have balls!” Cynthia continues, unperturbed by the girls pissing themselves laughing. Even Teagan cracks up at this.

  “I have dangly bits and balls,” I point out, smiling when she winces like I just admitted I have the plague.

  “Don’t remind me! I have to hear enough about that stuff from them.”

  “It’s not our fault you don’t speak up. We’ll hear your girl talk since you listen to our guy talk,” Sasha tells her.

  “Actually,” I interject, knowing where this will end up going, “I’m not sure I’m okay with hearing—”

  “Just because I don’t talk about vaginas all day doesn’t mean I’m not as open as you guys. I just don’t think talking about that stuff loudly, while people try to eat around us, is appropriate,” Cynthia blurts out.

  “You constantly ask Ava questions about her and Zander!” Sasha accuses, her voice rising with her annoyance.

  “Well, yeah, to drive you crazy because I know you don’t like hearing it.”

  “Bitch.” Sasha pokes her tongue out before taking a sip of wine.

  “We’re not in public now,” Ava points out.

  I groan. This is not where I want this conversation to go.

  “Okay, fine, Scarlett is—”

  “Cock, cock, cock!” I yell out, then laugh when they stumble at attempting to drain their glasses.

  “That’s not fair!” Cynthia grumbles after taking three long gulps of her wine and finishing it off.

  I shakily get to my feet, topping them all off, and hope this makes them a little less present to recall the conversation we were about to have.

  “Now, I was … What was I saying?” Cynthia asks, a little sway happening.

  “I don’t know … Christmas stuff?” I throw out there, and she smiles at me.

  Teagan gives me a knowing smi
le, but I’m too drunk to read into whether it’s just a friendly one, or if I’m winning any points with her.

  “Oh, right. My parents were so sweet this year. Mom learned how to knit so she could make me a scarf!” she brags, and all the women sigh sweetly.

  “That’s nice.”

  “She’s going to make you all one, even Scarlett who she …” She trails off before turning to glare daggers at me. “I was not talking about Christmas!” she snaps. “Babies! Babies!” she cries out.

  I eagerly take two long gulps, knowing if this is going to swing back to Scarlett, I am going to need to pass out soon.

  “I forgot about that! Babies!” Sasha yells.

  I feel as though the walls are moving now. Are they getting closer?

  “Drink!” Sasha tips the remainder of the wine into my mouth. I fear I reached the edge where I’m nearing alcohol poisoning.

  “Cock!” I cry out, hoping to buy myself some time.

  “Babies!” they all cry at once.

  Now I know I’m going to be sick.

  “Penis!” I shout.

  All the girls laugh, falling over each other. Then we hear footsteps close by and glance up.

  I see twelve men standing in front of us.

  I didn’t realize Harvey was part of triplets. In fact, everyone here has identical brothers. What are the odds?

  “What the hell is going on?” Zander asks, catching Ava when she leaps at him.

  “Babies mean drink!” she explains.

  “Huh?”

  “And his cock means we drink!” Sasha unhelpfully explains further.

  “What the fuck?” Declan growls.

  “Let me explain. Scarlett is amazing. I think … she could be …” Cynthia stumbles back onto the couch and glances at Ava. “I think I need to …” She doesn’t finish her sentence, but she does appear to pass out on the couch, her legs hanging over the side and her mouth open so we can all hear her loud breathing.

  “Teagan?” Joey asks, moving over to her. All his brothers do the same. Is she in a relationship with all of them?

  “They’re all completely wasted,” she explains, letting all those men help her up. How come there are so many Teagans now?