by Lexi Aurora
“That will be for the two of you to work out.” Her father placed Harrison’s distinctive business card down on the table in front of her.
“Really? You set us up in a fake relationship, but can’t figure out where we should go on our first date? You’re officially fired as a matchmaker.”
Jeff leveled a stare on her, and Riley was certain she was about to get a tongue lashing. When he let out a burst of laughter instead, she jumped in her seat and gawked at him, her jaw going slack. “Holy crap, did I actually just make you...laugh?”
“Be quiet and figure out that date, Riley.” She could tell he was hiding his smile as he got up. He gave her shoulder a grateful squeeze and finally let that smile slip through. “Thank you for doing this; I mean it.”
“I know, Dad.” She smiled back at him. “And you’re welcome. Now...I have a date to set up.” She pulled out her phone and wiggled it at him.
Riley could barely believe what had happened as Jeff left the café and headed back to his truck. They never laughed together, mostly because Jeff was typically far too serious for that ‘crap.’ That and he was always trying to push her and meddle in her life when she felt as though she was able to handle it all herself. She was as independent as her mother, and he knew that, yet he still insisted on being as in her face as possible; it was infuriating.
“Okay... enough dad shit,” she murmured.
She felt frozen for several moments as she considered going back on the deal, but she couldn’t do that to her father. “This is so crazy...” Her throat shifted with a swallow as she dialed the number on Harrison’s business card.
There was no answer, and it took her directly to his voice mail.
“Damnit...”
She hung up without leaving a message behind and chewed on her lower lip. Maybe she should text him instead? Just as she was about to start writing him a text, her phone buzzed in her hands; it was him. Every part of her mind screamed at her to hang up and throw her phone in the trash, but she pushed beyond the fear and answered him.
“Harrison?”
“And she finally calls.”
“Harrison... come on. Can we at least be mature about this?”
“As mature as you just walking out on me after sex? Sure!”
“I told you why I had to leave, Harrison. I needed some time to think, and if you can’t respect that, then I’m going to hang up right now.”
His tone shifted and became far less obnoxious. More serious. “I know, I’m sorry, Riley. I’ve just been missing you.”
“Wait a second... did you actually just apologize to me?”
There was a brief silence. “Yes.” Harrison’s voice seemed to shift from playful to serious. “So what do you think, can we move on from this? Are you ready to have me in your space again? We do have a lot of work to do you know, granted you accepted your father’s deal?”
He was just as direct and forthright as her father when it came to business it seemed, but there was also a growing softness in him that she couldn’t deny. “Yes, I did. But only because it will help my father’s business and keep me out of the media. And, maybe because you aren’t really that bad..” She felt her hackles rising again, the uncertainty and nerves from that night shared with him slowly making her stomach churn; she had to keep him at a distance somehow.
“Oh? Not that bad? Hey, I’ll take it. Listen, 7pm for The Swedish Candidate premier. It’s at Checkerblock Cinemas tomorrow. Want a ride?”
If there was one thing Riley could barely tolerate, it was movies. There wasn’t a choice in the matter, though, as it was the perfect cover. All the media would be there, along with business celebrities and likely everyone else. “Yes... going with you will make it more believable; I’ll see you just before seven, Harrison.”
“See you at seven, babe.”
Riley felt her nerves flutter at his use of the word ‘babe.’ She swore her face felt much warmer than the rest of her, and she let out an involuntary giggle.
Chapter Ten
HARRISON FELT AS THOUGH he was getting whiplash when it came to Riley. One moment she was open and the next she was closed. She could be downright vicious at times, too, not that he wasn’t used to that. Still, when he’d first met her up on the rooftop terrace she had seemed so gentle and inviting, even friendly. But with each time they’d crossed paths, she gave him something entirely different. When he’d brought up the deal to Jeff, getting back at Riley had practically been a top priority. Now, though, he just wanted to get to know her; he wanted to find a way through her armor.
It was nearly 7pm when he pulled up in front of her house and gave the horn a few light honks. While he waited for her, he leaned back to check his tie in the rearview mirror, just to make sure that it was straight and smooth, unwrinkled. It was an old black-and-blue-checkered tie that he’d gotten from his late grandfather. While he hadn’t respected the man per say, he had respected his fashion sense.
At the sound of the passenger door opening, he glanced over to see Riley. His heart dropped and then felt like it had leapt all the way into his throat. His chest tightened, and he suddenly felt claustrophobic in his own clothes because she was, bar none, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
The dress she wore was dark silver with a black bust that had gold and silver sparkles spattered across it. Her hair draped in dark ringlets along the sides of her face, while the rest of it was wrapped into a tight, sophisticated bun at the back of her head. She wore almost no make-up, and there was a soft sheen of pale sparkles all across her chest and arms.
“Wow...”
“Oh, don’t patronize me, I haven’t worn a dress since my prom....”
“No, I’m not...” Harrison swallowed the thick lump in his throat and gave her the most genuine smile that he could muster. “You look absolutely amazing... but you promise not to walk out on me?”
“You do want me to get into this car, right?” She leveled a glare at him and slid into the seat. She folded her hands in her lap after she put on her seat belt, and she stared ahead, her expression perfectly polite.
“Riley... come on.” He placed one of his hands over her own. Even though he felt the slightest jump, he didn’t remove it. “Admit it... you picked that dress to tease me.” A smile flickered across his mouth, and within moments it was a full-fledged grin; he was trying his damnedest to shift the subject and make her more comfortable.
“Not really...” He saw a blush against her cheeks and grinned more. “I only picked it because I wanted to look nice for our date. Be convincing.” She cleared her throat and pushed hair back behind an ear, her expression growing softer.
“Mhmm...” His grin turned into a smirk as he pulled onto the road and headed for Cinderblock Cinemas.
When she bit down on her lip, like he’d seen her do many times before, it was so easy to go back to that night at his place. So easy to remember what that first kiss had felt like. More than that, he reminisced about the fire inside of her, the allure and the mystery. The way that she spoke, how she always seemed to carry far too much weight across her shoulders. More than anything, Harrison wanted to ease that burden from her.
They arrived at the theater in what seemed like no time at all; Harrison had admittedly spent nearly the entire ride staring at her. Whether she’d noticed or not, he truly didn’t care. She was too breathtaking in that dress not to appreciate.
He parked the car and walked around to her side. With an incline of his head, he opened the door for her and offered his left arm. Cameras immediately began to flash, and they became even more dazzling when Riley stepped out of the car and took his arm. She smiled at him, one that he was almost inclined to believe, and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“You owe me,” she whispered across his ear.
“As you wish,” he whispered back with a mysterious smile.
She said nothing more as he walked her up the beautiful red carpet to the main doors. Two doormen opened the doors for them, and reporters inside be
gan going wild with their cameras. Some approached them with excited gestures and voices, but Harrison had been through all of this many times before. He simply smiled at them, said a few non-descript things that meant practically nothing, and didn’t change his stride for a moment. Riley stayed with him and appeared as stately as her father; she didn’t bat a single eye, taking it all in stride as though she had done this as much as Harrison had. He wasn’t sure why, but in that moment he almost felt proud.
What the hell is this woman doing to me? he thought.
“Mr. McCoy! Riley Byrne! I have a few questions, I need to take some pictures. Do you mind? I promise it won’t take long, I promise!”
Harrison recognized the reporter as Izzy Frederik. She was hands down one of the best reporters he’d ever met, and she was far more respectful than the rest of the lot. He nodded to her and they escaped up a side stairwell with Riley, away from the rest of the crowd. The stairs were narrow enough that it was difficult to follow them or ask questions, so most reporters didn’t even try.
When they reached the top, Harrison shook Izzy’s hand and gestured to Riley. “This is Riley Byrne, my girlfriend. Riley, this is Izzy, one of my closest friends and confidants.”
Riley kept that polite smile going –she was so damn good at that– and shook Izzy’s hand. “It’s so nice to meet you. Thank you for not mauling us.”
“You’re most welcome.” She laughed. “There’s not too much time, so I hope you don’t mind if I just leap right in: How long have you two been dating? How did you meet? Are you in love? Come on, give us the goods.” She winked and held her microphone out to them while her camera man leveled his camera on them.
“We’ve been dating a few weeks,” Riley said, surprising Harrison by boldly stepping up to the plate. “And I could not be happier, truly. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a partner.” She smiled and pressed a warm kiss to his cheek, and one of her hands curled into one of his own. Her body rested against his, and she let her cheek lean into his shoulder. Cameras flashed and flickered like the stars in a night sky, and Izzy’s eyes widened with interest.
“It’s true,” said Harrison as he squeezed her hand. “She’s absolutely amazing; there’s no one else I would rather be with.” Gently cupping her chin in his hand, he stole a soft kiss from her. With zero hesitation, she returned the kiss, but kept it just as light, just as soft. A blush rose to her cheeks, and he grinned from one ear to the other; it was working. He was starting to win her over again and derail her walls just by playing the part.
“I’m so happy for the both of you.” Izzy was practically beaming. “Where do you two see yourselves in five years?”
“Together, partners in crime, the two of us against the world, and all the other relationship clichés you can come up with.” Riley spoke in a joking manner, but there was something genuine about her tone that made Harrison’s breath catch.
“That’s amazing. Thank you two, so much, for speaking with me today. I wish you both all the best in your future.”
“Thanks, Izzy. And yes, before you say anything, I know I owe you one for this.” Harrison winked at her.
“Mhmm, you surely do, sweetheart.” She let out a chuckle, gave them a wave, and made her way back down the stairs. Other reporters were trying to climb up, but Harrison was having none of it. Despite it being a big event, he fully intended on enjoying it with Riley free of further interruptions.
“Come on, I know how to lose these reporters.” He wrapped an arm around Riley in a brief hug before he headed toward what appeared to be a wall. Riley’s expression was a mask of confusion, but she also looked intrigued.
Just before he got to the wall, where he knew lay a secret door, he heard a voice from down below:
“Harrison! Hey! Oi, lay off me you damn reporters, I’m a nobody! Comin’ through, move, move!”
Harrison chuckled lightly at the sound of Owen’s antics and turned to face him. “Riley. Get ready to meet Owen... that’s about all the warning I can give you.”
Between Owen’s flailing and carrying on, the reporters trying to get up the staircase eventually relented and moved on to find others who might be more interested in speaking with them. The big man with hazel blue eyes gave the pair of them a shit-eating grin and gestured to Riley. “Hey, I’m Owen. You’re a new one, I don’t think we’ve met.”
“We haven’t... I’m Riley, Harrison’s girlfriend.”
There was a big pause as Owen seemed to process that information. He looked between Harrison and Riley several times and blinked. “I just need a minute here... Harrison... with a girlfriend. I’m not really sure how to handle this... how do you even process something as impossible as that?”
“Shut up...” Harrison laughed and gave him a slap on the back. “Just accept it, it’ll be fine. Riley’s the one I told you about that day we went rock-climbing.”
“Oh! Shit, yeah!” He offered his hand to Riley and gave her one of his big smiles again, those eyes sparkling.
Riley warily took his hand, but gave it a firm shake and a solid squeeze. “Nice to meet you, Owen... I think. And you rock climb?” She looked sideways at Harrison. “What else do you do that I don’t know about?”
“You probably don’t wanna know,” he teased.
“Owen! Get down here! You’re missing out on the best hot cakes!”
“That would be Anita, my sister, so I gotta go. Nice meeting you, though, Riley. Keep an eye on Harrison, never know what he’s up to. Later!” He gave them both a mock salute, then headed back down the stairs, muttering the whole way.
“He’s...”
Harrison laughed. “Yeah. I know. But he’s the best guy I know and a friend for life. Love that guy.” He jutted his chin toward the staircase. “What do you think about getting out of here? I know we just got here, but my place will be a lot quieter. Besides, we had our ‘interview’ and our ‘photo shoot,’ so unless you want to actually hang around for three hours and see the movie...”
That flush came to her cheeks again, and she offered him a shy smile. “Um... I see what you’re doing here. But I would really like to see that comic book collection again.”
Harrison could almost feel her nerves, but he didn’t push, didn’t press too hard. The fact that she hadn’t just said ‘no’ outright was an excellent sign. “Thought you might say that.” He hugged her again and felt his whole body grow warm when she leaned into him and used one arm to return the embrace.
‘GORGEOUS’ WAS TOO SIMPLE of a word to describe the way that Riley looked as she stood out on that balcony and gazed out over the city. He felt his mouth tilting into a smile as he focused on her expression; she seemed deep in thought, as though she owed the world when, as far as Harrison was concerned, the world owed her. From what he had managed to speculate on his own, she had a tough time trusting anyone. And it was no wonder, considering the bad luck she’d had in life with men. It was time, he decided, to change that. Even though she was frustratingly difficult to reach at times, Harrison felt as though he could relate to her because of her fear and mistrust of others.
He breathed in deeply and walked slowly up behind her; he slid his arms around her waist and gave her a squeeze, carefully assessing her body language in case she wanted to be left to her own thoughts. When she didn’t try to pull away, he let his chin rest over the top of her shoulder. “Are you doing all right, babe?”
A surprised sound slipped from Riley’s lips, and she turned around to look at him with serious eyes. A frown touched her mouth, too, and she pressed a hand to the side of his face. She shook her head once as she leaned in and kissed him just as softly as she had done at the movie premier. He touched the back of her hand and held it there to his face, kissing her in return just as tenderly. He nestled his free hand in against her waist, and pressed his body closer.
“You know you can tell me anything,” he whispered, their mouths brushing together with every word.
“I know I can.” She smiled at him, kissin
g him over and over again with soft brushes of her mouth. “And you know you can tell me anything, too. Right?” She took one of his hands and gently brought it up against her chest. “You promised... remember?”
“I remember.” He took her hand and stepped closer to the railing.
“Please, Harrison... you can tell me. Even a little bit.”
He was sure that the pain he felt inside was reflecting outwardly when Riley wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. He returned the embrace, his chin resting atop her shoulder. “My parents were druggies. Both of them. I was taken from them when I was just a kid and placed into the foster care system. Most of my foster care families were only in it for the money, and it was... a struggle.” He rubbed his hands along her back, eventually pushing them beneath her shirt so that he could feel the warmth of her skin. “Ever since then, I just figured... why trust someone if they’re just going to abandon me in the end?”
“Harrison.” She pulled back and took his face between her hands. She stared at him with more intensity than he had ever seen from her, and he felt himself stop breathing. “I will never abandon you. Not ever. I know I’ve been challenging, and I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry, and I know they’re just words, but... you deserve to hear them.” Her mouth pressed into his, the kiss warm and tender. Full of affection.
The breath caught in his throat, and with a low sigh, he smiled and ran his tongue gingerly along her jawline. When he got to her ear, he pulled it between his teeth and sucked on it until she moaned. Her hands were much bolder than last time, more confident, and she pulled open his suit and pushed beneath his button down. He could feel her fingers and her palms as they glided across his abdomen; he’d never felt such pleasure from a simple touch, and he found himself turning so that his back was against the railing. With a low grunt, he lifted her up into his arms and clutched her to him, chuckling at her little squeak of surprise.