by Jeannie Moon
“You were never like this, man.” Josh rose from his seat and shut the window behind them. The sudden quiet as the noise of the city was blocked out was unnerving. “What changed?”
“I don’t know. I feel different.”
“Different?” Caroline asked. “What do you mean?” She slid into the leather club chair adjacent to where Kevin was sitting and tucked her legs under her.
He drew a long breath, because he knew what he was about to say could have ended up with him on the couch of some psycho-babble talk show. Still, he wanted to say it.
“You know how you and Meg got, like, a message from Dad about what you were supposed to do? Who you were supposed to be with?”
“Kevin . . .”
“I was close to Dad, and that’s not to say you weren’t, but I feel like he’s kind of left me hanging. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do here?”
“Dad didn’t really tell me what to do, so I’m not exactly sure what you’re driving at. Do you want some message from the beyond telling you that you should be with Harper? I don’t think that’s happening.”
“He knew you were supposed to be with Josh. That Meg would forgive Jason.” He dropped his head in his hands. “I miss him, I guess. It’s just hitting home. I keep feeling like something is happening and I’m missing it.”
“Like what? Something with Harper?” Caroline reached out and took his hand. “I don’t know what to tell you. Meg would be a better judge of what’s up. They’re actually friends.”
His phone buzzed again and when he took it from his pocket and glanced at the screen, he was shocked to see two texts from the very woman they were taking about. What did she want?
The first simply said, “Hi.”
He grinned. When they’d been dating a year ago she’d started doing that. Just sending him a little “Hi.” Sometimes she attached a photo and the selfie would be of her making some dumb-ass face. He always laughed.
The second one threw him off. “Forget coffee. Come for dinner. 7.”
He stuck the phone back in his pocket and decided to wait to answer. The last thing he needed to do was give his sister another reason to give him shit. God, this was frustrating.
“Everything okay, man?” Kevin looked up and Josh had leaned in, concerned.
“Yeah, sorry. Just zoned.”
“Problem with the text?” his friend asked.
“No,” Kevin said. “No problem.” He rose and stretched. “But I am going to take off. It’s getting late.”
“It’s not that late, Kev.” Caroline raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Who texted you?”
“It was nothing,” he lied. That was when her eyes narrowed and Kevin could see sparks. Damn. She knew. Both of his sisters were like a couple of genius mystics who honed in on everything he was thinking with their personal brand of woo-woo, but it was Caroline who could read him like a book—there was no hiding from her. Apparently, the ability ran in the family. He’d heard stories about his mother’s gypsy ancestors since he was a boy, and it was just his luck that Meg and Caroline’s radars were turned toward him. “Stop looking at me like that!”
“Like what?”
“I’m outta here.” Kevin made his way to the door, calling to his friend as he left. “Josh, if you want to play golf before it gets too cold, let me know.”
He heard his best friend and his sister laugh as he left the loft on his own. Fucking perfect.
***
Harper sank back into the pillows piled against her headboard and looked at her phone. What had she done? A couple of hours ago she was going to tell him ‘soon.’ Now she was waiting on him to reply to a dinner invitation. At her apartment.
So he could meet his baby.
Harper was never impulsive. She took a deep breath. Okay. That was a lie. Where Kevin Rossi was concerned, everything was impulsive. The baby snoring gently beside her on the bed was proof that Harper excelled at impulsive behavior when he was around.
Maybe he’d say no. It had been at least twenty minutes since she’d texted him and there was no answer. Maybe he’d thought about their encounter at the grocery store and decided that Harper was truly crazy. Maybe he was packing his bags to run away to Tahiti or Australia or someplace on the other side of the world so there could be some distance between them.
Good. It was better that way.
Then her phone chimed.
It was Kevin. “I’ll be there.”
That was it. No chatty conversation. No “can I bring anything?” Just a reply.
Harper was disappointed there wasn’t more and she wasn’t sure why. He’d answered her question. He was going to come for dinner.
Perfect.
Anna snuffled in her sleep and Harper stroked her hair. “Your daddy’s coming over tomorrow. I wonder what he’s going to think about you.”
There was a flutter in her belly. A quickening. The same sensation that teased her every time she thought about Kevin. The same feeling she had when she first felt their baby move inside her. She had to hide these reactions tomorrow or she was going to get herself in trouble.
The last thing she needed was to appear vulnerable in front of someone who had the power to hurt her so badly.
Chapter 4
It was a perfect fall night and he was with the perfect woman—gorgeous, sexy and smart as hell. Kevin was addicted. He’d pulled out all the stops tonight trying to impress her. And based on how she looked at him when they were leaving the Café Carlyle, he may very well have succeeded.
Wearing killer heels, her classy black dress was now covered by a soft wrap. She looked polished and sophisticated and nothing like the women he’d been dating recently, who would have turned heads, but not the way Harper did. She was a stunner. Her hazel eyes were round, but had a little tilt up, and her skin was like cream. Everything about her was subtle, except her attitude.
Sitting in the limo traveling across Central Park, she curled against him and practically purred. “I had a good time tonight.”
“I’m glad.” Kevin leaned in to kiss her and what was supposed to be a gentle peck quickly flared into something hot. Her mouth gave immediately, opening, and his tongue swept inside. He pulled back feeling like he was falling under some kind of spell. “Harper,” he whispered.
“Mmmm,” she purred. “You do the craziest things to me, Kevin.”
“Same.” He meant it, too. No one had ever made him feel so much.
Looking down, she bit her lip and nipped at his chin. “What would you think,” she whispered, “about going away someplace?”
“Together?”
She leaned back and looked at him like he had two heads, gently whacking him on the arm and chuckling. “No, separately. Of course together, you meathead.”
“It depends how my contract negotiations go, but I guess we could sneak away.”
Something on her face changed but in the dim light of the car he couldn’t see what it was exactly. “Right, your contract. How is that going?”
“Good, we’re fielding some great offers. My agent will handle it. Whatever happens, I just want to land with a team and stay there. I thought I’d re-sign here, but it’s not looking good.”
“No?”
“There’s a possibility, but they won’t go for the no-trade clause, and I don’t want to keep bouncing from team to team.”
More silence.
“So, who are the contenders?” Her head was resting on his shoulder and her thumb was making lazy circles on his hand.
“Washington and San Diego are looking like they have real interest.”
“So you’re definitely leaving.” Her voice was flat, not her usual inquisitive tone.
“I think so. I was hoping to stay, but they need to offer more. “
She went silent again, lifting his fingers to her mouth and kissing them one at a time before looking up into his eyes.
“Kiss me, Kevin.”
There was something soft and sweet about the invitation. A chang
e from the bold, sassy Harper he usually encountered, especially when it was about sex.
But she was irresistible, with the streetlights casting a soft glow on her face. Kevin leaned in and kissed her.
It nearly blinded him.
She threw everything she had into the kiss, and for the first time in his life, Kevin thought about forever.
The kiss didn’t end, and the two of them were warm and panting when the car pulled up in front of her building. Harper was always an eager partner, but something had changed and for the life of him Kevin didn’t know if it was him or her.
Exiting, Kevin thanked the driver, tucked Harper next to him and they made a quick walk to the elevator. She lived on the tenth floor of this building, and he hoped the elevator was quick because he was ready to rip her clothes off and do her right where they stood. As soon as the doors shut, she lunged at him.
“Honey, hang on,” he said, “or I’m going to stop this car and do you here.”
“I want you,” she whispered against his lips, “inside me.”
He looked up and saw their reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall and was taken aback by how they looked together. Something clicked in his head. They fit, and looking at the two of them pressed together made Kevin feel like he was looking at his future.
Something had definitely started shifting. Thankfully, the elevator stopped and they made it to her apartment.
It felt like seconds until he had her naked and under him in her bed. They were kissing like they needed the contact to live.
And Kevin was starting to feel like he did.
***
A cold and biting wind sent colorful leaves whipping around the streets as shoppers lugged pumpkins and horse-drawn carriages ferried tourists around Central Park. On the day before Halloween, it was the perfect scene—autumn in New York City. The picturesque Upper West Side was washed in the glow from the streetlights and Harper’s building stood before him like an old stone fortress.
Kevin didn’t live far from here, just a few blocks west, and that simple fact made his insides shake. She was so close. As he stared at the prewar façade of the old brownstone, he wondered why she’d invited him. Harper hadn’t shown any interest the day before when they ran into each other. It seemed she couldn’t wait to get away from him fast enough. Obviously, he’d read her wrong.
Because their very public and informal coffee date had morphed into an intimate dinner at her apartment. He hadn’t seen the turnaround coming and almost canceled on her. He was glad he didn’t.
A formally clad doorman welcomed him and then he went into a glass-enclosed booth to announce his arrival. He was directed to take the elevator to the tenth floor as Miss Poole was expecting him.
When the elevator closed he found himself thinking about the last time he made this ride, a year ago. He’d gone all out planning a date. He and Harper had just had dinner and seen a great cabaret act at the Café Carlyle, and they’d been all over each other in the limo he’d hired to take them around the city. Once they were back at her building it didn’t stop and the second the elevator door closed, he was on her. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other. If the ride had been much longer, Kevin had no doubt he would have hit the emergency stop and made love to her between floors.
As it was, he spent the whole night—and he never stayed the whole night with a woman—and didn’t want to leave her in the morning. Based on everything she said and the way she acted, he thought the feelings were mutual.
He was wrong. She cut him off. The day he realized they weren’t just missing each other and that she didn’t want to see him was fresh in his mind. And the thought of it still felt like a punch in the gut.
Kevin didn’t remember getting off the elevator or walking through the hall. So, without knowing how he got there, he found himself in the uncomfortable position of standing at a woman’s door with a small gift. It was a token, something he picked up on the walk over. Something that reminded him of her. He didn’t know what to think or feel; he was just happy she wanted to see him. The text was short and quick and his answer had been equally so, but Kevin hadn’t felt his heart react like that since—since he’d seen her the afternoon before. That she could still turn his insides soft after all this time was unnerving. His finger inched toward the doorbell, and then stopped for a moment before finishing its journey. The muffled chime in the apartment made his shoulders go rigid. He heard footsteps padding toward the door.
The gentle clicks gave him a chill, and when the heavy door opened Kevin felt every ounce of strength drain from his body. Harper looked into his eyes and gave him a shy smile.
He didn’t speak, but took in the sight of her. She was dressed casually in jeans and a long-sleeved pink T-shirt. The neckline skimmed just under her collarbone. The color accented her skin and complimented the gold-green of her eyes. She looked the same to him; her chestnut brown hair moved over her shoulders like water over a stone, and in her stocking feet she was almost a half a foot shorter than he was.
Harper cleared her throat and pursed her lips. “Are you going to stare at me or are you going to say hello?”
“Oh, ah . . . hi.” He looked at his feet, which shuffled back and forth. “Sorry.”
“Thank you for coming over,” she said. “Please come in.”
She stood back from the door, opening the way into her apartment.
Stepping over the threshold was symbolic for Kevin. He glanced around at the cream-colored walls, the polished oak floors, and subdued décor and remembered how this place felt like home. It wasn’t a huge apartment, but it suited her. Looking east from the huge front windows you could see Central Park. The entire apartment was proof of her success—it was polished just like her, but today she didn’t look like a high-powered executive. No, today Harper looked just like a girl. A beautiful, vulnerable girl. She took his coat and stopped short when he held out the small silver gift bag.
“You brought me a present?” She hesitated, hanging his coat in the hook in the small foyer.
“It’s nothing. Just something I saw on my way here.”
Harper looked at the bag as it dangled from his fingertips before taking. Kevin followed her to the large, overstuffed sofa and examined every movement as she sat and fiddled with the bow.
Her breath was heavy as she pulled the ribbon and lifted the tissue-wrapped item from the bag. Kevin watched nervously, wondering if she would like it.
“Oh, Kevin,” she gasped as she held up the small crystal statue. “It’s beautiful.” Harper turned the object in her hand, examining every curve. “You remembered I like snowmen.”
“Do you still collect them?” He sat next to her on the sofa. He couldn’t resist the crystal snowman when he saw it in the window of the artisan’s shop on Seventy-Third Street.
“I do. I saw this piece last week. I almost bought it myself, but I couldn’t rationalize buying a Christmas decoration in October.”
“It made me think of you.”
“Thank you,” she said and placed the figurine on the end table nearest the window.
“So,” he said. “Why did you ask me here?”
“I asked you here for dinner.”
She stood before him wringing her hands. Her movements were abrupt; the change in her demeanor was so unexpected, Kevin wondered if he said something wrong.
“Do you want something to drink? A beer, or a glass of wine?”
His hands wrapped around hers and he drew her down on the sofa. “No, what’s up? You’re about to jump out of your skin.” Kevin watched her face wash out. Something was upsetting her in a big way. “I know we’re supposed to eat, and it smells great, by the way, but I get a sense I’m missing something.”
“I made chicken,” she said flatly. “But you’re right. That’s not why you’re here.”
The comment was enough to make his back stiffen and he wondered what had happened to bring on that kind of response. She was tense, anxious, and it was becoming apparent
this wasn’t going to be the easy, getting-reacquainted evening he’d had in his head. She flexed her hands, rubbed her upper arms. It was painful to watch the strain in her body. Something was definitely wrong. Finally, without a word, she stood and walked into the kitchen. He stayed on the sofa and tried to figure out why she was so nervous. Scratch that—not nervous, terrified.
The crash and the curse he heard from the kitchen sent him hurtling to the doorway. Harper stood over the sink picking up broken glass.
“Jesus. Are you okay?” He rushed to her and looked in the sink, where a water glass was in pieces in the sink.
“I’m fine. Just clumsy.”
“Let me get that.” He stepped to the sink, finished cleaning up the glass, and watched as she checked whatever was baking in the oven.
“It does smell good. I didn’t think you cooked.”
She shrugged. “I get by.”
“I’ll take the bag to the garbage chute when I leave.” He waited for a response. Nothing. She still wasn’t talking and he was done playing games. Kevin put his hands on her shoulders and guided Harper to a chair at the small island, pinning her with his eyes. It was all he had going for him and he hoped it worked. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”
“Not really.” Harper chuckled and Kevin was relieved that she was trying to lighten the mood a little. But there was such tension in her; the woman was strung tighter than a bow.
“How are you adjusting to New York?” she asked.
“It’s not really an adjustment—I mean, it is home. I like being closer to my family, and my teammates are great.”
“Think you’ll stay put for a while?” That question threw him a little. Was Harper trying to gauge how long she was going to have to dodge him? Was she going to let him in a little bit and want to know if he was worth the time? What was she driving at?
Never being one to avoid something difficult, Kevin had to think carefully about the answer. She was fishing for information, that was clear. The question was, why?
“That’s a pretty cryptic question. What makes you ask?” She glanced down, and a shyness crept over Harper he’d never seen before. What the hell? She didn’t say anything right away, and that made him push forward. Taking a step toward her, he continued, “I want to stay. That is the plan.”