Once the door was unlocked, up the narrow stairs and to another door at the top of the landing. A different key opened this door and they went into the apartment. Harper put her suitcase down and looked around. The apartment was much bigger than she expected, and was very bright and open.
After giving her a quick tour of the apartment, Lana brought Harper back to the living room.
“You may be wondering why I asked you to come here to help me.”
“I assumed that it was because that shop is a lot busier than you thought, and you need a hand until you can find some help here among the locals. And knowing you, I had expected it to take a while since you will want to find a person who is an absolute perfect fit.”
Lana gave a rueful smile. “You know me so well. And yes, the store is a lot busier than I had ever expected, and I can use some help. But I have some other news too.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What is it?”
A joyful smile, one that Harper had never seen cross her friend’s face before, stretched Lana’s mouth. “Ben and I are going to have a baby.”
A baby? Harper blinked for several seconds as she tried to absorb what her friend was saying. Her mouth worked a little before her brain told her that she better say something quick.
“That’s great.” Even to her ears, her words sounded forced.
“I know, it seems like it is way too soon. And it is true that Ben and I hadn’t even talked about starting a family before I found out I was pregnant.” Lana stepped forward and took hold of Harper’s hands. “Please be happy for me. This baby is wanted, and I have never been more happy than I have been since Ben came into my life.”
“Of course I’m happy for you.” Harper squeezed Lana’s hands. “You just caught me off guard.”
That much was certainly true. In their phone conversations since Harper had left Lenox, Lana had not once mentioned anything about a baby. And while she thought that her friend was jumping into the whole family package much sooner than she herself would, she would support Lana no matter what.
“How far along are you?” Harper let go of Lana’s hands and took a step back.
“About a little over two months.” Lana gave her a smile as Harper’s eyebrows climbed to her forehead. “I can’t wait until I start getting a baby pump.”
“I’m sure you’ll look beautiful with one. I’m just shocked that you’ve managed to keep this under wraps every time we’ve spoken to each other. You’ve never been this good at keeping a secret from me before.”
“I know, but Ben and I wanted to hog the new to ourselves at first. You’re the first person that I’ve told, aside from Ben of course. But I need help with the store and I have been dying to tell you, so now you know.”
“Now I know.” Harper plastered a smile across her face that she hoped her friend thought was genuine.
“I should be getting back to the store. I’ll leave you to unpack.” Lana turned on her heel and walked toward the exit of the apartment. When she turned her head to look back, Harper made sure that her smile was firmly in place. “I’m so glad that you’re here.”
It was only after Lana walked out of the apartment that her smile fell away and she felt like a slightly deflated balloon. She was happy that Lana was happy, that wasn’t what this feeling was all about. It was only that once upon a time Harper thought that the kind of life Lana was living right now was meant for her too. A strong, steady man, children, the whole thing.
As she turned away to unpack her suitcase she sighed, knowing that such a life was not for her. Not anymore.
3
Harper
The rumbling in Harper’s stomach finally drove her out of the apartment. The new paint smell had hardly faded from her new temporary residence and there wasn’t a stick of food in the shiny new fridge nor in the cupboards. If she was going to be staying for any length of time she was going to have to remedy that.
Grabbing her pocketbook, pulling her heavy coat back on and wrapping her scarf around her neck she walked out of the apartment and locked the door behind her. She searched her brain to see if she could remember the way to the grocery store and drew a blank.
With a shrug she walked down the street. Maybe she’d explore the town a little and find the nearest grocery store after.
There was a bite to the air, and her exploring was cut short when she came to a family-owned grocery store not too far from her apartment. It would probably be a mistake to go shopping while she was hungry, but the little store looked so inviting that she went in.
A short time later, she came out of the store laden with two reusable bags full of food and was thankful that the apartment was only a short walk back. The weight of the bags would have the handles of her bags cutting into her hands in no time, so she turned toward the apartment with a hurried step.
“Harper!” A deep male voice called her name and she stopped where she was. She automatically looked in the direction of the sound of the voice. Her hands clenched around the handles of her grocery bags when she saw Josh hailing her from across the street. Her feet were frozen in place as her eyes swept from the top of his short dark hair down to his boot-clad feet. He was a man who made her mouth go dry, and she ruthlessly shoved aside the feeling as she watched him quickly cross the street.
“Josh, how are you?” When she asked the question, the last time she’d seen him came flooding back. She remembered the shock and terror that had gone through her when the gun had been fired. She remembered the way he’d fought to keep on his feet when it was apparent that he’d been in agony, and the way he’d used his big body to shield her protectively when they’d tried to make their way back to the bookshop as quickly as she could. Considering that she’d been certain that he would die, she was glad to see that he was standing in front of her now.
“In one piece, as you can see.” He stood with his arms spread wide and the action made him look even bigger in his down-filled winter coat. He gave her a crooked smile that sent her pulse picking up. God, he was a gorgeous man. “I never got a chance to thank you for what you did for me.”
Harper looked away. She’d spent most of her time since that night trying to forget what had happened and she didn’t want to be reminded of it. “I didn’t do that much.”
She shifted uncomfortably on one foot and shifted her bags a little.
“Look at me, making you stand here talking while you’re carrying those heavy bags.” He reached out and grasped the handles of both bags. “Let me take them for you.”
With some reluctance Harper let them go. She didn’t want to be rude, especially since Josh had always been so nice to her the last time she’d been to town. But he did funny things to her libido and she made her want to forget why she wasn’t in the market for a relationship.
“Thank you.” It was all she said as they set off down the street.
“Where are you staying?”
“At the apartment above the bookstore. I’m going to be here for a little, just long enough for Lana to find someone to help out at the store.” Maybe if she made it clear that she wasn’t going to be sticking around, she would convince him and herself that friendly was about all she could do with him.
“Did she tell you her big new?”
She looked at him sharply for a second, wondering how he could know what Lana had told her. Then she remembered the Josh was Ben’s brother, so of course he would know that there was going to be a new addition to his family.
“Yeah, she told me when she got here. She seems over the moon about it.” She turned her head to face forward as they walked together down the street.
“You don't approve?” He paused in the middle of the sidewalk and she took a few steps away before she stopped too. She really needed to work on her poker face. She hoped that she hadn’t offended him because she needed to remember that it was his brother that Lana was having a baby with.
“It’s not up to me to approve or disapprove. She just told me today and needless to say
it was unexpected news.” She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Are you telling me that it didn’t like something coming from out of the blue when Ben told you?”
“I see your point. I was definitely a shock when he told me.” He resumed walking down the street and she fell into step beside him. “I do know that Lana makes my brother happier than I’ve ever seen him, so they must be doing something right.”
“I know, it’s the same with Lana, so maybe we should be happy for them and leave it at that.” Harper's stomach took the opportunity of silence between them to rumble. Josh chuckled as he walked beside her and a puzzled frown crossed her face. How had he hear it? He must have some sort of super hearing.
“I think I should stop lollygagging and get you home so you can have something to eat.” His large strides ate the distance between where they were and the bookshop and Harper scrambled to keep up.
Once they got to the locked door beside the bookstore Harper reached for the bags of grocery, grateful that her interacting with her was at an end. It wasn't that Josh was unpleasant to be around, quite the opposite. But her attraction with him made it impossible to not want something more with him, and she knew that wasn't in the cards.
He held the bags away and shook his head. “Nope. I’m not going to make you carry these bags up a flight of stairs when I’m around. Just unlock the door and hold it open and I’ll carry them to your door. It’s the least I can do considering you’ve done so much for me.”
She thought about arguing, but the smile he gave her told her that she wouldn't win if she tried. And she had to admit that it was nice having someone else lug around groceries.
She unlocked the door and held it open for him. As he passed her she got a whiff of his aftershave and her stomach clenched. Crap, he smelled as good as he looked. With an internal prayer for strength from temptation, she followed him up the stairs and tried to ignore the way his butt filled out his well-worn jeans.
As quickly as was polite she unlocked the door and reached for the bags again.
“You mean you aren’t going to invite me in for dinner?”
“Oh, well…” She searched her mind for a polite way to turn him down. There was no way she could sit with him in that apartment and be able to keep the distance that she needed to. To her surprise, Josh threw his head back and laughed, revealing his even white teeth.
“I’m kidding, Harper. I’m not so rude to invite myself over for dinner.” He held the bags out to her and she took them gratefully. As she grasped the handles, she froze when his big hand covered hers.
She swallowed hard as her eyes flew up to meet his and a serious look crossed his face.
“I meant what I said before. I owe you my life, and I’d like to repay you. How about I show you around town tomorrow, maybe would go get something to eat after we’re done.” His eyes were warm and she couldn't tear her eyes away from them. “I promise I won’t get shot this time.”
She knew he was joking, but his statement was as effective as a bucket of icy water being thrown over her. It was a big reminder of why she could say yes.
“I appreciate the offer but I don't know how busy I’m going to be helping Lana.” She quickly maneuvered so that her back was to him and she shifted the bags to one hand as she unlocked the door. She turned her head to look back at him, and he looked at her with a puzzled look on her face. “Thanks for your help with the groceries. See you around.”
She didn’t wait for him to say anything more before she walked into the apartment and quickly closed the door behind her. The bags fell from her hands and hit the floor with a thunk as she sagged against the door. She listened carefully until she heard the sound of his booted footfalls moving away from the door.
Blowing out a slow breath, she straightened up and picked up her grocery bags. She felt bad for turning him down. He was a nice guy, and his company had been very pleasant during their walk on the night of the shooting. It would be so easy to slip into conversation with him, to look at him and forget why she needed to harden her heart.
But she needed to make her heart hard, because there was no other alternative. Her relationship with Jack had taught her every lesson she’d never wanted to learn about love and there was no way she was going to go through anything like that again. She was here to help her best friend, and that was all she was going to do while she was here.
But it sure was nice seeing him again, alive and well. That was something she would never be able to say about Jack.
4
Josh
That was one of the most interesting encounters he’d had in a long time. A puzzled frown pulled Josh’s brows together as he drove toward Shadowbrook. He searched his mind over and over to try to figure out where he’d gone wrong with Harper.
When he’d seen her walking down the street with her hands full, he couldn't believe his luck. He had thought for sure that he would never see her again. But there she was, bundled up in a coat with her long blond braid hanging over one shoulder. And he couldn't stop himself from calling out to her. From the moment he’d seen her when she’d been in town the first time he’d been drawn to her, and not in the way that he was usually curious about humans. There was something about her that felt right whenever he was with her.
Now if he could only figure out where he’d fucked up when he asked her out, then maybe he wouldn’t be stupid enough to do it again. Everything seemed to be going fine, at least until he’d made the joke about not getting shot again. Then her face had gone pale, and it was like she closed herself off from him.
As he pulled up in front of Shadowbrook, he cursed himself. Of course, she wouldn't want to be reminded of the trauma of that night. He’d seen it on her face when he’d thanked her. Why had he been so dumb to bring it up. He should have kept his mouth shut and thought of something else to say to break the ice with her.
“Way to go, idiot. Nothing like a reminder of one of the scariest experiences of her life.” Josh slammed the door of his truck and strode toward the house. The next time he saw her he wasn’t going to say a word about the shooting. There was no sense in reminding her of that night.
Unless that wasn’t what had prompted her to reject him. He froze in his tracks in front of the door to the house. She and Lana were very close. Had Lana shared with her the truth about Ben’s nature and that was what prompted her to brush him off? Now that he thought about it, she had seemed a little standoffish when he started talking to her too.
He walked into the house and made a beeline toward the great room. Once he was there, the only person in the room was Eloise, whose dark eyes seemed to devour him. Of course she had started looking at him that way about six months ago, and he knew that sooner or later he was going to have to deal with it. But hopefully not tonight.
“Have you seen Lana?”
Her mouth gave a sour twist. “Do I look like her keeper? I’m sure she is somewhere with your brother.”
“Thanks, you’re a lot of help.” Josh turned away and walked out of the great room and toward the huge staircase that swept up to the second floor. He shouldn't be surprised by Eloise’s attitude, since it was one shared by most of the pack. It seemed simple enough for the wolves to coexist with the humans in town, but it was a different matter entirely to have a human living in the house. He hoped that they got over themselves soon, because that pack had bigger things to worry about than a small human woman being in love with their Alpha.
But thankfully dealing with that would be his brother’s problem. Josh would support him in any way he could, short of becoming Alpha himself, but it was up to Ben to show the pack that Lana was no threat to them.
When Josh got up to the second floor, he went down the hall, passed his room and into the set of rooms that his brother shared with his mate. His status as Alpha granted him what amounted to a small apartment inside the house, and as he raised his hand to knock on the door he hoped that he wasn’t interrupting anything that might be going on between his brother and Lana. He wa
nted to talk to Lana about Harper, and he didn’t want to have to deal with an ugly Ben to do it.
Ben opened the door with a scowl on his face, which cleared once he saw that it was Josh on the other side of the door. At least he was fully dressed, and over Ben’s shoulder, he could see Lana sitting on the sofa with her feet curled up under her.
“What’s happening?” Ben searched his face as if he was trying to see what was wrong. Josh supposed it was understandable, since he usually gave his brother his privacy and only sought him out in his office or the great room.
“Everything’s cool. I was hoping I could speak to Lana.”
Ben’s eyebrows climbed to his forehead, as if that was the last thing he was expecting to hear come out of his brother’s mouth. He seemed frozen in place, as if he wasn’t sure how to respond.
Lana laughed from behind him and got up off the couch. She came to stand beside Ben and wrap her hand around his bicep. “This is the part where you say ‘come in Josh’ and move to the side.”
She tugged him out of Josh’s way and Josh smiled at her as he stepped inside their apartment. He looked at Ben, wondering how well it was going to go over when he asked to speak with Lana alone. Lana seemed to know that was what he wanted, because she turned to Ben, raised on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I think he would like to speak with me in private.”
Ben’s eyes flew to Josh. “What the hell for?”
Josh rolled his eyes. “I want to convince her to finally come to her senses and run away with me. It’s private, dumbass. I need some advice that I can only get from a woman. Unless you want to engage in girl talk.”
Ben gave him a sour look as he raised his middle finger. He put his arm around Lana’s shoulder and pulled him to her, kissing her on the forehead. “I’ll be back up later.”
And with that he pulled away from her and left the apartment, closing the door behind him. Lana turned to look at Josh with expectant eyes, and now that he was alone with her he had no idea where to begin.
Craved By The Alpha Wolf (Firefighter Wolves Shifters Book 2) Page 2