Unexpected Rush (Play-By-Play #11) (17 page)

There was nothing like throwing yourself into your work to get your mind off your personal problems. And despite thinking she was going to have a light day, Harmony’s morning had been super busy. She had had an unexpected meeting with a walk-in client to discuss the potential for new business, had fielded multiple phone calls and had met with another client to cover a new kitchen and family room makeover.

So it was well after lunch by the time she was free, and, conscious of what had happened to her yesterday, she stopped and had a great salad before heading back to the office.

Since she hadn’t slept at all last night, by the end of today she was going to drive back to her town house, do a workout at the gym, then climb into a pair of shorts and a tank top and settle in on her sofa for a night of relaxation. Maybe she’d get back to that book she’d been reading yesterday, or catch a baseball game on TV.

Either way, she was already wiped out and looking forward to
the end of the day. All she had left at the office was some paperwork and several e-mails.

She walked in to find Barrett having a conversation with Rosalie.

He was the absolute last thing she needed today.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I need to talk to you.”

Not wanting to get into it with him in front of her assistant, she nodded. “We can talk in my office.”

She led him into her office, then closed the door behind him. She moved to her desk, needing to put distance between them.

“What are you doing here, Barrett?”

She was still standing. He moved to the front of her desk. “I need to talk to you.”

Trying to act as if her heart wasn’t pounding, she shrugged. “I think you said enough last night.”

“Yeah, about that.” He started to come around to her side of the desk, but she held her hand up.

“No.”

He stopped.

“Harmony, I screwed up last night.”

Yes, he had. Except for the kissing her and touching her part, which unfortunately she hadn’t been able to get out of her head. Which was why she hadn’t slept at all. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

He tried to come over to her, but her “come any closer and I’ll cut you” expression made him pause.

“Okay, look. You . . . surprised me when you came out on the balcony in your underwear.”

“That hideous, am I?”

He cocked his head to the side. “I think from the response you got from me you know better. But I guess I got into it—into you—a lot more than I expected to.”

Okay, now things were getting interesting. “Go on.”

“And I backed off because there were a hundred things going through my head at once. How turned-on I was. How I’ve known you for a long time. How I could potentially hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You haven’t mentioned my brother.”

His lips curved. “Harmony. I had you nearly naked and underneath me. I can guarantee you I wasn’t thinking about Drake at the time.”

She finally smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.”

He made it around the desk and smoothed his hand up her arm. “I’m sorry. I let all those thoughts take over what we were doing. And what we were doing was really good. I backed off because I honestly was afraid that if we went too far, it would hurt you.”

She leaned against the desk. “Tell me why you think you’ll hurt me.”

“I am going to bring your brother into this. You know how protective he is of you. He’s also my best friend and my teammate and the last thing I want to do is piss him off. He wouldn’t like the two of us together.”

She shrugged. “Drake doesn’t like me with anyone. He doesn’t think anyone is good enough for me.”

He leveled a smile at her. “That’s because he cares about you.”

“No, it’s because he’s overprotective.”

“Either way, I’m being selfish about this. The last thing I want is to get in the middle of a battle between the two of you. Or even worse, do anything to damage the friendship I’ve built with Drake. This has disaster written all over it, Harmony. Even you have to see that.”

Maybe she did and maybe she didn’t, but the last thing she wanted was her brother to interfere in her life in any way. Especially her romantic life. “I can see where you’re coming from, Barrett. But I
won’t let Drake dictate the terms of my life.” She shoved a finger at his chest. “Nor should he yours.”

“Yeah, I know. But there’s more than just Drake involved in this. Say you and I get all hot and heavy.”

“I like the sound of that.”

He gave her a sexy grin. “Yeah, me too. But then what happens if it doesn’t work out? If you and I have a big blowout of a fight, or we decide we’re not compatible? Can you imagine the mess that’ll make? And then what happens to my friendship with your brother when he does find out that I’m the one who broke your heart?”

She appreciated that he’d thought this all out, but she wasn’t one to think long-term. “That’s easy. Don’t break my heart.”

“Harmony. I can’t make that guarantee and you know that. I can’t guarantee you anything other than right now.”

“I know that. Which is what I’m trying to tell you. I just want today, Barrett. You and me and right now. I know there are no guarantees of tomorrow and I’m sure as hell not asking you to fall in love with me. I just got out of a relationship. I wasn’t looking for a commitment or a boyfriend. I just wanted sex.”

Leave it to Harmony to put it out there, straight and with no bullshit.

He didn’t know why he’d been so reluctant.

Or so stupid.

“Okay.”

She gave him a wary look. “Okay?”

“Yeah. We’ll dive in and give it a try and see what happens.”

Her lips curved. “Okay, then. So what happens next?”

“You’re still coming to San Francisco with me?”

“Well, I hadn’t planned to after last night.”

“But I’m forgiven now, right?”

“Does that charm always work?”

“Usually.”

She came up to him and dug her nails into his chest. “You’ll find I’m a harder sell, Barrett Cassidy.”

He wrapped his fingers around her wrists and drew her against him. “And you’ll find me hard around you. Probably all the time. You said all you want is sex. That I can give you.”

“That’s all I want.”

“Then that’s what you’ll get. You ready for me, Harmony?”

“Yes.”

He ran his hand down her back, letting his fingers wander over the soft material of her dress.

“I want to kiss you, fuck you right now. I want to bend you over your desk, lift that pretty yellow dress you’re wearing over your hips and drive into you and make you come over and over again.”

He watched her lips part, her breaths increase.

“So that’s how it’s going to be,” she said, her breath a low whisper.

“That’s how it’s gonna be.” He moved into her, letting her feel how damn hard he was. “That’s what you do to me, so don’t ever think you don’t turn me on. Don’t ever think I don’t want you.”

He took a step back, saw the disappointment on her face. He knew the feeling.

“But your assistant is out there, and your blinds are open. So this isn’t the right time or place. Because when I fuck you, Harmony? I’m gonna make you scream.”

Now he saw the passion flare in her eyes. He wanted her more than anything right now. Dammit.

“I’m counting on it.”

“Tonight.”

“Just like that?”

He cocked his head to the side. “You got another date?”

“No.”

“Then tonight. Your place, my place, I don’t care. But tonight. I’m not waiting any longer.”

She nodded. “Come on over to my place. Is seven thirty all right? I could cook—”

“I don’t want dinner, Harmony. I just want you.”

“All right, then. Seven thirty.”

He was glad his T-shirt covered his raging hard-on as he walked out of her office, and he was also glad her assistant was on the phone as he walked by.

He climbed into his SUV and fired up the air conditioner to arctic levels.

It was going to take a lot to cool him down, especially since all he could think about was how many hours until seven thirty rolled around.

Harmony had wanted to call Alyssa, to talk about and examine everything she and Barrett had been through and talked about.

But in the end, she had finished up her workday and had gone home, first stopping at the store to pick up some beer and wine. And despite Barrett’s warning that he didn’t plan on having anything but her tonight, she also bought a few snacks.

They might not be hungry before, but she intended to make him burn off a few calories tonight, and he might have an appetite later.

She had a light dinner, then took a shower and dried off. She felt a tingly awareness all over her body, as if every cell awaited Barrett’s touch.

Kind of crazy. She’d never felt this sense of anticipation before. Barrett had been all she thought about as she’d gone through the remainder of her day today.

She lotioned her body, fixed her hair and makeup, and decided
on an easy-to-remove silk sundress. She considered lighting candles in the bedroom, then decided that was a little too cheesy.

She went downstairs and thought about opening the red wine to let it breathe.

No. All he wanted was sex.

She lifted her head and stared out the doors to her balcony. Was she upset by that? She thought about it for a few seconds, then decided she wasn’t.

She’d just gone through a breakup and she’d been honest with him when she’d told him she wasn’t looking for a boyfriend or a relationship.

She was attracted to Barrett. All she wanted was sex, to feel desirable.

He most definitely desired her, and, for right now, that was all she needed.

When the doorbell rang her heart began to race—like teenage-girl, first-date race. Which was ridiculous. But also made her feel giddy, and what was wrong with that?

A man
should
make a woman feel like that, shouldn’t he?

She went to the door and opened it. Barrett was leaning against the doorway, and when he gave her a smoldering half smile, parts of her quivered.

All the good parts, of course.

“Evening, Harmony.”

“Barrett.”

She held the door open for him and he stepped in. She shut and locked the door behind her, and for good measure, turned the dead bolt.

Barrett looked delicious in dark jeans and gray T-shirt. She wanted to lean into him, to run her arms over all that delicious muscle. But she resisted.

Soon.

She walked into the living room, unsure how soon he planned to throw her to the ground, lift up her skirt and shove his cock inside of her. The thought of it made her tingle.

Okay, maybe not soon enough. She turned to face him. “Would you like some wine or a beer?”

“No, I’m good. But if you need a glass of wine to relax you, go ahead.”

She felt his energy. It fueled her own. “Honestly, Barrett, I’m so pent up right now I don’t think it would help.”

He stepped toward her and smoothed his hands up and down her arms. “Pent up?”

“Yes.”

“Do I make you nervous, Harmony?”

“No. I’m never nervous around you. Not anymore. More like . . . aware of you.” She laid her hands on his chest. “The way you stand, the way you cock your head to the side when you’re thinking about something, your crooked smile—”