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Tess: Bitch, he takes you to his cabin in the woods, that’s a date. Or the plot of a slasher movie.
Me: He’s feeding me too. Steaks are on the BBQ.
Tess: Put a ring on it. That boy’s a keeper.
Me: And there’s wine. Lots of wine.
Tess: Ordering hat for wedding now.
Me: *face with tears of joy emoji*
Tess: Btw, Cassie heard you left with him. She’s fucking raging. Be ready for blowback.
Me: *roll eyes emoji* She can do one.
Jesus, that girl needed to move on. Harley had made it more than clear he wasn’t interested in her, but she still hadn’t got the message.
I slipped my phone into my pocket and took the salad outside.
“Tess says Cassie’s fuming.”
“What have I done now?” Harley looked less than impressed at the news.
“Left campus with me, apparently.”
He rolled his eyes. “I fucked her, like, twice. Last I heard that didn’t mean we were in a committed relationship.”
I thought about that as I sat down at the table. “You’ve fucked me more than twice. Does that mean we’re in a committed relationship now?” I asked sweetly.
To my surprise, he didn’t laugh it off as I expected. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re in a relationship. That OK with you?”
I nearly dropped my fork in shock. A relationship? Did I want that level of commitment while my life was a sack of shit? It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. Relationships added an extra level of complication. It tied me to a life I might have to leave behind in a hurry.
Harley must have seen the conflict in my face.
“Hey, don’t panic. I’m not trying to tie you down. I’m just saying that I want more than a casual thing and I’m not looking to fuck anyone else while we’re seeing each other.”
“But I thought that was your thing?” I pointed out. “You screw some girl a couple of times and then move on.”
He smirked. “Well yeah, that has always been my thing, but you’re different.” He dropped the BBQ tongs on the metal tray and scooted around the table. “I like you, Stella. A lot,” he said, plucking me from my chair and enveloping me in his arms.
“But…Brax and I kissed last night, while you were asleep.” Fuck, I felt really bad now. He had every right to throw me out of the cabin, leaving me to walk back to civilization in the dark. I was such an idiot. Harley was a good guy, yet here I was, screwing it all up. I must have a self-sabotage gene. Fuck my life. I needed to rein in my hormones.
“I know.”
What? How?! I tried to pull away, but he held me firm.
“Quinn told me this morning. He knew you were feeling guilty about it.”
Well, Quinn was right. I was feeling guilty. Even though he had reassured me everyone was on the same page, I’d not really believed him.
“And you’re not mad?”
He laughed. “If I was mad with you, why would have I have brought you all the way out here to spend the night with me?”
“Maybe you have plans to kill me and then bury me in an unmarked grave?”
“Wow, that took a dark turn!” He grimaced. “Look, me and the guys, we’re close. We share everything, including girls sometimes. It’s cool. Brax isn’t pushing you away because he’s worried about me being jealous. He’s a mess. His head is all over the place, and you being…who you are…is feeding into that a bit.”
