Page 34 of Tame Our Wild

At the end of the day, I only have myself to blame for being in this situation.

I hustle to the driver’s side and climb in, pulling away from the curb.

Harlow’s eyes are glued to the side of my head. “I have a hard time believing that Colson Payne has never seen a vibrator or used a sex toy before.”

I scoff. “Don’t need one, dust bunny. A real man needs only three things to make a woman come correctly.” I raise a finger. “His tongue.” I lift a second. “His cock.” I raise a third, turning my hand over suggestively to drive the point home. “And his fingers.”

She gapes at me and swallows, rubbing her palms timidly over her thighs. “You’re insane,” she breathes, a hint of a laugh escaping with her exhale.

My eyes settle back on the road. “I don’t hear you saying I’m wrong.” I break the silence when she worries her bottom lip and doesn’t respond. “Better be careful when you use that thing,” I warn. “If you plug it in and the power goes out, I’ll know exactly what you’re doing.”

Honestly, the thought of her using it at all in my house casts a red sheen over my vision.

“That only happens in movies or shows. Mostly in romances,” she responds. “Have a soft side, cowboy?”

“I have a sister.”

“And you watch those with her?” She peers at me inquisitively.

I briefly glance at her. “Over the years, as we’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to appreciate any time with her I can get.”

She searches my eyes, like she’s seeing something in me that maybe she’s never noticed before. Then it disappears just as fast. “Also,” she adds, “it has a rechargeable battery. I could go all night with that thing if I wanted to.”

Jesus Christ.

Harlow flushed and coming all night is the last thing I need to be thinking about while she’s sleeping in the room across from mine.

She changes the subject. “So, do we start training today?”

I turn onto the interstate and head toward home. “Nope. You had a red-eye and are exhausted. That kind of distracted state is how you get hurt.” She gives me a pointed look. She knows I’m right, even if she doesn’t want to admit it. “Today, I’ll let you settle in and get some sleep. We’ll start tomorrow in my home gym with your new workout plan.”

Her head bobs, but I know she’s having an internal battle and wants to fight me on the decision, since she will have only one training day before we head to Tacoma, Washington.

I’m thankful when she doesn’t try to.

Instead, she stares out the window, watching Chattanooga pass by in a blur of cityscape before it shifts to valleys and farmland. I don’t know what’s going on in her head, but there’s already a strain between us, and I can’t help but hope it dissipates soon.

At the end of an event, I could always leave our competition behind when I went home. Now, it’s going to thread through every aspect of my life.

Deep down, a part of me knows that’s not entirely true. She’s unforgettable, both in the best ways and the worst ones that can haunt a man. Harlow crept into my mind in ordinary moments where she shouldn’t belong. She crawled under my skin and burrowed deep, branding me in places where I’ve never been able to reach the scar tissue.

There’s always been a trace of her torturing me.

Harlow Hartt torments me the way a rival should, testing me in ways none of my other competitors ever could.

Now, she’s my roommate.

Harlow’s here because she doesn’t want to be enslaved by her trauma anymore, but little does she know she’ll be staying on the property where mine still thrives.

FOURTEEN | HARLOW

Iturn over, letting the crisp, clean scent of fresh linens pierce the fog clouding my head. Yet there’s a hint of something else combined with the subtle aroma of lavender and lemon.

Garlic maybe?

Butter?

My eyes peel open, the farmhouse guest room settling around me.