"I did," she says, pointing at her phone. "I did both. I showed up early after I left work early and found an early little visitor in your home while you were at an early party."
She frowns as she starts ticking off her fingers like she's counting.
"How many times did I say early?"
"Harley," I groan. "What's going on? What visitor?"
Her eyes snap up to mine, dazed and confused and slightly reddened.
"We don't talk about anything other than sex. When we're together, sex. When we're apart? Thinking about sex. Kinky sex. Awesome sex."
"I hear it's called passion. It tends to drive the sanest men and women crazy," I state dryly, crossing my arms over my chest as I watch her collapse to the couch and take another hit off that damn blunt.
"Oh, I know it's passion," she says, putting the smoking blunt back down. "I know because I can't be around you for five seconds without attacking your body. I can't be near you or even think about you without smiling or wanting you inside me. Even now that I'm pissed at you, I still want you. In fact, I think I want you more. Angry sex is probably epic when it's someone like you who drives me completely insane."
My lips twitch for a brief moment as I arch an eyebrow. "And I pissed you off how?"
She gestures to me. "You don't tell me anything about your life. We've only talked about the past. We know nothing about each other because we can't keep our pants up. I didn't even know you were going to be at a party today. And to be honest, I feel like if you weren't going to invite me, then I get it. But at least tell me so I don't look like a jackass when Fiona, of all people, tells me that's where you are."
My brow furrows.
"I forgot about the party … I forget about a lot of shit. It's been an unattractive habit of mine since I brushed up against you at Silk that night. I'd say I'm consumed. But when did you see Fiona, and how did she know where I was?"
"Apparently everyone knows when the Sterlings get together," she says with mock drama, rolling her eyes with an exaggerated motion. "Everyone except for Dale's girlfriend."
She points to herself as if I don't know who my girlfriend is. I'm really trying to follow her. "I thought you were at work when Dane called to remind me. So I didn't bother telling you. Usually you don't leave until at least six."
She snorts, then laughs and shakes her head. The laughter is short lived.
"I've only ever done casual. I don't want to be causal with you, Dale," she says on a long breath.
"I've made it clear I don't want casual with you either," I remind her, finding the fact she's stoned and angry a little contradictory. I didn't think stoned people were able to be angry.
I feel sheltered.
"You want some?" she asks, picking up the now smokeless blunt and offering it to me while grabbing the lighter.
I lived for years ignoring peer pressure, but I take the damn thing, not knowing what else to do, and she grins as she lights it for me.
One puff has me trying to hack up a lung. Now I really feel sheltered.
She giggles as I pound my chest, smoke burning and tickling my throat.
"Fiona knows the code to your house and comes to drop off mail. Change that code, Dale," she says idly, as though she didn't just drop a bomb on me.
"What?"
She levels me with a look. "A paranoid girl would assume you deliberately leave that change-of-address card blank every time because you want a reason to see your ex. I'm trying not to be paranoid. Fill out the damn card and change your door code. Your alarm code too, if that was set today."
I move to sit down right beside her, putting my arm around her shoulders.
"I had no idea Fiona was bringing my mail, and I'll change my codes."
"Did you think the mail fairy was dropping it off?" she muses, her eyes glazed over as she peers up at me.
"I thought my assistant was dropping off the junk mail once a month. Because it's just junk mail. I told him to start throwing it away. Apparently Fiona took over the deliveries. I'll put a stop to it."
She sighs while leaning against me, and I kiss the top of her head.
"And I'll tell you the next time I forget about a party of any kind. Hell, I'll even drag you with me to endure it."
I feel her smile without seeing it.
"Don't feel bad. I just found out I had social media accounts today," she says on a sigh.
I don't know whether to laugh or check her temperature.
Chapter 33
HARLEY
Dale brushes his lips against my forehead, and I wonder if my rambling sounds crazier to a sober person than it does to my less-than-sober ears.
"Why are we going against the universe?" he asks, reminding me I never answered that.
"Because I was never supposed to be more than Gnarly Harley. And you're Dale Sterling."
He mutters something before tipping my head back and staring into my eyes.
"The strongest people are those carved from adversity. If you hadn't been Gnarly Harley, you'd have never become the Harley Hayden you are today."
I don't want to tell him how very little that name means right now. This town is fucking with my head.
"And I would have been with you back then if I'd ever taken the time to get to know you. The real you. I wasn't much in the way of dating. High school was uncomfortable for me too. Most teenage girls have a problem with an amputee."
I never really thought of that. He was always so perfect in my eyes that I don't know how anyone else could see him differently.
"As for the sex, I'm not giving it up," he says on a long breath, then flashes a smile at me. "I love the way it feels when I'm with you, Harley. I've never had that. And I'll be greedy with it. I want you all the time. I'm not going to deny either of us something that feels this good-because it's more than sex and you know it. I love being with you. But you're right. We probably should talk more about the present. Start with your job. What's this project that's kept you so busy?"
My eyes light up, and pride swells in my chest.
"It's a Foster Friend Finder app."
Before he can ask, I go on.
"It's for foster kids who come out of the system and need to start on their own. Most have nothing and no one. So this app helps you locate someone you might have known and can live with. Or it helps you find someone with a similar background to meet up with and possibly live with. Roommates. Splitting the bills and such. Someone who has been where you are and doesn't judge. Someone to bond with."
I sit up a little more until I'm practically in his lap and watching as he soaks in my words. "It'll have job listings in the area. Also, I've pulled a lot of business acquaintances into it, finding many who have agreed to start a paid internship for such kids. Kids like … "
My words trail off, and I recover from my near slip.
"Like this girl at work. She's brilliant. She got lucky. She was in the system, but she got a break. Most don't get a break, and a lot of them are just good kids who end up repeating the same cycles because there's no one to help them. We're working on a way to make sure no violent offenders or catfishers can get in on it. Maybe a fingerprint ID or something, but that's only available on phones or touch screen computers. A lot of them won't have immediate access to something like that. So we're having to work that out. It's coming along nicely otherwise."
He brushes his thumb over my cheek, and I smile, feeling so damn proud of my newest baby.
"It's going to be free. Have tons of useful listings and information. Even non-foster kids can use it if we can expand the background check policies within the realm of lawful. There will also be a website so that any kid can log in even if they don't have a device for apps. Public libraries and all that."
"That's actually amazing," he says, smiling genuinely.
"It's better than the superhero design app I was originally going to make. But the superhero design app will still be in play once I sort all this out. This kid I was telling you about … she said she wished she'd had a superhero. I thought … it's probably silly, but I thought it'd be neat to run contests and actually offer prizes to the kids for their creative designs."
His grin grows, and he leans in, brushing his lips over mine. "That's good too. Maybe I should be asking more about your work."
I bat my hand. "Those are the only two that are noble. Trust me. The others are money grabbers and that's their only purpose. Tell me about the party."
He rolls his eyes. "I stood there. I drank soda. I did some glaring to properly intimidate. I played the part of a Sterling dick. I left. That was the party."
Okay, that was less insightful than I'd hoped.
His phone beeps, and he slips his hand under me to dig it out of his pocket. I take notice that I'm solidly in his lap, having somehow worked my way into it completely during my little explanation.
"Yeah?" Dale answers, keeping his hand on my back and continuing to relax under me. His eyebrows go up, and a grin flits across his face. "I'm with her right now."
He nods, his grin only growing. "Keep in mind, she created that app, Maverick. Not sure you want to make any threats."
He pulls the phone away, putting it on speaker so I can hear.