She was still a perfect fit in his grip.
Music escaped through the doors and filled the night. Trucks and cars came and went, but he’d parked at the end of the lot so they’d be far enough removed from the loudest distractions to manage a conversation.
Harper didn’t have to speak for him to feel her nervous energy. She was locking and unlocking her fingers and swinging her feet, and looking everywhere but at him.
The image blended with the first time he’d sat under the stars with her and the same twitching she’d done then.
Harper had been nothing like the other girls. She was bookish and nerdy and serious. She’d just joined the cheerleading team, gotten contact lenses, and Layla Thomison had taken her in hand for a wardrobe revamp. But he’d already known for months that there was something special under that protective cover of plaid and denim. He’d seen her at the lake in a blue bikini the summer before senior year and had chased after her the fall of the school year like a bird on a bug.
He smiled.
She’d wanted nothing to do with him. His reputation as “That worthless Noah Slade” had already taken a foothold. His behavior had solidified the moniker. It had taken some time to wear her down, but it was well worth the effort.
“Why don’t you tell me what you want, Noah,” she said and snapped his attention back to the present. “I should get back in before Kerry misses me.”
The warm breeze blew a few strands of her hair across her face, and she tucked them behind her ear. Her big brown eyes stared up at him, and her lips drew his attention. He’d taught her how to kiss. He wanted to kiss her now.
She’d probably kick his ass if he tried.
Chapter 5
His warmth, his spicy scent, and his shoulder brushing against hers, flooded Harper with memories. He’d been her first everything, and that was a connection not easily broken, despite their awful breakup. She was still attracted to him. Denying that wouldn’t change how she felt. However, how she handled those unwelcome feelings would set the course for going forward.
And there was Lori. Harper would never be the other woman in their long-term relationship.
Not when her heart was still in play. She’d fallen for him that day in the empty high school hallway when he approached her with that damn killer smile and sheepishly asked her out.
There had been weeks of flirting on his part before then. She’d thought he was only after one thing, and she wasn’t about to succumb to his charm.
Oh, she’d suspected that seducing her was the end game to him. She’d known what sort of girls he liked: girls that were beautiful and popular and stylish. And they’d flocked to him like ants at a summer picnic. So Harper had been wary of his motives. She’d been naïve and flattered, but not stupid.
“I’ve decide to help you with your case.”
The pronouncement almost knocked her off the tailgate. Bewildered, she stared. “Why?”
Noah frowned. “I thought you wanted my help?”
“I do. But you left me in jail to rot.” Her eyes narrowed. “What made you change your mind?”
Although she wanted his professional knowledge of murder cases to keep her out of prison, she had to think this abrupt change wasn’t due to a sudden attack of guilt. There had to be more. But what?
“I figured I owed you for all the shit I put you through in the past.” He sighed. “Besides, Lori talked me into it.”
An itchy prickle similar to falling into a nettle plant covered her skin. As she’d been plotting a future that didn’t involve her in orange jumpsuits and getting shanked in the shower, she’d almost forgotten that Noah and Lori had spent the last decade together. That was serious by all measure. They might even be married with kids. Not all married men wore a ring.
Still raw over their relationship, she couldn’t ask for details. Not yet. However, that didn’t keep years of resentment from welling up. Why Lori and not her? “I hate you so much, Noah Slade.” The words spilled out before she could pull them back and her body trembled. She was grownup now. Why couldn’t she get past the hurt?
“I know.” He reached out an arm and pulled her to him. Just this one time, she let him. He pressed his mouth to the top of her head and whispered against her hair, “I’m sorry.”
The words sounded sincere, but his apologies had rung hollow in the face of his previous misdeeds. She had to set him free from her heart. There was too much pain to come back from.
Harper pushed away, immediately feeling the cool air away from his warm body.
With a whole lot of willpower, she pulled herself together. “If we’re to work successfully on my case, we need to forget our past and think of ourselves only as business associates.” She reached for her purse. “I think we should discuss your fee.”
“My what?”
She pulled out her checkbook. She’d dug it out of her kitchen junk drawer and dusted it off before she’d approached him at the garage. Most of her bills were paid online. However, she wanted a receipt for his retainer to make it official.
After he’d said no, she thankfully hadn’t put it away.
“I’ll pay you like I would any employee.” She scrounged in the bottom of the purse for a pen. “Let me know what you think is fair to start.”
Noah took the Bic out of her hand. “You’re not paying me.”
Harper made a grab for the pen. He held it out of reach. She slumped back. “Of course I am. You’ll be my investigator. I don’t expect you to take this case for free.”
He rubbed the stubble on his chin and stared her down. “I’m not taking your money.”
At this moment, she’d come to the fork in the road. Knowing from experience that Noah was the most hard-headed man she’d ever met, she was doubtful of success. Once he made his mind up, that was it, but she was just as determined. The strong and self-sufficient part of her refused to let this go. She reached into her bag for another pen.
“Then you don’t get to work on the case.” She pulled out a package of breath mints and an old hair pick with bent bristles, and set them aside.
There had to be another pen in there. She added a tampon with a mangled wrapper to the pile and ignored his exasperated sigh. She wasn’t about to be brow beaten into submission.
“Fine.” Noah handed the pen back and crossed his arms. “I charge forty-five bucks an hour plus expenses. I expect two grand up front by tomorrow morning and another two grand by the end of the week.”
Blood left her face. “Are you kidding? My gynecologist doesn’t charge me that much and she’s been all through my business.”
A half smile tugged his mouth. “So have I.”
The memory rushed in of a naked Noah giving her a full physical. Her body went hot. For a teenager with a peach-fuzz beard and barely enough chest hair to call it, well, chest hair, he’d been skilled at making her moan.
Good grief. She couldn’t imagine what he could do to her now with years of practice behind him.
Singing showtunes during multiple orgasms was probably not out of the question.
Harper inwardly shook herself. “Focus, Slade. I’m sure we can come up with a reasonable fee.” She could barely afford his gas money with what she had. The three thousand she had in her checking account whittled down fast and she hated the idea of dipping into her retirement account.
“Fine.” He yanked her checkbook out of her hand and flipped it open. Using her pen, he wrote out a check and ripped it out of the book. “That’s my fee.”
He