It had been a day from hell with damn little to show for it. Nobody had seen Wreck or Massive. Block and Har had decided to keep it to themselves that Wreck had a cookhouse. After church, Roman broke into Massive’s apartment. While he was there, the phone rang – couldn’t believe the man had a landline – and a boss left a message that Massive had been fired due to his three day absence.
That was the extent of their intel.
Making matters worse, Turk had emailed over the parking lot footage from Suzy’s job, but there was no trace of Wycliffe. Surveillance cameras had him walking out of the gym, but he walked to the end of the sidewalk, crossed the street, and kept walking until the camera couldn’t track him any further. That left them with nothing to go on, and Har couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so powerless.
His every instinct was to take a hot shower, but he had to wait until Stephanie arrived.
They had both made mistakes, but his mistake was bigger, though her reaction to it needed addressing. While he contemplated all this, he paced the room. On a trek away from the door, he heard the electronic lock beep and the door opened.
He turned in time to watch her jump.
“Who the—” She took a deep breath. “Har? Seriously? I’d ask how, but I don’t really want to know.”
He sighed. “Can you close the door, Stephanie?”
The crafty look on her face told him she wondered if she should turn around and leave, but she closed the door behind her.
He twisted his lips as he debated how to start, and he remembered it was always best to bite the bullet. “I’m sorry for overreacting yesterday. It was uncalled for, and I damn sure knew better after everything you told me.”
Her eyes widened and her head reared back. “Wow. I’m surprised. Thank you for that.”
He turned his head a touch and shot an expectant look her way.
She shook her head once. “What’s with the look?”
He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. After he let the air out slowly, he said, “I meant my apology, but we both fucked up, babe.”
She did a half head-shake. “I fucked up?” she asked, pointing her finger between her breasts.
“You had every right to be angry, but storming out like you did and as fucking fast as you did wasn’t right.”
Her hand dropped to her side. “So glad I had the ‘right to be angry,’ Michael. That’s very big of you to admit.”
“Tone it down,” he said in a low, but angry tone.
Her eyes narrowed. “No. I can’t tone it down. That very morning, the jackass who violated me – okay, my privacy – but it’s still a violation of the worst kind, showed up at my sister’s workplace! Then you get hot and bothered, but when I share my concerns you act like it doesn’t matter.”
His jaw clenched, but he released it before he ground his molars to dust. “I didn’t act like it doesn’t matter.”
Her glare argued that he did, but he couldn’t believe the next words out of her mouth.
“Fine. I accept your apology, now you can leave. Being with you was great, but this all made me realize I’m not cut out for a long-term relationship. Know you never said anything about a relationship, but whatever we were, it’s over. I don’t need any added shit in my life from any man.”
He fought against the crimson rage blurring his vision. “Dammit Stephanie! People who love you aren’t going to add shit to your life, they do everything they can to take the shit away!”
She stared at him with her mouth hanging open, and he wondered why until his words replayed in his head.
He’d let it out of the bag, he might as well go with it.
“Yeah. You can pick up your jaw, Steph, because I love you.”
“Well, uh,” she stammered, and he ignored the pang in his chest. Then again, he hadn’t buttered it up for her, but he wasn’t a man who would do that.
He shook his head.
“You don’t need to say it back. Gonna get this shit taken care of, and whatever your decision is when it’s finished, that’ll be your decision. I won’t hold you up or hold you back.”
She closed her eyes for a long moment. “I love you too, Michael, but I don’t trust myself.”
Her words washed over him like a balm. Many a sweet-butt or one-night-stand would claim to love him or love his ways in bed, but the insincerity shone through like a beam from the Biloxi lighthouse. Stephanie’s gentle and semi-reluctant admission was all the sweeter because of the strength of her sincerity.
She kept speaking. “The last person I loved did me wrong in the worst ways, and I know you would never do that to me, but it doesn’t change the fact I have to get beyond my own issues.”
He gave her a sideways glance. “You think you have to do that shit all by yourself?”
A cautiously skeptical look took over her face. “Yeah. I mean, they are my issues, after all.”
He sighed. “Is your sister comin’ to town? Maybe I can ask her if you’re always this much of a pain in the ass.”
Her mouth fell open again with a gasp. “You did not just say that!”
He chuckled. “Damn sure did. And I meant it. Get the fuck over here.”
“Thought you were leaving?”
“I’m staying to fight through these issues with you, now that I know you love me. Not just that you could love me. Get over here.”
Her eyes widened and they were heated. “If I don’t?”
He exhaled a short chuckle. “Then I punish you for it, Miss Priss.”
She shook her head while she walked the three feet to him. Her hands slid under his cut to stroke his upper abs and up his chest.
He loved having her hands on him. Seeing her turn those beautiful hazel eyes up to him was even
