“I remember telling you to crawl across the room to get it.”

Her nails dig into my shoulder. “Dick.”

“But you did.” I kiss her neck, her jaw. “And I love licking it. I love your obscene little sounds.”

A knock on the door cracks through the quiet room and we both startle. Against me, Harlow tenses, reaching to hold my arm so I don’t stop touching her.

“Finn?”

Fuck. It’s Ansel.

“Yeah?”

“Hey, uh... we are leaving, in case you wanted a ride back to Oliver’s.”

I can practically feel Harlow waiting for my response; her body is tense all around me. “When is Oliver going?” I ask, contemplating my options.

“He left about ten minutes ago to swing past the store one more time.”

I groan and, without realizing it, move my hand away and use it to wipe my mouth. But my fingers are covered in Harlow. And now I can smell her, and taste her, and I’m so fucking hard my jaw clenches tightly with tension.

She watches me, but it’s hard to see her face since she’s backlit from the city lights. If I don’t leave with them, I’ll need to cab it. And the Roberts family business needs every one of the measly five thousand we have in the bank, so I really don’t think I should pay thirty bucks for a cab tonight.

“I gotta head out with them,” I tell her.

“I know.” She doesn’t sound angry or even all that disappointed... just tired.

“Don’t try to drive home,” I tell her. “You’ve had too much to drink.”

She blinks, and when she looks back up at me, I can see whatever shutter she keeps over her emotions has been slotted back in place. Disappointment cools me when she says, “Do you think I’m an idiot?”

“No.” I move to retrieve my phone, sliding it into my back pocket. Oddly, I feel a little like she’s played me tonight. “Do you want a ride home with us?”

She shakes her head. “I’m good.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” I lean in to kiss her, but she turns her head away and pushes me. It’s half annoyed, half playful.

“Go away, Sunshine. Goodbyes with emotion aren’t part of the arrangement.”

Right. This detached Harlow is much more familiar. I adjust my cap and give her a little nod before walking to the door.

Chapter Three

Chapter THREE

Harlow

I’M STARTING TO see that despite Oliver’s gentle and mildly aloof demeanor, he really is a pretty shrewd businessman. After scouting for months for the best location for his store, he settled on an updated, bright space on G Street in the Gaslamp, nestled between a trendy tattoo parlor and a bar.