“Hi.” I smile up at him. He blinks at me like he’s wondering who the fuck I am. I just grin wider and pull him in for a kiss. We didn’t get much time together before everything happened, and I often thought about his lips, his hands, his cock. For a hard man with an asshole personality, his lips sure are soft, and taste like vanilla.
“Hi,” he says, but it's more like a question. Yeah, it must look like a case of the body snatchers. I have no idea what I’m doing, I’m just going with the motions at this point.
“Oh, coffee,” I say excitedly, and grab his mug. Taking a big mouthful, I sigh at the sugary goodness and finally take in the rest of the room. They’re all staring at me like I’m crazy. But not the kind of crazy they’re used to.
“Harlow...” Cass says.
“Yes?” I ask, cocking my head to the side.
“I missed you.” He gives me a soft smile.
Getting up, I move over to him and straddle his lap. Taking his face into my hands, I stroke his cheeks with my thumbs. “I missed you too.” I smile before leaning in for a kiss.
I climb off his lap and move to stand into the middle of the room. “Alright, let’s get this over with,” I say, clapping my hands together. “Yes, I was kidnapped by Triver. No, I don’t want to talk about it. Yes, he’s dead, as you saw his head last night.” That was pretty fucking awesome if I do say so myself; Queenie does good work. “No, you can not baby me and ask questions. Yes, I will go on with life like nothing happened because I have a business to run, and I refuse to let that sack of shit take any more away from me. He didn't break me last time, and I won't let him this time.”
“Harlow,” Cass starts.
“Stop.” I hold my hand up.
“Fine,” he grumbles.
“Now, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll have some of those...” a wave of nausea takes over me. “Pancakes.” I slap a hand over my mouth and run to the sink just in time to empty everything I just consumed.
I feel a hand on my back, rubbing in soothing motions. The hand is small so I know it's Evie. This isn’t anything new for her, she's always been like this if I drank too much or had the flu, so I allow it.
“Sorry about that,” I say when I’m finished. Turning on the tap, I rinse out the sink, then take a few mouthfuls to rinse my mouth and take a drink to get the nasty taste out.
“Are you okay?” Dean asks.
“Yup.” I give him a bright grin as I take the napkin Evie holds out and wipe my mouth. “It’s my own fault, I should have known better not to down a bunch of food right away.”
“Why?” Axel asks, his brow furrowing. “If you're hungry you should eat.”
“Yeah, well... I have to slowly get my stomach back to its regular size.” I shrug, grabbing a croissant off the counter and ripping a piece off to nibble on.
“Why would you have to do that?” Cass asks, his facial expression identical to his brother’s.
“Because he starved you didn’t he?” Evie asks, her voice a low, angry grumble.
“Careful there, E. That sound is turning me on. Look at you, my sexy protective lioness,” I grin.
“‘Low,” she warns.
“I said no questions.” I cock a brow, standing my ground with my arms crossed.
“Why do you have to be such a stubborn woman?” Axel growls. “We want to help you,” he says, getting up from his chair and coming to my side.
“And why do you have to be such a nosy asshole?” I snap back. “I don’t need any help. I’m home, I’m fine, and he’s dead. What else is there to talk about?” I say, getting in his face.
“The fact that he raped you,” he states, I see the pain in his eyes, the anger he has for someone he can’t direct it towards.
“It’s not anything new, now is it?” I seethe. Queenie is right on my ass, ready to call her mini vacation inside my head off early. I grip his shirt and pull him down towards me. “Don’t push me, Axel. We just found our way to each other, don’t fuck this up.”
“You’re asking a lot from me, Harlow,” he says through gritted teeth.
I know I am. They love me, and I love them. Asking to act like all of this didn’t happen to the person they care for is mean. But I’m just not ready. I never dealt with the years of assault while being held by Triver the first time, this one time was nothing compared to that.
“I know,” I say, my hand coming up to cup his cheek. “I know. But please, be patient with me.”