Fucking asshole.
I make the call; pretty sure I hear him piss himself on the other end when I’m only half done. As I jab the end call button and throw my cell down onto the bed, two arms snake around my waist from behind.
“Who was that?”
I turn, pulling her into my chest and dipping my nose into her hair.
“I thought you were asleep.” I kiss Harley’s head as she yawns and burrows into me, resting her cheek against my chest.
“I was. But someone growling down the phone woke me up. It sounded serious. Is everything okay?”
She tilts her head back and gazes up at me, her blue eyes still misty from sleep. I really did wear her out last night. If it hadn’t been so incredible, and exactly what we both needed, then I might feel guilty.
“It’s fine, Angel. All sorted. Just some asshole trying to cause problems.” I brush a thumb over her cheek, my heart swelling in my chest as she smiles softly and leans into my palm.
“Graham Hutchings?”
“No.” I chuckle. “Although he’s an asshole, too. No… this slimy bastard isn’t quite as clever as Graham. Don’t worry about it, Harls. He picked the wrong couple to mess with.”
“Wrong couple?” Her brow creases as she leans back to get a clearer view of my face. “This was about us?” Her eyes widen when I take too long to answer. “This was aboutme, wasn’t it?”
“It’s sorted. Just some guy trying to stir up trouble. Said you’d been going around using a false name.”
“A honey trap client?” Harley visibly swallows as I nod. “Reed, I don’t want to cause trouble for you and the elections. If my past is causing problems for you—”
I silence her with a kiss.
“Your past is not a problem. I’ve told you. There will always be fuckers ready to use it against you. But he knows nothing. He doesn’t even suspect it. He’s just a jerk mouthing off. He’s probably still nursing his tiny dick after you turned him down. And you know what?” I take her face in both of my hands. “Even if he told the world about your old job, who cares? You’d have the support of all the women out there, and all the decent partners who would never cheat. People go to the agency when they’re vulnerable, maybe heartbroken. And you help them. You help give them the evidence to make the decisions they need to make.”
“You sound like a recruitment pitch for it.” Harley smiles, and I raise my brows at her.
“It’s all my speech giving practice. Do I sound convincing?” I smile back at her as her eyes sparkle, setting a soothing blanket over the inferno that has waged inside me since Stu’s call.
“Yes.” She places her hands over the top of mine on her cheeks. “You convinced me a long time ago.”
I press a kiss to her forehead. “It’s all dealt with. Don’t even think about it again. I will always look out for you. You have nothing to worry about. Your past doesn’t define you, Angel. And yours isn’t even bad. Trust me.”
“I do, Reed. I do trust you.”
I move my lips down over her face, pressing kisses to her skin as I go until I reach her pink lips.
“Good. I will always put you first. Always. Don’t ever doubt for one second how far I would go to protect you. I would sacrifice myself for you if it meant no one would ever try and hurt you, especially by using your past against you. Okay?”
I kiss her, savoring the small sigh she makes as I coax her lips apart.
“Okay,” she whispers.
Then I pull her closer and lose myself in her.
Chapter twenty-two
Harley
“Ifhappyeverafteris real, then she’s here in my arms.”
The faint harmony washes over my bare skin in waves, gently lapping me to full consciousness.
“Did you just make that up?” I murmur, snuggling into Reed’s bare chest as he kisses my head. “Oh, don’t stop. There’s nothing I’d rather wake up to than my very own poetic dawn chorus.”