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“Harper’s dating someone new,” I say, trying to keep my tone light.
“That’s great,” he says into my hair.
“Do you know Micah Rhodes?” I ask, searching his face for any clues that might ease my mind.
His jaw tightens at the name, a flicker of something dark crossing his features.
“What is it?”
“He’s older—mid-forties at least—and he’s weird. Very uppity and particular about things. I dealt with him at conferences when I worked for my father.”
“Brody doesn’t trust him,” I add quickly. “I told him to follow her.”
“Good,” he says, capturing my lips in a reassuring kiss before folding down the blankets for me to climb in. “He’ll make sure she’s safe. Now, come on. You need your rest.”
I climb under the covers and nestle into him as he scoots behind me, wrapping his warmth around me like a shield. He protects me from it all.
“You’re the perfect big spoon,” I say over my shoulder.
He leans in and kisses my cheek. “You’re the perfect spork,” he replies, nuzzling into me.
“Spork?” I laugh, caught off guard by his choice of words.
“You may be smooth in some places, but you still have sharp edges. Love that about you.”
“I love a lot about you, Ash,” I mutter.
I let out a contented sigh as my breathing slows. I feel so lucky to have him here with me.
“Good night, princess.” He kisses me again, lingering this time.
“Night,” I whisper, wanting to say those three words, wanting him to know how I feel.
The next morning,I walk into work, carrying a box of Harper’s favorite pink doughnuts. My heels click against the polished floor, echoing in the otherwise quiet office. I push open Harper’s office door, half expecting to find her buried under a mountain of sketchbooks and loose drawings now that we’re finalizing next season’s designs.
True to my request, Harper hasn’t sent anything digitally regarding our upcoming launch. Whispers have spread around the office, but I don’t care. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my company. Right now, the only ones we trust are our directors, who have been given closed-door meetings about what we’re doing.
If anything gets leaked, I’ll be able to confirm it’s management who’s responsible for double-crossing us and feeding Josh our designs. I’m convinced it’s them.
As soon as I take two steps inside, I notice the room is overflowing with vases of dark red roses.
Harper stands with a smile stretching across her pretty face, tears shimmering in her blue eyes as she reads a card. “He’s so sweet.”
“Harp, wow,” I say, setting the box of doughnuts I brought for her on the edge of her desk. The sweet fragrance of roses fills the space. It’s intoxicating, but for some reason, it makes me uneasy. “These are gorgeous. Who sent them?”
“Micah.” She beams as I set the doughnuts on her desk.
Micah.
His name drips from her lips like honey, but my mind flashes back to Brody’s intense gaze when I asked about him. I haven’t been able to shake off that look on his face, but I also can’t place it. Something isn’t right, but he’s not one to speculate.
I force a smile, knowing exactly how this story could unfold. I’ve been down this road before—Josh and his charm had me quickly wrapped around his finger too.
Anxiety floods the back of my mind, but I shove it down until I can get Weston’s and Easton’s take on this guy. Maybe Brody’s wrong.
Brody’s never wrong.
I lean closer to the flowers, inhaling them. “Tell me all about him.”