Page 103 of Beautiful Revenge

“We’ve been so busy, I haven’t mentioned that I’m not here by myself.” Harlow leans forward and gives him a peck on the cheek before turning to me. Her glassy eyes warm as acontent expression settles on her face. “Dad, this is Devon. He saved me in more ways than one.”

Damn.

That hits me in a place I don’t recognize. One that’s new, even for this forty-year-old arse.

I don’t have a chance to respond. Patrick beats me to it. “Add that to the list of things I missed over the last few months. Things I expect to be brought up to speed on immediately. I’ve been kept in the dark in the most literal way. That comes to an end today.”

I walk the rest of the way into the room, set the food onto the table, and cross my arms. “I couldn’t agree more. My goal is to put Albert Humphries away for attempted murder and find out who shot at Harlow. The rest should fall into place.”

Even in his weak state, Patrick’s expression tenses. “Harlow was shot at?”

Harlow bites her lip and winces. “He didn’t know about that.”

Shit.

“Sorry, baby.”

Patrick looks up at me with an intense stare. “Let’s start with the shooting, then you can move onto the fact you’re referring to my daughter asbaby.”

“Dad,” Harlow starts and claims the place where she was sitting next to him on the edge of the hospital bed. She doesn’t look contrite or embarrassed. She’s happy. “I’ve missed you so damn much.”

Harlow

When I open my eyes, it takes me a split second to remember that I’m not in Winslet in the masculine suite that I share with my new British lover.

I’m across the country in a hotel down the street from theprivate hospital I searched high and low for when I put my plan into motion.

My father is awake, alert, and ready to take on the world like he’s always done.

Well, maybe not take on the world just yet. But he is ready to order everyone around him to make it happen on his behalf.

And my lover is right where he’s been since the moment I climbed into that white, shiny golf cart—at my back. That time feels so long ago, like a parallel universe, and I’ve been transported to a whole other dimension.

Devon doesn’t just have my back figuratively. He’s literally glued to it with his heavy arm draped down my body.

Last night before we left my dad’s hospital room, Devon sat beside me and explained in detail everything he planned to do to keep me safe and make sure I was never shot at again. Then he explained how he has the experience and resources to do that.

Devon and I did everything we could to calm him. When Dad realized that Devon went to the lengths he did to make sure no one would know where I am, he finally relented to following the doctor’s orders. That is, he was willing to rest.

No one was more relieved than me, since I was exhausted—emotionally and physically. I kissed Dad on the cheek and promised we’d be back first thing in the morning with Chrissie to set a plan of action.

I try to shift out from under Devon’s hold, but the moment I do, his hand on my thigh turns into a grip.

His lips connect with the crown of my head. “Where do you think you’re going?”

I settle back into Devon’s heat and his rock-hard erection that’s building between us, the latter of which is pressed into the small of my back. “I didn’t want to wake you. I was going to take a shower.”

“We have a long day ahead of us.” His words are gravelly with sleep as his fingers trail up my body, dip under my thin tank, and land on my breast. A shiver runs down my spine when he brings two fingers together for a delicious twist of my nipple. “And all I can think about is you spread on my lapon the plane yesterday, and me stuck without a condom. The shower can wait. You owe me.”

His hand drags down my stomach and goes directly for the thin material of my panties. I lose his heat long enough for him to drag them down my legs and toss them across the room. Like yesterday, he cups my sex firmly and possessively.

I arch my back to press into his cock. “When I have two minutes between shootings and emergency trips across the country, I need to get back on birth control. I quit taking the pill when I swore off Al?—”

Devon’s hold on me tightens. “Don’t you dare say his name, Harlow. Not when we’re like this.”

His fingers glide easily through my sex and circle my clit, slow and lazy like we have all day. “I’m sorry. I’ll never do it again.”

“The birth control part...” Another circle that never touches my clit makes me instantly wetter than I was. “We can talk about that anytime. I’m ready to tell the condoms to fuck off so I can just fuck you whenever I want.”