Amusing You - Claire Cullen Page 0,57

about it, the clearer it is that you two are good for each other. Present circumstances notwithstanding.”

“Um, duck? There’s something I need to come clean to you about.”

Beckett had kept quiet about the truth of his and William’s relationship. But Harper couldn’t leave Zac in the dark any longer.

“I’m listening,” Zac said, looking bemused.

“William and I weren’t exactly dating.”

Zac frowned. “What does that mean? Of course you were dating.”

“Except we weren’t. William panicked when Brendan spotted us, and us dating was his excuse to explain why we were spending time together.”

The bewilderment on Zac’s face only deepened. “Why were you spending time together, then?”

“The muse agency matched us.”

Zac’s eyes went wide. “What?!”

“When William realized, he came to me directly. The agency would never let us work together if they knew we were already acquainted, but he’d had such a strong reaction to me and no one else. It didn’t seem like a terrible idea.”

Zac scoffed. “Harper, that is the definition of a terrible idea. What were you thinking?”

“I don’t know. He brought me to his office and showed me all these sketches he’d done just from hearing my voice and smelling my scent. He needed me. To him, I was more than just the person who served coffee. It felt good to be that important to someone.”

“Okay.” Zac still looked puzzled. “How did you go from that to spending your heat together?”

“It happened slowly, I guess. William… He needed more than I could give him as a muse. He was touch-starved, duck. Running on empty where intimacy was concerned. It was so easy to give that to him, to share that. He needed it, and I wanted to give it. And then my heat happened, and I needed him, and he wanted to be there for me.”

Zac snorted softly. “You were dating without dating. The two of you slowly falling in love while pretending not to.”

“We’re not in love, duck.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“You’re seeing things.” The undeniable distance between the two of them was proof enough.

“Maybe.” Zac smiled and shook his head. “Or maybe you’re lying to yourself. Which is okay. That’s quite the unorthodox start to a relationship. If it was me, I’d doubt my own feelings too. And William’s.”

Harper sighed. “The thing is, I want to believe there could be more between us. To trust my own instincts. He’s a good man.”

Zac bumped their shoulders gently. “Yeah, he is. Give it time, Harper. Let yourself fall in love.”

Harper brooded on that while he stared down at Henry’s peaceful face.

“Harper?” Zac asked softly.

“Yeah?”

“If you’ve been William’s muse, and he’s been paying you all this time, why are you stuck in that crappy apartment with no heat? Surely you have enough for a deposit on a new place by now?”

Harper sighed. It was just another plan gone awry.

“You remember I told you about my pops being sick?”

“Of course. But he’s doing better now, right?”

“Right. But that’s where the money went. His insurance wouldn’t cover the help he needed, and there’s only so many extra shifts my dad can manage at his age.”

Zac scooted closer and put an arm around Harper’s shoulders. “You’re a good son. Does William know?”

“We weren’t dating, duck, remember? He had his life, and I had mine.”

“You should tell him. He’d want to know. Help if he could.”

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. Besides, things between us are complicated enough without adding my parents into the mix.”

He didn’t know what they’d make of his and William’s unorthodox situation, but the less they knew the better.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The next few days were some of the longest and hardest of William’s life. Harper had asked for space. What could he do but give that to him? That didn’t make it easy, though. At least once an hour, he found his hand on his phone, prepared to call or text the omega. But each time, he held back. The least he could do after everything was give Harper the time and space he’d asked for. When Harper was ready to talk, he’d let him know.

He threw himself into work instead, relieved to have something to pour his time and attention into. Beckett was happy to help, throwing extra work his way and seeking his input on upcoming projects. He also lent a sympathetic ear to William’s predicament, though at first, William didn’t have a lot to say about it.

“Have you heard from Harper?”

“Not a word.”

“Maybe you should call him.”

William took his eyes from the plans he was scouring.

“Is this coming from

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