“Oh, no, you don’t,” she said as she pointed her spatula at the full plate. “You’re eating right now. Take that plate and move that incredibly perfect body away from me before you get more than you bargained for, mister.”
“I think I’d like that,” I informed her as I moved her hair and kissed her neck.
“You can like it later,” she said sternly. “Eat your food before it gets cold.”
“What about you?” I asked as I got out some butter and syrup before I plopped onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar.
“Mine is almost done. Don’t wait for me. Eat before it gets cold.”
I slathered butter on my French toast, and piled on some syrup.
Harlow took the seat next to me with her plate a few minutes later.
“I’m really excited about volunteering for Last Hope,” she told me as she started to eat. “And I’ll actually be happy to get back to Montgomery. Thank you for not accepting my resignation. I would have regretted it later.”
I reached for the mug of coffee I’d brewed for myself before Harlow had come downstairs. “I know. That’s why Hudson and I didn’t accept it. Not to mention the fact that you’d be dangerous if you’d eventually gone to a competitor.”
While that wasn’t the main reason we’d tried to keep her at Montgomery, it was true. Harlow had made some valuable contributions to our company with her research, and she was way too intelligent to be working somewhere else.
“So you just wanted to keep me for my research skills?” she asked jokingly.
“No,” I replied honestly. “I think I had my own ulterior motives that I didn’t want to admit at the time, but it was a consideration. I wasn’t like Hudson and I didn’t understand how much you’d been through or that you were making that decision due to guilt.”
“When can I go back?” she asked. “I had some important projects happening. I’d like to get back to them.”
“When you feel like you can handle it,” I said. “You’ve been through hell, Harlow. Take some time to take care of yourself before you worry about Montgomery.”
I had a feeling she’d be back in the lab this afternoon if I let her, and that wasn’t going to happen. She’d barely started to take her life back. She wasn’t ready for a high pressure job right now.
“I’m better, Jax, and I’m getting bored. I’m not used to being unproductive,” she argued.
“Maybe after the holidays,” I said noncommittally.
“Are you serious? We’re barely beyond Halloween. That’s over two months away. Be reasonable, please,” she said unhappily.
I thought I was being very reasonable. Considering all that Harlow had been through, I actually thought January was too soon.
“That’s as reasonable as I’m going to get,” I warned her.
I never wanted to see Harlow in the shape she’d been in just a short time ago. If she pushed herself to go back to work too soon, the progress she’d made could easily backslide.
“You’re being a tyrant,” she grumbled. “Honestly, if I have to stare at the walls of my apartment any longer, I’ll lose my mind.”
“Then don’t,” I suggested. “Stay here with me and stare at these walls instead.”
Okay, so that hadn’t been exactly the way I was going to ask her to move in with me, but I guess it worked.
“You’d have the dogs, the pool, the gym, and a lot more space to chill out,” I added.
“I can’t possibly stay here,” she replied. “Jax, we just started a relationship.”
“And we can continue it together here,” I said. “Don’t say no, Harlow. Think about it. I’d miss you like crazy if you weren’t here. We’ve been spending every single evening together for a while now. I’d really like to keep it that way.”
“The press would have a field day with that,” she mumbled.
“They already are,” I informed her. “They’ve seen us go in and out of here all week. Hudson and Cooper have been sending me links to some of the articles. The speculation about our relationship is rampant. That’s another reason why I think you should stay here.”
I didn’t really care what the media thought, but I had to tell Harlow so she was aware.
She groaned. “What are they saying?”
“It depends on what news outlet you look at, but everyone is curious to find out if my dating days are over,” I said drily. “The less information they get, the more they make up crazy stories. The last article