with her at the police station while she was being interviewed. Even though she had already given Sean an accounting of the events, she felt him shake as he listened to her speak about her last time with Daniel. Her voice cracked when she talked about how he tried to kill her. She tried to be strong for Sean but recounting the scene in her apartment sent chills throughout her.
Jonas, Brock, and Kallie stayed near Sean, and she was sure it was to support Sean as much as her. Her gaze continually shot over to him, aware of his barely controlled rage, and finally Brock bent to whisper in his ear and the two of them stepped outside. Kallie slid into the seat next to her, and shooting her a grateful look, she finished answering the questions.
Leaving the interview room, she spied Brock holding Sean by the shoulders, their heads inclined. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing he was getting the support he needed in order to give her what she needed. As soon as he heard her approach, Sean pulled her into his arms, pressing his lips to the top of her head. Glancing to the side, she mouthed “Thank you” to Brock, gaining his smile and chin lift in response.
When Sean escorted her out of the station and back home, his family had swarmed around them, providing the same support and comfort that he had experienced his whole life. His mother and Erin fussed over Harper, bringing food as though Harper would be unable to cook. Tara had sat with her, calmly listening as Harper talked out her churning emotions and then gave her the name of a crisis counselor.
When his irrepressible youngest brother came by, she took one look at Rory and clung to him, tears streaming down her face as she thanked him over and over. Rory had welcomed her hug. Finding she could not let him go, Sean stepped in to gently pull her back into his arms.
Once alone again, Sean insisted she take it easy, but she convinced him she could rest better if he was in bed with her. Somehow, with his arms around her, she slept all night.
The station handled the media, giving only official statements. Bekki King, Brock’s youngest sister, was a journalist, and after another day she interviewed Harper with the promise that the news station would not glorify Daniel about his heroics and being known as The Phoenix. The last thing the Police Department and Harper wanted was to encourage a copycat arsonist seeking attention. Sean had told her that there was the concern that many of the fires Daniel had battled when he was with the Fire Department had possibly been set by himself.
Harper could tell Sean had been nervous about her speaking to Bekki, but when the tall, dark-haired beauty walked in, she greeted them both warmly. Sean hovered, but when Bekki treated Harper with kid gloves during the interview, they relaxed.
And now, finally, she woke next to Sean and wondered if they could spend the whole day in bed. A slight pressure on her chest caused her to open her eyes wider only to see Smokey standing with his two front paws on her.
Lifting her hand, she rubbed the large cat's head, whispering, “I’ll get you in just a minute, buddy.”
Stretching, Sean smiled as Harper rolled toward him, burrowing in tightly. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tight. “It’s okay. I’ll get him.”
Smokey, understanding that somebody would be feeding him soon, hopped down from the bed, and with a twitch of his tail sauntered out of the room.
She breathed in deeply, and even though the fire in her apartment building had been days ago and she had scrubbed her body and hair often, she still thought she could catch a whiff of smoke. She knew it was not really there, but the mind, when terrified, can play such tricks.
Harper stretched and gifted him with a smile. “Smokey wants his breakfast.”
Nuzzling her nose, he said, “Yeah, he made his desires known.”
She shifted her body slightly, snuggling her curves against his. “And what about your desires?”
With his cock pressing against her belly, he slid one hand down to her ass and squeezed. “I think I’m making my desires known as well. But your parents are coming today.”
She slid her hand between them, firmly grasping his cock, eliciting a hiss from his lips. “We’ve got time. We’ve got nothing but time, Sean.”
He held her gaze,