I’m a firm believer that nobody knows us as well as we know ourselves. I’m sure you were with whoever you felt was right at the time.”
For the first time ever, she wanted to set the record straight. It felt important that Harley knew the truth, and that was a tad scary. She liked people thinking she took life by the horns, by her own terms, and she wondered if telling him she’d probably been with fewer men than he thought would make her seem weaker.
He squeezed her hand and said, “What is going on in that mind of yours?”
“Just thinking about how life is a tightrope. Lean too far one way or another and you lose all the advantage you’ve gained.”
The train stopped, and people filed in and out.
“Is that why you snuck out in the middle of the night last night?”
She was hoping she’d get away without talking about that. She’d fallen asleep while they were watching the movie, and she’d woken up at a little after two o’clock in the morning, with her head on Harley’s lap and his hand on her butt. They hadn’t done anything more than share those heart-thundering kisses before the movie, but he’d looked so pleased, fast asleep with a small smile on his lips. And she’d felt an overwhelming sense of peace being there with him, being held by him. That had scared her, and she’d left before they could have an awkward conversation—and before he could wake up and ask her to stay, because she just might have done it.
“I didn’t want the girls to find me there in the morning.” It was the perfect excuse, though she didn’t think the girls would think twice about her falling asleep watching a movie with Harley. When she’d hugged Sophie good night last night, Sophie had taken Piper by surprise and said, “Love you.” Sophie and Harley seemed to throw their emotions around like confetti, as if they should be celebrated. When Jolie had hugged Piper good night, she’d held Piper for a long time, and then right before she’d let Piper go, she’d whispered, “I’m glad you’re here.” She had a feeling that she and Jolie weren’t that different when it came to keeping the lid on their emotions, making Jolie’s words that much more meaningful.
Harley didn’t look like he was buying her excuse.
The train stopped at Penn Station, and Harley said, “Off we go.”
Piper helped him get situated with his crutches, and they made their way off the train and up to the main level.
“I hate these crutches,” Harley said as they stepped out of the building and onto the busy sidewalk. The scents and sounds of the city rose around them.
“Why?”
He gave her a perplexed look as they hurried along the sidewalk. “This is our first date. I want to put my arm around you or hold your hand, not hobble along beside you.”
Why was it such a turn-on that he’d admit that?
“Possessive much?” she teased. “Where are we going, anyway?”
He stopped walking and reached for her hand, pulling her against him. “Happy first date.” He pointed up ahead to the sign above the entrance to Madison Square Garden.
It took a second for her to understand what he was saying, and when she realized what he’d done, she shouted, “Are you freaking kidding me? You got tickets to the playoff game?”
“Just for you, babe.”
“Harley!” She launched herself into his arms, sending him stumbling back on his hurt ankle.
He cursed, reaching for the side of the building to take the pressure off his ankle, knee bent, teeth gritted, as his crutches crashed to the ground.
Piper jumped back. “Oh my God! I’m so sorry!” Panicked, she scrambled to retrieve his crutches. “Are you okay? I’m sorry! I suck! What a crappy friend I am.”
He shook his head, pulling her against him despite his obvious pain. He rested his forehead on her shoulder and said, “You don’t suck. You’re awesome. That was exactly the reaction I was hoping for, but this bum ankle tripped me up. If I didn’t have it, I’d have caught you and that kiss I missed.”
He lifted his head from her shoulder, and his eyes drilled into her without a speck of anger for what she’d done. She was overwhelmed with so many emotions for this incredible man, she didn’t think past the one that gripped her the hardest—the desire to give him the best kiss of his life. She dropped the crutches against the building, went up