Page 65 of Sheltered

It was the strides we’d made in our physical relationship were easily my favorite, though. Those steps were additional proof of her conviction, and they were the greatest gift she could have given me. To know she’d never shared her body with another man and was not only willing but eager to explore that with me was the best feeling. I’d been longing to add that element to what we were building, and it was a relief to be able to have more ways to express my feelings for her.

For a woman who hadn’t experienced a whole lot in her life, Harlow was proving she wasn’t afraid. Not with the activities we planned, the physical affection, or the conversation, if this riddle was any indication.

Sending me a riddle like this not only gave me the reassurances I was on her mind throughout the day, but it told me what she might have been thinking about. And that was the kind of thing I couldn’t help but smile about, no matter how unexpected it had been.

I picked up my phone again.

Blaze

Is this a new segment? Dirty riddles with Harlow?

I stared at the screen for a beat, waiting for her response, and laughed when it finally came through.

Harlow

They’re only dirty because you’re making them that way. And that tells me I might actually stand a chance at stumping you now.

Yep.

She knew precisely what she was doing. If she threw me off balance enough, I might just be too distracted by the innuendo in the riddle to come up with the right answer.

Blaze

Do you think I’m that easily fooled? Don’t you worry, baby, I’ll figure this one out soon enough.

“Now that’s a look that’s become all too familiar around here.”

I glanced up from my phone to see Forrest strolling into my office, a knowing look on his face.

“Come again?”

Forrest held his hands up in surrender as he moved to sit down in one of the chairs on the opposite side of my desk. “No judgment from me, man. I’ve been there for a while now. I’m just pointing out the obvious. You’re caught up in a woman in a very serious way.”

While I’d started sharing the news of Harlow’s existence with my coworkers, I hadn’t shared specifics with anyone. I wasn’t about to start denying the truth when someone pointed it out. “Yeah, I guess you could say that,” I confessed.

“That’s awesome, Blaze. I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks. I just wish I could feel this content all the time,” I shared.

He tipped his head to the side and eyed me curiously. “You’re worried about this case that’s been impacting those connected to Harper Security?”

I nodded. “She’s got a hair salon, so it’s possible that could be a target like the other spots. The only thing Harlow may have on her side is that it wasn’t until recently that anyone here even knew we were together. But since we just made this connection, and it’s been happening for quite a few weeks, it’s hard to say whether these people are even aware Harlow exists.”

“Does she know what’s going on?” he asked.

“I had to tell her,” I answered.

“How did she respond?”

I inhaled deeply and sighed. “Better than I expected. The truth is that I gave her an out. I told her if she wanted me to walk away so we could ensure her safety, I would do it. She refused, all but claiming she wouldn’t live in fear of something bad happening. The idea of us not being together scared her more than anything else.”

Forrest shook his head, a look of disgust marring his features. “I know just as much as the next guy how things can happen in someone’s life to lead them to being in danger, especially after Daisy’s situation. In those cases, it’s on us to do what we can to keep them safe from whatever that threat is. But this is different. Because this is on us. This threat is coming from us. I never would have thought we’d find ourselves in a position where there’d be a group of people with a grudge against us who would target the ones we love.”

The ones we love.

The moment Forrest said the word, it hit me.

That’s exactly what I felt for Harlow.