Page 52 of Singled Out

“Yeah?”

“Every single one of them. My sister is a junior partner at a big law firm in Boston. My brother makes a boat load of money as a stock analyst in New York and is happily married to Brian. Both my siblings were straight-A students. Ashley played volleyball and basketball. Jon played varsity soccer and went to State on the swim team. My dad, well, you know him. Everybody respects him. He’s all about achievement, grades, activities, volunteering. My mom lives in San Francisco, and she’s an interior decorator who caters to high-profile clients. Apparently small-town ranch homes and lake houses weren’t enough for her.”

“That’s a lot to live up to, huh?”

She scoffed. “You think? I grew up hearing all about how Ashley aced her government test and got voted class president. Jon was the valedictorian. My dad earned his doctorate when I was in grade school. I remember in first grade, Ms. Tanney raved about both my siblings. In front of the entire class, she said she expected great things from me.”

I grimaced, guessing Ms. Tanney must’ve meant it in a positive, encouraging way, but obviously that wasn’t how Harper had taken it.

You never knew, as a teacher or a coach, how things might land with any particular student. Every kid was different. Every kid was motivated by different things. There was no one-size-fits-all in teaching.

“I figured out early on it was easier to not try,” she continued. “I already knew I couldn’t do better than my older siblings on grades, so why try? I guess it stuck.”

I pulled her to my side a little tighter. The teacher in me hated to hear that, but I’d had students over the years in a similar position. Add Harper’s overzealous, well-meaning dad to the mix, and I could begin to understand how she’d taken the road that had worked for her. It was a shame she’d felt like less before she’d even gotten started.

“So yeah,” she said. “I don’t have a lot of experience going after things I want.”

“But you might want this.”

“I don’t even know. Maybe? I don’t know the first thing to do.” She hesitated, then asked, “What would you do?”

“I’d get more information,” I said easily. “Talk to Cambria. Find out what she’s thinking. Discuss possibilities with her. Did she ask my sister too?”

“Yes, she was talking to both Dakota and me.”

“The three of you should meet then. You can’t decide on anything until you understand more of the variables.”

“You’re using math words,” she said, acting disgusted.

I laughed. “Math people do that sometimes. It fits though. You need more information.”

“Yeah.” She was still for a few seconds. Then she stood abruptly, walked to the railing, and looked out toward the lake.

I missed having her against me the second she stood. Leaning forward, elbows on my knees, I watched her in the darkness, her back to me. A few strands of her hair rustled in the breeze. My eyes were drawn to the silhouette of her body, the womanly curves of her hips, the inward dip of her waist, the sexiness of her long legs and bare feet. I knew her toes were painted in a magenta polish even though I couldn’t see it from here.

Now that she was at a safer distance, I couldn’t deny how much I wanted her. I wanted to know more of her secrets.

What kind of panties was she wearing under that short skirt?

How sweet would her nipples taste?

What kind of sounds did she make when she came?

My blood pounded through me as my dick grew hard. I stood, acknowledged I was making a poor decision, and went to join her at the railing anyway.

Chapter Fifteen

Max

I settled in next to Harper at the railing, our sides touching, both of us looking at the dark lake and the lights on the distant, opposite shore. With my blood thrumming through me, I fought to get my mind on her dilemma, where it should be.

“Getting more information from Cambria does not mean committing,” I told her. “One baby step at a time.”

Harper turned to face me, resting an elbow on the railing. Peering up at me with those gorgeous but unsure brown eyes that made me want to pull her into me to reassure her. “What if she wasn’t serious?” she asked in a quiet voice.

I gripped the railing with both hands, battling the urge to turn toward her. Being face-to-face would make it too easy to touch her. “Then you know. But what if she was?”

Her chest rose with an inhalation. “That might be even worse. Max?”