Stealing Their Harley, page 4
“Harley? Fucking Christ, Harley! Where the hell are you? Are you okay?” He sounds like he’s about to burst into tears and it breaks my heart. “Are you hurt? Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you. Is your mom with you?”
“Rico, calm down!” I yell into the phone, gripping it tightly in my hand. I feel the others come closer, surrounding me, but I keep my back toward them. “I’m fine, I’m safe.” I try to reassure him without saying too much.
He takes a deep breath in and the phone crackles with static when he lets it out in one huff. “Then where are you? You didn’t call me. You wouldn’t answer my calls or text messages. You’re calling from a strange number now. You’re freaking me out, Harley.”
“I’m about to freak you out a little more,” I mumble and cringe, knowing what his reaction will be. “I can’t tell you where I am. I’m not allowed to. All I can say is I’m safe and I’ll be home soon.”
Silence descends for several beats before my best friend completely loses his shit. “Are you insane? What the actual fuck, Harley? Tell me where you are right fucking now before I kick your ass!”
I made the mistake of turning around and looking at the men surrounding me as Rico spoke. Kacen turns bright red with anger and opens his mouth, but Alekai and Dawson pull him away before he can intervene in my conversation with Rico. “Harley? Are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m still here. Rico, I’m sorry. I know you’re totally freaking out right now and I feel like the worst person in the world for putting you through this, but I can’t tell you. I can’t risk it.” I wish more than anything that I could tell him where I am, but there are three major problems with it.
First, I have no clue where Alekai brought me when I passed out. I could be in a completely different state for all I know. Second, I refuse to risk my mother’s safety. I fully believe my father when he says my mom’s in danger. I don’t know if he caused it on accident like he claims or if he’s in on it, but I do know I would do anything to keep her safe. Rico inadvertently answered my question about her whereabouts when he asked if she was with me. Then there’s the three men watching me intently as I break my best friend’s heart. Something in me doesn’t want to leave them, and I think I need to explore what it is while I’m stuck here.
“Risk what?” Rico chokes out, and I can hear him take a few deep breaths. “Harley, you’re scaring the hell out of me. Please tell me where you are so I can come get you. I’ll keep you safe from whatever it is that's going on. You know I will.”
“I do know.” I nod even though he can’t see me. “But you have to just trust that I’m okay right now, and you don’t need to get the police or anyone else involved. I’ll be back soon. Please, just trust me.”
Rico scoffs and I can practically hear him roll his eyes. A shuffling noise reaches my ears and I can imagine him sitting down at his desk. My suspicions are confirmed when I hear the clank of him using his keyboard. “You know I trust you, but this is insane, Harley. You can’t expect me to sit here and do nothing.”
“That’s exactly what I’m expecting you to do. Rico, just please listen to me. I have to go, but I’ll try to call again as soon as I can. I love you.” I shut my eyes tightly and hang up the phone while Rico yells at me from the other end. He’s going to try to find me. I know him and I know he’ll never just sit around and wait for me to come home. I can only hope he won’t get himself hurt.
“You said best friend,” Alekai says with a sharpness in his voice.
Dawson makes a noise of agreement and Kacen growls low in his throat. My head jerks up, my gaze scans over the three of them before coming to rest on Kacen’s eyes. This time I know I’m not imagining things. His normally bright green eyes are now shimmering with a silver hue. It distracts me from my worries about Rico. What the hell is wrong with his eyes?
“I don’t appreciate being lied to.” Kacen’s snippy attitude brings out my temper.
“Excuse me?” I face off with him, and resist the urge to reach out and pinch him, hard. “I didn’t lie to anyone about anything. What the hell is your problem?”
Kacen takes a step toward me, our bodies only a few inches from each other. “You called your boyfriend instead of your best friend.”
“Rico isn’t my boyfriend, asshole. He’s my best friend. I don’t have a boyfriend, not that it’s any of your business.” My hands come to rest on my hips and I jut my chin out. How dare he call me a liar.
Kacen takes another step forward and I feel the heat radiating from him. “I beg to differ.”
My heart beats rapidly in my chest, my hands shake with adrenaline. He growls again and heat pools low in my belly. I curse my body for reacting to his stupid alpha male attitude. Why do I find it so hot when he growls like an animal?
The flash of silver in his eyes grabs my attention again mere seconds before he wraps a strong hand around the back of my neck and pulls me into him, pressing his lips to mine and demanding I open for him. My lips part on a gasp and he uses it to his advantage, claiming my mouth with his. I moan into his kiss, pressing myself further into him. Kacen tightens the hand on my neck while his other arm wraps around my waist and pulls me flush against his body.
As he begins to deepen the kiss, a phone rings somewhere in the room and reality crashes down around me. What the hell am I doing? I don’t even know this guy and I’m throwing myself at him without a thought.
Somehow, my hands ended up fisted in his hair, but I quickly untangle them and move them to his chest, giving him a hard shove. He doesn’t budge from his spot, but he does break our kiss. Both of us are panting and shaking with the need for more than a simple kiss.
“I hate to interrupt but your father is on the phone, Harley.” Just like that Alekai’s words douse the fire inside me and I’m left feeling cold and angry.
Chapter 5
I pull out of Kacen’s arms and he lets me go with some reluctance. Alekai holds his phone out to me, waiting for me to take it from him. Instead, I simply glare at the phone. I have nothing to say to the man on the other end, but if he has information about my mom, I need to know.
Alekai senses my hesitation and hits the speakerphone button. “You’re on speaker, Richard.”
“I just wanted to check in with Harley and see how she is. Is she there?” My father sounds defeated and my stomach drops.
I swallow hard, but keep the fear from my tone as I speak to him. “Did you find Mom?”
There’s a pause on the other end and it’s all the answer I need. “I’m working on it, Scooter. I swear I’m doing everything in my power to get her back safely. Unfortunately, I’ve run into a few snags and it may take some time.”
“If anything happens to her, I’ll destroy you,” I warn him. My body shakes harder now, not from lust this time but rather rage at the situation my father placed my mother in.
My father sighs heavily. “I’m doing everything I can, Harley. I don’t want anything to happen to her, either.”
My hands curl into tight fists and I fight the sudden urge to hit something. “You should have thought about that before you fucked up and did whatever it was you did to get her kidnapped!” I holler out, my temper reaching the boiling point. If my father had been standing in the room, I don’t think I could have stopped myself from decking him.
Just as I thought I was gaining ground on controlling myself, my father decides to pull the daddy card, like I’m a toddler needing a reprimand. “Watch your tone, Harley. I’m your father and you need to remember that.”
“Fuck you!” I snatch the phone from Alekai’s hand and throw it with all my strength across the room.
Dawson’s hand reaches out and catches the phone before it can hit the wall. I stand there, completely stunned. While it’s possible he could catch the phone, it’s not possible he could make it halfway across the room to do so. Except he did. He’d been standing close to me and he managed to make it ten feet in less than two seconds. It’s not physically possible.
“H-how—?” Before I can fully question his actions, Dawson has me scooped up in his arms, hugging me tightly.
At first, I don’t understand why, until I realize I’m still vibrating with anger from the phone call with my father. “Take a deep breath. It will help calm you,” he whispers as he pulls back and waits for me to obey his request.
I comply without thought, instinctively knowing he’s trying to help me. His hands come to rest on either side of my face and he caresses my cheeks with his thumbs. “Good girl, one more time.”
My eyes meet his and I do as he asks once again. This time, though, my breath hitches as I exhale. The honey brown of his eyes morphs into shimmering silver, just like Kacen’s did just before he kissed me. Anticipation licks my insides causing me to shudder.
I should be thinking about why these guys have eyes that change color, or how Dawson managed to get across a room in less than a second. Hell, even the fact that I’ve known these three men less than twenty-four hours should be front and center in my mind. Instead, all I can think about is what a kiss from Dawson would taste like.
Much to my delight, I don’t have to wonder for too long. Dawson rests his lips against mine in a soft, sensual kiss that frees my mind of any hostility that may have been left over from the phone call with my dad. Like every time I come anywhere near him, I melt into him. He slowly coaxes my mouth open with his tongue and I happily give in to his silent request. Unlike the urgent, demanding kiss from Kacen, Dawson takes his time. He explores every inch of my mouth and urges me to do the same. By the time he pulls away, I’m floating on a Dawson shaped cloud and I never want to come down.
“Well, that was unexpected.” Alekai once again breaks the intensity of the moment and I have an insane thought of kicking him in the shin, but then reality sets in and I’m actually relieved he interrupted us.
Oh, god. I just made out with two men in a matter of moments and I had an audience while doing it. “What the hell is wrong with me?” I whisper to myself, my fingers touching my swollen lips.
“Hey.” Dawson rubs his hands up and down my back, soothing me. “There’s nothing at all wrong with you, Harley.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” I scoff and take a step away from him. My body protests the move, mourning the loss of him. I need to put distance between us before I do something stupid, like go for a hat trick and jump Alekai. “I just made out with you in front of your friends! I had my tongue down Kacen’s throat just twenty seconds ago. That’s seriously messed up. I’m seriously messed up.”
I push my hands through my mussed hair and pace the room. “There’s something wrong. I should be kicking all three of you in the jiggle berries, but all I want to do is jump on you. That’s not normal!” By this time, my arms are flailing wildly around me. When I get on a rant, my body can’t help itself. I am an expressive person by nature and my arms move to help punctuate my point.
“Harley—” I hold my hand up to stop Kacen from saying whatever he had planned to make me feel like less of a basket case.
Unable to look any of them in the eye, I turn my back and hang my head. “Can you guys just go, please? I just woke up and I don’t know how much more I can handle without coffee before I lose my mind completely.”
They hesitate but ultimately leave me by myself. As soon as the door closes, I breathe a sigh of relief while simultaneously resisting the urge to run after them. What is it about Kacen, Alekai, and Dawson that has me so drawn in? Every nerve in my body comes alive when they’re near me. The itchiness and feverish feelings that started yesterday disappear in their presence.
As I try to push the craziness of the morning from my mind, I make my way to the bathroom attached to my room I discovered last night. Upon entering, I’m pleasantly surprised to find everything I need to ready myself for the day. All the toiletries and other essentials sit on the counter, brand new and waiting for me. It makes me wonder how long they had plan to keep me here.
What’s more shocking is the fact that all of the brands are the same as the ones I use at home. The shampoo and conditioner are the same green apple brand I have sitting in my shower. Even the toothpaste is the exact same. Did my dad really pay enough attention before he left to remember all of those tiny details? Dismissing the thought, I quickly disrobe and turn on the shower. Maybe once I am clean, I will feel more like myself.
I step under the hot spray and even though I try to relax, my mind just won’t stop thinking about the men in the other room. I can still feel their hands on my body, their lips on mine, and I ache for more. The last two days have been a shit-show and I don’t feel like myself at all. It’s like I’m Alice falling down the rabbit hole, but instead of having a grand adventure, I feel like I’m in a badly scripted romance drama. Sighing heavily at my depressing thoughts, I grab the shampoo and start the process of getting clean.
Stepping out of the shower, I wrap myself in a fluffy towel. As I walk out of the bathroom, I freeze. I don’t have clothes with me. A quick glance at my dirty clothes in the corner of the room and I know I can’t put them on again. Instead, I poke my head out and listen for signs of the guys. Thankfully, I don’t hear anything and quickly tiptoe to the closest room to mine. Somehow, I know it belongs to Alekai. The bright blues and greens mixed with earthy brown remind me of him. He’s a bright, happy person, yet completely down to earth. His room also smells exactly like his earthy scent. I love it.
Rather than snoop around the room like I want to, I sneak to the closet and rifle through it until I find a shirt that hangs to my mid-thigh. Next, I search through the dresser until I find his boxers and steal a pair. They barely fit; I have to roll up the sides so they don’t fall down. It’s not high fashion but they cover the essentials and that’s all that matters to me.
On my way back to my room I’m distracted by the sound of voices. I go into stealth mode and make my way slowly toward them. The door to the room they’re in is cracked and I pause just outside, peeking in through the small space.
The room they’re in is a large office. Kacen sits behind a big wooden desk. Alekai has taken up residence on top of it and Dawson lounges on the chair in front of them. All three appear tense and it puts me on edge.
“I know we weren’t going to tell her anything, but everything has changed, Kacen .” Alekai runs a hand down his face and his forehead wrinkles with frustration. “You know just as well as I do what she is and she has a right to know. We can’t keep this from her.”
“Our only job is to keep her safe until her father comes back for her,” Kacen argues, though I don’t sense any power behind it. It’s more like he’s arguing just because it’s expected. “We could be risking everything if we tell her the truth.”
Dawson clears his throat and shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “I don’t want to go against you, Kacen , but I’m with Alekai. She deserves to know. Besides, can you really tell me you don’t think Harley’s worth the risk?”
Kacen is silent for a long moment and I can’t stand it any longer. If they have something to tell me, I damn well better get to hear it. Without any real thought to the repercussions, I push the door to the office open with all my strength, cringing when it bounces off the wall and swings back to almost hit me. I catch it with my right hand and place my left on my hip. Trying to look nonchalant that I almost busted myself in the face with the door, I demand snarkily, “What the hell do you have to tell me?”
“Dawson, no!” Alekai shouts and reaches for his friend. He’s too late though. Dawson is no longer sitting in the chair across from Alekai and Kacen. Instead, he stands in front of me on all fours. Only it’s not really Dawson. It’s a giant light brown wolf with his sharp canines bared.
I watch with wide eyes as realization dawns in the wolf’s eyes that I am not a threat. He snaps his mouth shut and plops down on his butt with a whimper. He looks behind him at Kacen, then back to me and whimpers again.
My head screams at me to run away, but my feet are completely frozen in place. I couldn’t move if I wanted to. Except, I don’t really want to. This has to be some sort of dream or hallucination and I’m curious, in a morbid sort of way, to see how it plays out.
I take a step toward the wolf and watch as he bows his head as if trying to make himself smaller and less intimidating. “Dawson?”
The wolf actually nods his head. It’s so absurd I can’t help the giggles from bubbling up and out. One giggle is followed by another, then another, until I’m bent at the waist in a fit of hysterical laughter.
“Harley, are you all right?” Alekai hops off the desk but hesitates to move closer to me. “I know this is probably a shock to you.”
It takes effort, but I manage to catch my breath after a few moments. “It’s the weirdest dream I’ve ever had. It makes sense now, though. Normally, I’d never kiss two guys like I did earlier. I’d totally dream that, though. Hell, I’ve only ever had one kiss in my whole life and that was William Lipinski in the fifth grade. He cut my lip with his braces. It was the worst three seconds of my life.”
“Erm…” Alekai coughs to cover his laughter but fails miserably. I don’t mind. It’s funny to me now, unlike when it happened all those years ago. Damn braces.
“You’re not dreaming, Harley,” Kacen tells me gently, standing up from the desk. He waits to speak again until he is shoulder to shoulder with Alekai. “This is very real.”
I shake my head vehemently. I must be dreaming. Nothing else makes sense. “No, that’s not possible. People don’t change into wolves. That’s fiction. And bad television shows. Except, Teen Wolf. I really liked Teen Wolf. That Tyler Hoechlin is a hottie.”
I would go on rambling but Kacen holds up his hand, forestalling any further comment. His expression hard, he mumbles reproachfully. “Just for the record, that Tyler Hoechlin kid was shit at playing a real werewolf.”
Alekai ignores the grumpy ass and catches my attention. “Fortunately for us, you’re wrong.” He says with a small smirk. “We aren’t fiction. I can show you, too, if you’d like.”
