Defending Harlow (Mountain Mercenaries #4)(30)

“What?”

“You didn’t call me,” he repeated.

“Oh, um . . . I didn’t know I was supposed to?”

He moved then. Pushed off the wall he was leaning against and crowded into her personal space. Harlow backed up, but the counter prevented her from getting away from him altogether. He put his hands on the granite behind her and leaned in.

He smelled good. Really good. She resisted the urge to bury her nose in the space between his neck and shoulder and looked at him. The second she met his gaze, he spoke.

“I saw the video.”

“Video?”

“Of that asshole harassing you in the alley.”

Oh shit. “Oh.”

“Yeah. You didn’t call me, Harlow.”

“I know.”

“Why?”

“Fine. I should’ve called you. But, Lowell, we just met. Well . . . met again. I wasn’t aware that I had to call you every time something happens in my life. I didn’t call you when I was in the grocery store and someone bumped my cart with theirs and didn’t apologize. I didn’t call you when I smashed my finger in my closet door and it started bleeding again. I didn’t call you when I dropped a packet of rice at home and had to spend twenty minutes making sure I got every grain so I didn’t step on any with my bare feet later. I’m an adult, and I’ve been on my own a long time.”

He shook his head and picked up her hand. The one she’d cut earlier in the week. He slowly started to peel off the bandage as he spoke. “You called me a week ago because you were scared of these punks. You needed help, and you called me. You knew I’d help you, and it had nothing to do with the fact that we knew each other when we were teenagers. There was something between us when we saw each other a month ago, and there’s something between us now.

“I told you before that you’re in my world now, and a part of that includes you calling me when shit happens that freaks you out. And don’t deny you were freaked out. I saw you, baby. You were scared, even though you did a good job of hiding it from that asshole. You’re an adult. I know you can handle all that other shit, but if someone threatens you, I want you to call me.”

Harlow blinked as he inspected her finger. He brought it up to his mouth and kissed it gently. Then interlaced his fingers with hers on both hands and shifted until her arms were behind her back and her spine arched.

“Here’s what’s going to happen from here on out. You text me when you’re ready to leave to come to work. I’ll meet you in the parking lot, like I did today, and escort you inside. When you’re ready to go home again, text me, and I’ll make sure no one fucks with you on your way back to your car. Got it?”

Harlow shook her head. “No, that’s too much.”

“It’s not. Give me your schedule, and if you forget to text me, I’ll still be here waiting for you.”

“Lowell, no. Seriously, that’s too much. I can handle it.”

“What happens when they cross the line from verbal harassment to assault? What if they come after little Sammie? Or if Jasper thinks he can take them on?”

Shit. He didn’t play fair. “But you escorting me to and from work won’t stop them from turning on the others,” she said as reasonably as possible.

“True. But if they see me hanging around more often, and the rest of the team as well, then maybe they’ll think twice about picking on people weaker than them.”

Harlow wanted to protest the weaker thing, but she knew he was right. Lowell still had her hands in his own behind her back. She gazed into his eyes. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

He snorted. “You are absolutely not a burden,” he told her.

She quickly tried to think of another excuse and came up blank.

“We’re friends,” Lowell pressed. “We might’ve just reconnected after all these years, but seeing you on that video today sucked. I may not have been able to do anything about what happened, but I would’ve liked to have known about it. You called me for help, Harl. Let me help you.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll let me know when you’re coming and going?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll call me if something happens that I need to know about?”

“Yes.”

“Good. You’re working tonight and breakfast tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah. And lunch too. Zoe needed to do something tomorrow, so I’m working three meals in a row, and then she’ll do the same.”

“I’ll be picking you up at your apartment the morning after tomorrow then.”

“What? Why?”

“You’ll see.”

Harlow narrowed her eyes at the man standing in front of her. Most of the time she liked when he was being all bossy and protective, but he had a weird gleam in his eye that she couldn’t interpret. “I don’t like surprises.”

“You’ll like this one.”

“Lowell,” she protested.

“Harlow,” he singsonged right back at her.

She rolled her eyes. “Let me go, I have to start dinner. The kids will be here soon, and they’ll be hungry. I need to get their snacks ready.”

“Are you really okay, Harl?” Lowell asked.