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CHAPTER FIVE: LOOPHOLES - PART THREE
Harri cringed at Nate’s biting sneer. “I knew it! When she didn’t come home last night, I knew she had to be with you.”
Her eyes widened when Azel scoffed back at Nate. “Too fucking right, dipshit. She’s with me now. So. Back. Off.”
“Or what?”
Azel’s wings spread open, the span huge and intimidating as those leathery lengths seemed to drape and overtake the room. Harri took a step back as Azel snarled, the sound threatening, promising. “Pray you never find out.” He hung up before tossing the phone onto the couch.
Harri had never seen him mad before. She didn’t really like seeing anyone upset but, with Azel… It wasn’t as if she was afraid of him. Not exactly. She didn’t think he was angry with her, didn’t think he would turn that anger on her. But she could feel a violence in him and that threat, even if it wasn’t aimed at her… unnerved her. She didn’t like it. Didn’t like what it did to him, turning him into someone she didn’t recognize. He turned to her, fire still blazing in his eyes. “If he ever messes with you again, call me.”
Harri frowned. “Why?”
Azel jerked as he looked at her confused. “What do you mean, why?”
Harri shook her head. “What are you going to do about it, if Nate does?” She narrowed her gaze, feeling tired of it all. Sick and goddamned tired of literally everyone in her life feeling as if they could order her around like some child. “Are you going to beat him up? Scare him off?”
Azel puffed up, making himself somehow even bigger. “I could.”
She shook her head, refusing to be cowed. “Again, why?” She huffed. “Who asked you to? Because it sure as hell wasn’t me!”
Azel narrowed his gaze at her. “I thought you hired me to deal with him.”
Harri scowled, not liking how that sounded. He made it sound dirty. Underhanded. Like some shady… deal with the devil. Which, she supposed, in a way, it was. But not like that. That hadn’t been her intention. That wasn’t what she wanted. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I made a deal with you to help him move on, not hurt him.”
Azel began to pace. “He’s harassing you, practically stalking you—”
Harri waved him off. “That’s an exaggeration.”
“Is it?” He raised a dubious eyebrow at her. “He watches your every move from next door. Keeps tabs on you through your family and friends. No matter what you say or do, he refuses to listen and continues to act like you’re still together. For God’s sake, he called your work number to trick you into taking his calls. If that’s not harassment, what is?” He shook his head, disbelieving. “Yet it’s you that feels guilty. You who’s wringing your hands, twisting yourself into knots, working so goddamned hard not to hurt his precious feelings. Why do you still care?” He shot her an almost accusing glare. “Don’t tell me you still have feelings for that controlling creep.”
She sneered right back. “Because I need to have feelings for someone to not want to hurt them any more than necessary?” Harri didn’t like the idea of hurting anyone, much less someone she’d thought herself in love with once. She’d already broken Nate’s heart; was it really so strange that she didn’t want to do any more damage than she already had?
Azel rolled his dark eyes, the red rings around his pupils almost mocking. “The way he’s acting, seems like he’s asking for someone to hurt him.”
“I thought it was your job to do what I asked, not what he does.”
Harri felt as startled by the cold, bitter words that escaped her mouth as Azel was. And he looked like she’d struck him. Maybe she had. Not physically, of course, but she’d taken everything they’d shared — every conversation and interaction, every moment of connection — and cheapened it to nothing more than a job. A sale.
She pursed her lips, feeling instantly guilty at the shock in his eyes. She didn’t like the idea of hurting Azel either. But still… “I told you, I don’t like people, who don’t need to know my business, knowing my business.” She groaned and shut her eyes. “And now Nate knows I spent the night here. With you. And he must think we…” She gestured between them knowingly, her cheeks flushing hotly. And, undoubtedly, in true Nate fashion, he’d likely run out to tell everyone in their social circles that she was having a torrid affair with Azel. Great. Just great. In trying to solve one problem, she’d created an even worse one.
Damnit!
She and Azel stared at each other for a long, painfully silent moment. Looking into his unreadable eyes, she wished she could know what he was thinking. Did he think she was being naive? Weak? Foolish? Did he regret ever getting involved with her? Someone too useless and incompetent and awkward to handle her own life properly. Who needed to hire someone to do something as easy as end a relationship, something a teenager should be able to do on her own. She frowned, afraid he was right.
Tucking his wings back again, Azel took a deep breath. “Are you scared of me now?”
Harri tensed. “No.”
He scoffed and turned away from her. “Incubi feed on people’s emotions; I know what your fear tastes like.” He shot her an inscrutable look. “Regretting letting the demon in your door?”
Maybe. A little. She looked away from him, hating this feeling. Humiliated. Exposed. Helpless. In front of everyone she knew, from her family to her friends. Hell, even in front of Azel. It was too much to bear.
She simply wanted it all to stop. She wanted her life back. Her control back. “Look,” she said with a frustrated sigh, “I’m paying you to pretend to be my boyfriend, to effectively make me look unavailable. Our deal is between you and me. That’s all. Please, don’t do any more than that. I don’t want you to deal with Nate at all.” It just made everything worse, more complicated and unimaginably messy, when she’d been trying so hard to make it all simple. “Okay?”
With a stiff nod, he took a step back and crossed his arms over his broad chest. In a cool, distant voice, he said, “Whatever you say, boss.”
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