Being Harrison Bloom’s Girl

“Well, that’s a pretty picture,” said a soft voice, and everything in Leigh seemed to tingle.

“Roger, I didn’t expect to see you out and about.”

He smiled down at her. Leigh couldn’t help but smile back. That charm really was irresistible.

“I’m not a vampire, though the hours I keep might indicate so. Ah, you got the book. Excellent. It will help you with that paper. It has… But I can’t tell you all of that. All I can do is point you in the right direction.”

Leigh grinned.

“I think you’ve done plenty.”

“I thought you’d go home over the weekend.”

Leigh shrugged.

“Mom and Dad are away this weekend. I need the time to catch up on so much. The driving back and forth can get to be a bit much. Anyway, I have another paper to work on, too.”

Roger nodded in approval.

“Good. That’s excellent. Avoid distractions and use that fine mind of yours. If you do need to pick my brains, though, you’re welcome to come over and have dinner with me, Leigh.”

Roger smiled again, and before Leigh could quite decode what he had meant, he was gone.

Without thinking of it, hardly aware of it, her hand went to her heart. It was beating so hard, as if a bird was trying to get out of her chest.

She was attracted to him. Now that she was alone, maybe she could admit that. But it didn’t mean anything because she was in love with Harrison.

Of course she was in love with Harrison. He was the love of her life. Sure, they were having a slightly difficult time of it, but they were fine. They would be fine. It was just a matter of finding the right balance, and she knew they would. It would all be fine.

Just fine.

It would be, she insisted to herself, but…

As if she had willed it to, her phone rang. Quickly, her heart thudding, grateful that she had been startled out of her unpleasant reverie, she grabbed the phone and saw Harrison’s face on the display screen.

“Damn,” she whispered, and was immediately guilty about it.

No, not damn. She was glad Harrison was calling her.

What she was feeling was not guilt. It most definitely was not guilt.

“Harrison!”

“Leigh, you sound happy.”

Leigh felt even guiltier when she heard the relief in his voice. Had she been so insufferable and snappy lately?

“I guess things are going well, finally. I feel like I’m finding my feet. I was floundering here at first. I guess part of it is because I’ve never been used to floundering.”

“No, you haven’t. You’ve always done very well whatever you chose to do. I’m glad you’re feeling better. You sound more relaxed.”

Leigh let herself breathe, and felt the tension slowly flow out. She had been getting all weird for no reason, she told herself. There was nothing wrong. Things were better than they had been in ages.

“I am. I finally feel like I can handle all of it.”

“Then you have time for dinner?”

Leigh stopped short, going still.

“Dinner? But I can’t drive all the way there tonight, Harrison. I won’t be holding my head above water again if I do that.”

“I didn’t mean that you should drive here. I’ll come there. I miss you, Leigh. I really need to see you.”

Leigh smiled, her lips curving softly and sensually as she heard the need in his voice. Her own body responded to it. She held on to that response. It gave her something she could be certain of, when she was suddenly finding a side of herself that she hadn’t really known could take over like it was doing.

“I guess there’s no reason why I can’t be free for dinner. I’ve got to eat, don’t I?”

“Yes, you do, and then I do.”

Leigh heard the double entendre and hummed her approval.

“Yes, maybe you could. There’s a pretty nice hotel in town.”

“I know. I booked a room there. And have sent my menu. And offered a chef’s service if they can’t make it happen.”

Leigh chuckled wryly.

“I’m sure they’re scrambling to make it all happen. You really take control, don’t you?”

“I can’t help it. I need to.”

Leigh smiled.

“I know you do. I don’t mind. I wouldn’t mind not being in charge for a little while. It would be a nice change.”

Harrison chuckled.

“That, too, can be arranged, Leigh. Now I will let you get back to work. Would you like me to pick you up, or would you rather meet me there?”

Leigh was touched that he asked that. He had remembered how uncomfortable she had been the last time he had swooped into campus and played the prince.

“I’ll meet you there. I don’t want the campus buzzing about you again.”

She was braced for him to be a little hurt, and justifiably so, but he didn’t sound like she’d thrown him off his stride at all.

“All right, I understand. I’ll see you at around 6.30 then.”

This was all very strange for Harrison.

“Sounds good,” said Leigh, and was shocked when he hung up without her having to tell him she needed to get back to work. Frowning, she stared at her phone for a while before setting it aside, slowly and precisely, and turning back to her book.

But she had to work really hard to make herself focus on it this time. Something odd was going on, and she had no idea what it was.

Leigh felt unaccountably nervous as she walked into the small lobby of the boutique hotel that was the priciest and classiest that the university town had to offer.

She saw Harrison immediately, of course. He was so handsome, and obviously quite oblivious to the sly looks cast his way by everybody who passed him. He was engrossed with whatever he was working on, his tablet in his hands, and for the first time, Leigh’s guilt felt very real.

She had been making so much of a fuss about going back to school, and Harrison had been finding time for her on her schedule despite having a veritable empire to run. She knew him well enough to know that he did most of the demanding work himself. He had problems delegating.