Always A Pleasure || H.S. [COMPLETE]

Twenty-Nine

"Mon ange," Harry breathed quietly.

"Yes, baby," she hummed, her eyes shut as she laid contently in his arms on the couch in his home office a little while later.

"What I wanted to speak to you about... the whole reason we came in here..." He began to say.

Her eyes opened and she looked up to find his gaze already on her.

"What is it?" She asked, feeling concern wash over her again.

"The paparazzi..." He managed to say and her stomach tied in knots.

"What about them?" She asked carefully.

"After the gala— there are articles about us... about you," Harry told her, looking almost ashamed over it.

"About me?" She asked, feeling her mouth go dry.

"Mm-hmm," he hummed, nodding his head.

"What kind of articles?" She asked, propping herself up on her elbow as Harry's grip on her tightened so she didn't fall off the couch.

"Um... about-about how you were my housekeeper before you and I got together... and-and..." Harry stammered, his vision dropping away from her. She could see his anxiety over the issue as plain as day and felt an immediate sense of unease.

"And what? Harry, tell me," she said, feeling her own anxiety creep up into her chest, tightening it painfully.

"About your father," he replied quietly.

"M-my father?" She stammered, feeling like the air had suddenly thinned so much in the room that she couldn't even catch her breath.

"Katherine," Harry breathed as she pulled out of his arms and sat up on the couch.

"Mon ange," he cooed, sitting up next to her, running his hand gently up and down her back.

Katherine sucked in a breath as she suddenly stood on her feet, needing to get dressed. She felt so out of sorts all of a sudden. She bent down and picked up her panties before slipping them up her legs.

"Katherine. Mon ange, talk to me," Harry insisted as he too stood up.

"I just... I feel-I feel really gross right now," she tried to articulate her feelings as best she could as she grabbed her bra and quickly strapped it on her body.

"Please, angel. Please don't take this personally," he begged and she sucked in another ragged breath. She didn't know how she should take it if it wasn't supposed to be taken personally.

"I'm sure it's not a puff piece on how my father was such a good dad to me growing up— such a good fucking human," she snapped at him as she grabbed her shirt and threw it over her head.

"Katherine," Harry breathed as he slipped his boxer briefs up his legs.

"Fuck," she huffed as she stepped into her jeans one leg at a time before fastening them.