The Shadow Court

Chapter 14 - Dark hearts

For the first time in his life, Harley shaved his facial hair.

Kira had noticed the stubble growing around his chin and had decided to make a point of it. Out of spite, Harley had taken Joel's stolen electric razor and made his way to the bathroom to get rid of it. Now, the skin around his lips and jawline was sensitive to the touch, but extremely smooth.

"Shame. I kinda liked it."

Harley saw Briannon's reflection standing underneath the doorway and sighed. "Why?"

She shrugged. "Made you look older. And sexier."

"Uh..." Harley stared blankly for a moment. "That's nice."

He went back to shaving his sideburns and tried to ignore her. The last thing he wanted was Briannon trying to get in his pants, especially after recent events. However, she was persistent. She crossed the bathroom in a few steps and snaked her hand up his back.

"Don't pretend to be uninterested," she said. "You can't forget the good times we had. I can see it in your eyes."

Harley sighed. "Fine. We had a blast. Back then." He turned to face her, placing the razor on the bench. "But things have changed. I can't jump straight into anything at the moment."

Briannon smiled flirtatiously. "We can take it slow, if you want."

Harley was suddenly aware of her fingertips gently sliding up the back of his neck, and she was surprisingly close. So close. If she stepped forward once more, or he did, the space would be closed. A very subtle temptation grew in the pit of Harley's stomach. It'd been a long time since he'd fooled around with Briannon. She was wearing a tight black dress (God knows how she got it) and she'd curled her hair so it waved down past her shoulders in ripples. She was also sporting a subtle but mesmerising lavender perfume, which did nothing to help Harley in this situation.

Briannon tilted her head to the side and whispered softly in his ear: "We were meant to be together."

At that, Harley came to his senses. Damn pretty girls. "No." He exclaimed, stepping away from her. "You joined The Samurai. Whatever we had finished then."

Briannon threw her hands up. "That was years ago! And you know I didn't have a choice! Callum made me pick between you and him, and I wasn't about to ditch my brother. Especially under the circumstances..."

Harley sighed. She had a point, but that wasn't the reason he was arguing. "I know. But either way, I don't want to do this now. In case you hadn't noticed, I've been a bit of a wreck lately."

"I have noticed." Briannon countered, crossing her arms. "That's why I came to you now. I thought you might want someone to help you... take your mind off things."

Harley gave her his signature smirk. "Don't you think I would've asked by now?" It wasn't exactly a joke, but it diffused the tension a little bit.

Briannon stared at him blankly for moment, her expression unreadable. Then she closed her eyes and nodded slowly. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Harley was somewhat astonished. "Really? Just like that?" He chuckled. "The cat I knew would never have given up so easily."