Un-Tying the Knot {h.s.}

Chapter 19

I followed along behind the two men as we left the confines of the house and ventured along the front porch. Instead of heading for one of the normal cars like I anticipated, we veered past the driveway to the side of the house where an old, beat-up pickup truck was waiting.

"Dude..." Nick mumbled as he circled around to the driver's side. "If Candace begins acting like Eleanor, I'm gonna kick your bloody arse..."

"Oh, bugger off," Harry laughed, his British accent getting thicker in response.

He circled the side closest to the house and pulls open the passenger door, which required quite a bit of effort due to the accumulated rust. After a bit of a grunt and a stumble, he held it open for me.

"I'm serious, mate," Nick interjected as he and I both climbed in. "She's never talked about her 'career' before. And now Eleanor shows up with her fancy mobile closet and her perfect makeup and hair and her 'busy life' and now it's like she wants to be her mini-me..."

I listened to the concern in Nick's voice as he made his plea to his best friend. I, however, was much less concerned about Eleanor or Candy, and was more concerned with our ride. Upon further inspection, I noticed just how out of place this old hunk of metal was compared to the Mercedes, BMWs, and Range Rovers littering the driveway. Why were we taking it exactly?

Taking Harry's cue from his arm motioning me to get in, I climbed up onto the running board and carefully maneuvered my body over the cracked leather of the bench seat, not even noticing the pair of green eyes carelessly grazing over my bum inadvertently.

The cab of the truck was very small, and as I settled in, I realized I was going to be stuck between these two meatheads. Noticing the shifter near my legs, I was trying to figure out whether or not I should straddle it, or lean to one side and make myself as small as possible.

"Sounds like you just can't handle a woman with ambition," Harry chuckles, climbing in beside me.

I try and pull my legs to my chest to make myself as small as possible, but I was definitely crammed in there. I unknowingly collapsed more towards Harry, but noticing the shifter on the floor between us, he put his hand on my outer thigh and pulled my legs to him for safety. Our knees were now securely touching and I just looked up at him with an apologetic sigh.

Once the car started, it shook and jolted as the gas cycled through its rusted veins, and we started off towards the road. Once we hit the gravel, I shivered as the truck blew cold air at us, forcing me to pull my jacket tighter to cover my hardening nipples, cursing the fact that I hadn't worn a bra or a thicker shirt under my light jacket.

"Yeah, sorry love. Heater's broken. Can't even get it to not blow out cold air," Nick blushed a little, but keeps driving anyway.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows at me, seeing how cold I was. In earnest, he quickly leaned down to pull my knees over his and wrap an arm around my shoulders. He pulled my body into his and rubbed his hands up and down my arms to generate some heat, also making the seating arrangements a bit comfier for everyone.

"Better?" he whispered so only I could hear, his nose buried in my hair just above my ear. I felt a tingle slide down my body at the touch, my skin warming immediately. I just nodded, reveling in the comfort of a warm embrace. I tried not to let my mind wander to how intimate this felt, let alone must look -- but we had become close and he was just keeping me warm. He's a gentleman. Always.

"Speaking of Candy," Harry chuckled, pulling his face away from me to keep talking with Nick. "Where'd you find her, anyway?"

"Beauty shop," he mumbles in response, running his hands through his hair with a smirk on his face. "She cuts my hair."