Chapter 15 Seeing Harmony in class was harder than I'd expected. I'd spent the majority of the class standing in the back of the theater so I didn't do anything stupid. Even then, walking up and talking to her while she sat beside Leighona was a risk. The self-control I'd prided myself on for years nearly slipped. My mask of indifference almost betrayed me when she looked at me with that wide-eyed expression, her cheeks flushed beneath the floodlights. Even with the makeup, her blush had been evident. And Leighona had noticed. I'd overheard bits of their conversation as I walked away and hid in my office the rest of the class. I needed a glass of wine, or something stronger, and a workout. The elevator doors opened, and I crossed into our apartment, already removing my tie and yanking my shirt off. A few hours with the weights should take the edge off. Stephen sat at the counter, a glass of whiskey in one hand and the other cupped over his forehead as he leaned forward. "You too?" I tossed my clothes in the hamper as I passed the utility room and beelined to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. I'd hit the harder stuff once I'd worked off some of the testosterone that begged me to find Harmony and work off my energy another way. A better way. I fisted the bottle of water and rolled it across my forehead. Stephen grunted and tossed back the whiskey. The crystal decanter he'd inherited from his father sat by his elbow, and he poured another splash into the glass. He swirled the amber colored liquid around and stared past me, looking out the windows at the New York skyline obscured by clouds and smog. "You could say that." "Harmony in your class today?" I cracked the seal on the bottle and took a drink. The icy liquid traveled down my throat and hit my empty stomach with a splash. Stephen shook his head and downed the whiskey. His gaze remained clear and sharp, which told me he'd just gotten started with the liquor. "Come on." I picked up the decanter and set it on the bar beside the refrigerator. "That shit isn't going to help a damned bit." Grabbing another bottle of water, I shoved his chair with one foot. "Let's hit the weights." He made another grunting sound that most people would find intimidating. I gave him a shitty grin and pushed his shoulder. "Now." Cussing under his breath, he stood and removed his dress shirt. Somewhere along the course of our friendship and tenure at the college, we'd stopped bothering to change clothes to work out after class. I had no idea why. The elevator dinged and we both turned to face Roberto. He took in the state of us and grinned. "Glad I caught you both. We need to talk." "I really fucking hate it when you say that." Stephen backtracked to the decanter. "Am I going to need more of this?" "No." Roberto rubbed his palms together, a devilish gleam turning into a shit-eating smile that dimpled his cheeks. "I talked to Harmony today." Stephen stiffened so fast his spine cracked. "She's your student. I hope you wouldn't ignore her." "I talked to her about us." He pointed at Stephen first, then me. "We had a rather enlightening conversation, and then I invited her here to talk. Tonight." "The fuck you did." Stephen stalked over, hands clenched into tight fists. "We agreed not to see her anymore. One night. That was the deal." "That was your deal. I never agreed." Roberto didn't back down from Stephen's powerful advance. I racked my brain, trying to remember the moment when Roberto agreed. I'd been sure he said it should end with our one time together. My mind was full of images of Harmony and the time we'd spent together. If Roberto had agreed, I'd lost the memory. "Even if I said we should end it then, that was because I knew it was the right thing to do. That doesn't mean it's what I want." Roberto held out a hand when Stephen drew too close. "Check yourself, Stephen. I'm not getting into a brawl with you over this. You're not drunk, and you're perfectly capable of having a conversation." The man called Stephen out without a fucking care in the world. I admired him for that, and for the way Stephen took a step back when he realized Roberto meant every word. "It's a mistake." Stephen collapsed into a large chair beneath the windows. The white walls on either side of the windows made him appear washed out, but that might have been the liquor and his guilt. "We took a huge risk having sex with her once. Now you want to do it again?" "I want to have a conversation with Harmony and see what she wants." Roberto stepped into the living room and sank onto the edge of the leather sofa. "What we felt was too real to give up." His words worked through me in a crazy rush of adrenaline. All thoughts of working out vanished at the thought of seeing Harmony again. If things turned out the way I hoped, I'd need all my energy. "Stephen is right." I hated every word that came out of my mouth. "What we had was nice, but is it worth the risk?" "I think so." Roberto shrugged out of his jacket, folded it, and laid it across the back of the couch. Damn it. They both made a good point. We'd be in so much trouble if anyone found out. Our jobs. Harmony's scholarship. Her career. They were all at risk. And that was just the worldly things we risked losing. I knew myself well enough to understand that the way Harmony made me feel would not stop. I was halfway in love with her already. Silly, maybe, considering I barely knew her as more than a student. Crazy to think that she might feel the same way toward us at all. Us. That was another thing. How long could it possibly last with all three of us desiring her? "Other than her being a student, what's wrong with it?" Roberto challenged us with the question. His relentless pursuit threatened to drive a wedge into our friendship. I could let that happen, or I could be honest. "Harmony is a mature woman, and an adult." Roberto sat back, crossing his ankle over his knee. The image of perfect relaxation must have annoyed Stephen, because he leaned forward and planted his elbows on his knees. A coldness I hadn't heard in years deepened his voice. "Can we trust her?" "She made the decision to come here and talk to us of her own accord. And it's not like she's sleeping with us to improve her grades. We made sure that was clear from the beginning." Now he was starting to sound like he needed to convince us of Harmony's good intentions. I thought back over the entire semester I'd worked with Harmony. She was always open and honest in her interactions. She went out of her way to make others feel comfortable, but I'd never seen her back down either. "You really think she'll show up?" Stephen scrubbed both hands down his face. To anyone else, he would appear broken. I knew him better than that. He was hurting, but he was also hopeful. "If she shows up, then it means she's genuinely interested in us." As soon as I said it, I felt the truth of it spread throughout my body in delicious waves. She had a choice. No one had chosen me before. My ex-fiancée decided I wasn't good enough. Before her, I'd bounced from relationship to relationship. I'd thought she was the one, but she left me behind without any remorse. I rounded the counter and crossed to the living room, stopping between Stephen and Roberto. "Let's talk with her. Talk and hear what she has to say." I might not trust my own ability to judge a woman's character, but between the three of us, surely we'd learn the truth. Roberto nodded, his knee bouncing in time with his head. So he wasn't as calm as he'd have us believe. "That's what I'm hoping for. There's no reason she won't show up." He darted a look at the elevator. His words and his actions battled one another. I understood. As much as I wanted Harmony to show up, I worried about the repercussions should things go wrong later. Harmony had all the power in this situation. We were older, and we were her professors. The responsibility for keeping the line drawn strictly and cleanly between us rested on our shoulders. And we were failing. Had already failed. Hoped to fail again. I released a long, tense breath. "We need to make sure this is what we all want." I wasn't used to waffling on my decisions. I was usually good at making a decision and sticking to it. Harmony ruined my ability to be decisive. If she wanted us, I had a feeling I'd break myself in half to accommodate her. I'd done it before. Love was my biggest weakness. It gave her power over me. If I knew I wouldn't fall in love with her, it wouldn't be a problem. A derisive snort burned my nose. Roberto raised his brows. "You too?" "Me too, what?" I gave him an innocent look. Stephen held his head in his hands. "I might regret it, but I agree with Roberto. We need to talk to her, see what she wants." I hated to think it, and I refused to say it out loud because Stephen wasn't ready to hear it, but maybe, just maybe, Harmony was the key to helping Stephen heal. He'd already shown more emotion in the last few days than he had in years. It was a huge responsibility to give Harmony, which was why I knew I had to keep from mentioning it to her as well. If this was going to work, we all had to keep our eyes wide open about the repercussions. But that didn't mean she'd fall in love with any of us. The light on the elevator flashed green and the doors opened. Harmony stood in the center of the small space. She wore the same thing she'd had on in class, and I appreciated that she kept it casual. Most women would have dressed up and tried too hard. Harmony was beautiful without even trying. She looked around the room, gulped audibly, and stepped forward. And me? I sat there ... speechless. 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