Read Online The Sweetest Things by Nikki Winter - Free Book Online

had made her stomach knot sixteen years ago, “Time to pay up, Sweets.”

Eight
     
     
    Valentine’s Day...
     
    “Sweets!”
    Harper’s door vibrated with every knock from one of Konstantine’s freakishly large hands.
    “The banging is excessive! Stop being excessive!”
    “Stop taking all goddamned night to get ready and c’mon!”
    “You can’t rush perfection!”
    “I swear to God, Sweets...”
    “Five minutes, man!”
    “When I get my hands on you...”
    Fed up now, she yanked her door open. “What?” Harper challenged. “You’ll. Do. What?” Living with Konstantine since she lost that goddamn game had been next to impossible. She chose not to examine whether or not she’d thrown the game subconsciously, but she did know that if he didn’t stop his domineering I-am-man bullshit she was going to throw him —from a window—and chuckle as he went splat all over the ground.
    Janet had a good, long laugh at her expense while Harper lamented while baking at Sweet Treats . Of course Janet’s laughter stopped once she threatened to make sure her chocolate chip cookies were off limits until the good Lord himself came back.
    Owen, sadly, wasn’t as easy to threaten, the big-headed bastard. And yet, neither of them was as incomprehensibly irritating as the blue-eyed son of a bitch standing before her now. Speaking of whom, he wasn’t saying anything, just staring at her really, really hard.
    “What?” Harper snapped, stepping back and folding her arms over her chest.
    “You’re still in your panties,” Konstantine answered simply. “Did you know you were still in your panties?”
    Well...no. She’d been in the middle of picking out something to wear when all the knocking had finally tangoed on her last nerve, and she was just now realizing all her goods were on clear display. Slowly sliding backwards into her room, she slammed the door in his face. It didn’t matter that he’d already seen said goodies...and touched...and tasted.
    “Rude!” Konstantine yelled.
    “I’m trying to get dressed!”
    “I like what you have on now!”
    “You’re such a skeeve!” she bellowed. “Stop being a skeeve!”
    “I think I saw your nipples,” he sang.
    Harper stomped a foot. “I hate you.”
    “Are your nipples hard right now, Sweets? Is that why you’re so pissy?”
    “Get away from my door, Koz!”
    There was laughter. “They are, aren’t they?”
    She growled. “Go away!”
    There was silence from the other side. “Are you standing with your ear pressed against the door?” Harper demanded.
    “No,” Konstantine replied.
    “Koz...”
    “Okay, okay, I’m going.”
    With an exasperated sigh, Harper went rummaging through her closet, nothing coming into view except for several pairs of jeans and jerseys. Frustrated now, she went searching for her phone and dialed the one person she thought could help her.
    “Yellow!” Janet’s voice rang through loud and clear.
    “Wardrobe crisis,” Harper said simply. She’d wonder why she was so concerned about looking nice tonight later...much later.
    She could hear her sister-in-law’s wince from the other end of the line. “Scale points?”
    “Five.”
    “Not too bad.” There was shuffling in the background. “Okay, what do you have that isn’t a pair of jeans or a jersey?”
    Harper grimaced. “Underwear?”
    “Sweet baby Jesus...”
    “Help me!”
    “Calm down and think. Don’t you have at least one pair of black leggings?”
    Sighing, she said, “The leggings again? Really?”
    “You want my help or not?”
    “Yes!”
    “Find the leggings.”
    Harper went digging through her drawers until she finally caught sight of a pair of thick black leggings she usually reserved for wearing under her jeans when the temperature dropped during the harder months of winter in New York when long johns weren’t enough.
    “Got ’em.”
    “How dire is your blouse situation?” Janet queried.
    “Are we talking over-the-ass or on the