Chapter 6


A knock at the door startled Harvey, causing his teeth to sink into Donna's thigh, and — shit — her knee crashed into his nose, hard, as she leapt up.

"I told you we didn't have time," Donna admonished. Less sympathetic and more scornful as he flopped onto his back while her eyes raced around looking for her bra.

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking." His voice dripped with sarcasm as she threw the pillows around in a flutter. Fortunately, he'd landed on his good shoulder, his brace still fixed tightly under his pecks, and he grinned smugly, crediting the lack of injury to a week spent doing his own form of physical therapy. If he'd known in college that sex, sleep and grilled cheese sandwiches were the key to a speedy recovery, he might have ended up going pro in baseball after all.

In fact—

"Harvey!"

Out of nowhere, his slacks collided with his face, and he smiled stupidly as he pulled them down, bringing Donna's bouncing breasts into his view.

"Unless you want Cahill fantasizing about all this..." She motioned down her naked front. "You need to get dressed and go answer the damn door."

A laugh rumbled in his throat as she scootched off the bed in desperate search of her clothes. When Cahill phoned, after the call, Harvey may have implied they had at least a couple of hours before the prosecutor showed up. But as he awkwardly shrugged on his trousers, his only regret was that he hadn't had time to finish what he'd started. "You wouldn't be this irritated if you'd—"

"If I'd what?"

She stopped mid-way through pulling on her panties to glare at him, prepared with the threat of giving him blue balls for the next month if he didn't get his ass moving.

"Nothing." He cleared his throat, trying to hide his amusement as he nodded behind her. "Bra's on the lampshade."

Dragging her underwear up, she rolled her eyes as he grabbed his t-shirt off the floor, his head disappearing and reappearing through the cotton hole, his lips wearing a smirk.

"I'm the cripple... You could at least try being less naked."

He winked, and she growled her irritation, but as she swiped her bra from the lamp, she spied a chance to get even. Stuffed between the mattress and the bedside table was his flimsy white tank, and she hooked the material over her finger, waving it in front of him. "How about I wear this, then?"

Her confident stance strangled his cocky attitude. There was no way in hell. So, he surrendered, folding like a house of cards. "You get dressed, I'll get the door."

"Uh-huh, that's what I thought."

He tossed on his sling, and she trailed his movement around to her, stepping up to fix the support in place.

His face beamed as she stood clutching their clothes, running her nails over him in nothing but her panties.

Even a second round of more persistent knocking couldn't sway him from swooping down and catching her lips with an appreciative hum.

She leaned into his rugged stubble, skating her fingers over his short beard. It was highly likely that whatever news Cahill was here to bring, she'd lose the sensation soon, and she hid her nerves behind a sigh as she pulled back. "Go."

The light pat on his ass encouraged him, and he probably should have been worried that his arousal was only being hidden by his too tight boxer briefs. He could care less, until he closed the door and lost sight of Donna. Reality cemented around him and his playful nature disappeared, his lawyer instincts kicking in.

A week of indulging his every whim hadn't erased the need to be careful, and he peered through the peephole before unhooking the latches.

"It's about damn time," Sean exclaimed, letting himself inside and striding over to the cheap plastic dining table. Once there, he slammed down the folder in his hand. But as he swung around to face Harvey, his irritation at having been kept waiting dissipated as he took in the man's unkempt appearance.

He'd never known Harvey to be anything but primped and clean cut, and his gaze darted from the closed bedroom door to the neatly fixed couch that looked like it hadn't been slept on. "Jesus, Harvey. That pullout really did a number on you. My condolences."

The prosecutor's sarcastic innuendo was harmless, but Harvey didn't care to drag his relationship with Donna through the spotlight. He wanted answers, not a juvenile third degree. "Did you come here to be a wiseass? Or did the FBI finally lift a finger and do their goddamn job?"

"You mean the bureau who saved your egotistical ass?" Sean met Harvey's attitude with his own candor as he opened the file of documents and pulled out his pen. He was genuinely happy the Tin Man had found his heart, but he didn't have skin in Harvey's personal life either way. "Release papers. There's a likelihood both you and Donna will be required to give statements and testimony at trial, but for now, you're both free to go."

Taking the pen, Harvey pinched the silver metal between his fingers, biting his lip and shaking his head as his repressed instincts rushed to the surface. He and Donna had talked about going home, how lucky they'd been to get rescued, but he'd been caught up in the bubble of having her tucked safely in his arms. Now, he wasn't in a briefing room, under the influence of painkillers or being swept up by Donna's calming presence. All he could see was a bigger picture that didn't make sense. Papers that at a quick glance suggested his evidence wasn't the reason the hanger was stormed. "Material witnesses with unintentional involvement." He read the line out loud. "Tell me that doesn't mean Donna and I weren't involved in your scheme from the second I stepped into your office. That you didn't know they were coming after us?"

"Harvey, it's not what you think." Sean held up his hands defensively. He hadn't known Harvey was the FBI's scapegoat, not exactly. It was only when he'd called the Chairman of the SEC that he'd been made aware the FBI had been tipped off to a shakedown, and had already moved in to secure the hanger before Harvey's kidnapping. But he'd been told the FBI's standing orders were to intervene if the altercation became physical. Which they did. "I wasn't the one to make that call, but believe me when I say you were never in any danger."

"You son of a bitch!" Harvey leapt forward, seething as he swung his fist into the prosecutor's jaw and not shedding an ounce of remorse as the man doubled over in pain.

"Harvey!"

He was jolted back by Donna's fierce grip, but he ignored the pain that rippled through his shoulder. He didn't give a shit how Cahill justified the situation. It was clear that the FBI had waited until the very last moment to intervene. Donna had gotten hurt. So had he. And they were goddamn lucky Vance hadn't pulled a gun when he'd lost his temper in a blackout rage. "Why?!" he snarled.

Sean swiped the blood off his lip and coughed into his palm. With the truth out, he didn't have an answer that held much weight. He just hoped Donna's appearance would keep Harvey from lashing out further. "Clarke," he answered, standing up straight. "They needed the connection, but I swear to you, Harvey, they wouldn't have waited a second longer than they did, name or not."

Donna's hand went slack around Harvey's elbow as she put together the pieces she'd heard shouted through the thin bedroom door. Right before Vance had struck her, he'd shouted about someone called Clarke. Obviously, the man was the connection that linked Harvey's evidence, and she was just as pissed as he was, not sure who to believe. But regardless of the FBI's intent, they were both safe, and she flattened her palm against the base of his spine, grounding them both. "What happens now?" She asked with a shaky breath.

"As I was saying…" Sean kept his distance, nodding at the papers on the table between them. "You're both free to go. I'll have an agent here in an hour with your personal items, and they'll drop you both home."

"That's it?" She spied the pen suspiciously. Unlike Harvey, she only had parts of the full story, but Cahill's weak nod confirmed their ordeal wasn't over.

"For now. There's still the matter of testifying and—"

"Get out." Harvey's anger iced over with bitter contempt for the man he'd foolishly chosen to trust. And as far as he was concerned, the bureau could shove their demands for cooperation up their own asses.

Sean glanced at Donna, whose pinched features confirmed his presence was no longer welcome. Honestly, if he'd been in their position, he probably would have shot the messenger, too. So, he didn't harbor any ill feelings as he nodded. The best he could hope for was that with a little time and perspective, the pair would see their way to doing the right thing.

As the door shut behind the prosecutor's exit, Harvey sank down, bracing his palm against the table and taking the strain off his injured shoulder. Rationally, he knew getting this worked up in the aftermath wouldn't change anything. But the only conversation that he and Donna had yet to have was about Vance — threats the man had made, which he now knew had been preventable.

"You need to let it go, Harvey."

His eyes were dry and raw as they swung around to face her. The playfulness they'd shared in the bedroom had evaporated, and the heavy worry etched in her tight features contradicted her words. "Can you?"

She pursed her lips, pulling out one of the cheap plastic chairs and dropping with a sigh. Could she forgive the way events had unfolded? Sure. Better the FBI waited than not being there at all. Her unease didn't stem from what could have happened. Her uncertainty lay in what would happen when statements and testimonies inevitably outed the way she and Harvey felt about each other. Vance had targeted her before their relationship had evolved, and Harvey had an unfortunate habit of making friends out of his enemies after the fact.

Following her lead, Harvey sat down, his knees brushing hers as he tried to interpret her silence. Which, of course, led him to circle around in the dark until he nudged her with a small poke. "Hey."

She shook her head. They'd just been told they could go home and see their friends. She should be setting an example, not suffocating the good news with pessimism. "I'm fine."

He sat up, resting his palm on his inner thigh as he scrutinized her wobbly smile. For over a decade, he'd fought tooth and nail to avoid pushing a conversation that might lead to his feelings surfacing. But he had nothing to hide anymore. "If you think I buy that, then we should stay and move in here with the roaches."

"It hasn't been that bad." She shrugged, meeting his raised eyebrow and huffing. "Okay. This place sucks. I just… I can't be the reason you get hurt again, Harvey."

Her gaze dropped, but not before he caught a flash of tears building, and he frowned. They'd talked, albeit briefly, about how she had no reason to feel guilty but he thought she understood he didn't care about the lengths he had to go to if it meant keeping her safe. "Donna, I'd like to murder Cahill right now, but as pissed as I am, he needs us. If there was any danger—"

"I'm not talking about Vance or the trial." She stood up, wrapping her arms around her waist and pacing away from him. Getting kidnapped was traumatic, and she had what she'd consider normal concerns given the circumstances. But it wasn't just their physical wellness that was vulnerable to attack. "What happens the next time someone like Forstman or Hardman comes after you?" She stopped and turned around, her expression softening as she took in his naïve and perplexed shrug. "Vance used me, Harvey. I'm not saying we need to worry about men in black vans. But when people find out we're together, they could use that to hurt your career."

The conviction behind her concern astonished him, and he hung his head low, a deep and relaxed chuckle escaping.

"I'm serious." She moved her arms higher over chest. "I know that given what we've been through, that might not seem as important right now, but—"

"Stop." He lifted his gaze and picked his body up. She wasn't wrong to be worried, but people threatening her wasn't exactly something new to him. Over the years, her name had been thrown around to intimidate him, blindside him, and to down-right piss him off. The only thing that had changed this week was that now he didn't have to keep her in the dark to protect her. "I never told you what I said to Evan Smith to get her to drop the Liberty Rail charges."

Donna stiffened as he approached her. He'd fixed the problem, but before she'd dared question how, he'd told her he loved her, which had then sent him running for the hills. Now, though, as his hand settled at the curve of her waist, she knew he wasn't going anywhere, and she leaned her weight into his steady support. "No, you didn't."

"I told her I cared about you. That even though I knew her client was guilty, I'd throw out the evidence and do the same thing a hundred times over because you were all that mattered."

He wasn't proud that his only way out had been to ignore innocent people's claims, and maybe that's why he'd never told her. Because there was no reason to put her in front of a moral firing squad as well. But the reality they both had to face moving forward was that they had to stop hiding behind the ingrained need to protect each other in secret. People had been using her name to try and throw him off his game for years, and for the most part, all they'd achieved was making him fight harder. "When we were being driven to the docks, I didn't care who was waiting for us. The only thought running through my head was to be the lawyer who could get us out of it. The man you made by never doubting me."

Her breath hitched as he ran his fingers under the sweater she'd thrown on. There was nothing overtly sexual about his wandering touch. The light grazes were intimate, caring, and fresh tears coated her gaze. She was hearing everything he was saying — that he loved her. That whatever happened going forward, they'd face the challenges together. Which meant leaning into his comfort, but also dealing with his reaction to Cahill's information. "And your shoulder?"

He shook his head, puzzled. "What about it?"

She slipped her hand beneath her sweater, cupping his grazed knuckles and holding their warmth against her ribs. "Before you go throwing yourself in front of buses for me, you need to stop and think of the consequences. I don't expect you to save me, Harvey. If Evan had pressed charges, I wouldn't have blamed you."

The admission was a hard truth to swallow. He didn't want to consider the idea that a day might come where he couldn't keep her safe. But he also knew she was dealing with the same fear. "Are you saying it's time to leave our ivory tower behind?"

"I am." She moved his hand down the small of her back and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist, resting her head against his chest. "Let's go home."

He chuckled against her hair. "Should we say goodbye to the roaches?"

"Only if you want to sleep by yourself tonight," she teased him. Though the thought of a hot shower with decent water pressure sprung free a small burst of impatience. As did a dinner that wasn't prepared for doomsday survival.

Harvey smirked as he heard her stomach growl, his own rumbling silently. The bubble of intimacy they'd been living in had been worth every discomfort, but he was ready to transition their relationship to the real world, starting with actual food. "Giano's?" he asked, pulling back.

"I would kill for Thai Villa."

He groaned, rolling his neck with an exasperated sigh. "Fine, but you're buying."

"Wrong. We're getting both and you're paying."

She grinned, sauntering ahead of him, and he beamed an amused smile. "You know, there's still time to…"

Her sweater lifted over her head, falling across the threshold of the bedroom, and he choked as his gaze traveled up to the seductive look she threw over her shoulder.

"Coming?"

His feet kicked forward in answer.

Wherever they went, she would always be his home. So, it was only right that they gave this small, crappy apartment the send-off it deserved.

...


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AN: This is the last official chapter, but for those who wanted a little bit more drama, there is a two-part epilogue coming that will be angsty, whumpy, fluffy and may even have its own little cliffhanger ;) I'm defining 'epilogue' in my own way and making up my own rules, haha. Nobody can stop me! Except Southsidesister (darvey_love). She can 100% stop me, because I have complete faith in her as my beta. But nobody else. Except Harvey if he eats through my computer cord. But probably nobody else. Okay, I'll stop now, lol.

A huge thank you to all :) xxxxx