Hardin's POV
As intrigued as I was getting by her, I knew it was time to put a stop to this before things went too far between us. And honestly, I don't think I'm ready for any of it.
Leading her on would honestly be the worst thing I could possibly do. It's better if I just hand her over to Julian entirely. As much as I don't think he's the right fit for her at all, I'll keep a close eye on things from a distance. After all, she's here with me for now—it should be easy enough, I told myself, waiting for her to say something, though her expression already said it all.
"You've been running a background check on me?" she asked, and the question nearly buckled my knees, leaving me scrambling for the right words.
I'd been caught, and figuring out how to navigate this was the only thing on
