But what bothers me more is that my sister won’t talk to me. She doesn’t trust me to represent her, and she’s gone to someone else for legal advice. That’s her right, obviously. And it’s a good idea to get an impartial opinion, but still… It hurts.
Mostly, I just feel like a terrible person. I’ve chosen my work—I’ve chosen Adrian fucking Maguire—over my only sister. I’ve always been there for her, through everything that she endured with her ex-husband Randy, and everything that happened after. I was there for her last year, when things between her and Liam went south.
I’ve been there for her with the baby, with everything.
And now… well, now I’m not there for her. She doesn’t trust me, she won’t speak to me, and she could make this whole case a lot messier.
My head hurts, my heart hurts, and I can’t think straight. I walk around my house aimlessly, ending up in the kitchen. I stare out the window at the stack of wood near the deck and despair starts to build inside me.
I’m losing everyone that I care about. Ashley isn’t speaking to me, I keep pushing Mark away, I hardly have any friends to speak of. There’s Nicole—she’s always been a good friend. How do I explain this, though? I can’t talk about the case, and I can’t tell her about Ashley’s past. It’s like there’s an impenetrable wall around me, and I’m stuck inside my own head with all my problems.
Tearing my eyes away from the half-fixed deck, I mash the keys on my phone and give Adrian my address. I was going to meet him at a restaurant downtown, but I don’t have the energy. He can make the trip here, and I’ll be in the comfort of my own home.
I told him I didn’t want him in my house, but I want to meet him somewhere I feel safe.
A part of me wants to quit my job. I open the fridge without seeing what’s inside and close it again, and finally pick up the phone and call Nicole.
“Hey! Long time no see!” Nicole says. Her voice is cheerful and bright.
“Hey, girl. How’s the new firm?” I can hear the fakeness in my voice, like I’m trying too hard to be positive. Nicole doesn’t seem to notice.
“Busy! Martin is all over the place, and so am I. A lot of his clients came over with him, and we’ve been crazy busy the past couple months. How about you? Want to meet up? Marty’s at the office right now, again, and I’m all cooped up and crazy with Jackie. They were not lying about the terrible twos! This kid is driving me crazy. I haven’t spoken to an adult apart from Martin in three days.”
I’m about to refuse when I stop myself. “Actually, yeah. That sounds great. I can come to yours and we can go to the park or something?”
Nicole agrees, and before too long I’m heading to her place. She wraps me in a hug and her little daughter gets tangled in our legs. My face creaks as I smile for the first time in days. I take a deep breath.
Nicole tilts her head. “You okay?”
“Just… work.”
“It’s always work,” she laughs. “Makes me wonder why any of us ever wanted to work in law. Marty’s been so stressed. This whole town has gone crazy lately!”
I watch Nic wrangle her kid into shoes and outdoor clothing, and in a flurry of activity we’re off to the park. Jackie is two now, and by the time we get to the park she’s taking off like a bullet to go play. We stay close, and I see the love in Nicole’s eyes as she watches her child. She turns to me and her eyebrows draw together.
“What about you? It seems like something is on your mind.”
I take a deep breath. “I think I took a case that I shouldn’t have taken. It’s the mayor.”
“Oh, that whole mess,” she nods, her eyes widening. “Jeez. Is Ashley okay with that?”
“No. I don’t know. Today I’ve been thinking that maybe I should just drop the case and tell Theresa that if she wants to fire me, she can.”
“Is that wise, though? I mean, just because you drop the case doesn’t mean that Ashley will automatically forgive you. In my experience, people like to cling on to anger for as long as possible.”
I make a noise. “I guess so. I hadn’t considered that.”
“Any other job options if you did lose your job over this?”
I sigh. “I haven’t looked. Ashley’s getting deposed next week. She got another lawyer, which I understand is a good idea legally, but it still hurts.”
Nicole puts her hand over mine and squeezes. “Don’t make any rash decisions. You probably shouldn’t be on this case in the first place—you’re too close to it.”
“That’s what I said, but Theresa told me there was no one in the state with my experience, and this case was too high-profile to pass up.”
“Gosh.”
I sigh. “I just don’t know if it’s worth it.”
“Oh, Stella,” Nicole sighs. She opens her mouth to say something, but then Jackie falls flat on her face on the slide and starts wailing. In a flash, Nicole is beside her, cooing and shushing and checking for injuries. I stand beside her feeling useless.
By the time I leave, I feel better for having talked to Nicole, but I’m not closer to figuring out what I should do. Professionally, I should keep the case and work it to the best of my abilities. Personally, well, I should probably drop it. But like Nicole said, that doesn’t guarantee that Ashley will forgive me for taking it.
And another part of me—a growing part—actually wants to be on the case. When I get home, I change my clothes three times and touch up my makeup. I fluff the cushions in my living room and tidy up, finally looking around and realizing what I’m doing.
I want Adrian to like it here. I want him to like me.
I don’t want to drop the case, because every time he’s around I feel exhilarated. At first, I thought it was just hatred and anger. But now…
Now I’m not so sure. The heat that he sends coursing through every part of my body feels a lot more like desire than it does hatred. And the dimple that used to annoy me now makes my heart flutter. When he smiles, my core aches for him.
When the doorbell rings, my heart starts going a million miles an hour. I wipe my hands on my jeans and straighten my t-shirt. I smooth my hair and take a deep breath. Then, I put my hand on the doorknob and swing it open.
Adrian flashes me a million-dollar smile, his eyes drifting down my body and back up again. Electric sizzle follows his gaze all over my body and by the time he looks at my face again, my cheeks are flushed pink.
I step aside to let him in, and his chest brushes against mine. He smells so freaking good it shouldn’t be legal. With another step, he’s in and I close the door behind him.
“So,” he growls, turning back towards me. “This is it. This is where the mysterious Stella King spends her evenings.” He sweeps his arms around the room, grinning at me.
“I bet you’d love to know where I spend my evenings.”
His eyes flash and a grin tugs at his lips. He nods. “I would, actually.”
Butterflies erupt in my stomach. I clear my throat, motioning to the couch. “Drink?”
“Please.”
“I don’t have bourbon, but I do have wine.”
“Wine is fine.”
By the time I make it to the kitchen to grab a bottle, my heartbeat is nearly back to normal. Suddenly, inviting him over doesn’t seem like a power move at all. I don’t feel like I’m in a safe place, in control, in my own house.
It feels like he’s invading my space and making me feel completely frazzled… and I think I like it.
12
Adrian
Stella comes back with two glasses of wine and sits down across from me. She puts her glass down and takes a deep breath.
“Thanks for coming.”
“Of course.”
Her eyes swing up to mine and her cheeks flush the tiniest bit. She takes a deep, raking breath and shakes her head.
“Ashley’s not talking to me. She’s hired another lawyer and from what I understand, plans on telling the whole truth at her deposition.”
My eyebrow
s arch. “The whole truth? Even…”
“I don’t know.” She shakes her head. “Surely she doesn’t want to get in trouble herself. Her past shouldn’t be dredged up, but she won’t talk to me, so I don’t know.”
My chest aches. “I’m sorry. This is my fault.”
Stella’s eyes flick up to mine and she lets out a soft laugh. “You know, that’s the first time I’ve heard you say that like you mean it?”
“I do mean it.”
“You’re sounding more and more human every day.”
I grin and take a sip of wine. It tastes terrible, and I frown. “What kind of wine is this?”
“The red kind.” She puts her glass down and leans forward towards me. “Look. I’ll do what I can to talk to my sister, but we have to be prepared for the worst. Tell me everything that happened with the former police chief. Have you talked to Theresa about it?”
I shake my head. “I didn’t want you and your sister to be in the middle of it. No one else knows except you.”
Stella sighs and nods for me to continue.
I shrug. “Not much to tell. Charlie White was very straight-laced, and I was worried he wouldn’t approve of my deal with Hansen Constructions.”
“You were right.”
I snort bitterly. “Yeah, I was right. So, I dug up some dirt on his past—about your sister. And I used it to ask him to resign.”
“Did you personally ask him?”
I shake my head. “Never met the guy.”
“Okay. That’s good.”
“My brother went over there.”
Stella’s eyes widen. “What? I thought your brother hated you.”
“He loved Ashley, though. Wanted to protect her.”
Stella takes a deep breath, grabbing her wine and taking a sip. I watch her lips as they touch the glass, and my body stiffens. She puts her glass down and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. Her lips are stained red, and she slides her tongue out to lick them.
We sit in silence for a few minutes. I’m mostly watching her, and she’s mostly lost in thought. She takes a deep breath and lifts her eyes back up to me. When she does, they widen and her lips drop open. She glances at my mouth and back up at my eyes, and the tension between us grows.
She clears her throat and leans back in her chair, finishing off her wine. Her hand is trembling. “So, the fact that you never contacted the Police Chief is good. The fact that your brother did is not so good, but we can potentially use the fact that you haven’t spoken to him in a year to paint a picture of a dysfunctional family. Make it seem like he was acting of his own accord and not on your behalf.”
“We are dysfunctional, and he was acting on his own accord.”
Stella laughs. “Wow, an honest comment from the mayor. I’m shocked.”
“I’m not that bad,” I grin. My wine glass is empty, and Stella nods at it. I stand up with her and walk back towards the kitchen. I lean against the counter as she uncorks the bottle and fills our glasses again. “So why are you still working this case for me? Why not just pack it in and be with your sister?”
Stella takes a deep breath and hands me my glass. She sighs and glances out the window. “That wouldn’t fix anything, either.”
“I think you like me.”
She glances at me sideways and rolls her eyes. “Of course you do.”
“I’ve been here for at least half an hour and you haven’t told me you hate me once. You haven’t called me a piece of shit, either.”
“Just because I don’t say it out loud doesn’t mean I’m not thinking it.”
I take a step towards her, grinning. “I don’t think you’re thinking it at all. I think I’m growing on you.”
“Maybe you’re growing on me the way mold grows on bread.”
I laugh, inching towards her some more. “You mean quickly?”
I can feel the warmth of her body as she leans against the counter, staring up at me with those big blue eyes. She holds her wine glass between us like a shield, and I turn towards the kitchen window.
“You building a deck?” I ask.
She turns to face the window, and her shoulder brushes mine. Every part of me wants to pull her closer, to feel her curves press against my body.
She makes a noise. “My ex-boyfriend started doing that. Said I’d hurt myself on the deck.” She shakes her head and sighs.
“Ex-boyfriend?”
She glances at me and scoffs. “Yes, ex. You know, when you date someone and then you’re no longer together? I’m sure you’ve got plenty of them.”
That makes me laugh and I shake my head. “You’re relentless.”
“Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.”
“So why did your ex-boyfriend stop building your deck?”
“Because I told him to leave.”
I grunt. My heart is thumping and I glance at Stella. She arches an eyebrow. “You got tools? Are you offering your deck-building services?”
“I’ve got tools, but I’m not sure they’re any use for building decks.”
Her mouth drops open and her eyes darken. She licks her perfect lips, and then brings her wine glass up to them. I realize I’m jealous of the glass. I wish it was me that was pressed up against that mouth. I wish it was me they were opening for, that it was my lips crushed against hers.
She puts her wine glass down on the counter and I run my fingers up her side. She shivers, letting out a small sigh as I slide my hand over her hip. I pull her closer, and she rests her hand on my chest.
“I hate you,” she whispers.
“I know.”
I pull her close and kiss her hard. She moans into my mouth, parting her lips to deepen the kiss as I wrap my arms around her waist. Stella rolls her hips towards me and I run my hands lower, cupping her perky ass as she presses herself against me.
She gasps when she feels my hardness, and I kiss her harder. I pick her up, placing her on the kitchen counter beside us. Tangling my fingers into her hair, I pull her closer. She wraps her legs around my waist and I growl.
My cock is rock hard. I want her so bad it hurts. With one hand gripping her hair and the other pulling her hips against mine, I’m holding her close to me. She whimpers in my arms, sliding her tongue between my lips and squeezing her legs around me.
She tastes like bad wine, but on her lips it’s the best thing I’ve ever had. She smells like heaven. Everything about her is perfect, and I roll my hips towards her again. I know she can feel me between her legs when she gasps. The heat of her center is pulling me closer.
Then, she presses her palms against my chest and pulls away from me. She rests her forehead against mine, panting.
“Wait,” she breathes. “Wait. Stop.”
“You okay?”
“We shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Probably not, no,” I say, kissing her neck. She pushes her palms a bit harder and I take a step back. Her eyes are full of pain and she shakes her head.
“I can’t.”
My body is pumping so full of lust that it hurts. I nod, running my fingers through my hair. “I understand. You’re probably right.”
“I got carried away. The stress… I haven’t been with anyone since…” She inhales and shakes her head. “Never mind.” Stella turns away from me and takes a sip of wine. I take a step back.
“I should probably go.”
“Probably.” She turns around and meets my gaze. Her eyes are unreadable. “I’m sorry.”
That makes me smile. I take a step towards her, running my hand over her soft cheek. “You have nothing to be sorry about. You’re probably right. We shouldn’t have done that.”
“I know I’m right,” she says, leaning into my hand. Then, she straightens up and nods. “I’ll see you at the office next week.”
“Looking forward to it.”
Her cheeks flush and she clears her throat. She leads me back to the front door and I don’t take a full breath until I’m outside on my own again.
<
br /> 13
Stella
No. No, no, no. No way. Uh-uh. Nope. That did not just happen.
I can’t believe I did that.
I can’t believe I liked it.
I lean against the closed door, hyperventilating. I close my eyes and drag deep breaths in and out of my lungs, and then I peek through the window to see Adrian driving away.
I just kissed the mayor. I just kissed my client. I just kissed the one man who I swore I would never speak to. It wasn’t just a kiss—the way he picked me up onto the kitchen counter…
It’s too much. I slide down against the front door until I’m sitting on the floor, wrapping my arms around my legs. I rest my forehead against my knees and take another deep breath.
This is bad.
Not only did I not quit and ask Ashley for forgiveness, but now I’m making out with Adrian freaking Maguire?! What is wrong with me? How did I let this happen?
It’s like he flashes that sexy smile at me and my insides liquify. He has this power over me that I can’t explain. I want him to like me. I want him to want me.
I groan and then pick myself up off the ground. I go to the kitchen and dump our half-finished glasses of wine. It’s just a reminder of the mistake I’ve just made. I watch it swirl down the sink, leaving a purple stain near the drain. I flush it down with some water and take a deep breath.
I stare at the counter where I was sitting. Where he was pulling me against him. Where I could feel his hard shaft pressed up against me.
I want him. I can’t deny it. I can’t lie to myself anymore. It must be because I’ve hated him for so long that the tension is too much. His stupid, sexy smirk finally won me over and I had a moment of weakness.
It’s not because I actually like the man. God, no. He’s repulsive. He’s the worst person I’ve ever met. He’s selfish, and arrogant, and conceited. He cares about no one except himself and his political ambitions.
But his arms felt so good wrapped around me, and his lips fit perfectly into mine. His body felt hard, hot, and manly.
Ruined: An Enemies to Lovers Romance Page 6
