Love/Hate: The Complete Enemies to Lovers Series

by Lilian Monroe

  “I’ll walk you out.”

  When I turn, his hand drifts to my lower back as we walk to the front door. I feel his touch as if he were branding me, and fire roars through my veins. By the time we get to the front door, my body is ablaze. I turn to him and nod.

  “I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.”

  “Looking forward to it.”

  I step through the door and don’t look back. Shutters click as I drive through the front gates, rolling past reporters that have nothing better to do than stand outside the doomed mayor’s gates.

  10

  Adrian

  One thing I wasn’t expecting was having so much time for quiet contemplation. When the Hansen Constructions story first broke, I was in full-on panic mode. The first few days were damage control.

  Now, there’s an eerie silence around me. Cancelled meetings, people avoiding me in the hallways in City Hall, a silent phone—it’s all new to me.

  It makes me realize how little I actually have. If all this is taken away from me, what’s left? I’ve spent nearly my entire adult life chasing this dream… for what?

  Usually, Sundays would be spent getting ready for the week. I’d have an easy morning and then spend the afternoon working, and usually have dinner by myself.

  Today isn’t much different, except it feels like I’m preparing for battle. I get up early, have a cup of coffee, and go for a run. It’s a dull morning, grey and dark, and it reflects exactly how I feel.

  The clouds are hanging low. The air feels oppressive, heavy, and damp. My body is aching when I start running, but after a few minutes I settle into an easy pace.

  I do my best thinking when I’m running. Everyone always thought of my brother as the runner—he’s the one with the Olympic medal, after all—but I’ve always liked it as well. Between my runs and the weight room at the gym, it gives me enough meditative time to do my job properly.

  At least, that’s what I’ve always thought.

  Today, running feels like a walk through the horrible memory lane of all the mistakes I’ve made. I’ve turned my back on my brother, not made any meaningful friendships or relationships, and now I’m alone. My parents are still standing by me, albeit reluctantly—even though they’ve done worse to build their business.

  For the first time since I’ve had political ambitions, I’m starting to regret my choices. If I’d have chosen a different path, a woman like Stella wouldn’t be disgusted by me. She might actually like me.

  As it is now, though, I don’t stand much chance with her. As much as I’d love to convince her that I’m a good guy and she should lower her walls around me… I’m just not sure it’s true.

  Maybe she’s right, and I am just a piece of shit politician.

  By the time I get back to the Mayor’s Residence, I’m drenched in sweat. My shirt is clinging to my body and my hair is plastered onto my forehead. My chest heaves as I try to catch my breath, hopping up the last few steps to the front door.

  Cheryl steps out toward me with a grim expression on her face. “Morning, Mr. Mayor.”

  “Cheryl, hi,” I say between breaths. “What’s up?”

  “Sorry to show up like this.” Her eyes drift to my chest and the drenched shirt clinging to me. She glances away. “You weren’t answering your phone.”

  “I was running.” I unlock the door and let her in. She stands in the foyer and I point to the hallway. “I’ll go get changed and come back. Is everything okay?”

  “Not exactly.” I frown, and she nods to the steps. “I’ll wait.”

  I kick off my shoes and make my way upstairs. I’m still sweating when I get out of the shower, and my clothes stick to my damp body. It’s uncomfortable.

  By the time I get back downstairs, Cheryl is waiting in the main living room. She’s staring out the window with a worried expression on her face. When I walk in, she straightens up and takes a deep breath.

  “What’s up?” I ask, adjusting my shirt. “What’s going on?”

  “We got a call from the Governor this morning. He…” she sighs. “He wants you to go on a leave of absence.”

  “A leave of absence?”

  Her face twists, and she nods.

  “For how long?”

  Her eyebrows draw together. “He didn’t say. It sounded… indefinite.”

  “Indefinite!” The only thing I can manage right now is repeating what she says to me. I slump down on the couch and put my head in my hands. “He said he’d support me through this.”

  She sighs. “I don’t know what happened.”

  “My parents did business with him for twenty years! He told me he had my back.”

  Cheryl shakes her head. I swear under my breath and stand up again.

  “What do you want me to do?” Cheryl folds her hands in front of her. She’s one of the only people who’s still loyal to me, and at this point I’m not sure she should be. She’ll be out of a job soon, by the looks of things.

  I shake my head. “I’ll call him. Just… take the day off.”

  “Adrian…” She takes a step toward me and her face softens. Her eyebrows arch and she looks at me for a second, and then purses her lips and nods. “Of course, Mr. Mayor. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I nod and wait until I hear the front door close. I thought I had time. I thought the investigation would proceed, and I’d be able to repair the relationships that have been damaged. I thought this could be salvaged.

  If I take an indefinite leave of absence, I’m done. Ruined. Over. My career will be dead before the trial even starts.

  If I don’t take the leave of absence, I won’t have the Governor’s support. I’m relying on him for some state funds for some promises I’ve made—if he refuses to provide the money, not only will I be the corrupt mayor who sold the waterfront to the lowest bidder, but I’ll also be the mayor who couldn’t pay for the schools and highways he promised to take care of.

  This was supposed to be my legacy. I guess it is my legacy, in a way. Just not the one I was hoping for.

  There is one bright moment in the darkness, though. When I check my phone, there’s a message from Stella.

  Stella: I need to talk to you. Can we meet tonight?

  Adrian: Of course. Where?

  Stella: I’ll send you the address.

  My heart jumps and I take a deep breath. I may be out of a job soon, and the official ‘bad guy’ in this city, but at least one woman is still talking to me. She may hate my guts, but she’s talking to me.

  I just hope her sister doesn’t talk about Police Chief White. I need her to keep quiet about that, or else I’ll be in more trouble than I already am.

  11

  Stella

  I’m still staring at my phone when Adrian’s text comes through. He’ll meet with me tonight, but I still don’t know if it’s a good idea. I dial for my voicemail again and listen to Ashley’s message.

  “Hi Stella. It’s me. I got your messages. Please stop calling me—I just need some space. I need to prepare for this deposition and talking to you is just too confusing right now. I… I’m sorry. I know you need to do your job, but…” Her voice breaks, and my heart breaks with it. I feel like the worst sister in the world.

  “I met with a lawyer, and he said the best thing for me to do was to tell the truth about how I got fired—he doesn’t know about the other stuff with Randy, but… I don’t know Stella. I got to go.”

  I listen to it again, and every time I do, my heart sinks lower. If Ashley tells the DA that she believes Adrian forced the police chief to resign, this whole thing is about to turn messy.

  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 alwa
ys 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 herd 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 flushing 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 toward 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.

  “Ashely’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 eyebrows 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 toward 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 strait-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.”