Guilty as Charged

by Harlow James

  I wonder if Javier brings his same give-no-shits attitude in the bedroom? Is he a selfish lover, or would he be the type to do whatever it takes to get a woman off?

  While images of his naked body flood my mind, I’m waiting to see if he’s going to speak to me again or if this shopping experience will remain in awkward silence. I don’t know exactly what to expect, but right now I don’t have any say. Javier is my ride, so I guess I’d better buckle up and prepare for anything.

  Chapter 10

  Javier

  Why did I stop and pick her up? The woman isn’t my responsibility, more like a fly that won’t stop following me around.

  And yet I can’t get her out of my mind since she ran into me a few weeks ago.

  All I’ve wanted to do since getting out of prison was forget the past and move forward, vowing to do better, be better, and make something of my life with this second chance I’ve been given.

  But my brain is a jumbled mess as I try to balance my irritation with this woman and my attraction toward her.

  Ten years ago I never would have contemplated that Sydney Matthews would be woman I would be lusting after or a distraction I’d have to navigate. I guess I would say that back then she was always beautiful and stood out amongst most of the other girls in our school. But she was also from a completely different world, so the idea that she would give me any attention was never even a consideration.

  And yet here we are—grown ass adults with libidos and lives far from where we were as kids—and each time we’re near each other, my inkling of the person I thought Sydney was slowly melts away, but my desire to claim her only grows. Call me crazy, but I’m fairly certain I can sense a mutual attraction on her end as well.

  I don’t want to feel this way. Every bone in my body is fighting the carnal need I feel to kiss her, touch her all over, and claim her as mine. The desire to feel her writhe beneath my body is one that is waking me up at night. And when I have to put my hands on her body during the self-defense class, it’s all I can do to control my dick from growing against her frame. Instead I punish myself with heavy doses of self-loathing and many jerk-off sessions in the shower, convincing myself that these fantasies of mine are all they’ll ever be because nothing can happen between us.

  We’re too different. It would never work. All we could ever be is a down and dirty fuck, but the more I visualize it, the more I crave it.

  I was all set to start the Monday off right and make progress on the house my crew is working on in the Ashwood community. If we avoid delays and issues with permits, we can usually put a house up in four to five months. That’s always ideal, but never the scenario that plays out. Things like random thunder storms always seem to derail progress.

  We got the stucco down yesterday which means drywall can go in now. The agenda for today was to complete it all, but seems mother nature had other plans for me—like leading a woman through Home Depot when she’s probably never stepped foot inside the store.

  I can feel Sydney’s eyes trail me as we make our way back to the tile section. And as I walk ahead of her, the florescent lights beating down on us, I wonder what’s going through her mind right now. Our little exchange in the truck had me thinking that maybe I should try to get to know her instead of staying firm in my opinion of her from the past.

  But getting to know someone invites them to ask questions about you too, and the last thing I want to do is delve into what I’ve been up to for the past ten years.

  Well, I was working as a line cook at Denny’s and doing handyman work on the side barely scraping by. But then one night at a party gone wrong, my sister was raped after her ex-boyfriend punched her and knocked her out, so I beat the shit out of him and went to jail for two years for aggravated assault.

  Yeah, seems like the perfect conversation to settle the tension between us.

  So instead, I guess I’m back to warring with myself every time we see each other, like now. I know I should have just taken her home, but I needed to stop in here for a few supplies and it was right down the road. The owner of our company asks us to be smart about our gas mileage too, so taking her with me just made more sense. Besides, if she still lives on the other side of town, it’s a little bit of drive to get there.

  “You ever been inside of a Home Depot, Princess?” I ask over my shoulder, glancing back at her mostly just to make sure she’s still there.

  “Yes,” she answers sharply, which means I must have offended her.

  I find aisle fifteen and finally turn, knowing I need to get some more faucet grease so I can install the new fixture on my kitchen sink tonight. As I glance up at the sign that lists the items you find down this particular aisle, I take note of the list and can’t help but laugh to myself. I wonder why the sexual insinuation never came to me before today.

  Lubricants, rope and chain, screws, and tie downs.

  “Apparently people can find a good time in aisle fifteen,” I joke as I come to a stop in front of the selection of faucet grease and my eyes start trailing across the shelves.

  “What?” Sydney asks, clearly perplexed as I point up to the aisle sign and wait for it to click for her.

  And I can tell as soon as it does because her eyes go wide and her cheeks turn pink.

  “What’s the matter, Princess? Are you that uptight you can’t handle a dirty joke?”

  Then her stance changes and her hands fall to her hips as she glares in my direction. “No, Javi. I’m a big girl and I’ve had sex, you know. You’d be surprised by what I can handle.”

  “So is this where you come to buy your supplies for you and your boy toys?” I can’t help the smirk that crosses my lips, but Sydney’s eyes flick to the side, avoiding mine. And as soon as I say the words, this pit develops in my stomach at the thought of some other man tying her up and pleasing her.

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I don’t have boy toys. In fact, I guess you could say that my experience with any of these items,” she flicks toward the sign with her hand, “is nonexistent.”

  Not only does her confession make me sigh internally with relief, but the thought of doing those things to her on my own makes me rock fucking hard. I turn to try to adjust myself before reaching for the grease I need, throwing it in the cart, and then turning back to her.

  “That’s a shame, Princess. You don’t know what you’re missing out on.” I try to keep the tone of my voice playful, but I can feel the crackling of lust firing between us.

  It takes the right person to explore with sexually. There has to be a level of trust and comfort between two people and it seems to me she hasn’t found someone dedicated to the job. Such a shame that a body like hers hasn’t been driven the way it should. The idea of watching the woman who frankly still possesses a hint of innocence relinquish all control makes me want to throw her over my shoulder, lock her in my room, and show her what real pleasure feels like.

  I’m no saint, and I sure know how to fuck like the devil.

  “I take it you’re skilled in the ways of lubricants and tie downs?” She inquires, lifting one eyebrow.

  As our gazes lock, something within me snaps, one of the pieces of restraint that’s holding me back from giving in to what I’m feeling.

  I take a few steps toward her to close the distance between us, the hard swallow of her throat apparent the closer I get. Her eyes widen with each step I take, her spine straightens, and before I know it, the fiery woman from before disappears and leaves in her place a woman that is anticipating my next move with an aura of trepidation.

  And with just a few inches left between us, I lean down and line up my lips to her ear, inhaling her floral scent mixed with sweat and rain as soon as it hits my nose. She stands perfectly still, waiting for me to speak or touch her.

  What would she do if I touched her right now? Would she welcome it? Read too much into it? Would I want her to question why my hands are on her? Or am I risking an entanglement with this woman who should be off-limits and out
of my league by crossing that line?

  “You couldn’t handle all of the skills I possess, Princess,” I growl in her ear in a low whisper that leaves a flurry of goosebumps on her skin. I watch them scatter and form as I clench my fists to prevent myself from leaning down further and tracing them with my tongue. “I don’t do nice and slow. I do hard and fast, and if that means you’re down to be tied down so I can show you what it’s like to give up control, then I’m game.”

  And then I snap back to reality in an instant. Did I really just say that to this girl who probably thinks doggy-style is experimenting?

  And more importantly, I’m this girl’s self-defense instructor, and a man she clearly would have no interest in. Maybe this tension I think I’m feeling is all one-sided and festering because it’s been months since I’ve gotten laid.

  Yeah, that’s it. I just need some no-strings-attached fucking and this little problem developing with Sydney Matthews in my head will go away with one good orgasm.

  As I step back, I catch one quick look at her face and notice the slack in her jaw. I surprised her, probably more than I surprised myself. But there’s nothing more to be done here.

  There’s nothing more that can be done.

  My feet carry me away while I try to calm my racing heart, pumping full force with anger that I left my resolve slip. I try to brush off the moment and focus on locating the tile, which is only a few aisles away.

  As I find the displays and start browsing, I feel Sydney’s presence behind me, but I’m too chicken to say anything. What do you say after you basically tell a girl you could fuck her within an inch of her life and she’d love it.

  My eyes are moving across the selection, but my mind isn’t following. It’s still ruminating on the exchange that took place moments ago. Thankfully, Sydney breaks the tension first with a complete subject change.

  “So, what is the tile for?” She comes around the back of the shopping cart and starts assessing the different tiles in front of us.

  “The floors in my house.”

  “Oh, nice. Are you doing it yourself then?” There’s a timidness behind her voice, but I’m choosing to ignore it.

  “Yeah.”

  “Wow, quite the conversationalist, aren’t you?” She nudges my shoulder, forcing me to acknowledge her. But when my eyes meet hers, there’s an acceptance there that wasn’t before. And I’m not sure what to make of it.

  So I clear my throat and offer her more. “I live in the guest house of my sister’s place. Part of the agreement of me staying there was to renovate it in my spare time.”

  “What spare time? Between your construction job and working at Elite Gym, you must not have much.”

  I shrug and then run a hand through my rain soaked hair. “I do little things in the evenings after work if I feel like it. But most of it I do on the weekends.”

  She nods. “Ah, I see. So, what are you looking for then?” She steps forward and grabs a sample tile, a desert sand sort of color that would hide dirt well and actually brighten up the house a bit against the dark paint and hardwood floors I chose. “Something like this?”

  I accept the tile as she hands it out to me and study it under the light, tilting it from side to side. I hate to say it, but Sydney found almost exactly what I had in mind. “Yeah, actually. This is right along the lines of what I was looking for.”

  She smiles proudly, her face still slightly wet from the storm she got caught in. In that moment I realize she’s completely devoid of makeup and more stunning that I initially realized. Her natural beauty is shining through at the moment, especially because her smile seems genuine and lighthearted, which isn’t something I’ve experienced from her yet. Most of our interactions have been laced with annoyance and sarcasm.

  I shake off those thoughts and lean forward, checking to see if there’s anything comparable to the tile I’m holding. I find another brand that’s slightly darker, but it’s more expensive. And since I’m splitting the cost with Andre, we’re going with the cheaper one.

  “Hey, excuse me?” Sydney flags down one of the employees as they’re walking by. “Do you mind helping my friend here? He needs some tile.”

  “Sydney …” I interrupt, but she continues without acknowledging me.

  “He already knows what he wants. Can you just bag up as much as he needs please?” She turns to me with the cutest fucking grin on her face like she just saved the day, but all I want to do is laugh at her right now. She may have stepped into a Home Depot before, but obviously she doesn’t know things work.

  The employee darts his eyes over to me and I barely shake my head, letting him know I have it handled. I’ve actually seen this guy around here numerous times and he knows I’m a regular.

  “Why are you just standing there?” I can sense her starting to get frustrated, but Clyde just looks past her at me, nods his head, and starts to walk away. “What the heck?” She says with a raised voice, drawing attention to us. Before she can say another word, I grab hold of her forearm and pull her closer to me, our bodies bumping together slightly. And boy the friction ignites my need for her again.

  “Sydney. I don’t need his help to get tile. All I have to do is go down that aisle there,” I point behind me, “and find the brand I want. The tiles come in boxes and I load them into the cart. No help needed.”

  Her shoulders fall and her mouth drops open slightly, giving me a view of the pink of her tongue. I release my grip on her as she smooths down her hair, trying to act like she’s not embarrassed. “Oh. Okay then. Let’s get this done. I need to get to work.” She storms pass me and I fight desperately to hide the chuckle that’s rocking my body. Damn, that was funny.

  Once I get what I need and pay, Sydney helps me load it into the cab of the truck since the bed is still sopping wet, and I head for the other side of town to her condo. She gives me directions, but other than that, we stay in silence during the drive.

  When we approach her place, I get smacked in the face by the wrought iron gate and guard stationed in front. Like a knife to the gut, the difference in where we live is just another reason to remind me to squash this interest I’ve developed for her. We obviously live two very different lives and even though there’s a simmering physical connection, nothing good could come from the two of us crossing that line.

  “Well, thanks for saving me and kidnapping me,” she teases as she turns to me in her seat.

  “Just me being in the right place at the right time.” I shrug and then give her a tight-lipped smile.

  “Oh my gosh! Did Javier Montes just smile at me?”

  “Ha. No.” I direct my eyes away from her as I fight my lips from spreading wider, but I can hear her chuckling behind me.

  “If you say so. See you tomorrow then, Javi. Enjoy laying your tile.” The innuendo in her words is easy to hear as I turn back to face her and watch her slide out of the truck with a smirk on her face. She gives me a small wave, slams the door shut and turns to walk through the gate, greeting the guard as she passes. The sway of her hips mesmerizes me for a moment, torturing me with the curves of a woman that clearly needs to be handled in a certain way. I just can’t be the man for the job.

  “You need to move,” the guard says through the window, averting my attention from Sydney’s ass to his face.

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry.” I shift the truck in drive and then pull back onto the road to return to my side of town—the only clear indication that the crazy thoughts bouncing around in my brain have failed to remember the boundaries drawn between our lives.

  The good girl and the bad boy.

  The innocent and the damaged.

  The lawyer and the criminal.

  Sometimes lines are clearly defined and there’s no changing them, no matter how badly you might want a taste of the other side.

  Chapter 11

  Sydney

  Once I finally made it into the office after being held prisoner by Javier, our interaction got pushed to the wayside as reality set back
in. I scrambled to make it to court on time for a probate case that was finally being settled almost seventeen months after the mother of the siblings had died. This brother and sister absolutely hated each other’s guts and were fighting for every dime of worth their mother possessed upon her passing. The mother thought she had everything in place for when she died, but apparently, she didn’t. It’s been dramatic and trying, but finally got settled that day.

  With the weight of that case now cast off my shoulders, I returned to the office and met with both of my paralegals for the paperwork I would need for them to complete this week to stay on track on my clients and caseload. Tessa can be trusted with just about anything, but Yerelin is still learning. Sometimes relying on someone else to do research and case briefings for me was more stressful than if I’d attempt to the do the work on my own. The reality is though that there is not enough time in the day to do everything that needs to be done on my own, so relinquishing that control is necessary.

  I woke up bright and early this morning before my alarm even went off. Squinting, I realized the sun hadn’t crested the sky yet, so I launched myself out of bed and peeked through the window to witness it. I can’t remember the last time I was actually anxious for the day to start, but for some reason, I felt ready to tackle whatever this Tuesday had to throw at me.

  I skipped my run since I knew I had my self-defense class this evening, and even though I wouldn’t admit it out loud, part of me was itching to see Javi again.

  The words he whispered in my ear about how he likes to fuck have been circling in my mind repeatedly since that morning, the image of him soaking wet in front of me in the middle of Home Dept torturing me at times when I need to focus. I can’t help but think that the exhilaration I felt when my eyes popped open is because I know I’ll get to be in his presence soon. And I swear my thighs are getting a workout from clenching them together each time his face comes to mind. How I went from not knowing who the guy is to craving him is beyond me and my reaction to him is alarming.