Unspoken Bundle - Box Set Books 1-6

by Danes, Ellie

  “Do you think she believed you were using him?” I nodded at Macie.

  “Maybe, just a little. It was nice being spoiled like that. But I never asked for anything and, to be honest, I wish he had never done it. It only made her come after me more. She was nastier than ever to me. That’s what drove me away from Jacob and his entire family.”

  I continued to scribble down notes and leaned back in my chair. “So that night, Jacob invited you to the bar to talk and try and convince you to come back to him? To break up with John?”

  “I think that’s what he wanted. Him and John got into a shouting match. Eventually Jacob backed off and went back to work, and John and I sat there for a bit. That’s when he started to feel sick and asked me to drive him home. You know the rest.”

  “We do.” I looked at Brice.

  “So is that all you needed to know? Is that going to help us? Are you guys going after Jacob?” The expression on Macie’s face fell flat. “Is Jacob going to get into trouble? I don’t—”

  “Macie, we—and you—shouldn’t be concerned about Jacob right now. We are working on clearing your name, and John’s. I’d suggest you not have any contact with Jacob or the Harritans at all. Ok?” Brice leaned in close to Macie. “If you do, it could jeopardize your case and mean that both you and John end up in a lot of trouble.”

  “I understand.” Macie diligently nodded her head in agreement.

  “Great. That’s all we need from you now, but we’ll be in touch. I’m going to hang back and talk with Jennifer and Reese. I’ll give you a call later this week and give you an update.” Brice stood and helped Macie up from the couch.

  “Thank you, all of you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of this.” Macie meekly smiled and made her way to the door, closing it behind her.

  “Wow, she definitely isn’t the sharpest girl I’ve met.” Brice chuckled. “So, what do you two think?”

  I looked at Reese with wide eyes. “I think things are looking better and better for Macie and John, but we should just make sure we have everything covered.” I tried to keep things ambiguous; Brice didn’t need to know exactly how much more information we needed and how much we already had.

  “Jennifer, I think we need to move on this. You were both ready to close this case the other day.” Brice rocked back and forth and shifted his gaze toward Reese.

  “Brice, I agree with Jennifer on this. Let us get everything wrapped up. The tighter the case, the better it is for your clients.” Reese looked at me.

  Brice shrugged his shoulders. “Alright. So what’s next then?”

  “Just leave that to us. Reese and I need to talk about our next steps. We’ll get back to you in a few days.” I stood up to escort Brice to the door. “We’ve got this. You focus on the rest.” Brice left and I shut the door behind him. I could feel Reese’s eyes burning a hole in my back.

  “Do I dare ask, Jennifer? We have everything we need.” Reese leaned forward toward the desk as I took a seat behind it. He glanced down at the folder with the big red stamp. “It has something to do with this, doesn’t it?”

  “With what?”

  “The report. It’s on your desk because I pulled a favor with Erica. I stuck my neck on the line for you. If your father ever found out I did that…”

  A sudden feeling of guilt fell over me. I wanted to confide in Reese but I knew I couldn’t. I owed him something, though. “I really appreciate that. I need you to trust me on this…for now. I’ll fill you in as soon as I have more info, I promise…and I will never let Dad know you had anything to do with this.” I took a long stare into his eyes. “Please…”

  “Alright. I know this means a lot to you. I hope you find whatever you need in that file and that all of this is worth it. You know, if this goes bad, it could bring everyone down. Me. You. Your father.” Reese’s tone bordered between sympathetic and angry. He left the office without saying another word, leaving me in silence to think about the mess I’d created.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  The smell of the padded rubber floor stung my nose and burned my lungs as I gasped for breath with each swing. My arms felt like heavy, wet noodles, but I continued to use every ounce of energy left in my body to thrust my gloved hands against the heavy bag suspended from the ceiling. My black sports bra was drenched and beads of sweat dripped down my face, only to be shaken off with each punch thrown. I needed to work off the stress and emotion of the last week.

  Cain stood at the opposite end of the enormous mirrored gym, clutching two gigantic weights. I stole glances at his perfectly chiseled body in between punches. I watched as he curled each dumbbell, creating a massive bulge in his arms and then slowly repeated the process. This was exactly the kind of distraction I needed. With one final blow to the heavy bag, I collapsed on the bench. My over-sized gloved hands grasped for the water bottle as I took in the sight of Cain’s body as he worked out.

  “Feel better?” Cain grunted between curls. His sparkling white teeth were clenched in a twisted smile as he looked at me via the mirror.

  “A little. I feel like I could go another few rounds, though. I’m surprised I have anything left after that.” I bit down on the Velcro wrap that held the glove securely around my wrist and pulled it free, allowing my hand to slide out. “Maybe I’ll just hit the treadmill for a bit instead.” I pulled my other hand free and gave Cain an exhausted look as I walked toward the treadmill that sat next to the wall of glass doors overlooking the garden and river. The dusky sunlight created an orange glow atop the flowing river.

  Cain dropped the dumbbells on the floor and wiped his face with the white towel hanging over the back of the weight bench next to him. He kept his stare focused on my reflection in the mirror before finally turning around. “Jennifer, what aren’t you telling me? You seem more stressed than usual.” Cain cocked his head slightly to the side as he waited for my answer.

  “Nothing. It’s just been a busy week at the office and now, with the move tomorrow… I’m just feeling overwhelmed.” I climbed on the treadmill and started a brisk walk before breaking into a jog. My back was toward Cain, but I could see his reflection in the glass as he approached.

  He hit the stop button on the treadmill and the belt began to slow as I coasted toward the end and hopped off. “Come on, Jennifer. We know each other better than that. I know when something is bothering you.” Cain moved closer, his sweat covered body glistening in the light from outside.

  “There’s a lot riding on this case. It’s the first big case for me that can really make a difference in someone’s life, and I’ve recently learned something that makes it…” I rolled my head as I searched for the best choice of words. “Complicated. I’ll be alright…and tomorrow.”

  Cain reached out and grabbed my hand. “Tomorrow you get to leave the past behind. You’ll be out of that apartment…all of those bad memories can stay there.” Cain shook his head and let out an exasperated breath. “I still don’t know why you just don’t move in here with me.”

  “Because…it’s just too soon. For both of us. Besides, my father would kill me…both of us. I just need to work off this stress and relax before tomorrow. I need to let it all go for a night.”

  Cain met my comment with a smirk. “I’m sure. Ok, tomorrow the movers are handling everything, we’ll unpack and everything is going to be fine. Let’s just enjoy tonight.” He moved in to give me a gentle kiss. I could feel the heat from his body emanating toward me and I gently ran my fingers down the ridges of his drenched abs as I met his kiss.

  “Deal.” I leaned in, kissing him again, and this time I felt a surge of energy overtake me. I didn’t pull away. Instead I kissed him harder, pushing myself closer to him. I brushed the back of my hand down his thin nylon shorts, feeling the excitement my kiss aroused.

  “Well, I definitely think this is a better use of your energy tonight.” Cain chuckled as he wrapped his bulging arm around me, lifting me up and carrying me to the wall of mirrors to the right of th
e glass doors.

  I could feel my back slide against the cool mirror as he pressed against me. My hands slid over his slippery body as he removed my soaked sports bra, dropping it the floor. I could feel the temperature of the room rise and the beads of sweat begin to form again as we hurriedly ripped each other’s clothes off, leaving them discarded in a heap. We took turns being pressed against the glass of the mirror as we spun, kissing, grinding and thrusting against each other. His hot, full lips kissed my neck and he found his way down my chest to my hot, heaving breasts. I guided Cain’s head back to my face to kiss him hard again as I wrapped my leg around his waist, my back once again against the glass.

  Every inch of my body was wet and slippery, a mixture of Cain and myself and everything he was doing to me. I couldn’t take the hot, passionate foreplay any longer as I guided him inside of me and then threw my weak arms around his neck, still shaking from my first workout. I squeezed my legs tight around him and felt his strong hands cup my ass as he pressed me against the mirrored wall. Each thrust ended in a slight crash against the glass, causing pain and pleasure at the same time. I moaned his name as I struggled to keep my grip around his neck and then begged him for more.

  I felt his strong arms lift me over and over, and I let myself go. I felt the stress, anxiety and frustration vanish with a gush as I pulsed on Cain. I let out a loud, haunting moan as the pleasure took over and Cain squeezed me harder. His deep groan masked my own as he slowed and pushed me harder and longer against the mirror until he finished, finally allowing my shaky legs to touch the floor.

  We stood, speechless, still pressed against one another, our hot, helpless bodies holding each other up. “Better?” Cain smiled and kissed me again.

  “Much!” I giggled.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  The twenty-third floor provided an amazing view of the entire city below and included a sweeping panorama of the river and neighborhoods that boasted huge mansions. Windows throughout the condominium let in the dazzling light and added to the already airy feeling of my new home. Boxes neatly stacked in the center of each room were dwarfed by the empty space; my old, stuffy apartment had only been a quarter of the size of this new one.

  “Ma’am? This is the last of the furniture from the truck. Were does this piece go?” The voice from the giant mover echoed throughout the foyer as he held a large end table effortlessly with one hand.

  “Next to the sofa, please.” I looked around the room and realized how empty it looked. I was going to have to buy more furniture, the last thing I wanted to do. Cain had convinced me I had to move and made the arrangements for this larger, more secure condo at a fraction of the cost anyone else would have paid. I didn’t need the extra space, and I certainly didn’t want to have to furnish it. The head mover handed me the contract and damage report to sign off and then packed up their gray and blue packing blankets and disappeared without a trace.

  Cain continued to shift boxes around the rooms and then moved to the kitchen, ripping open the box labeled glasses. “Ah, perfect. I guess I got lucky this time.” He reached into the box and removed two tall champagne flutes and set them on the black granite island in the middle of the kitchen. “Hey, Jen, shall we break in the new place?” Cain chuckled as he popped the cork on the champagne bottle and poured two glasses and handed one to me.

  I looked around the room and the amount of work to be done and smiled at Cain. Sliding into bed with him right now sounded delightful, until I realized everything was packed away. “Mmm… Maybe in a bit, after we tackle some of this… Ok?”

  “Deal!” Cain clinked his glass against mine. “To new beginnings.”

  “And us.” I leaned in and kissed Cain and began to second-guess my decision to wait until later to climb into bed with him. It wasn’t to be, as the intercom buzzed, distracting us both from our kiss and champagne. I padded over to the display on the wall and saw Aimee standing at the guest entrance on the first floor. “Hey, girl! Come on up!” I buzzed her in and spun to look at Cain. “I guess we’ll have help, I wasn’t expecting Aimee.”

  Cain smiled and took a big gulp from his glass. “Fine by me. The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can…” His grin was ear to ear as he approached and pulled me close. “Take in the new view from your master suite.”

  The doorbell rang and I weaved my way through the columns of boxes and out of place furniture in the living room and foyer, finally making my way to the door. Without taking the time to look at the camera feed from the outside hallway I swung open the door. “Aimee! And Brice.” My voice dropped a few octaves at the sight of Aimee’s date, my client of sorts, standing in the hallway beside her.

  “I hope you don’t mind? I thought Brice would be helpful moving around boxes and furniture. I’m sure Cain could use the help too.” Aimee batted her long eyelashes and smiled.

  “Very nice place, Jennifer.” Brice smiled. “I tried to convince Aimee it wasn’t a good idea for me to come, but—”

  “I wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Aimee giggled and looked at Brice.

  “No, it’s perfectly fine. There’s plenty to do.” Aimee and Brice made their way into the foyer as Brice extended his hand to me to shake as he passed. The initial awkwardness of having Brice in my personal space bothered me. I watched as they walked by and he quietly grabbed Aimee’s hand. I guess I’m going to have to get used to this, for now. I grudgingly smiled to myself, happy for Aimee.

  “Hey, guys…glad to have the help,” Cain shouted from the kitchen island as he unpacked the remaining glasses from the box he had opened.

  Aimee and Brice followed Cain’s voice and moved toward the kitchen as I caught up with them. “Anyone want a tour?”

  “I do!” Aimee immediately hollered.

  I looked at Brice and raised my eyebrows, waiting on his response. “Go ahead, I’ll hang here with Cain and give him a hand.” Relieved, I grabbed Aimee’s hand and started to pull her around the apartment. “Cain? Maybe you and Brice can tackle the mess of wires for the home theater and flat screen. Please?” I continued to pull Aimee toward the master bedroom. “So this is the bedroom….Ok! Spill it!” I looked over my shoulder to make sure the coast was clear to have girl talk. “How are things with you two?”

  Aimee could only give me a wide grin as she blushed. “Wonderful. He’s so sweet, Jen. I can’t believe you didn’t like him. Last night we—”

  “You know Aims…considering we all kinda work together, I think leaving out the details would be much better for now.” I grinned back at her.

  “I was going to say last night we had an amazing romantic dinner. He thought of every detail. He kind of reminds me of Cain in a way, just so sweet.” Aimee bit down on her bottom lip in a happy, playful smile as she raised her eyebrows. “I think he could actually be…”

  “The one?!” We both said together. Her voice making an excited statement and mine, forming a question. We both giggled together.

  “Aimee, just…please be careful with him. He certainly doesn’t seem to be the way I had thought…but you never know with men.” Aimee nodded in agreement. “Come on, let me finish the tour of this place and then I can put you to work.” I winked and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the next room.

  I dragged Aimee around the apartment as she continued to spill little details about her and Brice, but never enough for me to look at him in a way I wouldn’t want to imagine. I listened as we passed the main living room and heard Cain and Brice carrying on together as if they were best friends. The television was hooked up and a college football game was on; both pretending to work as they yelled at the screen. “Even our men are getting along!” Aimee giggled. “Isn’t that great?”

  “It actually is.” I smiled at her. “It really is.” Aimee and I stood in front of the wall of glass doors leading to the balcony, our backs turned to the men in the living room as we took in the view of the river and flood wall.

  “Hey, Jen? What should we tackle next?” Cain approached fro
m behind and gently touched the small of my back sending shivers up my spine.

  “On that note I’m going to find the ladies’ room.” Aimee laughed and scooted down the hallway.

  “I guess the boxes here in the living room.” I spun to face Cain and quickly give him a peck on the lips. “I’ll be right back, you two, I need to run down the car and grab box of cleaning supplies.”

  “I’ll take care of that.” Cain smiled. “You can supervise up here.” Cain grabbed the keys from the kitchen island and left me standing in the living room with Brice, awkwardly silent despite the cheering from the game on the television.

  “So, start with this one?” Brice tore open the box on the top of the stack labeled “living room.” The crumpled newspapers spewed from the packed box as he reached in pulling out photos and knick-knacks.

  “Maybe you should start—”

  “Wow, look at you, Jennifer. You look so young!” Brice held up a photo of Mom, Dad and I. “How old were you here? Ten? Eleven?” He chuckled a little and unwrapped another photo.

  I could feel the anxiousness come over me as Brice rifled through moments in my life captured in photos. I had hoped that Aimee or Cain would return to help quash the awkwardness of the situation, but neither was around. “Maybe you should just leave those and I’ll take care of the photos.” I picked up a few from the box as Brice continued to unwrap more.

  “This one is great!” Brice stared at a picture of Aimee and I and a group of friends from high school. Our faces were painted an awful orange and brown, our school colors. He grabbed another, this time it slipped from the wrapping and fell on the floor with a loud crash. I stared at the picture for a moment and grabbed it hurriedly. “I got it—”

  “No! Just leave it!” I grabbed the photo of Mom and I from Brice’s hand. “I’ll take care of these.”