“Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”
“Well, I’m sure you’re tired. You can sleep in the bed, and I’ll be on the couch if you need anything.”
I smiled slightly and immediately headed in the direction of his bed. I wasn’t overly tired, but as soon as he uttered the word sleep, my eyelids began to droop. It’d been one hell of a day, and after everything that had happened, I was exhausted. When I woke up this morning, I never imagined I’d wind up sleeping in Hunter’s bed.
Actually . . . I never imagined I’d be sleeping in his bed alone.
Chapter Eight
I exhaled loudly and rubbed my face. I’d asked Violet not to invite me inside her apartment, despite every fiber of my being begging me otherwise. I was trying to be a good guy, and yet, my desire to do the right thing couldn’t keep me away. And thank God it didn’t.
I should’ve laid into that fucker so hard he spit out teeth. What kind of man punches a woman? That worm deserved to know the taste of his own blood, and I’d be more than happy to make it happen. The bones in my knuckles popped painfully as I clenched my fists. I thought Violet seemed broken when I put her to bed last night, but the fear she had in her eyes the moment Ted’s voice sounded through the door was another story entirely. She managed to escape her family only to run into another piece of shit.
Rolling over, I closed my eyes and tried to welcome sleep. Sitting beside Violet’s bed last night didn’t provide me with much rest. And now that I knew someone else had hurt her in an unspeakable way, my body rejected any kind of respite. Adrenaline coursed through my bloodstream as my hands itched to finish what they started. The coward got off way too easy, and I wanted to settle the score.
My mind was preoccupied with so much carnage, I didn’t even notice Violet was standing next to the couch.
“Do you need something?” I asked.
She nodded slightly, but never spoke. Instead of opening her mouth, she bent down and crawled onto the couch next to me. I stilled as she stretched out to lay her head on my chest. Immediately, my arms wrapped around her. She’d been carrying a heavy load for far too long. Piece of shit father, siblings who didn’t care, and an abusive ex—the burdens weighing her down were innumerable. The woman had every right to be cold-hearted, but she wasn’t. If anything, she was the exact opposite.
“What can I do?” My question was barely more than just a breath, but she still heard me.
“Exactly what you’re doing.”
“And that is?”
“Making me feel safe again.”
“I can track him down for you. He deserves to have the shit beaten out of him.”
“Trust me, he isn’t worth the effort.”
“When will it be time for those who’ve hurt you to pay?”
She sighed deeply, the promise of tears reflecting in the depths of her azure eyes. “Sometimes, no one pays.”
“As far as you’re concerned, they should.”
“That’s funny,” she replied, almost scoffing at my reply. “Because no one has tried to protect me in a long time.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way.”
“Did you break Bartlett’s hand?” she asked, her question surprising me slightly.
“I made sure he wouldn’t bother you anymore.”
“Thank you.”
I hadn’t intended to hurt Bartlett, but whenever he reached out to shake my hand at that meeting, all I could think about was how many times he’d touched Violet inappropriately. And the thought infuriated me.
“So, are you saying you’ll protect me?”
“If that’s what you want me to do.”
She didn’t utter a word, but the slight nod of her head was my answer. Violet yearned to be safe, but at the same time, she wouldn’t beg for anyone’s help. Her courage was more than admirable. And for the first time, I wanted to be there for someone without expecting anything in return. My mother and brothers were different, because they were family. It’s strange how sometimes the give-and-take can seem more like a transaction than a relationship. When Natalie and I were together, she got what she needed, and so did I. But looking back on it now, the entire connection was empty, and I didn’t care to live like that anymore.
“Thank you, Hunter.”
“You’re welcome, Vi.” I pulled a blanket over us until we were both completely covered.
Violet didn’t speak another word after thanking me, and when her breathing slowed, I could tell she was sound asleep. Eventually, the steady rise and fall of her chest lulled my eyes closed.
The blaring sound of my cell phone ringing shocked me awake the following morning. I moved to grab it only to realize Violet was still asleep in my arms. I quickly lifted her up and carried her over to my bed before rushing to answer the call.
“Hello?”
“Hello? Fuck, man, you sound so formal.”
Brett’s voice filtered through the phone. “In my defense, you did wake me up,” I replied in a hushed tone. Crossing through my apartment, I made my way into the bathroom and shut the door behind me.
“Shit, man. It’s almost noon. What the hell were you doing last night that kept you up so late?” he asked. Brett’s voice was filled with a mixture of amusement and pride. He knew about everything that went down in Chicago because he worked at the same firm I did. We’d been friends for years, but this was the first time he’d made any effort to get in touch with me in the past two months. I didn’t blame him for wanting to distance himself from me. He had a career to think about, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t surprised when he stepped into my old position at Talia’s father’s firm.
“Nothing.”
“I’m calling your bluff. I bet nothing had everything to do with a woman.”
“Actually, it involved going over a huge stack of case files.”
“You’re worse off than I thought.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“One indiscretion, and you turn into a monk.”
“One huge indiscretion that nearly ruined my career,” I spit out. “I’m damn lucky my family has a good name and connections in this city.”
“Luck has nothing to do with it. You have a great track record for winning cases.”
My life was in shambles, and Brett’s feeble attempt at encouragement only annoyed me further. “So, what’s going on, Brett? Why did you call?”
“I wanted to check up on you, see how you’re doing.” The honesty in his voice softened my temper.
“Huh, so there really is a first time for everything.”
“Better not get used to it. We both know I’m an asshole at heart.”
I laughed slightly. “This is true. I’m settling in here really well, and my boss is great. He actually just gave me a big case.”
“That’s good. I’m glad to hear it.”
“How is the office?”
Brett sighed heavily. “It’s good. Doesn’t feel the same without you, but I guess that’s just the way it is.”
“Yeah.”
“Talia is up for junior partner.”
“Of course she is.”
“If you hadn’t left, you would’ve been a shoo-in for that position.”
“You don’t know that,” I replied.
“Yes, I do. Galterio told me as much.”
“He did?” I suspected I was up for a promotion, simply because Talia’s father had given me several of his high-profile cases. He’d taken a special interest in my career, as if he were priming me to be a junior partner at the firm, but I had always figured if it came down to me or Talia, Galterio would’ve chosen his own daughter. Maybe that was the reason Galterio fired me without so much as an explanation the day the incriminating photos circulated the office. Innocent until proven guilty was the way the law was supposed to work, but I guess that rule didn’t apply when you were accused of fucking your boss’s wife. And honestly, I couldn’t say I blamed him. I’d seen the pictures with my own two eyes. Someone went through a l
ot of trouble to make it look like I was sleeping with Talia and her mother at the same time.
For days, I studied those photographs with the hope that I would discover who had set me up. Part of me wanted to suspect Talia, but she could get any man she wanted. I highly doubted my refusal to rekindle our one-night stand would have forced her to retaliate in such a manner. No, whoever sent these photos went through an awful lot of trouble to ensure the man in the pictures resembled me. Their goal wasn’t just to ruin my reputation; they intended to destroy my career as well.
“You know he wanted you over her,” Brett added, distracting me from my train of thought.
“She’s his daughter.”
“Yeah, but Galterio is a stickler for experience and education. Those count more than blood to him.”
My fingers pinched the bridge of my nose. Hearing about the promotion I lost for something I didn’t even do wasn’t the way I wanted to start my day. I was just about to reply when there was a soft knock on the door.
“It’s Violet . . . I’m really sorry to bother you, but I need to use the bathroom.”
“Of course,” I answered, moving the cell phone away from my face.
“Sounds like someone is there,” Brett announced smugly.
“I have to go, Brett. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Hunter, if you’re seeing—”
I hung up the phone before he could finish his sentence. Opening the door, I came face-to-face with Violet.
“Sorry,” she said softly. “I just really have to pee.”
“Go ahead.” I moved out of the way and quickly headed for the kitchen to make some coffee. Discarding my phone on the counter, I pulled out two ceramic mugs and set a pot to brew. The pot was almost filled to the brim by the time Violet joined me. “How did you sleep?”
“Better than I have in a while. You?”
“I slept well.”
The faint trace of a smile touched her lips. I watched as she turned from the kitchen and walked in the direction of my dining table. Four tall bookshelves sat on the ground near the far side of the table.
“I know it seems crazy, but I didn’t even notice all these books last night. I know I saw the shelves . . . ” She passed in front of the bookshelves her fingertips gently tracing along the spines. “But this is quite a collection.”
“Thank you.” I smiled at her, unable to tear my eyes away as she began hunting through the shelves. The green satin fabric of her nightgown seemed to caress each of her curves as she moved. Staring at her wasn’t forbidden, but the way she affected me was. Blond waves rolled over her shoulder in a delicate cascade. To call her beautiful didn’t even begin to do her justice. From her full, soft lips to the slope of her shoulders, the woman was a work of art. She belonged on display at The Louvre, because somehow, denying everyone the opportunity to set eyes on her seemed criminal.
Violet continued to search the shelves, and after a few minutes of silence, she spoke.
“Wow. You own so many classics.” She turned to glance at me over her shoulder.
“I’m quite fond of them.”
“Me too.” She removed a book carefully and opened it to the first page. Her eyes scanned over the paper, and as she continued reading, her entire countenance brightened. “This is a first edition of Moby Dick.”
“I consider it my most prized possession.”
“I imagine so,” she whispered. “I’d hate to think what you paid for this baby.”
“It was worth it,” I answered with a shrug.
“Well, duh.”
She’s sweet, a lover of museums, and a fan of books. The reasons I should fall for Violet seemed to be racking up with each passing day. “You can read it if you want, or any of the other books on that shelf.”
“Thank you.”
Violet returned the copy of Moby Dick and continued her perusal of my makeshift library. Eventually, she selected a novel I quickly recognized as The Picture of Dorian Gray.
“Have you read that one before?”
“Actually, no.”
“It’s really good. One of my favorites actually.”
She clutched the book against her chest as if it were her own. “I can’t wait to start it.”
I poured us each a mug of coffee and set out a cup of sugar and some creamer. “Go ahead and start. I can fix us some breakfast.”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely.”
Violet perched on one of the tall stools in front of the counter and immediately began reading. The fact a beautiful woman was hanging out in my apartment and we hadn’t slept together was something of a new experience for me. I didn’t hate it either. I wanted to be around her any way I could.
I downed half of my mug before sifting through the refrigerator for something to eat. After finally settling on omelets, I removed all the ingredients I’d need and began cooking.
“Do you need any help?” Vi asked as I sautéed some vegetables to fill our omelets.
“I’m good, but thank you.”
“Who taught you how to cook?”
My attention shifted between her and the skillet I was stirring. “My mom,” I answered. “She made sure all of her boys could cook and do their own laundry before sending them off to school.”
“Smart woman.”
“I think so. And what about you? Do you enjoy cooking?”
“Actually, I do. Nadine taught me most of what I know.” Her fingers flipped a page over as she marked her place in the book. “I did teach myself how to make a mean fried bologna sandwich though.”
“Fried bologna?”
“I’m guessing you’ve never had one.”
“I can’t say that I have.”
“I’m not surprised,” she chuckled under her breath. “It’s not exactly a delicacy. I taught myself how to make it out of convenience because you can get everything you need to make it at a gas station.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah,” she replied. “Did you decide to become a lawyer because of your family, or did you choose it because you wanted to study the law?”
“My parents were so passionate about their careers that they did encourage us to seek a profession in the law, but the longer I was in school, the more I discovered how much I enjoyed learning about the law and how much I wanted to practice it.”
“That’s really nice.”
“What about you?” I questioned. “Why did you decide to apply to the paralegal studies program?”
She exhaled heavily, and it was as if one of the numerous burdens weighing her down lifted. “I wanted a way to understand how the law works, how it can protect not only me, but also other women who have been hurt like I have.”
“That’s incredible.”
“It feels more selfish than anything, but getting away from my home situation and my family taught me that sometimes it’s necessary to be a bit selfish.”
I smiled at her. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”
We ate breakfast together at the island in my kitchen and spent the rest of the day hanging around my apartment. Violet was so wrapped up in the story of Dorian Gray, I was surprised when she joined me on the couch as I watched a football game. She handed off the book to me and quietly asked me to read it aloud for a while. I’d never read like that to anyone before, and although her request threw me off guard for a minute, I was still quick to fulfill it.
As I read to her, my thoughts drifted from the story I relayed to her admission about cooking for herself when she was younger. Violet was making herself sandwiches from whatever she could find in a convenience store while my family and I dined on immaculate home-cooked meals prepared by my mother. When you couldn’t rely on the people who were supposed to take care of you, supposed to raise you, then how was it possible to trust anyone ever again?
I hoped the years Violet had with her mother were filled with happiness. Every time she mentioned her mother, I could tell how much love she still carried for the woman. It’d be a tra
gedy to think she’d never known a shred of joy, no matter how small, in the entirety of her life.
“Now you seem to be the one with heavy thoughts,” she announced.
I glanced up to where she sat opposite of me on the couch. Marking the page I’d just read, I closed The Picture of Dorian Gray. “It’s a heavy book.”
Her eyes rolled in a wide circle before settling on me once more. “Just spit it out.”
“Is it hard for you to trust?”
“To trust other people?”
“Fuck,” I muttered. “That was a stupid question.”
“It’s not stupid.” Her fingers combed through the ends of her hair, smoothing it over her shoulder. “I haven’t had too many issues trusting people because I never really allow myself to get close to others. Rhonda and Nadine are all I have in this world. Would I like to have more people I could rely on? Most definitely. But at the same time, I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
“I know what you mean.”
“You do?”
“For years, I never cared to have anything more than superficial connections with others. Sure, I have my family and a few friends, but even those relationships have been somewhat strained. My brother Derek got married and had a child, which changed him completely.” I breathed deeply, my lungs filling with air. “It’s hard to explain, but part of me feels like everyone around me has changed, they’ve all progressed, and I haven’t. I’m stunted, stagnant, and I can’t keep up.”
“And it’s easier to keep people at a distance so they can’t see what you’re really like.”
“Yeah.”
“I understand that completely.”
“Talking to you is really easy.”
“Same here,” she confessed, her cheeks slightly blushing.
“I guess that means I have one good friend in this city.”
“Guess that means I have two then.” She leaned forward, holding out her hand for a high-five. My palm smacked against hers, our fingers interlacing for a few moments. Her skin felt like velvet, and I couldn’t resist rubbing my thumb over her flesh. In an instant, the mood shifted from light-heartedness to something more. We were trying to be friends, trying to remain professional, but despite our efforts, the connection between us continued to intensify. Staying away wasn’t an option. But there were two questions I couldn’t quit asking myself. What would happen if Violet and I couldn’t hide our feelings? And what if everyone at work discovered how close we were rapidly becoming?
Burning Violet Page 9
