Love's Verdict

by Carsen Taite

  “Not a clue. We looked up the profile, but it’s like any one of those trolls who signs up and doesn’t post any personal information.”

  “Do you know if she told anyone else about the messages?” Landon asked.

  “No, I don’t, but I’m sure she didn’t. She was pretty embarrassed when Trevor broke up with her. She did get wasted a few times and acted out.”

  “The 911 call?” Carly asked, as gently as she could manage.

  Mandy nodded. “Yep. She was mortified the morning after.”

  Carly looked at her notes. “Were you living with her when the incident with the burning clothes happened?”

  “No. I’d moved out the week before. I was a little worried about leaving her on her own, but she seemed to be getting back to pre-Trevor normal.”

  “Do you think there’s any chance she might’ve set the fire herself as kind of a way to get Trevor’s attention?”

  “I guess anything’s possible,” Mandy said. “But I don’t want to give you the wrong impression. Jocelyn wasn’t crazy, just crazy about him.”

  Carly patted Mandy’s hand, sensing she was about to start crying and hoping she could head it off. What she really wanted was a copy of the messages on Mandy’s computer.

  As if she could read her mind, Mandy said, “A detective from Houston PD is coming by later today to download copies of the messages, but Skye asked if I could make you a copy.” She handed over the envelope. “Here it is.”

  Donna Wilhelm was going to come unglued, but there was no way Carly wasn’t going to take her up on her offer. She took the envelope from Mandy and thanked her. “We should get out of your hair.”

  Landon followed her lead and stood, adding, “Skye might have a few follow-up questions for you.”

  Mandy hesitated for a second. “Sure, no problem.” She turned to Carly and pulled her into an awkward hug. “Thanks for listening.”

  Carly stayed in the embrace several seconds past uncomfortable before extracting herself and joining Skye and Landon on their way out. They huddled near Landon’s car.

  “I think we should get an affidavit,” Landon said. “Skye, do you mind sticking around and getting her to sign a sworn statement? Tell her Carly asked for it—she seemed pretty taken with her.”

  “I can do that,” Skye said. “I’ll catch an Uber back to your office, but then I need to get back to Dallas pretty quickly for a family thing.”

  “No worries,” Landon said. “We’ll be heading back soon too. Let’s hook up at the Dallas office tomorrow. Have her detail exactly what she found on her computer and everything she knows about when Jocelyn received the message and her reaction to them. And if you can, get her to put in writing that she never witnessed any violence or threats between Jocelyn and Trevor, and that Jocelyn never mentioned any incidents between them. See if she’ll let you grab screenshots of the Facebook messages since they might make for better graphics than the printouts.” Apparently satisfied Skye knew what she wanted, Landon turned to Carly. “You handled Mandy like a champ. Ready to go?”

  Carly fumed inwardly at having been so casually dismissed, so she merely nodded. Once they were in the car and pulling away, Landon seemed to notice her mood had changed.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Until such time as you become partner, we’re still equals. Would it kill you to treat me like one?”

  Landon gave her a blank look, which only made Carly more mad. “We should’ve discussed whether or not it’s a good idea for Skye to get a sworn statement. Are you sure it’s a good idea?”

  “I’m positive,” Landon said with the bravado Carly had come to both love and hate. “A detective from Houston PD is going to show up this afternoon, and God only knows what kind of questions he’ll ask. You can damn well be certain he’s going to write up a report, and we need to make sure whatever it says, Mandy is on record stating she never saw Trevor be violent or even threaten Jocelyn.”

  “Yes, but I’d like a little time to do some due diligence on Mandy to see if she’s a credible witness. Plus it would’ve been nice to consider whether there’s anything else we should have Skye include in the statement.”

  “You heard Skye, she needs to get back to Dallas. This is the nature of the game—we don’t always get a chance to reflect. Sometimes you just have to act.”

  Carly resisted pointing out that her own recent urge to act had nearly resulted in disaster. Instead she referenced her personal affront. “It would just be nice if you would ask me or at least confer with me before you make a decision.”

  “Like the way you marched in Jane’s office with your own personal strategy for winning the case?”

  “Are you ever going to let that go?”

  “I already have, but I don’t appreciate being lectured about being a team player from someone who would clearly rather work on everything all by herself.”

  Carly digested Landon’s words, unable to come up with a quick retort—further evidence that she wasn’t great coming up with ideas on the fly. Frustrating, but that just wasn’t her skill. Her forte was examining a case from every angle, analyzing all the issues, and distilling a decision from careful consideration. Landon’s point-and-shoot style wasn’t hers, but she could acknowledge its benefits. Why couldn’t Landon recognize her way had merits too?

  “It’s going to be a long drive home if you don’t speak to me the whole way,” Landon said.

  “Maybe we should do something besides talk about work for a while.”

  Landon raised her eyebrows and grinned. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

  Carly play slapped Landon’s arm. “Don’t even. Didn’t you say you needed to stop by your apartment?” Instantly sorry she’d brought up something so personal, she quickly added. “And I’m starving. Maybe we could grab a late lunch before we head back?”

  “We can do both. Are you okay grabbing something to go? We can take it back to my place and eat there while I check on a couple of things and pack some clothes.”

  Alarm bells rang in Carly’s head. Sharing a meal at Landon’s had the potential to stoke the feelings she’d had ever since Landon had shown up on her doorstep after the grand jury fiasco, but she couldn’t think of a rational reason to say no. “Sounds good.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Landon unlocked the front door of her apartment and prayed any mess inside was confined to the bedroom. Memories of her last morning here were filled with visions of a feisty redhead and frantically packing for Dallas, and piles of clothes were stacked everywhere. But the kitchen and dining room should be fine since they were the least used rooms in the house.

  They’d made a quick stop at Torchy’s to pick up some of the best tacos in Austin. Carly had balked a bit when Landon insisted on ordering, but had acquiesced, which was good because Landon was hell-bent on satisfying at least one of her cravings today.

  Which brought up the question of why she was craving Carly at all. They could not be more different, and Carly routinely drove her crazy with her rigid ways, but she sensed that underneath the laced-up outer shell was a wild woman struggling to get out. And you think you’re the one to coax her to the surface? Maybe.

  She needed a minute to clear her head, so she handed the bags to Carly. “If you’ll take these into the dining room, I’ll grab some plates and drinks. Topo Chico okay?”

  “I have no idea what that is, but since I’m already trusting you for sustenance, I see no reason not to trust you to quench my thirst.”

  Damn, that feeling again. Why did Carly’s simplest statements turn her on? Landon walked to the kitchen and counted to ten, but the feelings kept coming. She’d made a habit of dating women who weren’t necessarily high in the IQ department. Doing so kept her from having to talk in depth about her work, her family’s business, current events, or anything beyond getting undressed and which positions gave them the most pleasure. But now, all of a sudden, she was turned on by sheer intelligence. Who knew smart could be so damn sexy? />
  She opened the fridge and searched the contents, hoping to cool off in the process.

  “If you don’t find something in there soon, I can’t promise there will be anything left to eat.”

  Landon turned, and Carly was standing directly behind her wearing a sexy smile. Well, it was just a smile, but everything about Carly seemed sexy from the way she stood with one hand on her hip, to the way she cocked her head when she was making a joke. Landon quickly grabbled two bottles of Topo Chico sparkling water and used the bottle opener on the counter to open them. She thrust one at Carly. “Try this.”

  Carly raised her eyebrows and tipped the bottle to her lips. Full, red, sexy lips. Holy hotness. Landon could barely watch, but she couldn’t look away as Carly took a long pull and held the fizzy liquid in her mouth for a moment before swallowing.

  “Oh my God, that’s amazing.” Carly held the bottle up and examined the label. “Mineral water.” She read a bit more. “There’s really nothing else in this?”

  Landon tore her gaze away from the sexy lips. “Uh, no. I sometimes squeeze a lime in, but as you can see,” she pointed to a wrinkled green object in the fridge, “I think this piece of fruit has seen better days.”

  “It doesn’t need it.” Carly tilted her bottle. “Aren’t you going to drink yours?”

  “Uh, yeah, sure.” Landon reached back and grabbed her bottle, grateful to have something to do with her hands. “Hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  Did she hear an undercurrent reflecting her own desire or was she imagining it? Hell, they hadn’t eaten all day, of course Carly was hungry. Landon grabbed the Torchy’s bag and led the way to her kitchen counter. “Not super fancy, but this is the dining counter. Not to be confused with the kitchen counter, which is what it doubles as when I’m cooking.”

  “Do you cook a lot?”

  “Hardly ever. Ian is the only one with the chef gene, although I’m not sure where he got it. My mother’s cooking skills consist of signing off on the household menu and occasionally strolling through the kitchen to make sure everyone is earning their keep.” Landon could hear the bitter edge in her voice and wished she hadn’t shared that last part. Seeking to add a little levity, she added, “My food skills are limited to picking good restaurants.”

  “So far, you’re batting a thousand.” Carly took another bite of her taco and wiped the edge of her mouth with a napkin. “I’m not big on cooking either, which usually means I throw together a salad or a bowl of cereal for dinner. If I keep hanging out with you, I’ll need to be fitted for a new wardrobe.”

  “Oh please, you’re beautiful and you’d be just as gorgeous with an extra ten or twenty pounds.” The words tumbled out, and Landon didn’t even try to reel them back in. She’d spoken the truth and what was the harm in that? She froze for a moment, meeting Carly’s curious stare with a smile before grabbing a taco and shoving it in her mouth, more to keep from saying anything else embarrassing than because she was hungry.

  They spent the next few moments in companionable silence, eating their food. Landon snuck a couple of sidelong glances at Carly, musing at how far they’d come from their rocky start.

  “Do you think he did it?” Carly asked.

  “What?”

  “Trevor? Do you think he killed those women?”

  “I don’t know. I try not to think about it. Kinda gets in the way of the job. How about you?”

  Carly nodded. “I try too, but I can’t help but wonder. Seems a little crazy for someone so high profile to risk losing everything, but it’s not like it hasn’t happened before. Hello, O.J.?”

  “Why did you ask?”

  “Just a conversation I had with Jane. I get the impression she thinks he’s guilty.”

  “And you care what she thinks because?”

  “Well, for one, she has the power to decide my future. Our future.”

  “Is that so?” Carly’s words stoked rebellion. “That’s a pretty broad statement. She has the power to decide which one of us becomes a partner. At this firm. This year. Beyond that our futures are pretty much our own to decide.”

  “I don’t know about you, but becoming a partner at this firm is what I’ve been working toward. It is my future, and I care a lot. What does your future hold?”

  “I want this partnership as much as you do,” Landon said, not quite believing her own words. She leaned close. “But my future’s bigger than a job. I want everything.”

  Carly’s breath hitched. “Everything, huh?”

  “You bet.” She’d said the words without thinking, but now that she had, she knew they were true. She did want more, but she wasn’t sure what the more was. A wife? Family? She’d always assumed those things would happen, but she hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking or planning for a future that involved other people. Until now. Sitting here in her apartment with Carly, sharing a meal, she could envision something more, and the mental image of what it would be like to kiss those lips supplanted all other thoughts. She reached for Carly’s empty plate, and noted a faraway look in her eyes. “What are you thinking right now?”

  Carly pushed the plate toward Landon. “Why?”

  “Don’t parse the question, just answer it.”

  “We have a lot of work to do.”

  “You were thinking about work?” Landon didn’t believe her, but she wasn’t surprised at the lie. Since the moment they’d met, Carly had focused on the job, corralling Landon’s usual tendencies to get distracted. But Carly was fast becoming the distraction.

  “No.”

  Landon’s head shot up. “No?”

  “I wasn’t thinking about work,” Carly said in a low voice. “But I should’ve been.”

  The roller-coaster admission left Landon uncertain. She wanted to say that should’ve beens were the enemy of pleasure, and life was too short not to indulge now and then. But words, even those, were an impediment to what she really wanted, and they would only break the spell. Before she could think herself out of it, she pulled Carly toward her and kissed her softly.

  * * *

  At the touch of Landon’s lips to hers, Carly placed a hand on Landon’s chest. But instead of obeying the command of her brain, telling her to push Landon away, Carly wound her fingers in Landon’s shirt and yanked her closer. She took her time, luxuriating in the firm press of flesh, and when Landon’s tongue slipped through her lips, she matched her stroke for stroke, sending waves of arousal through her body.

  When they finally broke for air, Landon’s breath was jagged. “Best. Kiss. Ever.”

  Carly nodded but stopped short of asking if she meant it. The kiss was definitely her number one, but she imagined Landon had way more experience kissing tons of other girls, so her assessment was kind of incredible. Instead of asking for affirmation, she asked for what she really wanted. “Can we do it again?”

  Landon barely waited for her to finish the words before she captured her bottom lip and ran her tongue lightly along the surface, teasing with delicious delay. Carly moaned and sagged against her touch.

  “You like?” Landon murmured.

  “You are very observant.”

  “It’s one of my main skills.”

  “But not your best one,” Carly said, pulling Landon close. “What are we doing here?” she whispered, more to herself than Landon.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now. And by this, I mean…”

  Landon finished her sentence with another searing kiss, and Carly melted into the slow, lingering strokes of Landon’s tongue tangling with hers. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been kissed like this. Hell, when Landon touched her, she couldn’t remember her own name. She ran her arms up Landon’s side and stepped closer, letting Landon’s hands pull her in and then wander over her body, stroking her neck, her breasts, and then dipping low to the waistline of her skirt. She was dangerously close to shucking off her clothes right here, next to the kitchen counter, when the sound of a
phone buzzing broke through her haze.

  “Ignore it,” Landon whispered, her voice breathy and full of promise.

  “But what if—”

  Landon’s lips cut off the rest of her feeble protest, and Carly nipped back at her, hungry for the connection.

  A loud ringtone burst through their haze. “Tell me you have a spontaneous speaker system,” Carly said against Landon’s lips.

  “I wish.” Landon leaned back, her eyes full of regret.

  “Is that ‘The Imperial March’ from Star Wars?”

  “Uh, yeah. It’s my ringtone for Jane.”

  “Better not let her hear it.” Carly ran a finger down Landon’s chest. “Now it’s my turn to tell you to ignore it.”

  The ominous notes of the tune started up again.

  “Tell me,” Landon said.

  “Ignore it.”

  “I will.”

  The tune stopped for a moment, but then started up again. Carly shot a look at the coffee table where the phone rattled against the wood with each ring. She wanted to ignore it, she really did, but she was certain now that the buzzing she’d heard earlier was Jane as well, and Jane was probably wondering why she wasn’t able to reach either one of her two top attorneys who were allegedly in the car together, headed back to Dallas. She looked back at Landon, who greeted her with a gentle smile.

  “I’m sorry,” Carly said as she slipped out of Landon’s arms and walked the short distance to her own phone. She scrolled through her missed calls, surprised to see Trevor’s number along with Jane’s. She’d never even heard the first call. She’d been too mesmerized by Landon’s touch. She still was, but she had a job to do, and nowhere in the job description was long, slow kisses one of her assigned tasks.

  Carly checked her text messages, but all she had were a string of “call mes” and “where are yous” from Trevor. It didn’t bode well that neither one of them had been compelled to send any sort of detail about why in the hell they were so eager to reach them. She held up her phone. “I’ve got lots of calls, but no intel here. How about you?”