Feels Like Family

by Sherryl Woods

  “No way,” Jimmy Bob said, his face red. “This town doesn’t need any more of these border jumpers coming in to take jobs that belong to our own people, Helen. What is wrong with you?”

  Helen merely shook her head at his outrageous comment. “There’s nothing wrong with me, but there’s a whole lot wrong with an attorney who would cheat someone out of their very limited funds, then do absolutely nothing to help them.”

  “I’m telling you, you’re being conned,” he blustered.

  “The federal government doesn’t seem to agree,” she said. “But rather than sit here and argue with you about the merits of Diego’s case, I’ll be happy if you’ll just write a check to Tess for the amount she gave you. She and Diego can use that to get settled when he gets back here. If you’re smart, you’ll add a little interest to keep me from spreading this story far and wide.”

  “That’s blackmail,” he accused.

  “We can certainly debate that in front of the bar association’s ethics committee,” she offered.

  Jimmy Bob locked gazes with her. When Helen didn’t flinch, he finally pulled a checkbook out of his desk and wrote a check. She glanced at the figure and nodded in satisfaction. “Thank you. I’ll see you in court in a few days. I think we can get the Holliday case wrapped up this time, don’t you?”

  “I’ll do my best to convince Brad of that, but he’s furious about this last maneuver of yours. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him so angry. He’s been on a rampage, making all sorts of ridiculous threats.”

  Helen’s gaze narrowed. “Threats?”

  Jimmy Bob waved his hand dismissively. “Nothing to worry about. He’s just blowing smoke.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Of course I am. Brad’s been a respected member of this community most of his life. He’s not going to do anything stupid.” Jimmy Bob shook his head. “Doesn’t mean I can get him to listen to reason when it comes to settling this case.” He paused and gave her a considering look. “You know, Trent and I have been thinking about adding another partner. You interested?”

  “In working with you?” Helen asked. Was he kidding?

  “Why not? You’re smart. You’re tough. I admire that.”

  “While I appreciate the compliment, Jimmy Bob, I’m afraid I don’t have the stomach for working with you.”

  To her surprise, he grinned. “That’s exactly what I like about you, Helen. You don’t pull punches. Think about the offer.”

  “No need to,” she assured him.

  “Not even if it meant you could spend your spare time trying to reform me?”

  She laughed at that. “Something tells me you’re beyond redemption, Jimmy Bob.” She waved the check before tucking it into her briefcase. “But you did the right thing this time. I appreciate it.”

  He walked her to the door. “You take care, you hear.”

  “You do the same.”

  As she drove away, she couldn’t help wondering if Jimmy Bob was the scumbag she’d always thought him to be, or just a good old boy who got a kick out of working all the angles to see who’d call him on it. Thinking of the check she’d gotten for Tess without too much of a protest from Jimmy Bob, she was beginning to think it might be the latter.

  Karen had been conscientiously going to The Corner Spa every afternoon for an hour during the break between lunch and dinner at Sullivan’s. As much as she’d hated the exercise at first, she realized that she always felt better afterward. She was never going to run in a marathon or lift her own weight in barbells, but the modest goals and challenges Elliott set for her were making a difference in her overall stamina and fitness.

  She’d been disappointed when he’d declared her ready to do her workouts on her own, but she’d understood that his time was valuable. He had other, paying clients who deserved his full attention. Still, she watched with a certain amount of envy as he coached those other women, while she trudged away on the treadmill or rode an exercise bike.

  She sighed as he bent close to a new client, whispering encouragement as he once had to her. She reminded herself he was just doing his job. Despite the sparks she’d felt, it was obvious she’d been just another client to him. Why had she allowed herself to make such a big deal of their time together? Because she was an idiot, that was why.

  She finished her cooldown stretches, then headed for the locker room. Suddenly Elliott stepped into her path.

  “You weren’t pushing yourself today,” he said. “What’s going on?”

  She flushed under his intense look. “I was distracted, I guess.”

  “Something you want to talk about?”

  Not with him, anyway. She shook her head.

  “Then how about going to a movie with me this weekend?”

  The request, coming right after she’d convinced herself she’d only imagined Elliott’s interest, caught her completely by surprise. “A movie?”

  He grinned. “I’ve been known to sit in the dark occasionally and stare up at images on a big screen. It’s relaxing.”

  “And here I thought you never sat down for a second.”

  “You still haven’t answered me,” he said. “How about a movie?”

  Karen was tempted, but there were so many complications in her life she wasn’t sure she could handle any more. Maybe she was better off sticking with the fantasy. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” she said at last.

  Elliott looked genuinely disappointed. “Another time?”

  Deciding to explain the reason she was turning him down, she asked, “Do you have a minute for a break? I’d like to talk to you about this.” She wanted him to understand that her refusal wasn’t about him. Maybe then she wouldn’t be slamming the door for good.

  “Sure, I can take a break,” he said readily. “I’ll get us a couple of bottled waters and meet you on the patio out back.”

  “Give me ten minutes to shower and dress.”

  “That’ll work.”

  Karen was grateful for her short hair. She was able to shape it while it was still damp and look halfway presentable when she joined Elliott outside. Several women studied her with interest when she sat down at his table.

  He handed her the bottled water, then leaned back in his chair. Though he was totally focused on her, he still managed to look completely relaxed and at ease. Karen envied him for that.

  “Elliott,” she began hesitantly, “I didn’t turn you down because I don’t like you. I…” She tried again. “My life is complicated and—” She stopped. “No, actually it’s a mess. Or it has been. I have two kids. My ex-husband hasn’t paid child support since he left. My kids have been sick a lot. I’ve missed work. I’ve been totally stressed out. In fact, one of the reasons I’m even here is because my shrink thought the exercise would help with the stress and Dana Sue arranged for a free membership. That’s my life in a nutshell.”

  Elliott’s gaze remained steady as she blurted everything out. When she was finished, he simply nodded. “I knew all that, or most of it, anyway. I didn’t know about the deadbeat dad, but I’d heard all the rest.”

  “And you still want to go out with me?” she asked in amazement.

  He chuckled at her reaction. “Here’s what I see. You’re a beautiful woman who’s had a tough time. You’re a good mom. You’re working hard to put your life back together. Your kids are back home now, which proves just how hard you’ve worked. What’s not to admire and like about that?”

  “But why would you want to get caught up in all my drama?” she asked, genuinely bemused.

  “Didn’t I mention you’re gorgeous? And funny?”

  Karen laughed. “You hadn’t mentioned the part about me being funny,” she teased. “Now I get it.”

  “Look, it’s just a movie. We can make it a family thing, if that would be easier for you than worrying about a sitter. I like kids. I’d better. Between my brothers and sisters, I have ten nieces and nephews. They’re always around at my folks’ place. My mom takes her duties as th
eir abuela very seriously.”

  Karen thought about that. “Daisy, she’s my five-year-old, has been begging to see the new animated movie. Could you stand it?”

  “My nieces tell me it’s great and they’re very good judges of animated films,” he said.

  Karen made an impulsive decision for the first time in ages. “I have to work on Saturday. Would Sunday afternoon be okay for you?”

  “Sunday afternoon would be fine. We can go for pizza after the movie.”

  “You are a very brave man,” she said.

  “Heroic, perhaps?” he teased.

  She laughed. “Maybe.”

  But, she admitted to herself, he was showing all the signs of being outstanding hero material.

  Erik couldn’t figure out what the devil was going on. Suddenly every time he turned around Helen was in the kitchen at Sullivan’s, and she didn’t seem to be there to see Dana Sue. In fact, he was getting this odd vibe that she was there to flirt with him, which made no sense at all. They’d talked about the fact that neither of them were looking for any kind of serious relationship. While there was no mistaking the flirtatious undertones of their conversations, she had yet to say or do anything that would suggest she was ready to move to another level. In fact, the messages she was sending out were so mixed he had yet to unscramble them. Didn’t mean he wasn’t getting a kick out of trying, though.

  More peculiar than Helen’s behavior was the fact that Dana Sue didn’t seem to be behind any of it. If anything, she seemed just as puzzled by Helen’s presence as he was.

  After she’d shown up every single night for a week, Erik decided to call her on it. Dana Sue had gone home with Ronnie after Helen had volunteered to stay and help him clean up the kitchen. Right this second she was apparently on a mission to polish every piece of chrome in sight.

  Erik hitched himself up onto a counter and watched her work, a frown furrowing her brow, her hair curling about her face from the steam that had filled the room when he’d opened the dishwasher. She’d kicked off her shoes, another pair of those high-heeled sandals that drew attention to her shapely legs. Her hips swayed in time to some tune she was singing, mostly off-key. He couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face as he listened to her slaughter the lyrics and the tune. It was yet another unexpected side to a very complex woman, who was as fascinating as she was infuriating.

  Apparently sensing his gaze on her, she turned slowly. “What are you looking at?”

  “You,” he said.

  “Why aren’t you cleaning?”

  “Because it’s more fun watching you do it.”

  “If I’m that entertaining, maybe I should request pay.”

  “Since you managed to keep Karen on the payroll, convinced us to hire Tess and nudged Dana Sue to bring in more part-time help, there’s not enough left in the budget to pay you, too.

  “Tell me something.” His tone was serious. “Why are you hanging around here so much lately? Are you bored? Did you run out of high-profile cases all of a sudden?”

  To his surprise, her gaze locked with his. “Maybe it’s the company.”

  That took the wind right out of his sails. He hadn’t expected her to be so direct. Then, again, he didn’t know why not. Helen was one of the most direct women he’d ever met. She never minced words. The surprise was that she’d taken so long to get to this point.

  She tossed her sponge in the direction of the sink, then crossed the kitchen to stand directly in front of him. She put a hand on his chest. “We’ve kissed a few times now. I can’t seem to get that out of my head,” she said, sounding a little breathless. “How about you?”

  He shrugged, not ready to admit to just how hard it had been to shake the memory of their kisses. “I haven’t had to work too hard at forgetting,” he claimed. “You said you wanted time to think things through. I figured you’d let me know when you had.”

  She looked skeptical. “Really? You haven’t thought about those kisses at all? Maybe I’m remembering them all wrong. Could we try it again? This time without me throwing a pie at you first, of course. Or having a couple of kids around to keep things from getting out of control.”

  When she leaned closer, Erik put his hands on her shoulders and studied her. He wanted to be really sure about this, needed her to be sure, as well. Something told him that this time one kiss was going to lead to another and then to a whole lot more.

  “What’s really going on here, Helen?”

  Her lips twitched. “I thought my communication skills were pretty well-honed. I want you to kiss me again, Erik. Or I can kiss you. It doesn’t really matter which way it starts.”

  He grinned. “Haven’t you heard? Men like to take the initiative.”

  “Then do it,” she said.

  But instead, he ran a thumb along her cheek, then along the curve of her jaw. Her skin flushed beneath his touch. “You’re such a contradiction,” he murmured, beginning to lose his grip on the common sense that was yelling at him to stay away from this woman. As direct as she was being, there was more going on, something he had a hunch he should know before he got in any deeper. Still…

  He stroked a hand down her arm, the skin like velvet. “Such a contradiction,” he repeated. “Hard as nails in some ways, but so damn soft in others.”

  She held his gaze, waiting, silent for once. Then she licked her lips and he was lost. That mouth of hers had tormented his dreams for a while now. It had only gotten worse once he’d kissed her and knew just how soft her lips were, just how passionately she would kiss him back. He’d lied about forgetting all that. He’d thought of little else for weeks.

  “This is such a bad idea,” he murmured, just before he leaned forward and claimed her.

  Two hours later, when he woke up in his bed, the sheets tangled around them, her body curved into his, the idea seemed a whole lot better than it had at first glance.

  14

  Helen wasn’t sure what she’d expected when she’d deliberately set out to seduce Erik tonight, but it certainly wasn’t the wave of guilt that washed over her not five seconds after she’d had one of the most mind-shattering orgasms of her life. Her conscience, which usually remained silent given the relatively honorable life she’d always led, was screaming so loudly it drowned out the part of her that wanted to bask quietly in the moment. She’d even lied to his face about birth control, implying he didn’t need to worry because she had taken care of it. Things had been so hot and wild at the time, he hadn’t questioned her more closely.

  “What’s going on in that head of yours?” Erik asked, propped up on one elbow beside her, his other hand resting on the bare curve of her hip.

  “I was just thinking that we should have done this months ago,” she said. It wasn’t a total lie. She’d thought that several times as he’d been making love to her. They’d wasted weeks on a dance that had had an inevitable outcome. How had she escaped the power of the chemistry between them until tonight?

  Erik grinned at her. “You weren’t ready months ago. Neither was I.”

  Helen wanted to argue that she’d been waiting her entire adult life for a man to pay so much attention to her pleasure, but she remained silent. Such a comment, which would have come naturally under other circumstances, rattled her now. She hadn’t expected to feel so connected to this man after sleeping with him just once. She hadn’t expected to feel anything more than a momentary release, a mutual satisfaction. Somehow she’d convinced herself that she could be intimate with Erik for however long it took for her to get pregnant and yet somehow remain detached. Tonight had pretty much destroyed that illusion. She might be able to walk away when the time came because she had to, but she wouldn’t be detached.

  “You’re still thinking too hard about something,” he said, scrutinizing her face. “Talk to me. Try the truth this time.”

  Instead, she reached for him. “Talking is a waste of time,” she said right before she kissed him.

  Erik pulled back, his gaze locked with he
rs. For a moment, she thought he was going to argue, but then he honed back in on her mouth.

  Her body sang, she thought with amazement, as he stroked and caressed and probed, lingering here, skimming there, taunting and teasing until every inch of her was shouting for yet another magnificent release.

  “I love watching the way your eyes turn dark when you’re about to come apart,” he said, gazing into her eyes.

  “Are they dark now?”

  He nodded.

  “Then what are you waiting for? I want you inside me, Erik. Now, please.”

  “Not just yet,” he said, and began his exploration of her body all over again, taking his time, clearly savoring every touch.

  Helen had never allowed herself to let go completely with another man. Maybe it was because she was a control freak. Maybe it was simply because she was terrified to be that vulnerable.

  Erik wasn’t giving her any choice. He seemed to know her body as if he’d been studying it for years. He knew when she was achingly close to release, only to have him slow things down. He knew just how long to let the heat cool before turning it up again. In fact, to her frustration and delight, he was an expert at the teasing seduction.

  Each time, he took her a little higher, then let her back down again until she was ready to take charge herself and end the torment.

  “Now,” she commanded, her unyielding gaze locked with his.

  “Now?” he asked innocently. “You think so?”

  “Yes!” Her hips writhed as he played his fingers over her damp heat. For this instant, her urgency had nothing to do with getting pregnant and everything to do with getting to that pinnacle that he was cleverly keeping just beyond her reach. It was all about the two of them and a connection so powerful it would have terrified her if she’d had the ability to think clearly.

  “Okay, then,” he said at last, hovering above her. “If you’re sure.”

  “I am so sure,” she whispered, lifting her hips.

  When he entered her this time, she felt the most amazing sense of completion, as if she’d been waiting for this her entire life, not just for the past half hour. She bucked, trying to draw him deeper inside, but Erik controlled the rhythm, steadying her to accept his pace. Slow, then fast, then slow again until she was practically mindless with need.