Sweet Seduction

by Anthology

  Surprise etched her features as she searched his face and then reached for the medicine. “Thank you,” she said, cutting her gaze to the vanilla creamer he’d swiped from the fridge. She poured some in her cup and downed the pills with the hot, sweet mixture.

  “You’re uncomfortable with me being here.”

  Her gaze jerked to his. “No. No. My head hurts and…” She stopped and stared into her cup, palms now wrapping around it. “And I…you know.” Her lashes lifted and she seemed to be lost for words, something he was sure the well known dynamo prosecutor rarely struggled with.

  “Tell me,” he prompted.

  “Oh well, heck. I’ll just say it. I’m a little embarrassed about last night. I wasn’t exactly proper.”

  Still honest, minus the alcohol. He’d expected her to be more guarded, expected maybe everything would change with morning light, that she wouldn’t be near as enticing as he’d thought the night before. But she was just as refreshingly different from what he’d expected from her today as she had been yesterday. And he knew part of what made her so appealing to him was how real she was. Perhaps the most real thing to touch his life in a very long time. He didn’t want her to feel embarrassed. Hell, he’d wanted her just as much or maybe more than she had him. Seeing her so excited had made him burn for more. Her trust meant more to him than acting on that desire.

  “Come here.” He turned his chair and held out his hand in invitation. She looked at him, nervousness in her eyes. He drew her hand into his, tugged gently, and softly added, “Please.”

  For a moment, he thought she would refuse, but satisfaction warmed him as she pushed from her chair and came to him. It took so little for her to make him want, to make him need. Such a simple gesture of her willingly sliding into his lap wasn’t so simple for Lauren, though. The effort he knew it took for her to reach beyond her inhibitions magnified its meaning a hundred times over.

  Before she could change her mind, he wrapped his arms around her waist. “You have no reason to be embarrassed with me. I loved last night.”

  “But we didn’t-”

  “I loved last night,” he repeated. “And since it’s the weekend, I would love it if you would spend the day with me.”

  Her eyes went wide. “You want to spend the day with me?”

  He nodded as he laced his fingers behind her neck and pulled her lips to his in a quick but hungry kiss. “What do you say?”

  She hesitated. “This isn’t exactly how I had this planned.”

  “Thought you could use me for a night of hot sex and be done with me, huh?”

  Her cheeks flushed. “No,” she said. “I mean yes. I mean...” She groaned.

  He laughed. “Spend the day with me, Lauren.”

  “Royce.” Her voice hinted at uneasiness. "I’m…” She let her voice trail off, then gave a delicate little laugh. “See what you do to me? It’s not normal for me to not finish sentences. You’re very-”

  “Unexpected,” he filled in, using her words from the night before.

  Her features softened. “Yes. You are very unexpected and I just really don’t know how to react to you.”

  “Honestly.” he said. “Just say, and do, whatever feels right.”

  She considered him a moment, then shook her head. “This is crazy, Royce. I’m so not your type.”

  He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer but he asked anyway, “And what exactly is my type?”

  “Julie,” she said. “Blonde and gorgeous and curvy, and-”

  He kissed her, his tongue sliding into her mouth, tasting her slowly, with delicate sensuality. “You are my type. You, Lauren.” His knuckles caressed her cheek. “Spend the day with me.”

  “You want to?”

  “Very much.”

  She leaned back and searched his face, then glanced at the clock above the bar. “Even if I agree, it’s ten-thirty. I promised to join my family for lunch at twelve-thirty.”

  “Then have dinner with me.” She hesitated, and he added, “Trying to cut and run on me?”

  Her gaze latched onto his, narrowed. “What time for dinner?”

  He smiled with his success. “Seven.”

  “Seven-thirty,” she countered, and somehow he knew it was because he’d pressed her into challenge mode, into courtroom battle mode, with his ‘cut and run’ comment. And he liked the contrast of sweet and spicy that was this woman, liked it so much. Too much.

  He shook his head and laughed. “Seven-thirty,” he agreed, setting her on her feet before he carried her to her bedroom and forgot dinner altogether. “I’ll drop you by your parents’ house and save you the cab money if you like.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I want to,” he said. And he wanted to do so much more with her as well, which was why he set her on her feet, away from him, firmly maintaining his seat. “You should go shower and get ready. I’ll be here waiting.”

  She blinked down at him and he saw the immediate indignation on her face. When her arms crossed in front of her, he knew he was in big trouble. “You have a very bossy way about you, Royce Walker, you do know that, right?”

  “So I’ve been told on a few random occasions,” he admitted, trying not to laugh because, damn, this woman was going to put him in his place ten times over. And considering the rush of heat flooding his body, thickening his cock, and setting his imagination into overdrive, he was pretty sure he was going to like every second of it. “I promise to try and tame that part of my personality, but this time, I’ll plead my case, counselor. I had your best interests in mind.”

  “Really?” she asked, arching a brow, and pressed her hands to her hips, opening her body language and letting him know he was winning her over. “How exactly is that?”

  He forced himself to stay seated and not reach for her, but it wasn’t easy, not at all. That imagination of his was kicking into high gear, and his zipper was stretching right along with it. “Because you see, every second that you stand there looking good enough to eat, I contemplate the many reasons why I should join you for that shower. In which case, I can assure you that you won’t make that lunch.”

  Her eyes went wide, her mouth forming a silent “O” before she quickly turned and rushed toward the bedroom, her cute, heart-shaped butt demanding his attention with every step she took.

  ***

  Lauren couldn’t believe Royce Walker was sitting in her living room watching Sports Center, with her panties somewhere in the general area of his feet, she imagined. But he was, and they were, and well, at least she could face that fact feeling somewhat put together. She’d showered and dressed in black pinstriped pants, a black sweater, and sleek high-heeled boots, which beat the dress from the night before to face her embarrassment by a long shot.

  Royce rose from the couch and quickly hit the remote, the dark stubble on his jaw somehow adding to his raw masculinity, if that was even possible. His gaze skimmed over her, taking her in with hot, hungry eyes that had her feeling pretty hot herself. “You look terrific.”

  “Thank you,” she said, unable to stop the heat to her cheeks she normally wouldn’t have experienced. It wasn’t like men weren’t everywhere in her world, using compliments and sometimes insults, to try and persuade her to help whatever their cause might be. But Royce was different, he was…just different.

  They were just stepping into her hallway, about to depart, when her phone rang on her kitchen wall. She frowned, knowing this wasn’t going to be a call she wanted. No one had her home number. She didn’t even know why she bothered with a house phone when her cell was what she lived by. Except her father, who resisted technology, and still favored land lines. Hoping it was him calling to cancel lunch, she rushed inside the door. By the third ring, she brought the receiver to her ear, only to be greeted by the sound of a clock ticking. Her stomach lurched at the familiar sound, the one she’d hoped to avoid when she took the call.

  Feeling Royce’s comforting hands settle on her shoulders, she blew
her hair out of her eyes and replaced the receiver on the cradle.

  “Problem?” he asked, stepping so close that his body framed hers, his nearness, his touch, sending a shiver of awareness racing down her spine.

  She turned to face him, the warmth of his body radiating into hers. “No, not really. I’ve just been getting these weird calls. Probably kids being silly. Or someone angry over one of my cases. It comes with the job.”

  Royce leaned a broad shoulder on the wall beside her. “What do you mean weird?”

  “It sounds like a clock is ticking, and then the line goes dead.”

  “Huh,” he said. “And how long exactly have you been getting these calls?”

  “Maybe two weeks, and really, they don’t bother me. Well,” she hesitated, “maybe a little. I’ve been…”

  “Been what?”

  “I don’t know,” she said as she gnawed her bottom lip. “Nothing.”

  He studied her a moment, and she worried he was going to press her, kicking herself for saying anything, but all he asked was, “Is your number listed?”

  She shook her head. “No. And it’s a house phone. Who even calls on a house phone anymore? I don’t even know why I have one. Maybe the calls aren’t even for me. Really, they can’t even be about one of my cases. No one could get the number to start with.”

  “So this is the only line you’ve gotten them on?”

  “So far.”

  “So far?” he asked. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  She pursed her lips, kicking herself yet again for the verbal misstep. What was she supposed to say anyway? That the phone calls would seem silly if she didn’t have this weird sense of things going on around her that she didn’t know about yet? Or that she felt uneasy, like she was being watched? That would make her sound like some wimpy, crazy female, and she wasn’t, nor did she want to be treated like one. Her job, her life, had taught her to stay guarded, taught her not to show weakness, and yet, she was failing miserably at just those things with Royce.

  She pushed off the wall. “We should go.” He didn’t move. “Change your number on Monday, and don’t forget to call maintenance about that window.”

  “Okay now, Royce Walker. First you ordered me to shower.”

  Amusement danced in his eyes. “For your protection, if you remember correctly.”

  Her stomach fluttered, heat pooling low in her stomach, at the memory of him suggesting he might join her. “And now you order me to change my number.”

  Seriousness bled into his handsome face. “Also for your protection.” He straightened, towering over her, the fingers of one of his hands slipping between hers. “Please. Change the number and call maintenance.”

  Please. He’d said please. And when he said it with sincerity radiating from those gorgeous blue eyes, he was irresistible. Again, he’d shown her the unexpected. She didn’t think this man had ‘please’ in him. She liked that he did that he’d said it for her. A slow smile slid onto her lips. ”Since you put it that way.”

  But in the back of her mind, she knew she’d agreed for more reasons than simply Royce’s request. Something deep and dark was bothering her. She wanted to change her number, she wanted to call maintenance. And a big, macho male, who happened to rock her world and make her feel safe, wasn’t such a bad addition to her day, or to her plans for dinner.

  Chapter Five

  A few minutes later, Lauren settled into Royce’s truck and watched him pull into traffic. “We’re going to drive right by my home office,” he said. “So if you don’t mind, I’d like to swing by and grab something.” He glanced at the clock on the dash. “And if you think I have time, I’d like to snag a quick shower.”

  “In your office?”

  “My office is in the same building as my apartment.”

  “Wow. I’m jealous your office is in your home. I’d never be able to do that with my job.”

  “When my brothers and I decided to open Walker Security, we bought a small building. We live on the upper level and work on the bottom floor.”

  “Really? You live with your brothers?”

  “A little too close for comfort sometimes,” he said with a laugh. “But thankfully, each apartment has its own door."

  Lauren studied his profile, watching him maneuver through traffic with the kind of finesse he seemed to have with everything he did. “Oh,” she said. “That’s a unique living arrangement.”

  He shot her a quick grin. “Yeah, well, you’ll see firsthand soon enough.”

  She grinned back at him. “I’m looking forward to it. Families always have great little tidbits to share about each other.”

  He laughed. “Yes, well, I see we’ll need to make this a quick trip. The last thing I need is my tidbits getting out before I’m ready.”

  Before he was ready, as if he thought he might be ready someday, as if they were developing a relationship.

  “So,” he said. “I guess I should come clean and tell you that after reading the morning paper, I now know that I’m a close friend of the opposing counsel on your upcoming case. And that I apparently look angry in all photos taken of me.”

  She cringed. “I didn’t even look at the paper. I’m so used to that stuff I tune it out. I’m sorry.”

  “I wasn’t fishing for an apology. I just wanted you to know I am friends with Mark. But we don’t discuss his cases and we actually haven’t talked at all in a few weeks.”

  “Thank you for telling me that,” she said, meaning it. She liked that Royce didn’t have a political agenda; she liked it a lot. “And since I know Mark pretty well myself, I know he’s ethical. I know he wouldn’t talk to you about the case.”

  “No, he wouldn’t. But I read up on it this morning. Sounds like a pretty sticky case. Let me get this straight. The defendant killed her husband and you’re after the death penalty. Mark’s defense is Battered Women’s Syndrome.” He whistled. “That has to be a tough one for you to handle.”

  She hesitated. “I can’t discuss anything that we aren’t making public and even that has to be on a limited basis.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “You’re right,” she said. “It’s hard. Half of the media is making me out to be the monster here, mostly because the family of the suspect is doing so much of it themselves, especially the brother. But I don’t go after a death penalty verdict lightly, Royce. There’s a life insurance policy, a big one. And this woman didn’t kill her husband in the heat of the moment. She slowly, methodically poisoned him. There were no calls to the police, no reports of violence from this woman prior to the murder. No history of violence anywhere in this man’s life at all.”

  “I read all of that in the paper,” he said. “And what baffles me is that Mark runs his own firm and he doesn’t take cases for money or fame. He’s about justice and right and wrong. He must know something you don’t know.”

  “She’s convinced him she’s innocent,” Lauren said, her stomach knotting. “I don’t doubt that. But I don’t doubt the woman’s guilt either. And damn it, someone has to fight for the man she killed, because he can’t do it himself.” She waved her hand dismissively, unease tightening her stomach. “Enough about my work. I’d rather talk about you. Tell me about your brothers before I’m in the center of the Walker pack. I know a little about Luke since, I’m sure you know, he and Julie dated, or had a fling, or whatever it was. I never quite figured it out.”

  He snapped his fingers. “Just like that, we’re changing subjects?”

  “Exactly,” she said with a firm nod. “I was surprised to hear Luke left the SEALs. Julie thought he’d be in for his career.”

  “He was afraid Blake and I would kill each other if he didn’t referee.”

  “Really? Why is that?”

  He cleared his throat. “Blake thinks I order him around too much.”

  Lauren laughed. “I have a hard time believing that. Blake must be exaggerating.”

  He chuckled, a deep, sexy rumble that sent a wave of a
wareness rushing over her, and suddenly they were joking back and forth, and the stress of her upcoming case faded. With every word spoken, every smile exchanged, she found herself more drawn to Royce. By the time they pulled into a rented parking spot outside of his four-story, white brick building, Lauren was feeling as if she were talking with an old friend, surprisingly at ease.

  As he held the door open for her and she exited the vehicle, a cool breeze danced through her hair, lifting it, a signal that winter wasn’t quite gone yet. She took a deep breath, allowing the lingering season to conjure emotions both past and present. She glanced at Royce as he stepped to her side, wondering where he fit into those feelings.

  She followed him into his building, sneaking covert looks at him, wondering how any man could look so good, so ruggedly handsome in a wrinkled suit with a one day beard. But he did look good, oh, how he did. He looked about as perfect as a man could look.

  They rode the elevator several floors up, and when she finally stepped into his private apartment, she was pleasantly surprised at what she found. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but it wasn’t what she saw. That seemed to be the theme for all things she had discovered about Royce Walker. She found herself standing inside a cozy, warm home, rather than a typical, cold and unfeeling bachelor pad, with a kitchen to her left and a bar that opened to a large living space that said Walker Security was doing well, because this was Manhattan, where space and quality came with a price tag. The decor was definitely masculine, warm hues of brown and tan, and free of female frills, with overstuffed chairs and a large couch. And of course, an oversized, manly flat screen television with large floor-to-ceiling windows on either side.

  Standing just inside the doorway, Royce tossed his keys on the counter that divided the living area from the kitchen.

  “Make yourself at home,” he said with a smile. “I’ll shower and change, and then we can be off again.”