“You need something?”
“I need you to stop being so…so nice to me.”
“You want me to be mean?” He settled her back onto the couch, sat down on the coffee table and began to unbuckle the Velcro tabs on the boot. “I’m sure I could think of some…interesting possibilities.”
He lifted her foot out of the boot and set it on his lap. A multi-colored sock couldn’t hide the swelling around her ankle, and he smoothed his hand lightly over it. “Looks sore.”
“It is.”
Jamie grabbed one of the pillows from the couch and set it on the table. Then he carefully put her foot on top of it and wrapped the towel-covered bag of ice around it.
He slipped another pillow behind her back. “Better?”
Her shoulders relaxed as she studied her foot, propped on the pillow. “Yeah. Thanks, Jamie.”
“Not a problem. I’ll get started on those files.”
“What?” She swiveled to face him. “No. You can’t do that.”
“Maybe I want to.”
“You…you can’t. Those files are confidential. You can’t read them.” She sounded a little panicked. He didn’t think it was because she was afraid he’d read the files.
“Wasn’t planning on reading them. Was planning on filing them.”
“Jamie…” She swallowed. “Go home to your beer and your baseball game.”
“Rather be here,” he said without looking at her. He grabbed the first pile of file folders and began to sort them alphabetically. He felt her gaze on him, but didn’t look up. Helen Brody was a stubborn woman. He was equally stubborn. And now that he’d found her again, he wasn’t going to let her push him out of her life.
After five minutes, she flopped back on the couch. “I don’t have time to argue with you,” she said.
He guessed she was going for huffy. Instead, she sounded tired. “Then don’t. Get ready for your case.”
She didn’t move for an unnerving minute. Then she pulled the laptop back into place. Moments later, she began to type.
When he finally snuck a look at her, she wasn’t paying any attention to him. She pursed her lips, paused, then typed again. She was lost in her work.
Jamie suspected he looked the same way when he was working on a piece of furniture. Oblivious to the world, completely wrapped up in what he was doing. Without worrying that he’d disturb her, he sorted and filed until all the folders were tucked into the banker’s boxes.
He’d just gotten the boxes arranged in order on the floor next to her couch when she closed the laptop and set it on the coffee table. She lifted the ice bag off her ankle and put the boot back on, then glanced at him. Her eyes widened when she saw the array of filled boxes.
“You got them all filed?”
“Piece of cake. Would have been tough for you with that ankle – too much bending and lifting.”
“I would have managed.”
“You would have. But now you don’t have to.”
“Thank you, Jamie.” She glanced at her watch. “But you’ve missed your baseball game.”
The hell with the baseball game if filing a bunch of papers gave Helen that soft look in her eyes. “Checked the score. Cubs won.” He stood up, stretched, watched Helen’s gaze drift over his chest. “You probably need to get to bed. What time do you have to be in court tomorrow morning?”
“By eight-thirty.” She sighed. “This is a…a difficult case. An abusive husband and a wife who’s finally standing up to him. I need to talk to my client before we start, make sure she’s ready before we face the judge. And her ex-husband.”
“Sounds like a tough case.”
“It is. But Mel…my client is determined to stand up for herself this time. She won’t put her kids at risk.”
“They going to be in court, too?”
“No, thank God. They’ll be in daycare.”
“In case I have questions about your office, when will you be finished?”
“Before noon, I hope.”
“Okay. I won’t call until the afternoon.” He’d take her out to dinner tomorrow night, too. If he had to, he’d use the same excuse as tonight – talking about her office.
This time, he’d make sure she realized what they could have together.
He put his hand beneath her elbow and helped her stand up. She limped over to the door and opened it. “Thanks for your help tonight, Jamie.”
“Glad to do it.” He nudged the door shut and backed Helen against the wall. “I’m glad I found you again, Helen,” he whispered as he lowered his mouth to hers.
Chapter 5
Helen’s eyes fluttered closed and she clutched Jamie’s arms. To push him away. She didn’t want him to kiss her.
His mouth touched hers, and electricity arced between them. Her skin sizzled. Her breasts grew heavy and achy. Her clit throbbed. Every molecule of her body sighed ‘at last’.
Wait. No. Not that.
She pushed him away, and her mouth yearned for him. She began to follow his mouth until she remembered she didn’t want to kiss Jamie.
“Helen.” He twined his hands with hers and leaned closer. “It’s just a kiss.” He brushed her mouth with his, the merest of touches, and her legs weakened. “I want to taste you again. I wake up at night, imagining I’m kissing you.” He touched his tongue to the corner of her mouth. “I’ve never tasted anything so good.”
“Jamie,” she whispered against his lips. “This is..this is…”
“It’s right.” He sucked her lower lip into his mouth, let his tongue dance along its sensitive inner surface. “True.” He let her lip go, then tugged at it with his teeth. “The best ever.”
She was shaking with need. Aching for him. And he’d barely kissed her. He put his hand against her back and drew her closer, until her body was flush against his from their chests to their thighs. His erection was hard against her belly, and she squirmed against him, trying to climb higher on his body.
She kicked him with her boot, and he flinched. “Sorry. Sorry,” she said, trying to untangle their hands. “I didn’t mean to…”
“I know you didn’t,” he said, cupping the back of her neck and drawing her closer. His other hand fumbled for hers, as if he needed to be connected to her as tightly as possible.
She wanted the same thing.
The tiny corner of her brain that was still thinking rationally yelled ‘No!’ But the rest of her canted toward Jamie, skin on fire, heart racing, heat crashing over her in a wave of desire. Her brain might be saying ‘no’, but the rest of her was sighing ‘finally’.
Helen expected him to push. To feed her obvious desire for him, to stoke her arousal until she was mindless with need and begging.
If he had, it would have been easier to step away from him.
Instead, he barely touched her mouth with his. He teased her lips, roamed over her cheek and down her neck, nibbled on the tender skin beneath her ear. He moved slowly, carefully, as if she were a wild horse that needed to be calmed.
The hand curled around her nape massaged gently, sending licks of flame down her spine. Moving as if he had all night, he slid his fingers higher, massaged her scalp, let the thick waves of her hair curl around his fingers. He rubbed the strands together, as if fascinated by their weight and texture.
That night a year ago had been all about heat and lust and frantic need. About memorizing every inch of each other’s body, about driving each other wild, about making her come once more when she was trembling and boneless from the last orgasm.
Tonight, he seemed content to explore her mouth, her skin, her hair. She wanted more. Needed more. She needed his hands on her breasts. His mouth. She needed to feel his skin against hers, the rasp of the hair on his legs as he slid them between hers. She wanted to feel the hair on his chest teasing her nipples.
“Helen,” he murmured, sliding his mouth over hers again. When his tongue traced the seam of her lips, she opened to let him in.
He tasted spicy. Like coff
ee and chocolate. He tasted the way she remembered from a year ago. A taste she’d been craving ever since.
She edged closer, spreading her legs to keep the heavy, clumsy boot away from him. His thigh pressed intimately against her, exactly where she needed it. He increased the pressure, and she almost moaned into his mouth. Her clit throbbed. Ached. She wanted him to touch her. Needed to feel the slide of his fingers against her.
As she reached for his hand, she wobbled against him, the boot making her unsteady on her feet. He stepped away, although his mouth never left hers. Their tongues stroked, tangled, tasted.
Suddenly she was in the air, and she gasped. He’d lifted her into his arms. “Jamie. What…what are you doing?”
“Getting you off your feet.” He settled her on the couch, easing her booted foot against the back cushion, putting her left foot on the floor. Then he nudged the coffee table out of the way and knelt beside her.
“Have to keep your ankle elevated,” he whispered. “Don’t want it to hurt tomorrow.”
He’d given her enough time for logic to take over again, and she struggled to sit up. “Jamie, I have to get some sleep. You should go.” If he stayed, there would be no sleeping tonight.
“One more kiss,” he said, brushing her hair out of her face. Easing her back down on the couch. “Then I’ll go.”
Before she could object, his mouth was on hers again. Harder this time. More insistent. His tongue stroked hers, and her hips rose from the couch. He spread his fingers against her abdomen, their heat burning into the skin beneath her thin skirt. The heel of his hand slid between her legs, pressing against her clit. She moaned into his mouth, and he pressed harder.
She was embarrassingly close. Just like that other night. He’d barely touched her and she’d exploded. Now, the rhythm of his tongue stroking hers and the pressure of his hand made her thrust her hips helplessly, the need for release almost painful.
“Easy, babe,” he whispered, his teeth teasing the tendon in her neck. “Easy.”
He took his hand away from her abdomen and she whimpered at the loss. But he moved to her thigh, his hand burrowing beneath her skirt, moving higher. When he was close enough that she could feel his heat, he stopped. Another inch, she begged silently. Move your hand another inch.
“Helen.” He nibbled on her ear, his breath warming her neck, making her shiver. “May I touch you?”
“Please,” she begged. “Yes.”
He finally moved that last inch. His warm fingers slipped beneath her underwear and slid over her aching flesh. “Jamie,” she sobbed.
“You’re so wet,” he whispered, touching everywhere but where she wanted him the most. “I love how wet you are for me.”
She was thrashing on the couch, desperate for the release she needed, and Jamie cupped her breast. As he touched her nipple, he swirled one finger around her clit, and she exploded, screaming his name.
He continued to touch her until she collapsed into the cushions, drained and shaking. She rolled onto her side and reached for him, but he stood up.
“Not tonight,” he said. His erection was straining against the zipper of his jeans, and she wanted to feel his hardness, the velvety skin, the heat of him in her hand. She tried to unzip him, but he stepped away.
“You touch me and I’m here all night and neither of us is getting any sleep. You have to be in court tomorrow.”
She managed to press her hand against him as he backed away, and he closed his eyes. She watched as he struggled for control. “Helen,” he finally said, his voice barely more than a groan. “I’m trying to do the right thing here.”
“How is making me come then walking away the right thing?”
He pulled her upright and helped her stand on still-wobbly legs, then wrapped his arms around her. His erection pressed into her belly. “You have to be in court tomorrow. You’ve had a rough couple of days.” His mouth brushed hers. “I didn’t mean to start something tonight, but…” He kissed her again, his tongue tangling with hers, then pulled away. He was panting. “I couldn’t keep my hands off you. I needed to touch you. And now I need to leave.”
“I…I want you to stay.” God help her. She couldn’t bear it if he walked away.
He kissed her once more, then set her away from him. His hands were shaking as he brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “Tomorrow, Helen. I’ll stay tomorrow.” He leaned in, as if he couldn’t stop himself from kissing her. “Lock the door behind me.”
Releasing her finger by finger, he walked out the door and closed it quietly behind him.
She sank onto the couch, listening to his footsteps descend the stairs. Was Jamie really that unselfish? Or was he just trying to prove to her that he was a good guy?
No. That wasn’t fair. She’d seen the need in his expression, felt his hard, swollen cock. He’d wanted her. Badly.
But he’d walked away. Because she had to be in court tomorrow. She scowled as she stood. He hadn’t given her a chance to make a choice.
She would have made the wrong one.
She needed to be at the top of her game tomorrow. She had to make sure Melinda Ashcroft got full custody of her children. That Doug got only supervised visits with them.
She couldn’t go into court exhausted, thinking too slowly, because she’d spent the night making…fucking Jamie Evans.
He was bad for her on so many levels. No one else had ever made her forget her responsibilities. Her job had always come first. And no one else had ever made her yearn for what she couldn’t have.
Maybe she and Jamie could have a fling while he worked on her office. Maybe…maybe this insane need for each other would burn itself out in the month or so that he’d be around.
She wouldn’t think about what would happen if it didn’t.
***
Helen shifted her weight from her aching right leg to her left as Doug Ashcroft’s attorney droned on. He was trying to explain to the judge that the injuries documented in the photos Helen had submitted were incurred in household accidents.
“Objection, Your Honor,” she finally said when he called Melinda a liar. “My client…”
Before she could continue, the judge held up his hand. “The photos have already been documented as legitimate,” he said to Doug’s attorney. “Don’t bother trying to persuade me otherwise.”
Doug swiveled in his chair and glared at Melinda. When he began to mouth something, Helen stepped forward enough to block her client’s view of her ex-husband.
Finally the judge shook his head. “Sit down, Mr. Vondell. I’ve made my decision. Full custody to the mother, Melinda Ashcroft. Doug Ashcroft will have supervised visits only, once a week. Schedule to be arranged by the attorneys.” He banged his gavel. “Next case.”
Helen tried not to wince as she sat down. Melinda grabbed her arm. “Did I hear right?” she said. “I get full custody?”
Helen gripped her client’s hand. “You heard right. We’ll figure out the details of the supervised visits later. You won’t have to see or interact with Doug at all. I’ll help you to make the order of protection permanent.” She smiled. “Let’s get you home to Andrea and Linc.”
Melinda threw her arms around Helen’s neck. “Thank you,” she sobbed. “Thank you, Helen. I didn’t think this would happen.”
Helen rubbed her client’s back until Melinda regained control. The young woman squared her shoulders. “I need my kids,” she said, her voice shaky.
“Did you drive?”
“I took the train. I was too nervous to drive. I would have had an accident.”
“Then let’s get you to the train station.” Helen glanced behind her. Doug’s jaw was twitching as he conferred with his attorney. “Right now. I want you out of the courthouse before Doug.”
They gathered their belongings quickly. Helen hustled Melinda into the elevator and walked her out of the courthouse to the curb. She hailed a cab and watched the woman drive away. Not until the cab was out of sight did she allow herself to
relax.
Melinda’s problems weren’t over. Doug was an angry man who liked to hurt his ex-wife. Helen was afraid that, sooner or later, he’d cause problems. Helen had done her job and made sure he couldn’t hurt his kids. Melinda was going to have to be careful, though.
A hard shove from behind made her lose her balance and stumble into the street. She leaped back onto the curb just as a taxi screeched to a halt a few feet in front of her.
Doug Ashcroft stood behind her, smirking. “Careful, Counselor,” he said. “Wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”
Helen pulled out her phone and dialed 911. “I want to report an assault,” she said calmly when the operator answered. “I’m standing in front of the Daley center on Madison. Doug Ashcroft just tried to shove me in front of a cab.”
She listened to the operator tell her she’d have the police on the way, then hung up. Ashcroft quirked his eyebrow at her.
“I was saving you,” he said. “Some guy bumped into you and took off. I tried to grab you.”
“You can tell it to the police, Doug. We’ll see if they believe you or not.”
“Your word against mine, Ms. Brody.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his khakis and strolled away. Glancing over his shoulder, he added, “You be careful. Wouldn’t want you to have another accident.”
Chapter 6
Jamie pulled down the last piece of drywall that separated Helen’s office from her reception area and tossed it onto the pile by the front door. The dumpster was arriving in an hour, and he hoped to have the demolition of the office finished by tomorrow afternoon. It might be easier for Helen if the graphic evidence of the accident wasn’t staring her in the face every time she was here.
Her files were at her apartment, so there wasn’t any real reason she’d need to come to the office. But after last night, maybe she’d stop in and check on his progress.
He’d been thinking about Helen all morning – about the way she’d begged him to touch her. Asked him to stay. About the superhuman effort it had taken to walk away from her. He hadn’t wanted to be responsible for her messing up in court today.
Love Me Page 4
