“God, Helen,” he groaned as he eased it down to expose her perfect breasts. When he put his mouth to her skin, she tasted like afternoon sunlight, as if she’d absorbed it through her skin and pores and held it inside until he released it in the dark.
His mouth followed the bodice of the dress as he slid it to her waist. When he couldn’t tug it further, she sat up and yanked his shirt over his head. Buttons popped and hit the hardwood floors with soft plinks. As she tossed it away, she pressed her mouth to his skin, licking and sucking until he groaned again.
“Dress. Off,” he managed to say.
She drew his hand to her back and he found the zipper. It hummed as he yanked it lower, until he could draw the filmy material of the dress over her hips.
She lay before him in a scrap of lace and her bra twisted beneath her breasts. He sucked in a breath, then fumbled over her back to release the bra. He felt like a clumsy teen, undressing a girl for the first time, but he couldn’t get her clothes off fast enough. He needed to show her what she meant to him. How much he wanted her. That he was never going to let her go.
Before he could strip away her panties, she’d wrapped her legs around his waist, tugging him against her. “Jamie.”
Her voice was high and reedy. Desperate. Almost as desperate as he was. He fumbled off his pants, ripped away her panties and surged into her.
There was no finesse to the way he made love to her. There was nothing but need, hot and brutal and demanding. She didn’t seem to mind. When he thrust into her, she thrust back. Every stroke brought him closer and closer to release. Every stroke made her moan and hold on more tightly.
“Jamie,” she gasped, her hips bucking wildly into him. “I’m so close. I need…aaah. Yes. Oh, God, Jamie.”
She arched her back and gripped him more tightly, then flung her head back and screamed as she came.
Her muscles clenched him so tightly that he followed her, unable to hold off, unable to let her ride out her climax.
Finally they collapsed together on her bed, legs twined together, his arms banded around her. She clung to him just as tightly.
“Not leaving, Helen,” he panted into her ear. “Can’t leave.”
He felt her tense beneath him. “Don’t leave,” she whispered. “Stay the night.”
Wasn’t what he’d meant. But he didn’t want to fight about it tonight. All he wanted was to hold her close as they slept and wake up next to her in the morning.
It was still dark when the ringing of a phone woke him. Helen slid off of him – he was pretty sure she’d been lying sprawled across him – and rolled over to reach for her phone. Propping herself on one elbow, she pushed the button.
Her hand gripped the sheet beside her as she said, “Melinda. What’s wrong?”
Chapter 10
“He’s driving past the house,” her client whispered.
Helen shivered. She snatched the sheet and wrapped it around herself. “Have you called the police?”
“What if they don’t believe me?”
Helen squeezed the phone so tightly she was afraid it would shatter. “Call the police, Melinda. You have to document this.”
“What if I’m wrong?”
“Do you think you’re wrong?”
There was a long pause. “No,” she finally said. “I didn’t recognize the car, but he’s been past the house four times in the last hour. He slowed down every time.”
“For God’s sake, call the police!” She grabbed the paper and pen she kept next to her bed, scribbled down Melinda’s name, address and phone number and handed it to Jamie. She mimed phoning as she listened to her client tell her why she didn’t want to call the police, and Jamie nodded. He walked out of the bedroom, stark naked, and Helen caught herself watching him. She closed her eyes. Focus on your client.
“Are you going to hang up and call the police?” she demanded.
“I’ll see if he comes by again,” Melinda hedged.
Helen curled her fingers into the bed. “Melinda, I’m going to call them myself. It’s my duty as an officer of the court – if I suspect someone is in danger, I have to act. Do you understand?”
“It’ll scare the kids.”
Like her deranged husband breaking into her house wouldn’t scare them worse? She counted to ten. “Doug will scare them more if he gets in your house. And aren’t the kids sleeping?”
“They woke up when they heard me walking around.”
Helen took a deep breath. She knew the psychology of abused women. And she knew how much Melinda needed to protect her children. “The best way to protect Andrea and Linc is to call the police.”
“Okay, I’ll call them.” Melinda’s voice shook.
“Call me back when they get to your house.”
“Okay.”
She clicked off, and Helen drew her arm back to throw the phone at the wall with frustration.
Jamie walked in and lunged for her hand, prying the phone out of her grasp. “The police are on their way to her place.”
“God!” She shoved her hands through her hair. “She doesn’t want to scare her kids. Doesn’t she realize what will happen if Doug gets into the house?”
Jamie pulled her into his side. “She isn’t thinking about herself. She’s thinking about her kids.”
“Yeah, but what happens to them if she’s dead? Or in the hospital?”
“She’s not thinking about that,” he repeated. He stroked his hand over her back. “She’s doing what she thinks is right to protect them.”
Helen closed her eyes and curled into Jamie’s side. “Sometimes I wonder why I focus on custody cases. Why didn’t I go into something less stressful, like corporate law?”
“You’re trying to protect children,” he murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Because that’s who you are.”
She stood up and grabbed her robe off the back of a chair. “I need some tea. You want some?”
“Not really a tea drinker,” he said, standing and pulling on his pants. “But I’ll put some water on if you want to get dressed.”
Jamie was doing exactly what she needed, Helen realized. He was calm. Steady. Letting know he was there, letting her vent, not telling her what to do. “Thank you,” she said, leaning over to kiss him. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
After the tea was made and poured, they sat at the kitchen table. The clock on the wall ticked loudly in the silence. She had one hand curled around the mug, the other entwined with Jamie’s hand. “This would have been a lot harder if you weren’t here,” she said after awhile.
“Glad I was here, then.” He nodded at the mug in her hand. “Better not get any ideas about tossing that at the wall, though. Trying to smash your phone was bad enough. If I step between that mug and the wall?” He shuddered theatrically. “Hot tea could do some serious damage to a guy.”
“Not going to throw the mug,” she said, her mouth curling up. She wouldn’t have bet on smiling after that phone call. “Too much clean up.”
His hand tightened on hers. “You have a lot of clients like this?”
“I have my share, but Doug is the worst in a long time.” She shook her head. “No one is at their best during a divorce. And when kids are involved…” She took a sip of hot tea. “It’s bad.”
“You make it less bad,” he said. “And you know it. That’s why you do it.” He shook his head. “God, Helen. How do you do this when you’re here alone?”
He closed his eyes. “Wait. Don’t answer that. I don’t want to hear about anyone else who’s been here with you.”
“Jamie.” She nudged his foot with hers until he opened his eyes. “There hasn’t been anyone here for a while.” She hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. “No one since that night.”
“Which night?”
She rolled her eyes. “Do I have to spell it out? That night we met at the club.”
“I wasn’t digging for information,” he protested.
“Of course you were, but
it’s okay.” She sighed. “I seem to be telling you all my secrets tonight.”
“Then I guess it’s only fair to tell you one of mine.” He drew her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. “There hasn’t been anyone for me since that night, either.”
“Really?” That was…amazing. Scary as hell. “That’s…wow.”
“Yeah.”
They stared at each other for a long time. She finally leaned across the table and kissed him. “I’m glad I waited for you.”
“Me, too.”
This was getting too heavy. She jumped up and opened the back door. The evening had cooled down, but the air was still warm. She stepped outside and breathed in the scent of Chicago, watching the moonlight glint off the new plants in her garden.
Jamie stepped out behind her, wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. “Is that your garden in the back yard?”
“It is. I love fresh tomatoes in the summer. Nothing tastes as good.”
“Mmmm,” he said against her skin. “I can think of something.”
“You’re delusional.” She smiled, staring down at her tiny tomato plants. “We’ll do a taste test in August.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said lazily.
Wait. August was two months away. She’d given herself a month with Jamie.
The thought of not seeing him in August, not sharing her tomatoes with him, made her chest tight and her heart ache. “Maybe…” Her phone began to ring, and she fumbled it out of her pocket. “Hello?”
“It’s Melinda.” The woman took a deep, shaky breath. “The police are here. They’re looking for the car. An officer is going to park on the street tonight, too.”
“That’s good, Melinda.” Helen relaxed her shoulders. Had she tensed because of the phone call? Or was it realizing Jamie wouldn’t be with her in August? “Call me in the morning, okay? We need to talk about your options.” She couldn’t do it tonight. Not when Melinda was still so rattled and upset. “The police will find Doug,” she said briskly. “When they do, I’ll push for him to be held without bail.”
“Thank you, Helen.” Melinda took another breath. “The kids are asleep. I’m glad you made me call the police. I feel safer now.”
“Good. Try to get some sleep yourself, Melinda. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
She turned off the phone and slipped it back into her pocket. “The police are looking for him. A squad car will be outside her house tonight.”
“That works for tonight. But she won’t be safe until that guy is locked up.”
“No. She won’t.” She shivered in the warm night air. “Maybe…it might be time for Melinda to disappear with her kids.”
“As in run away?” His voice was calm. No judgment. No disapproval.
She nodded “I’m afraid of what could happen. Doug is losing it – he attacked me, twice, because I’m representing her. He violated the order of protection and repeatedly drove past her house. I don’t want Melinda to be a story in the newspaper – the one where everyone knew the guy was dangerous but the police couldn’t stop him from killing his ex.”
He smoothed his hand up and down her arm, as if soothing her. “With everyone so connected these days, disappearing isn’t easy.”
“No. But there’s a group…” She turned to face him. “I can’t tell you any details. But they help women disappear.”
“Do you think Melinda will agree?”
“I have no idea. I hope so. All I can do is give her the option and hope she takes it.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close. His skin was warm against hers. Comforting. He smelled like Jamie – like wood and coffee and the outdoors. “You have a tough job.”
“Yeah.” She shivered, and he hugged her against his side. “There are times when I’m almost glad I can’t have kids,” she said, her voice wobbly. “That’s what I couldn’t tell you earlier. I’ve seen so many horrible things – the way parents turn their children into weapons they use against their spouses. The way kids are bargaining chips in a divorce. All the ways parents hurt their kids. Damage them. I guess…I guess I’m not sure I want to be a parent.”
“You’d never do any of those things to your children,” he murmured into her ear, kissing her temple. “And you wouldn’t get involved with a guy who would. I saw how you were with your family. How important they are to you. You’d never hurt a child that way.” He turned her to face him and kissed her, and she found herself leaning into him. Deepening the kiss.
He finally separated from her, one inch at a time, as if he couldn’t bear to let her go. “You can’t let your job bleed into your life that way,” he murmured. “You’re not your clients. People like you are the ones who should have kids.”
Jamie would help her keep her head on straight. He wouldn’t let her brood about her clients and worry that she’d become like them. She cupped his cheeks with her hands. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for saying that.”
Jamie was good for her. His upbeat, positive approach to life was the perfect antidote to her serious nature. To her worry and brooding.
She wanted to hold onto him and never let go. She wanted his lightness in her life, his joy, his ability to make her laugh.
But she couldn’t give him what he wanted. She’d have to let him go.
Just not today.
“Let’s go back to bed,” he whispered. “You need a distraction, and I have some ideas about that.”
“Yeah?” She nudged him with her elbow, already smiling. “What kind of ideas?”
“Hmmm.” He tugged at the sash of her robe. “First, this thing has to go.”
“On the back porch? In front of all the neighbors?”
Even in the darkness, she saw the flash of arousal in his eyes, the color that swept over his cheekbones. “I didn’t say anything about where it would come off.” He nipped at her collarbone, nuzzled aside the lapel of the robe. His tongue drew lazy circles around her nipple. “You like it when people watch?”
She shivered. “Only you, Jamie. I only like you to watch.”
“Do you want to take this inside, then?” He moved lower, tracing her ribs with his mouth, swirling his tongue into her belly button.
She arched against him, sliding her hands down his back and into his jeans to squeeze his ass. “It’s the middle of the night,” she murmured against his neck. “No one’s out here.”
He sucked in a breath. “You sure, Helen?” He spun her around and backed her against the wall. Now they were hidden in the shadows, but if anyone looked closely, it would be obvious what they were doing.
“Am I sure about this?” she said, easing her hands out of his jeans and undoing the button at his waistband. “I thought you wanted to distract me.”
“Hope it’s working for you,” he muttered. “Because it’s really working for me.”
She pressed her mouth to his chest, felt the muscles tense beneath her lips. When she swirled her tongue around his flat nipple, it drew into a hard, tiny bud and he arched his hips into hers. “Fuck, Helen,” he moaned.
Pleased with his response, she shoved his jeans down his thighs and curled her fingers around him, sliding her thumb through the liquid that beaded at the top. “I want to taste that,” she said, bending to take him into her mouth.
“Oh, God, Helen.” She swirled her tongue around the sensitive tip, and he bucked helplessly into her mouth. “I don’t give a damn if the whole city is watching,” he groaned. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
“Mmmm,” she hummed, knowing he’d feel the vibration, and his hips twitched.
When she finally released him with a tiny pop, he grabbed her head and kissed her. There was no finesse to his kiss. It was all tongues – hot and dirty and rough. As if he wanted to devour her.
His hand fumbled at the sash of her robe, and the short silky garment fell open. The warm air hit her overheated skin, and she moaned at the sensation. He palmed her ass to lift her, and she wrapped h
er legs around his waist. The next moment he was inside her, thrusting wildly.
“Can’t stop,” he said, wrapping his arms around her to cushion the wall against her back. “Can’t slow down.” He bent his head and took her nipple in his mouth. “You’re wrecking me, Helen. Destroying me.”
“No more than you’re doing to me,” she gasped. He was winding her more and more tightly. So fast. So high. He changed his angle and thrust once more, and she exploded.
She muffled her cries against his shoulder, and he shuddered as he followed her over. When they finally stopped moving, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Helen.”
That was all he said. Just her name. But he said it as if she was everything. All he wanted. All he needed.
Her heart swelled and her breath caught. She was in this with Jamie too deeply. She should be worried. But right now, all she wanted was to hold him tight and stand on her back porch with him forever.
Chapter 11
The next morning, Jamie lounged on her bed and watched as she dressed for work. He was naked, which wasn’t helping her concentrate on dressing, and his gaze drifted over her like a caress. She tried to ignore all that golden skin and smooth muscle, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away.
When Jamie was nearby, she had a hard time focusing on anything but him.
Now she was trying to hurry, but having him watch her made her hands shake. She dropped her shirt on the bed as she tried to slip it on.
They’d spent way too much time in the shower this morning. By the time they got out, the hot water was gone and her body was limp and boneless. It was ridiculous to be thinking about jumping his bones again.
He must have read her mind, because his cock twitched and began to swell. “When do you have to be in court?” His voice had gone all rough velvet and his eyes glittered.
“Too soon to do what you’re thinking about.”
He shifted and sat up, grinning at her. “Spoilsport.” He lifted his arms over his head and stretched, highlighting his washboard abs and impressive chest. She froze as arousal rushed through her, hardening her nipples and bringing a flush to her chest and neck.
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