by Anya Nowlan
Sanctuary, she thought with a small smile.
Forrest & Williams was a small firm, but their reputation was solid. Most of the staff was made up of younger up-and-comers like her, save for Forrest and Williams themselves.
After arriving at the office, Hailey spent the rest of her day looking through her other cases and prepping for hearings. It felt good, putting the likes of Culliver and company out of her mind for a while and working on something actually worthwhile. After a couple of cups of coffee and lunch with her coworkers, she was feeling a lot better than before. The headache was gone and so was the sluggishness.
At around six, she decided to call it a night and head home. Her apartment complex wasn’t that far away from the office, so it didn’t take long until she was parked in front of her home.
She was just an elevator ride away from getting out of her pencil skirt and button-up and into some sweatpants and a tub of Ben & Jerry’s and a rerun of Good Wife to forget all about the day she’d had.
She stepped out of the car with a sigh, heels clicking softly on the worn asphalt as she approached her door.
She was so preoccupied with her thoughts of oncoming relaxation that she almost screamed when a hand gently tapped against her shoulder. She hadn’t even heard any steps behind her, only adding to her panic. She whirled around, ready to use her car keys as a weapon, but froze when she saw who it was.
“Troy?” she asked, incredulous.
What’s he doing here?
Her heart beat faster, but not due to fear any longer. As much as the Crimson Claws had dominated her thoughts that day, Troy had grabbed his fair share of time from her as well, and for good reason. He wasn’t the kind of guy that was easy to forget.
Seeing him again, standing tall and with those delicious lips curved in a way that made her want to kiss the smirk right off his face, only confirmed that.
Troy’s smirk turned into a grin as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Hey. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He was still just as disarmingly good-looking as before, blue eyes sparkling with something mischievous. But it wasn’t just his looks that drew her in. There was this air of calm confidence and control about him that made her gravitate to him like a ship to a lighthouse on the stormy seas.
“It’s fine. You just caught me off-guard,” she answered, still wondering what the hell he was doing lurking around her place.
Not that she minded. Not entirely, anyway.
“We didn’t really get a chance to talk this morning. You can tell me to take a hike, but I’d really like to take you to dinner. Since I knew nothing about you except for your first name and where you lived, I hung around here to wait until you got back. I swear I’m not a stalker, Hailey!”
He raised his hands, putting on his best show of innocence, batting his lashes. She smiled slightly, appreciating the gesture.
So he does remember my name. Score one for Romeo.
Could she really say ‘no’ to him? Even though his methods of getting a date veered slightly on the creepy side?
But who didn’t love a man with determination, right?
I’ve already slept with him, what’s a date or two?
“I can see you’re on the fence here. Let me just remind you I’m an excellent kisser and a great dancer,” Troy offered with a sly grin.
That earned a laugh from Hailey.
Maybe he is worth getting to know, bad timing be damned. And if he wanted to murder me in my sleep, he could have already done that earlier.
“Okay, you’ve got a deal. On one condition!”
“Name it,” he said, looking so smugly confident that Hailey got the feeling he knew what her answer was going to be way before she did.
“No more creeping up on me in the dark.”
“You’ve got a deal.”
Hailey was in way over her head and she didn’t even know it.
Five
Troy
The next evening, Troy sat anxiously at the restaurant where he and Hailey had agreed to meet.
Am I actually nervous before a date? That hasn’t happened since… high school.
He knew there was something different about Hailey. The way his lion reacted every time he saw her told him that much. And the way he basically stalked her into a date was definitely out of character for him. Usually, he just sat back until someone approached him.
And someone always did.
It worked fine for him. He’d get a night of fun, and so would the woman involved, and she’d be gone by the next morning. Out of his bed, out of his head.
But Hailey wasn’t like that.
Troy knew her body, had tasted it and felt it around him, and he wanted more. The way her voluptuous frame moved under his touch was ingrained into his brain. If that would have been the extent of it, he could have managed. Desire was nothing new in his world, he could control himself easily enough.
But he wanted to get to know her, see what made her who she is. That threw him for a complete loop.
I thought I was prepared for anything, he thought with a roll of his eyes, taking a sip of his whiskey.
Maybe if he knew more about her, he’d figure out why he was so drawn to her. Maybe he could put her out of his head and focus on more pressing matters, like how he was going to survive the Crimson Claws.
His lion bristled and snapped his teeth, as if trying to tell him something. Troy ignored it, all of his mental capacities now occupied with ogling the woman who just stepped through the doors.
Spirits above…
Hailey was wearing a deep purple, knee-length dress that hugged her ample curves in just the right way, making him gulp as his gaze snaked across the swell of her breasts and the sway of her hips. The color of the dress accentuated her mocha skin, almost making it glow under the dim lighting of the restaurant.
She smiled and walked to their table, prompting Troy to stand and give her a quick hug. Well, at least it was meant to be quick. He might have lingered a bit longer than strictly necessary. And the way he smelled her hair definitely wasn’t necessary.
They sat down, both studying each other curiously. The attraction was still there without a doubt. The electricity crackling between them could not be missed. Now it was time to see if they actually had something to talk about.
“You look amazing,” Troy said to start things off.
Hailey smiled, tilting her head slightly.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” she said, deep brown eyes sparkling.
Troy leaned back in his chair and noticed Hailey’s eyes following the movement closely. He grinned, looking down at himself with a knowing look. Hailey blushed, realizing she had been caught staring, but remained mostly unruffled by it.
She leaned back as well, her short hair grazing her shoulders, as she moved one knee over the other, rubbing her thighs together with deliberate slowness. If this were a game, and Troy was pretty sure it was, then she would be winning. The way his mouth went dry could attest to that.
“I aim to please,” he replied with a wink, gathering himself.
“I think we’ve established that already, along with the fact you’re a good kisser and a great dancer,” Hailey commented wryly.
“I think the kissing was described as ‘excellent’,” Troy amended, feeling playful.
“Yeah, by you,” Hailey countered with an arched brow.
“Well, I’m an expert in my field.”
The waiter suddenly appeared, handing them menus and bursting their little bubble. It seemed that when Hailey was around, Troy had trouble seeing anything else around him. His focus was everything to him. It had kept him alive through thick and thin and he prided himself on it. This woman was turning out to be more dangerous by the minute.
My Drill Sergeant would have classified her as a Grade A problem, he thought, smiling at the notion.
He couldn’t wait to see how much trouble he could get himself into with her.
They picked out t
heir dishes and ordered, stealing glances at each other the whole way through. Hailey settled into her seat, placing her hands on the table and looking him straight in the eye.
“So, what do you do for a living?” she asked, sounding professional.
Troy chuckled.
“Quite the interrogation technique you have there, Miss… oh, wait, I don’t even know your last name.”
“It’s Molloy. Back to you,” Hailey replied smartly before taking a sip of her water.
She wasn’t screwing around with this. Troy straightened up in his seat like he was at a hearing, testifying in defense of his supposed innocence.
Her full lips against the rim of the glass almost made Troy lose his train of thought.
“Sellen. That’s my last name,” he answered.
Hailey threw him a little eye-roll.
“Do you think I’ll forget my first question if you just keep distracting me?”
“No, I just like the way your eyes look when you get impatient. They almost turn a lighter shade of brown,” he commented, leaning in as well.
Hailey was momentarily caught off guard as they looked at each other. It was like she was looking for clues or maybe confirmation about something, Troy wasn’t sure. Hailey pursed her lips, suppressing a smile.
“You’re good,” she remarked, pointing at him.
“Whatever you’re accusing me of, I claim innocence,” Troy said, spreading his hands.
“Oh, I doubt that,” she remarked. “But fine, I’ll go first if that makes you feel better. I’m a lawyer. Just to be clear, in polite company, it’s expected that you tell me your profession now.”
She’s a lawyer, of all things? At least I’ll have someone to call if I ever get caught and put on trial for multiple counts of murder, Troy taught with grim humor.
“I was in the military for a long time, and now I’m looking for something that gives me purpose. I just don’t want what I do or what I don’t do to define who I am or define what your opinion of me is,” Troy replied.
He hadn’t meant to get so serious, but the words just flowed out of him. He couldn’t tell her the whole truth – there weren’t a lot of people out there who knew who Troy Sellen really was - but he could at least be as honest as the situation allowed. Hailey’s eyes widened at his response.
“Oh. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot…” she trailed off, her joking tone gone.
“Didn’t you though? Taking work home with you?” Troy teased, trying to lighten the mood. “I’ll come home with you. Don’t worry.”
“It’s tough to get away from sometimes, it does feel like it follows you around,” Hailey answered, momentarily lost in some unknown memory.
“I’m sure your clients appreciate your commitment. Some of them must get in trouble just to spend more time with you.”
He liked the way he could make her squirm a little.
“I think that was an attempt at flattery,” Hailey remarked, the smile back on her face.
“I’m just saying, I would totally turn to a life of crime just to see your face on a regular basis,” he grinned, managing to even amuse himself.
“You’re assuming I practice in criminal law. Maybe I just file papers all day and save people money,” Hailey smiled, batting her lashes with fake modesty.
No. She’s a shark, no doubt about it.
“Sure. The way you took me to task for avoiding your question tells me you’re a tax lawyer. I’m betting I wouldn’t want to be on the opposite side of you in a court room,” Troy responded.
He got a feeling there was much more to Hailey than she was willing to let on. She was no wallflower, and she definitely didn’t let things slide. He had to admire her tenacity.
Hailey laughed, her smooth and smoky voice rising a bit higher than usual. The sound pleased Troy’s lion, who purred softly just beneath his skin. He could listen to her for a lifetime and not get tired of it.
“People tend to think it’s all dramatic exclamations and surprise witnesses, like an episode of Law & Order. Most of the time, it’s pretty boring. It’s like firefighters, really,” Hailey mused casually, like that last part was supposed to make all the sense in the world.
“Firefighters? I think you’ve got Law & Order mixed up with Chicago Fire.”
Hailey leaned over, ready to launch into an explanation. Which would have been a lot easier to focus on if her cleavage was not now squarely placed into Troy’s line of sight. As much as he tried to pick his battles, he remembered far too well how her breasts felt in his large palms to ignore them as fully as he should have. But he gave it his best.
“What I mean is, sometimes firefighters fight fires, like the name very subtly suggests, and that’s the part all the movies and TV shows are about. But then there are the less exciting calls, like getting cats out of trees.”
“So what you’re saying is, you’re the one that gets cats out of trees?” Troy asked, just as their food was arriving.
“That’s exactly it,” Hailey replied with a look on her face that made Troy doubt she was telling him the whole truth.
There’s a lot more to this woman than she’s willing to let on.
Troy wanted to discover all her secrets.
If only he knew how it would upturn his life...
Six
Hailey
Hailey dug into her bowl of pasta, sneaking glances at Troy in between bites.
Their conversation was a lot more casual and carefree than she would have expected. Then again, he seemed like the kind of man that could charm the pants off of just about anyone. Even the way he was chowing down on his steak seemed sexy to her.
What is going on with me?
She was pretty sure she had been able to keep her cool during their date, but the truth was, her heart had started beating faster the second she spotted Troy sitting at their table. The man cleaned up very well, not that he wasn’t unfairly handsome before. He had somehow tamed his wild hair and was wearing a dark grey button-up that clung to and accentuated his hard chest.
That I got caught staring at, she remembered.
She couldn’t stop looking at Troy as he sawed through the meat before him, biceps rippling under the thin fabric of his shirt. Thoughts of the night they shared started swirling in her mind, making concentrating on food and intelligent conversation very hard.
Suddenly, Troy looked up from his meal with a devilish grin, as if he somehow knew the mere sight of him made Hailey’s panties wet.
“How’s your food?” he asked, before biting down on another piece of steak.
“Very good,” she answered, scrambling to get her mind out of the gutter. “You chose the spot well.”
“There’s nothing I like more than a girl with a healthy appetite,” Troy commented, wearing a private smile that told her he wasn’t just talking about their meal.
Hailey fought the blush appearing on her cheeks. It was like he had a radar for detecting her naughty thoughts.
The evening went by in a flash, with Troy probing her with questions every chance he got. He seemed genuinely interested in even the most mundane facts of her life. She hadn’t been on a date with a man so engrossed in her words in a while. Most men fixated on her generous cleavage or voluptuous ass.
Hailey did catch him stealing looks at her curves as well, but that didn’t distract him from carrying on a normal conversation.
“So, an only child, just like me? I think that means we’re supposed to be selfish and have trouble sharing,” Troy said as the evening was coming to an end.
“I hate generalizations like that.”
She waved her hand as if ushering the notion away.
“Isn’t that a generalization?” Troy asked with a raised brow.
Hailey narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. Damn him. Far too sharp for his own good. It was unfair – not only was he handsome, and a demon in the sack, but he was actually likable and intelligent. Way too much of a total package to be allowed out in the world without a d
isclaimer.
I wonder what’s wrong with him… There has to be something!
“I guess that’s fair.”
“Not used to being called out?” he queried, visibly amused by her reaction.
“Just pleasantly surprised,” she responded with a smile.
With her, guys tended to either feel threatened by her success or want to establish their superiority. Troy challenged her, but without being a jerk about it. It was a nice change of pace.
The waiter had started passing their table often, throwing them questioning glances. With a shock, Hailey realized they had closed the place out and were the only people left. The staff probably wanted to go home, but they were still chatting away, totally oblivious.
“I think they want us to leave,” Hailey whispered, sweeping her gaze over the empty restaurant.
Troy’s eyes followed hers and he waved down the waiter, asking for the check. The man was more than happy to oblige.
“I get the feeling one dinner isn’t nearly enough to unravel the mystery that is Hailey Molloy,” Troy commented, leveling her with a smoldering look.
“Well, you should finally get my number then,” Hailey offered, feeling heat spread all over her body.
I can’t believe I’m throwing myself at him like this. What happened to no attachment, no lasting connections!?
“Wasn’t planning on leaving without it,” Troy replied as the waiter returned.
Troy gave the man his card while she was still reaching for her purse.
“I can pay my share,” she objected.
“I skulked in the dark corners outside of your apartment building and scared you half to death trying to get you on this date. I think I owe you a meal, at least,” he countered.
From his tone, Hailey gathered there was no point in arguing.
After settling the bill, Troy walked her to her car, wrapping his arm around her as a chilly breeze whipped her hair around. The casual contact sent butterflies flying in her stomach, despite the fact they had already done far more than chaste hand holding and spending time together.
