The Bold and the Bullheaded: The G.D. Taylors Series

by Willow Aster

  He clears his throat. “Oh … I just enjoy keeping all that goodness for myself.”

  Estella shakes her head. “This man. He gets all my special recipes.”

  Garrett coughs. “Lucky man.”

  We are all on the verge of losing it, but we make our rounds and say our goodbyes. When Melanie closes the door, she looks at each of us. “I think something is not sitting right?”

  Mya hurries over to hug her. “I’m so sorry. I think it may be the olive juice … or the ghost peppers.”

  “My money is on the curdled cake,” Caden says before wrapping an arm around his mother and kissing the top of her head.

  “I’ll just be a little bit.” Melanie walks toward the stairs and Garrett follows.

  We make our way to the kitchen and Gus jumps out from behind the corner and we all scream.

  “Let the games begin, motherfuckers. I’m going to enjoy torturing you.” He rubs his hands together mischievously before an ungodly sound comes from his stomach. “Juniper fucking Holloway. Enough is enough.”

  Gus runs for the back staircase and Mya, Pen and I are huddled together in laughter. Caden high fives us before he shouts after his brother, “We’ll call on Mary Worth to see if she can help you.”

  “I think it’s going to take a whole lot more than Mary Worth. The fucking devil has planted his seed inside me,” Gus yells from the top of the stairs.

  Caden puts his fist over his mouth to hold back his laugh, and the rest of us lose it. I laugh until I can’t breathe.

  It’s a good time at the Taylors, and I’m sad that I’m only here for a few days.

  Every time I’m around the Taylors, I feel more like part of the family.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Spence

  There’s always this weird sort of lull between Christmas and New Year’s. I had a great time at home, but I missed the shit out of my girl after she left. It may have been the best thing to happen to us though. Somehow being away from Emma for just two nights brought us closer than ever.

  She called me Christmas morning saying she wished we were together. She was waiting for me at the airport and we haven’t been apart since I got back, aside from work.

  She’s calling me when she leaves the office now, and she spends her nights at my place. I want to ask her to move in with me, but I’m waiting for the perfect time.

  Emma and Mya are working late tonight, so I agreed to meet the brothers at Mean Mug. It’s been a while since we’ve been out.

  I find Gus at the bar telling a lengthy story about why no one is ever allowed to put an olive in his cocktail.

  “I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Allen, the bartender, says.

  “Oh, yeah. I promise you, my friend, Juniper fucking Holloway is the real deal. Dude will fuck you up with his deadly olives.” Gus shakes his head, but the corners of his mouth turn up when he sees me. “Ask Spence. His girl is the one who awoke the demon that stayed with me for days.”

  Allen is laughing now, and I roll my eyes. “Come on, drama queen. We’ve got a table.”

  Gus has a few orange slices and a mound of cherries floating in his cocktail. Clearly olives are off his buffet table of condiments.

  We take our seats, and the server walks over to get our order. We get a few appetizers and a couple of beers before we hand her our menus.

  “The girls are working late?” Caden asks.

  “Yeah. They’ve got a new case,” I say.

  “Mya is staying until Emma finishes up. She has a problem with that dickknob and was worried he’d be around,” Jesse says.

  “Who?” I ask, knowing I’m not going to like the answer.

  “Listen, Spence, I’m in a tough position. Mya told me something, and I’m not supposed to tell you.” Jesse runs his hand through his hair.

  “Brothers before mothers,” Gus says, holding his hands out to the side. “Am I right?”

  “That doesn’t even make sense.” Caden reaches for his beer when the server sets them on the table.

  “Well, I was going to say bros before hos, but I thought it would be offensive.”

  “It is.” Caden rolls his eyes.

  “How about dicks before chicks?”

  “Stop talking.” I give him a hard look because I’m losing my patience.

  He pops two cherries in his mouth and shrugs.

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” I ask Jesse.

  “That Arwin guy at the office. He likes to give Em a hard time, I guess.”

  The entire table goes silent. As much as we all joke and give one another shit, my brothers love Emma, and this shit will not fly with us.

  “A hard time? What does that mean?”

  “I don’t know exactly. Mya just finally talked to me about it last night because she was upset. She made me promise not to tell you. But it’s eating me alive.”

  “What happened?”

  “I guess the asshole has said inappropriate things to both of them before, but he’s taken a real liking to Emma. He tries to get her to go to dinner with him, claims it’s a work thing—shit like that.”

  Emma swore to me that this had stopped since he’d seen me in the office.

  “Okay. And she shuts him down?”

  “Absolutely. But he hasn’t taken the hint. Yesterday, he, uh, he…” Jesse stammers and I can feel my blood boil.

  “He what?” My voice is calm, but I feel anything but.

  Anger and rage storm inside me, and my hands grip the edge of the table.

  “He grabbed her ass. No one saw it. He went into her office, closed the door, and caught her off guard. Apparently, she slammed his free hand that was resting on her desk with her fist, and he ran out of there like a little bitch. But Mya thinks that the fact that he’s taken it this far and hasn’t stopped—you know, she worries he’ll do something more. That’s why she’s staying late at the office. She doesn’t want Emma to be there alone. And you can’t tell Emma that, because the girl is hell-bent on taking care of herself. So Mya’s just acting like she has work to do too.”

  I’m on my feet now and pacing beside the table. I reach for my phone and Jesse yanks it from my hand. “You can’t tell her. Mya is with her now. I’ve been texting with her. Arwin didn’t even come into the office today. Maybe he’s embarrassed. But brother, you can’t explode. You need to let her tell you what’s going on. Just talk to her tonight. Get her to tell you.”

  I’m so pissed I can’t see straight.

  “You were with her last night, right?” Caden asks. “Did she act strange? Nervous?”

  I think about it. “She was a little quieter than usual.”

  I sit back down and think about our night. She curled up on my lap and that’s where she fell asleep. She was fucking scared, but she didn’t want to say it.

  She doesn’t trust me enough.

  “She’s too proud to ask for help,” Jesse says. “Spence, you need to talk to her. Do not storm the fucking castle, you’ll push her away.”

  “So, what? I sit back and do nothing? That’s not my style.”

  I send her a text. I need to know she’s okay. Hey, how late are you working? I’m at Mean Mug. Do you want me to meet you at the office?

  “Good move,” Gus says, looking over my shoulder.

  “Shit. Mya’s going to kill me if this blows up,” Jesse grumbles.

  “I’m not saying anything. I’ll give her the chance to tell me tonight. But if she doesn’t, I can’t do nothing, Jess.”

  “Okay. Just give her the chance to tell you,” he repeats.

  My phone buzzes and I’m relieved that it’s her.

  Hey. We’re almost to you now. Heading your way.

  “They’re coming here,” I say, and Jesse looks down to see a text come in on his phone too.

  “Do not act like you know anything. Gus, that means you too,” Jesse says.

  “Dude. Have you met me? I’m a freaking vault,” Gus says, before tipping his head back to finish his cocktail.
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  “Last I checked, you ate some toxic food to save yourself from a cursed bullshit ghost,” Caden says, and they all laugh.

  I don’t.

  The fact that someone put their hands on Emma has me on edge. Why won’t she talk to me?

  She needs to put her guard down and trust me. Or I swear to Christ, I’ll blow this shit wide open.

  When the girls walk in, Mya heads toward Jesse and Emma beelines right to me.

  “Hey.” I kiss her forehead. She looks tired. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, of course. Just tired.”

  “Let’s head out. Get you home,” I say.

  “No. Finish your drink, I’m fine.” She makes her way around the table and hugs each of my brothers. I note that she’s holding her left hand weird, and I wonder if she hurt herself pounding that son of a bitch’s hand.

  She pauses when she gets to Gus. “I see a lot of cherry stems and orange rinds. Still no olives?”

  Gus laughs and wraps an arm around her before kissing the top of her head. “I don’t know that I will ever bring the olive back into my life.”

  “Rest in peace, olives,” my girlfriend says and Gus hugs her a little tighter. “Wait. Why are you being so nice to me when I’m giving you shit?”

  Gus stiffens. Jesse’s eyes double in size. Caden raises a brow at our brother and I roll my eyes. The doofus can’t keep a secret if his life depends on it. I slam my beer and reach for my coat.

  “He’s still sensitive about Jupiter Hall,” I say, reaching for Emma’s hand.

  “Juniper fucking Holl-o-way,” Gus shouts.

  Emma moves to the other side of me so I don’t touch her left hand. I’m going to get to the bottom of this if it’s the last thing I do.

  We say our goodbyes, and when we get outside, I pull her against me and wrap an arm around her shoulder. My place is only a few blocks up, so it’s not too far.

  “I noticed you favoring your hand. Did you hurt yourself?”

  She stiffens a bit and then looks up at me. “I banged it against my desk. It’s fine.”

  “Any particular reason you’re banging your hand on your desk?”

  She chuckles. “You know me. I’m a klutz.”

  When we arrive at my building and step on the elevator, I pull her close. “Hey, do you remember the night we had everyone over before we left for Chicago?”

  “Yes. That was fun, huh?”

  “It was. But you and the girls were talking about someone giving you a hard time. Who was it?”

  My arms are wrapped around her and her head rests against my chest. I want her to trust me enough to tell me what’s going on.

  I need her to.

  She remains perfectly still until the doors open, and she reaches for my hand. “Arwin.”

  I nod as I slip the key in the door. “Is he still making you uncomfortable?”

  She slips her coat off once we’re inside and moves toward the kitchen. I stop her and turn her to face me, my arms on each of her shoulders. I want an answer, and I’m not moving on until I get one.

  “Sometimes.”

  “I thought you said he had stopped harassing you after I came into the office,” I say.

  “He had for a little bit. And then I didn’t want you to worry.”

  “Did you report him to Jack yet? HR?” I ask, and she looks away.

  “No. I’m a woman trying to make a name for myself at the office. The four senior partners are all men. Hell, even Arwin told me that if I said anything, it would be his word against mine. And do I really want to be known as the woman who got harassed by a man? A weak man at that? I don’t. I want to be known for what I do in the courtroom. I can handle it,” she insists.

  “Just because you can handle it, doesn’t mean you should.”

  “Spence. Not to sound like a broken record, but … I have been taking care of myself for a long time. I’ve got this.”

  “Did he touch you?” I need to know if she’ll tell me the truth.

  “What? Stop. You have to trust that I know what I’m doing.”

  It isn’t a lie, but it sure as shit isn’t the truth either. But I don’t want to betray my brother or my girlfriend right now. I want her to trust me enough to tell me what happened, dammit.

  I groan and grab two bottles of water, setting them on the counter near us. “How long are you going to keep pushing me away?”

  She gasps and moves toward me, placing her hands on my chest. “I’m not pushing you away.”

  I nod. “All right.”

  “All right? That’s it?” she asks, and she pushes up on her tiptoes to kiss me.

  I run a hand down the back of my neck.

  Nothing about this feels right.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Emma

  I wake up earlier than I want to, my mind going in a thousand directions. I look over and Spence is turned toward me, eyes open. I reach out and touch his face.

  “What are you doing awake?” I whisper.

  He doesn’t say anything for a moment and I’m taken aback by how sad he looks.

  “Spence?” The panic in my voice seems to shake him out of it. He smiles, his expression softening and my fear along with it.

  His thumb traces my lips and my cheek. “You know you have nothing to be scared of with me, right?” he asks. “You know I’m not going anywhere?”

  I open my mouth to say yes, of course, I know, but I close it … because the very first place my mind always goes is to that dark place where he’s walking away.

  I think about my mother who has been silent over the holidays. I don’t need to even imagine what that means.

  “I’m getting there, I think.” It’s the best I can come up with and still tell the truth.

  “I’ll just keep telling you until you fully believe me,” he says. He leans over me and kisses my cheek, my neck, down the valley between my breasts and then gets sidetracked with each one. He makes sure to never leave one out and I appreciate that about him.

  He kisses his way down my stomach and even though I know where he’s going with this, it still makes me gasp every time his tongue dips inside of me. I sigh and moan and whimper … sounding like a greedy she-devil for sure, but ohhhh gooood God, what he can do with his mouth.

  I see stars and I pull him up by the hair, his mouth shiny from where he’s been. It’s the sexiest sight ever and I practically beg him for more.

  “I need you. Now.”

  His eyelids are hooded as he smirks the shit out of sexy. I can’t even make sense anymore.

  “In me. Now.”

  He chuckles and I shiver and then am moaning in the next breath when he slams into me, his long, hard, thick coc—

  “Ohhhh mmmmm, Spence,” I cry.

  I don’t know how he manages to wring so many orgasms out of me whenever we’re together. He’s the orgasm whisperer. I yelp when he pulls out of me and sits up, pulling me to sit up with him. He wraps my legs around him, and I don’t have to stay empty for long because he knows his way. The man knows his wayyyy. I moan again, my head falling back. He gives my hair a tug and I look at him. He rocks into me slowly now, as I dance side to side.

  He won’t let me look away. Every time I try, he shifts his hands to my face and his forehead leans against mine.

  “Not. Going. Anywhere.” He thrusts so deep, we both go still and feel every single twitch. When we’ve caught our breath, we start moving again, slower than I think I can take, but it’s so good, I want it to last forever.

  He makes me want to believe in forever.

  Our movements become frantic, the build ramping up until I can’t think straight, and when we finally let go, he whispers my name over and over, his face buried in my neck.

  I love him.

  Something inside of me awakens and takes root … hope.

  I hope with all of my heart that I can believe in Spence Taylor.

  It’s hard to leave him to go to the office.

  Something shifted between us this mornin
g. I’m trying not to overthink it to death, but I’m a lawyer—that’s what we do. When I have more time, I will allow myself to fully dissect this. Preferably with Chardonnay and some wings.

  Mya and I time it so we can walk to work together.

  “You think Arwin will show today?” she asks before we walk into the office.

  “He has to. We have that meeting today and the partners are all supposed to be here.” I smooth my hands down my skirt, feeling the nerves building when we step inside. I hate this feeling because I love my job, I love this place, and the fact that Arwin has made coming here something I dread is not acceptable.

  He was way out of line the day before yesterday, and I’ve spent the past two days trying to process it. I nearly unloaded everything onto Spence last night and the night before, but I don’t want him to worry. Mya and I talked last night after Spence fell asleep, and I feel a lot better about everything today.

  I will not let Arwin ruin this place for me.

  She puts her hand on my back when we get to my office. “Say the word and I’ll come running,” she says.

  I squeeze her hand and get to work, keeping my office door open. The music starts piping through the speakers promptly at 7:35 and I grin at the mix Miranda has selected. After teasing her about the Muzak that makes me want to bang my head against the wall, she’s been branching out. Today she’s playing an indie singer/songwriter playlist that I can finally get behind.

  Jack raps on the doorjamb twice, his habit every time he’s in the office. “How’s it shakin’?” he asks. He’s been asking me this since I was a little girl.

  “It’s shakin’,” I reply, grinning.

  “Arwin said you did an excellent job in court on Monday.”

  “Oh, he did? When did he say that?” My hands ball into fists at my side.

  “Yesterday.” Jack smiles. “He wasn’t feeling well, but we spoke on the phone. He had nothing but good things to say about you.”

  I bet he did. After I smashed his hand and he ran away like a little bitch … maybe he’s rethinking the way he treats me. I hope.