When I looked up and saw Laurie standing in my doorway, I was so surprised that I just blinked for a moment.
“Is it okay that I’m here?” she asked, not moving a muscle. “I can always come back later if you’re busy.”
“No.” My chair scraped against the floor when I pushed it back. “Don’t go, please? What brings you all the way over here?”
She linked her fingers together and twisted them, fidgeting while water ran from her hair down her nose in little rivulets. “I wanted to apologize about running out this morning.”
“By throwing yourself into a pool?” My brows rose as I grabbed my jacket from the hook next to my door. “Come on in. Use this to dry yourself off. You must be freezing.”
She shrugged but stepped inside, closing the door behind her. There were droplets hanging from her eyelashes, and her shoulders were soaked. “It’s raining.”
I glanced at my window and realized she was right. “I haven’t even noticed. I’ve been trying to work through some stuff for your case actually. But we can talk about that later.”
Wrapping the jacket around her shoulders, I ran my palms up and down her biceps once she had it on. “Why were you walking out there if it’s raining? Is Katie okay?”
She jerked her head in a nod. “My parents asked if she could stay with them tonight. It was great timing, considering that I really needed to clear my head.”
“By washing it out with rainwater?” I lowered my chin and saw a flicker of amusement sparking in her eyes.
“Isn’t that what you do when you need to clear your head?” she asked, a slight smile touching the corners of her lips.
“Well, obviously. I also like to pour bleach into my ears. Seems to do the trick.” I squeezed her shoulders. “What’s going on, Laurie? Why did you come back here?”
She rolled her lips into her mouth, her gaze moving between my eyes as her chest expanded on a deep breath. “I’ve been struggling a lot these past two years, and in that struggle, I lost myself.”
“Okay.” I knew she had more to say and I didn’t want to interrupt her, but I also really wanted to hold her. Settling for moving my hands down to take hers, I wound her fingers between my own and held on while she said what she had to say.
“It’s been difficult for me to know how to tell if I want something anymore and, even if I do want it, whether I should want it.” Her thumbs stroked my fingers absently, her eyes steadfast but vulnerable on mine. “I don’t always know what’s worth pursuing right now and what should be put on another shelf for later. Anything to do with me, I tend to think should be shelved unless it’s ultimately for Katie.”
“That makes sense,” I said, my volume lower than normal. “You’ve been through a lot and you became a parent entirely unexpectedly. Everyone struggles with balance and compromise, but we had time to grow into it.”
“Balance and compromise.” She smiled softly. “That’s exactly it. I haven’t found a balance and I’ve been compromising by letting what I want go completely. I keep telling myself there will be time for it later.”
“You don’t need to do that, Laurie. It’s entirely possible to go after what you want and be a great parent at the same time. It’s a lot easier to make a child happy if you’re happy yourself. Kids are a lot more perceptive than we think.”
“I’m starting to get that.” She closed her eyes and let her head fall back before looking at me again. “I’m tired of feeling like I have been. Of feeling lost, and tired, and alone, and adrift. I need to get my life back on track. For Katie’s sake and for my own.”
A grin touched my lips when I realized what she was trying to say. “Is this your weird way of asking me out on a date?”
Laurie laughed and shook her head. “It’s my weird way of getting you to ask me again.”
“I can definitely do that.” The grin broke free. “How about tomorrow night? Just the two of us. I’ll call my babysitter and she can watch the girls at my place. That way, you and I can have the night to ourselves without any worries or distractions.”
Dragging in another, much deeper breath, she licked her lips before she let it out slowly. “If you trust Allie with this babysitter, then I’m sure everything will be okay.”
“It’ll be fine. They’ll have a blast and the babysitter is amazing. Allie loves her.” I understood her hesitation. I wouldn’t leave Allie with just anyone either. “I promise she’ll call us if anything happens, but it won’t.”
She nodded, and I expected her to let go of my hands and say goodbye, but she didn’t. Taking a step back, she really looked around my office for the first time. “It feels like I should’ve asked you this before, but what kind of law do you practice?”
Ahh. So she wants to talk. Get to know me better. I released her hands and walked back to my desk, perching on the edge of it as I watched her walk toward the bookshelves. “A little bit of everything. Mostly commercial work for clients of the firm. When it’s my own clients who come to see me because they need help, I do whatever it is they need me to do.”
“So it’s true that you’ll represent anyone who needs your help, even if they can’t afford an expensive firm like this?”
I shrugged. “I guess so. I didn’t get into law just to make money. I wanted to help people. Obviously, I need to do both, and so does the firm, but we’re fortunate enough that we’re able to take on a bit of pro bono work.”
She looked at me over her shoulder. “That’s your passion, huh? The pro bono work.”
“Absolutely. If it was possible to live off of passion alone, I wouldn’t have charged anyone a cent for my services. Ever. I truly don’t believe that justice should be reserved only for those who can afford it.”
“Did you always want to be a lawyer?” she asked as she ran her fingers down the spine of an ancient textbook.
“I wanted to be an astronaut at first, but ever since I let go of that dream, yes, I’ve wanted to be a lawyer. Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?”
“It was what I dreamed of becoming, but I didn’t think I’d ever get to make a living from it. I thought I might do it as a side business at most.”
“When did you realize you were going to be able to do it full time?” I tilted my head as I watched her, my fingers curling around the side of the desk. I wanted to go to her so badly, but this was important too.
She chuckled. “Honestly? I still don’t know if I’ve realized it. I also might not be able to keep doing it if I can’t get past this block.”
“You’ll get past it,” I said confidently. “If you want my opinion, I’d say you’re already getting past it. Just by coming back here and finally realizing you’re allowed to do stuff for yourself as well, you’ve already taken a step forward.”
“I hadn’t thought about it like that.” She drummed her fingertips over her mouth. “But you’re right. It’s as much about what I do about it as the external factors.”
“External factors like the lawsuit have a massive effect, though. It’s not all on you and what you choose to do about it.”
“I didn’t think there was a choice, but I do now.” She sighed and slipped out of my jacket. “We never got around to having our meeting. Is there anything else you needed from me before you can proceed?”
I waggled my brows at her. “Was I supposed to have waited before I proceeded? Damn. I guess I didn’t know that.”
Walking over to me, she gave my shoulder a playful smack. “You weren’t supposed to wait. I just wanted to make sure you don’t need anything from me.”
“I’ve got what I need for now.” I snagged her hips and pulled her closer to me on the desk, leaving my hands where they were once she was in front of me. “I was actually working through the documentation they sent over when you came in.”
She stood between my legs and brought her hands up to rest on either side of my neck like it was the most natural thing in the world. Although we’d never touched each other with such casual familiarity before, it
felt like we had.
“Oh yeah? Anything interesting in there?”
“Not yet.” I tugged her even closer until she was flush against me. “But do you really want to talk about the case right now?”
“What would you rather talk about?” she asked, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she tried to hide a smile. “We’ve already discussed the weather, my deepest emotional struggles, and your work. What else is there?”
I grinned. “Kissing. We should definitely talk about kissing.”
“Do you want to talk about it, or would you like to do it instead?” She angled her head and leaned her upper body into mine.
When I brought my lips to hers for a gentle kiss, it again felt strangely natural. Like I’d had a right to do it my entire life and did it without even having to think about it.
“Doing it beats talking about it any day,” I murmured between kisses and felt her smiling in response.
This time when the kiss deepened and became more passionate, there was none of the frantic urgency from before. We had time, and we didn’t need to rush it when our clothes started coming off. My body disagreed about having time, but it would just have to calm the fuck down.
This was different. It didn’t feel like it was just about fucking to get off. We’d just taken a massive step forward in our relationship with her coming back to me, and this felt like sealing a promise, even though we hadn’t made any.
Chapter 27
Laurie
Jacob’s hard length pressed against me through the thin material of my skirt. He devoured my mouth like he was trying to conquer it and claim it for his own while his hands crept under my hem and his tongue reminded me of how talented it truly was.
Fingers slowly dragging up until they reached my breasts, he skimmed them around the edges of my bra. I whimpered into our kiss, and his palms scraped over my nipples in response.
I’d been nervous coming back there. I thought he might reject me after the way I’d left, but nothing could be further from the truth.
He was just as attuned to me as he’d been this morning, and knowing that I was already really forgiven for my freak-out made a warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with my lust.
Something about this moment froze time for me. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would never forget this. Never forget the way he kissed me like he owned me, touched me like he knew me, yet did it all in a way that let me know he respected me.
His stubble scratched my palms when I cupped his face and pulled him closer to me. If this moment would stay with me forever, I would make sure I lived it fully. Enjoyed it as much as I could.
Jacob responded with a fierceness of his own, like he felt the same need burning deep inside of him. Like he couldn’t get enough and never wanted it to end.
We ripped at each other’s clothes while we kissed, as desperately as before but this time taking the time to actually undress each other all the way. Our shirts hit the floor, and he pulled back to run his fingers over my cheek tenderly as he tilted his head. “I wish we had a bed for this, but the best I can do is a couch.”
I frowned before taking a good look around and finally noticing a long leather couch in the corner. “I didn’t notice that before.”
“You were in here all of a minute before I kissed you, and then you ran out after.” He shrugged. “I don’t blame you for not noticing.”
“Why did we end up on the floor this morning if there’s a couch right there?”
He grinned. “Because I couldn’t wait even that long and neither could you.”
I thought back to how close and achy I’d been when he told me to get down on the floor, and I lifted a shoulder in agreement. “Thanks for not making me wait, I guess.”
“Never,” he said and it sounded suspiciously like a promise. Everything felt different tonight than it had this morning, though. More intimate.
We made our way to the couch still kissing but more slowly than before. When we reached it, Jacob unbuckled his belt while toeing off his shoes, then let his pants drop and pushed his underwear down.
I hadn’t gotten to see him naked this morning at all. The most I’d gotten a peek of was his chest and the top of his cock. The guy was unbelievably sexy with his clothes on, but with them off and his smooth leanly toned body on display, I might have had a little drool running out of my mouth.
He was built like he’d been sculpted by one of the old masters, his shoulders broad and his abdomen stacked. The only difference was that those sculptors hadn’t really endowed their statues well, while Jacob was huge.
I’d felt it before obviously, but seeing it was different. I had no idea how I’d fit that in. It was long and thick, a little curved, and very happy to see me. I undid the clasp on the back of my skirt, pulling the zipper down and letting it fall to my feet before I stepped out of it.
Walking around him, I sat down on the couch with my bra and panties still on, taking him by the hips and turning him around. Face to face with his cock, I saw a small amount of liquid at the top. I swiped my thumb over his tip, gathering the wetness and spreading it around.
When I glanced up at his face, his head was tipped back and his glare pierced the ceiling as his throat worked.
Our breathy moans mingled in the silence of the office, our hands roaming and exploring. He unhooked my bra, sliding the straps down my arms before lifting my hands away from him for just a second so he could get my underwear off.
Jacob’s skin was smooth and warm beneath my fingertips once my hands were back on him, his muscles rippling beneath my touch. He let me pump him a few more times before he groaned and lowered himself onto the couch with me.
It was just wide enough to fit us, and he had to keep one leg bent with his foot on the floor to keep from falling off when he settled over me. My hips bucked as he slid his length between my folds, and he let out a loud string of curses before his mouth descended back on mine.
Our kisses grew hungrier, our teeth bumping together as my hands trailed all the way down to his firm ass. My legs pressed against the leather when he rested his hips more fully between mine. His tip pushed at my entrance, and he let out a heavy breath before suddenly moving back a bit.
“We still need a condom,” he said, his voice scratchy. “I’ll get one in a minute. I don’t really want to stop touching you for even that long yet.”
His fingers replaced his cock, delving into me while he sucked my nipple into his mouth. I cried out, reaching between us for his hard length.
“Don’t stop,” I said while wrapping my fingers around his silky shaft and savoring the sounds he made.
“Never,” he said again, repeating his earlier promise. Sparks of pleasure zapped through me when he brought his thumb to my clit and circled it slowly. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”
Jacob’s brown eyes bored into mine, the intensity of them nearly melting me on the spot. He slid another finger into me, and both of us moaned again. “Fuck, you’re so wet for me. I can’t get enough of you.”
His confession stunned me but not enough to make me demand that he explain what he meant. That delicious pleasure was already building up inside me, and like him, I didn’t think I’d have been able to stop him even if I wanted to.
Filing the information away for later consideration and perhaps a bit of obsession, I focused on the movements of my own hand and twisted my wrist on each upstroke. He hooked his fingers to massage that most sensitive spot inside me in response, all the while kissing me in that same domineering and yet somehow tender way.
“Laurie,” he bit out when I felt him growing and expanding in my hand. “I need to be inside you now, or you need to stop.”
“I’m not stopping,” I breathed, “so you better get inside me then.”
My hips were suddenly writhing against nothing but air as he withdrew from me. I released him at the same time, but I could hardly focus on anything other than the friction I so desperately needed on my clit.
&
nbsp; He growled when my own hand moved. “Yes. Show me how much you want it.”
My cheeks flooded with heat, but I didn’t know if it was because I was embarrassed that he’d noticed or whether it came from how extremely hot I found his demand. Whatever it had been, I complied with his request under his fiery gaze.
My eyes fluttered closed and I sucked my lips into my mouth as my fingers moved. I heard foil ripping, then felt the leather dip ever so slightly when he crawled back over me. He freed my lip with his thumb, then brought his mouth back to mine.
Winding my arms around his neck, I moaned into our kiss when he lined himself up and pushed in. With one hand on my hip and one on my cheek, he broke away from my lips to pull back and look into my eyes as he buried himself to the hilt.
Our bodies trembled together once he was fully seated inside me. He started moving slowly but was quickly setting a punishing pace without breaking it once. Pleasure swirled around in my belly and my body tensed as he drove me toward that peak of ecstasy.
Jacob ground his teeth together as he watched me, his grip on me tightening when my muscles started to milk him. My back arched and my eyes squeezed shut when he moved his hand from my hip to my clit, giving me that last little bit I needed to get me there.
“Jacob, yes.” It was all I could do not to scream his name, but I knew I couldn’t even if I didn’t remember why. I whispered it into his ear instead, and the small act made the moment feel even more intimate than it had before.
I held on to him as the intensity of my orgasm left me dizzy and breathless, my bones turning to jelly. When I came to, his eyes rolled back and he rested his forehead against mine as his thrusts became sharp and hard.
An almost tortured expression flickered across his features, and a shiver ran through me to see his face contorted in pleasure the way it was. He came on a soft groan, into my ear just like I’d only let him hear my pleasure, and I was still spasming around his cock when he smiled and pressed a kiss to the tip of my nose.
Desperate For You Page 17