Charged

by Jay Crownover

  She opened her mouth, then snapped it back closed with a shake of her head. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she practically growled out, “Thanks.”

  Brite took her arm, muttered something to her that I couldn’t hear, and then guided her out of the courtroom. I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief that the tiny force of nature was no longer my problem, no longer a temptation I didn’t want or understand, but my guts felt hollow and my head started to pound like I’d had too much to drink.

  Townsend made his way over to me and set his worn briefcase on the desk next to my much nicer one. He lifted an eyebrow at me and asked snidely, “So, do you think if I dropped a couple grand on a new suit Willis would rule in my favor more often?”

  Normally, I would smirk and throw out some offhand quip about clothes making the man, but my sense of humor and typical pride at winning a case was nowhere to be found. I rolled my eyes and didn’t bother to mask my annoyance at the other man’s petty dig. “Your case was crap and Willis saw it. Even if he didn’t, you were never going to get a conviction with the video evidence and the previous criminal history of your only witness. Not even Tom Ford or Ralph Lauren could pull your case out of the crapper. Don’t be a dick, Townsend.”

  I never spoke that bluntly or let my real feelings about a case or opposing counsel show. Spending time around Avett, with her total lack of artifice or pretense, was bad for business. I was supposed to be unaffected, unmoved, by everything that happened in court. That was how I defended the kind of monsters and miscreants that made up my client list. I didn’t need the prosecution to see any kind of chink in my flawless armor.

  Townsend picked up his briefcase and gave me a smirk. “The hug after the announcement was a nice touch, Jackson. You gonna offer that to all the murderers and rapists you defend, too?”

  It was a killer parting shot. All lawyers knew how to give one, which made me even more grateful that this case was won and done. I wouldn’t have to go through another arraignment, another hearing, and possibly weeks of trial ignoring my unexpected and inappropriate reaction to Avett. She wasn’t on my agenda, and she wasn’t someone that I could pretend with. She would see through all the smoke and mirrors that made up my life, and if the charade cracked, if the veil was pulled away, I didn’t know who or what would be standing behind it. I was afraid to find out.

  I grabbed my bag and made my way out of the building. I was checking my schedule on my phone when I noticed that Orsen had sent another reminder about the staff holiday party. I groaned. The thing was still months away and he wouldn’t get off my case about it. The more he bugged me, the less I wanted to go, and I hadn’t put any effort into finding a toss-away piece of arm candy to go with me. I’d been distracted by work, particularly work surrounding a tiny, pink-haired troublemaker that I couldn’t drag my mind away from. The same tiny, pink-haired troublemaker that was leaning on the low cement wall outside of the entrance to the courthouse with her arms across her chest and her eyes pinned to the doors, clearly waiting for me. The toe of her pointed boot was even tapping an agitated rhythm against the sidewalk.

  I hit the screen to turn my phone off, slipping it into my pocket as she pushed off the wall as I made my way towards her. Her multicolored eyes were riotous with emotion and the heels on her boots clicked against the sidewalk as she kept walking until the tips of our shoes were touching. My hand curled painfully tight around the handle of my bag as she tilted her chin back so that we were looking directly at each other. She barely reached my shoulders but she seemed so much bigger, so much more powerful, than her small frame indicated. The force of her personality and her obvious anger pulsed around us. We stood toe-to-toe, locked in a silent battle that seemed more intense and possibly more important than the one we waged in the courtroom.

  “Were you waiting for me for a specific reason, Ms. Walker?” I saw the gold in her hazel eyes blaze when I referred to her formally. I needed the distance mentally because I couldn’t make my body move to put the space physically between us. In fact, I wanted to move closer.

  She uncrossed her arms from her chest and put her hands on her hips. I tried really hard to ignore the way the new pose pushed her full breasts against the lacy material of her dress. I failed miserably.

  “That’s it?” Her tone was taunting and sharp.

  I narrowed my eyes at her, shifted my weight from foot to foot as her proximity and the charge of her pushing and me pulling thickened both my blood and my cock. I was an attorney for a reason. I never met an argument I didn’t like or that I didn’t feel compelled to win. The way Avett always seemed to challenge me was as much of a turn-on as her curvy little body was.

  “Where is your father?” I lifted my eyes from her penetrating gaze in search of the big biker. I didn’t need to try and explain a black eye or a broken arm to Orsen on top of why I suddenly had no interest in searching out a pretty piece of ass to spend time with.

  “He’s waiting at the truck. I told him I had some questions I needed to ask you about what happens next.”

  “Do you?”

  “Do I what?” She was getting increasingly annoyed and I wanted to groan at the way it made her cheeks flush and her breathing hitch. I bet she looked the same way when she was about to come.

  Shit. That was not the direction I needed my thoughts to go, but now that they were there I didn’t have a chance in hell of wrangling them back into the safe zone.

  “Do you have questions about what happens next?” My voice didn’t sound like my own and I knew there was no hiding the wayward direction of my thoughts as they played out in my gaze as I watched her carefully.

  Slowly, her head shook back and forth, dislodging the bun at the back of her head. Pink strands of hair floated around her face, curling over her shoulders, and my fingertips itched to reach out and push it off her face.

  “I know what happens next, Quaid … do you?” Her tone had dropped to a husky whisper that hit me right in the dick. My entire body tensed up and I almost, very nearly, leaned down and met her as she lifted up on her tiptoes towards me. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted her to kiss me. But over the top of her head, as she moved towards me, I caught sight of a familiar face. The heady little bubble of seduction and intoxicating risk that Avett had created around me popped, dropping me hard, back into reality.

  I turned my head as her lips grazed my cheek, and even though it was as innocent as any kiss had ever been, it felt more erotic, more forbidden, and more illicit than any of the actual sex I had ever had. This little slip of a woman could demolish me, waste me, annihilate me, and if I allowed her to do it, I knew it would feel better than anything had in a very long time.

  “I know that you think you know what happens next, Avett, but you don’t. What happens now is you stop wasting your time on men that are no good for you, men that have nothing to offer you and will end up hurting you in the long run. You need to start making smarter choices for yourself and start living up to your potential.”

  She fell back on her heels, rearing away like I had smacked her across her face. Her pretty flush turned to a furious red, and she finally took a step away from me, only to lean forward and drive her finger into the center of my tie. That familiar face was moving closer and closer. I knew whatever was said next was going to be overheard, so I needed to keep myself in check and put the armor back on piece by piece. I hadn’t even noticed that Avett managed to strip it off of me. This was why nothing was happening next. I was walking away from her before I was bared and exposed to more than her perceptive gaze.

  “You’re an asshole, Quaid, you know that. A real dick and a super douche lord.” Her eyes flashed at me as her voice continued to rise. “This is me making a smarter choice, at least I thought it was, but I had no idea you were a coward.”

  I shook my head at her. A coward was the least of what I was, but that was exactly what I didn’t want her to find out. “Stop it, Avett. This isn’t necessary or appropriate.”

  She laughed but it held no hum
or in it. “No, Quaid, you aren’t necessary or appropriate.”

  I blew out an irritated breath. We were getting a lot of looks and making a scene. I didn’t need the kind of attention we were drawing. I didn’t need stories of this little interlude making it back to the firm. I threw my arms up in exasperation and let them fall to my sides.

  “I don’t know what you thought was happening here, but it was just a job. You are a client, like any other client I represent, Avett. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  She laughed again and started to back away from me like I had something contagious and she was at risk of catching it. “I guess when you get paid to lie, making a living fooling judges and juries, you get really good at buying your own bullshit. Thanks for your hard work, Counselor. I’ll think about you every single time I’m living up to my potential.”

  She was talking about having sex with someone else. She was talking about getting off with a guy that wasn’t me. She was talking about someone else getting ahold of all that wild and sweet and letting them get lost inside of it. She made it sound dirty and cruel. It was the way it had to be, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t burn and blister when she wheeled around on her heel and stalked off, right as Sayer Cole and a man that could give Brite a run for his money when it came to sheer size approached where I was stuck on the spot.

  When they paused next to me, I turned towards them and noticed the big, bearded man’s arm where it rested on Sayer’s slim waist. It wasn’t a casual touch at all, which was surprising. Sayer was so proper, so formal and stiff, whenever I was around her. I knew that her having this man’s hands on her meant something serious, something more than a polite touch between attorney and client.

  I grinned at her and the man glowered at me like he wanted to take my head off. I thought it was amusing, and I needed the break in the tension left over from my confrontation with Avett.

  Sayer made a gentle quip about my skills with the ladies failing where Avett was concerned and I told her honestly, “Yeah, she’s one of my more challenging clients without a doubt. She needs to learn to listen to me or she’s going to end up in jail.” I let my gaze skim over the other man and tried to figure out how a guy that looked like he had just escaped the wilderness of Alaska had won over Sayer and all her reservations when I hadn’t been able to make a dent. I wanted to be envious, but I was still so conflicted about doing the right thing versus what I actually wanted to do with Avett that I blurted out, “She’s a pain in my ass and a spoiled brat, but I don’t think she deserves to serve hard time. I did my damnedest to get her charges dismissed.”

  The lumberjack scowled at me and growled in a tone that I bet made other men run for the hills, “Avett is a good kid. She fell in with a shitty crowd. She definitely doesn’t deserve to end up in jail for what went down at the bar. She has a good family that will look out for her. Obviously, if they’re paying your bill.”

  I reared back in surprise that he knew who Avett was as he offered up an explanation. I was also surprised to know he was connected to Brite, as well as Asa. For being such a metropolitan city, sometimes Denver felt like a really small town where everyone knew everyone else.

  Sayer cleared her throat and introduced me to her client. He offered his hand and I wasn’t at all surprised by his firm, no-nonsense handshake. The guy wanted to hurt me, wanted to stake his claim on the gorgeous blonde standing between us, and it was there in his grasp.

  I made a totally unnecessary comment about him hanging out with people prone to needing legal help and both he and Sayer shut me down, rightly so. I wasn’t sure why I was being so antagonistic, maybe to distract them from my blowup with the girl I couldn’t get off my mind. Maybe I was looking for a fight, for something to take my mind off the twist of regret and disappointment that was coiling around my insides from watching Avett walk away.

  Even though I knew she was going to say no, even though I knew it was going to piss off the giant, bearded behemoth that had clearly claimed her as his, I still blurted out, “I have a dinner party coming up with the partners in a few months. I was going to call you to see if you wanted to go with me, but since we’re both here now, I figure it doesn’t hurt to throw the invite out in person. I’d love for you to be my date for the night, Sayer.” It was a lie. I was never going to call her, even if she was the ideal woman to take to the dinner party. Sayer was beautiful but she was so much more than that. Orsen would get off my case about finding a fuck buddy if I brought a woman around that seemed like she would fill the crater in my life and in my confidence that Lottie had left. My boss was looking for the old Quaid back. The problem being, the old Quaid was make-believe, and the new Quaid was having a really hard time keeping the bits and pieces of the man that wasn’t real in place.

  The other man let out a low growl and I immediately felt bad for putting Sayer on the spot between the two of us. I was being an ass and it had nothing to do with her. I couldn’t blame her for the ice in her tone when she flatly turned me down and put me in my place. “No. Thank you for asking, but I already told you that I’m not interested in pursuing that kind of relationship with you. I’m sorry, Quaid.”

  I kept my expression pleasant and tried to smooth things over. I ran into Sayer a lot, in and out of court, so I didn’t want the easy friendship we’d built to be destroyed because I couldn’t keep all the things trying to escape me contained. Avett had dented the shield I kept up and now the protection I was used to having had weakened. All the more reason to stay away from her. “I’m a lawyer. It’s my job to try to persuade people to see things my way. I’ll see you around. Good luck today.”

  She mumbled something and hurried away with the lumberjack hot on her heels. I didn’t miss the murderous look he shot me over his shoulder before the doors to the courthouse closed.

  As if I hadn’t been enough of an ass by embarrassing a good woman that I considered a friend and picking a useless fight with a guy that looked like he could bench-press my truck with one hand tied behind his back, I decided to go all-in on the rashness and scrolled through my phone until I found the email that had Avett’s personal information in it.

  As I walked towards my truck, I tapped out a quick message and told myself I would do the same for any client. It was a lie. I never texted clients and I very rarely let them have access to my cell phone number. Avett was right; I was extremely well acquainted with believing my own bullshit. I had been doing it ever since I left behind the mountains and the kid that came from nothing, had nothing, was nothing. Only, now buying into it seemed impossible, now that she had burst into my life in a blaze of bad decisions, looming felony charges. She wasn’t fooled by any of the falsehoods that made up my life careful piece by careful piece. Her honesty and accountability were contagious and I felt like I was infected.

  Avett, if you need me when you get the subpoena to testify against the ex, let me know. I really am here to help and I know you are nervous about facing him. I’m offering as someone that can be your friend, not as your attorney.

  Nothing.

  I got nothing back and it made me want to throw my phone out the window as I drove downtown to where my office was located. I wanted to call her and tell her to stop being stubborn, to take the help when it was offered, to ignore the fact I pulled away and shut her down. I wanted to demand that she try and kiss me again. I would let her. I would kiss her back, and I wasn’t sure I would stop there. I wanted to touch that wild, to get lost in it. I wanted to taste the sweet, to savor it.

  I was pushing through the front doors of the building, mentally preparing for my next meeting, when my phone finally pinged with a message. I literally held my breath as I turned it over to see her reply. I wasn’t surprised at her response.

  I already told you: I don’t want your help.

  I sighed and fired back:

  Well, you have it, regardless.

  I went from being absolutely sure I had nothing to give anyone to feeling a pressing need to give this confusing girl eve
rything I had left.

  I don’t want anything from you, Legal Eagle. Your job is done and I’m no longer your client and we definitely aren’t friends.

  A smile tugged at my lips at the asinine nickname she lobbed at me.

  My assistant said something to me that went over my head as I completely ignored her, slamming my way into my office. I threw my bag on the desk and swore as my laptop slid out once again, hitting the desk with a thud. I was going to be lucky if the damn thing still turned on since I still hadn’t gotten around to replacing it from the first fall.

  At some point, between meeting Avett Walker and deciding that I was desperate to kiss her and had to capture some of her tempest, the need for perfection, the drive to keep up appearances had faded to a dull throb at the back of my brain and became nothing more than an obnoxious itch under my skin.

  I’m very aware you are no longer my client, Avett. That’s why you have my cell phone number. I don’t give that out to my clients. Use it if you need it.

  She didn’t send anything back but I didn’t really expect her to.

  I didn’t want to be her friend or her lawyer … I wanted to be something else entirely. I also wanted to be someone else entirely, and that scared me more than the fact that I wanted to get Avett naked and under me with every single thing inside of me.

  CHAPTER 7

  Avett

  I pulled the curtains back from the window in my bedroom and peered out into the darkness in front of my dad’s house. A single black car was parked at the curb across the street, which wouldn’t typically bother me, but this car had arrived only after my dad left for the night, telling me he was going to pick my mom up from the bar and take her home. Which meant he was going to spend the night with her, something he did pretty much every single night she worked the closing shift at the bar that we used to own.