by Virna DePaul
He’d seen her smile in the reflection from the building’s glass paneled doors. Even though their conversation had ended in a legal debate that only emphasized their differences, they’d managed to connect in a personal way that had never happened before. Best of all, he’d put his intentions on the table. Sure, he’d only verbalized what they both already knew. He was attracted to her. She was fighting it like hell. But she couldn’t say he hadn’t warned her.
Looking forward to their next encounter, Daniel left with a smile of his own.
CHAPTER FOUR
The next evening, as she paced in her living room while dressed to the nines for Carin’s engagement party, Bryn finally accepted the truth.
Tam’s friend wasn’t just late, he wasn’t coming.
Great. Just great. Her week sucked.
First, she’d been attacked by Kyle Winsor’s father in court. Then she’d lost that trial to Daniel. Now she was being stood up by a guy whose name she didn’t even know.
Not to mention the fact Daniel Mays had suddenly decided he was attracted to her and was pursuing her for all he was worth.
What was going to happen next?
She waited five more minutes, then decided it was time to leave. She wasn’t waiting for Tam’s inconsiderate friend a second longer.
She told herself it was for the better. She hadn’t been expecting anything more than a pleasant evening spent getting to know someone. Maybe a little flirting. Some conversation. A façade to prove to her mother that she wouldn’t end up alone and miserable. Loneliness aside, the last thing she needed was a man to complicate her life. She was basically happy. She didn’t need anything else.
She’d almost convinced herself when her doorbell rang. Then she opened the door and saw Daniel Mays.
***
When Bryn answered the door, Daniel’s mouth almost dropped open. It was the first time he’d seen her in anything other than a suit. She was wearing a simple black dress, but there was nothing simple about what the dress did to her curves. They were displayed to perfection, accented by a hint of jewelry and make-up that made her already exotic features downright sultry.
Obviously, the blood left his head and rushed straight to his dick because he said the first thing that popped into his head. “Your hair…You…straighten it before work?”
Bryn’s hand went to her wavy hair. Daniel had thought it pretty before. Now straight, it looked like a fall of dark and shiny silk. Allowed to twist and turn at will, it looked lighter. Wilder. Softer. Daniel swallowed hard and clenched his hands to keep from reaching out to her.
“Shit!” Hot coffee overflowed onto his hand and clothes, burning him. He dropped the cup and tried shaking most of the liquid off his hand. He’d intended to bring wine or flowers, but Tam had told him that a white chocolate macadamia mocha from the café near her house was Bryn’s weakness, morning, noon, and night. Since she was bound to be a little annoyed with Tam and Daniel for their trickery, Tam had suggested he get her a large, which he was now wearing.
So much for the best laid plans…
“Oh, no!” Bryn opened the door wider and stepped out. She looked undecided for a second and then backed inside. “Hang on! I’ll get you a towel.” As she ran toward the kitchen, Daniel took advantage of the open door and walked into her house.
What little furniture there was in the room was good quality. The deep green sofa looked comfortable, its plump pillows soft and inviting. The dark teak coffee table and end table, modern and traditional, supported precisely stacked books and magazines. But there weren’t many personal touches. No photographs. The room reminded Daniel of Bryn. Controlled, yet inviting in spite of itself.
Bryn came back, almost barreling into him. “What—” She shook her head and handed him the towel, backing up after she did. “I didn’t invite you in, Daniel.” She pushed her hair away from her face. “I need you to clean up and then leave. I’m on my way out.” She flapped her hand, gesturing to his stained shirt and pants. Her eyes lingered on his zipper for the briefest moment, but long enough to get a response.
Her eyes widened.
All of a sudden, the air seemed supercharged with tension. An invisible chord tugged him, encouraging him to drop the pretenses and make his interest known in a big way. Daniel dropped the towel, walked up to her, and tilted her face up as he cupped her chin.
He wanted to look at those eyes when he kissed her for the first time. Slowly, he lowered his head. He saw her eyes widen and heard her breath catch. He paused with his lips a hair’s breadth from hers. Waited until she exhaled shakily. Waited until she inhaled once more. And then placed his lips on hers.
***
Tam was right. Daniel Mays knew how to kiss. His lips were a study in contrast. Soft and firm. Tender and voracious. Cool and hot. She moaned as his tongue entered her mouth, teasing her own. Her entire being was suddenly awash in sensation.
Her heart beat faster.
Her skin grew hotter.
Her lips clung to his.
Her nipples hardened, and she could feel herself getting wet.
She felt disoriented. And scared. She broke away from him in panic, struggling to catch her breath. “What are you doing here?” she finally asked, embarrassed by the husky alto of her voice.
Daniel’s own voice was raspy. “I offered to take you to your sister’s engagement dinner. Didn’t Tam tell you?”
Uh no. Embarrassment and anger washed through her. “She didn’t tell me she’d set me up with you. If I’d known...” She shook her head. “I mean…”
Daniel nodded. “You mean you never would have opened the door.” He cocked his head. “Why is that?”
“We work together.”
“So let’s date together.”
“No!” She almost yelled it, startling both of them. She trembled with panic, wanting to accept his invitation yet knowing how weak and pathetic that made her.
He frowned. “Bryn, there’s something between us. That kiss was amazing. I knew it would be. I knew you would be.” He stepped towards her, but she held up her hands.
“Daniel, stop. It’s not going to happen between us. Nothing is going to happen.”
He growled in frustration, shoving his hand through his hair. “Why?”
“You’re a defense—”
“Defense attorney. Yes, Bryn, I know. I’m a defense attorney. Not a pervert. Not a criminal. I just make sure people accused of crimes are afforded their constitutional rights.”
“Criminals like Kyle Winsor, you mean?”
“The jury acquitted him, Justice.”
“I found the police report and the victim’s statement more than sufficient to prove his guilt.”
He let out a short, harsh laugh. “Great. So, what? I should have thrown the trial? Just to get you to go out with me?”
He didn’t look happy and the lump of regret that formed inside her stomach echoed the sentiment. To fight it, she forced herself to be logical. Analytical. “Why do you want to go out with me, anyway?”
“What?” He looked completely befuddled.
“A week ago you didn’t even know who I was.”
“That is not true.” His statement was emphatic. Even so, she sensed his discomfort with this particular subject.
“Well, you certainly weren’t attracted to me. You probably didn’t even recognize me as a woman, did you?” When he continued to say nothing, she said, “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” She hoped her face didn’t convey the tremor of hurt that ran through her.
“Look, I admit, I was a little slow on the uptake. That has nothing to do with whether I’m attracted to you. I am. Incredibly attracted.” He put his hands on her waist. “And I know you’re attracted to me too. Right?”
“I…I….” His hands almost spanned her waist. They were strong hands, equally capable of caressing a woman’s soft skin as they were of beating any man who threatened her.
“Right?” he whispered, before lowering his lips to hers once more.
/>
She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t let him kiss her. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop again. Not now that she knew what he tasted like. And she had to remember who he was.
Who she’d worked so hard to become.
How those two people could never mix. Not in her world.
She backed away before their lips could connect. “Yes, I’m attracted to you, but I’ve been attracted to a lot of men.” Not true, but he didn’t need to know that. “I don’t always act on it. And I’m not acting on it with you.”
“That’s—”
“Final. Goodbye, Daniel. Again, thank you for offering to help me out but I’ll just go to the dinner alone.”
Daniel dropped his hands from her waist, spun on his heel and paced to the door, then startled her by coming back again. He looked like a big cat prowling around her small living room. And not a fat house cat like her Tikka. No, Daniel Mays was a big, sleek panther, circling his mate, ready to make her his. In turn, she felt not like his prey, but his willing victim. “God, Justice, you are working my last nerve.”
His southern drawl was slightly more prominent, making her shiver. Down, girl. “Well, hey, that’s the way to win me over.”
Daniel closed his eyes, as if calling upon a higher power for strength. “All right,” he said after a moment. “What is the way to win you over?”
“Leave,” she said.
Daniel slowly walked towards Bryn, who backed up despite herself. He kept pace with her until she bumped into a wall. He then planted both of his palms above her head and leaned down, staring her in the eyes. He was so close she could see that a gold band encircled his dark pupils. “I’ll go, but this isn’t over yet. Not by a long shot. We’ve tasted each other, Bryn. Just that one taste, and you got me harder than any other woman ever has. Think about how good it was. And how good it’s going to be. Because we’re just getting started.”
Daniel dropped his heated gaze to her lips. She held her breath. Waiting, secretly praying, for him to kiss her. Instead, he pushed himself away from her, walked backwards towards the front door, then turned and left the house.
Bryn slowly slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. With her heart thumping heavily in her chest, she touched her lips with her fingers, closed her eyes, and, just as he’d commanded, thought of how good it had been.
Just one kiss and her body had ignited. Wanted more. Wanted him. Her starved senses had come alive. She’d felt the heat emanating from his body. Had smelled him, clean and spicy. Soap mixed with the heady strength of his cologne. She’d opened her mouth to him, but she’d wanted to do more. She’d wanted to touch him. Press her body into him. The wanting hadn’t surprised her, or particularly scared her.
What had scared her had been the wildness of her response. If she’d thought she could lie under Daniel and let him have her while she moaned softly, she might have given in to her body’s desire for more. But the minute he’d kissed her, she’d known she could never maintain that level of control. Daniel brought out her wild side. Made her want to push him down and tear off his clothes. Made her want to throw caution to the wind, forget decorum and respectability, and squirm and writhe and howl and scream until she forgot everything, her past, her present, her future, and simply lost herself in him.
Just one kiss, and she’d been ready to throw away her better judgment.
That’s what had scared her.
And had given her strength to back away when he’d tried to kiss her again.
And what would give her strength the next time.
Because she couldn’t forget what mattered to her. Justice was everything to her and Daniel’s job was all about impeding it. She couldn’t afford to lose control, and with Daniel, there’d be no other result.
CHAPTER FIVE
“So, what are we going to do about Bryn?”
Daniel looked up from his dinner and frowned at Tam. She and Vance had met him at The Boat House, Tam’s favorite restaurant, and Tam wasn’t even letting him get his first beer down before cutting to the chase. “What do you mean?”
“It’s been two days, Daniel. Are you really going to let a little thing like her turning you away stop you from going after what you want?”
“Has she said anything to you about me?” he asked, then winced at how he sounded like a seventh grader.
Tam gave him a “get real” look as she rubbed her stomach. “Are you kidding me? She read me the riot act. I thought my being knocked up would make her go easy, but boy was I wrong. She must scare anyone on the witness stand to pieces. I was impressed.”
“Proves my point,” Vance said, handing Daniel one of the beers he’d just brought from the bar. He leaned over Tam, laid his hand on top of hers, and kissed the top of her head. “She’s ruthless. And I thought we’d agreed you’d stop pushing Daniel towards Bryn.”
“She’s ruthless only when she needs to be, and I deserved her censure. We’ve only just begun our friendship and she confided in me about her insecurities, asking for my help. Instead, I sent you.”
“Hey—” Daniel began.
Tam waved him off. “Oh, you know what I mean. She wanted someone easy to solve a problem. Uncomplicated. You are not easy. Not the way she wanted.”
“Okay, are you going to insult me all night? Because I can go see my clients for that.”
“Hush. I’m making a point. I knew she’d run, but I wanted to give it a chance. I love you, and I know any woman would be lucky to have you. And I really care about Bryn…”
“You’re too kind-hearted—” Vance began.
Tam patted his hand then looked at Daniel. “I just don’t understand why you’ve let her scare you off. It’s not like you, Daniel.”
“She’s not interested, Tam.”
Tam snorted. “She’s interested, Daniel, believe me. She’s just scared!”
“Scared?” The thought bothered Daniel. Prejudiced against him, sure. But scared? “Of me? Why?”
Tam frowned. “I’m not sure. She never talks about her experiences with men. She doesn’t really talk about anyone. She’s only recently loosened up enough to talk about her sister and mother.”
“Why do you keep trying, if it’s so hard to get her to open up to you?”
“Because she’s special. She cares about people. Truly cares. If I needed her, she’d be there for me.”
Tam sounded so sure of herself. As if she had a secret window into the inner workings of Bryn Donovon. He wished he could see inside Bryn with the same clarity Tam had.
Tam continued. “I think someone in her past hurt her, and hurt her bad. She’s only dated a couple of guys over the years. Never seriously.”
It was Daniel’s turn to frown, both at the thought of some faceless man hurting her and at the thought of her dating. Either way, he wanted to hurt someone. “What guys?”
“I don’t know. Usually guys her mother has thrown at her.”
Ahh. That’s right. Her mother. He shifted in his seat. He’d wanted to ask, but had managed to stop himself from doing so. Now… “So how’d the engagement dinner go?”
“Well, after she verbally flayed me for my admittedly sneaky set-up and you showing up at her door, she said it was exactly what she’d expected. Which means it wasn’t fun. But she loves her sister to pieces, and so long as Carin’s happy, Bryn’s happy.”
He nodded, but given what little he knew about Bryn, he couldn’t see her living life vicariously through anyone. She was too opinionated. Too passionate. She just needed to learn how to apply that passion to something other than work. Only Daniel wasn’t sure he was the right guy to teach her that.
Fun and warm, he reminded himself. He had a good life. Why complicate it with someone he suspected was special but seemed unwilling to show him that side of herself? Time to let go. “Sorry, Tam. I know you care about her, but she’s got a personal bias against defense attorneys. I think pursuing Bryn would be useless.”
Tam sighed. “She does seem to be more…intense
about your choice of career than even I thought she’d be. Maybe you should ask her why.”
Unbidden, a memory of their searing kiss flashed through his mind. He’d thought about that kiss. A lot. At night. During the day. When he was alone, and when it was damn inconvenient.
Tam rose, putting her hands on her hips and arching her back. “My back is killing me, guys. I’m sorry to cut this night short, but I need to go potty and then I need to go home. Vance, hon, would you mind paying the bill and meeting me at the door?”
Vance said, “Of course, Tam.”
Tam waddled around the table and kissed Daniel, who’d risen to his feet when she did. “Goodnight, sweetie. Remember what I said about Bryn, okay? She’s got a softer side most people don’t see. A side she doesn’t want people to see. But underneath…”
When Tam headed toward the restroom, Daniel sat back down, took a long swallow of beer, and turned to Vance, who was looking at the doorway where Tam had disappeared. “You’re a lucky man, Vance. A lucky man.”
Vance grinned. “Believe me, I’m well aware of that.” Suddenly, his face turned serious. “Look, I’ve been thinking about this obsession you have with Bryn Donovon.”
Daniel wasn’t sure he liked hearing his interest in Bryn characterized as an obsession, but if not obsession, then what? He said nothing.
“I have to tell you, I don’t like her. Tam’s put a lot of effort into trying to befriend her, and she hasn’t been very receptive.”
“They seemed pretty engaged to me.” Daniel had told Vance about overhearing their conversation that day but had sworn Vance to secrecy.
“Sure, if it’s on her turf. She’ll talk to Tam at work, but it’s like she can’t associate with her outside of it. It’s hurt Tam. I think the woman’s a cold fish. Maybe you should pass on this one.”
Daniel didn’t jump to defend Bryn. What could he say? That because he got a hard-on around her, it proved she was a warm human being? He knew there was more to her, depths unexplored, but even he had a hard time putting it into words.
On Daniel’s drive home, he thought about what Vance had said. Had his initial thoughts about Bryn Donovon been accurate? Was he fooling himself that there was more to her than what was on the surface? That kiss had been hot, but was sexual heat enough? Especially when she wouldn’t acknowledge it? Maybe their opposing careers and natures were too different to reconcile.