“No. The extent of your unpredictability amazes me.”
She winced.
He grazed her lips with his and then kissed her gently. “I love your unpredictability.” He kissed her again. “I love you.”
Her body became light. The world spun around her. Her throat tightened, and she collapsed into his arms. “Take me. Now. I want you.”
He eased her onto the table and laid her back gently. He cupped her breasts and then squeezed. He ran his hands up and down her body. She’d grown accustomed to the electrical shock his touch imparted. With closed eyes, she luxuriated in his strokes. Instead of resisting her body’s compelling tug toward his, she let go.
He rubbed her legs, applying pressure to that point where her legs met her hips. Blood rushed to her genitals. Every feeling down there became magnified. He pulled her pants and thong off and then confidently pushed his hips between her knees to open her.
The wet wool of his pants roughed her sex when he rubbed again her. It set her on fire. The whiz of his zipper further ignited her sensitive senses.
Before she could ready herself, he slid on a condom and sank his thick cock into her, spreading her legs wide. He gripped her shoulder to hold her in place, and he thrust deeper inside her than she believed was possible. The fullness of his cock inside her overtook her senses.
As suddenly as he filled her up, he was gone, the head of his cock poised cruelly at her opening. She wiggled to get closer to him, to have him in her again, but his grip on her was too tight.
“Do you want me?”
“Yes. Give it to me,” she pleaded; the time for playing was over. She was at his mercy, and it turned her on.
“Are you sure?” He inched the head of his cock forward enough to spread her lips open.
“Please. I need it,” she begged and then added, unable to hold back anymore, “I need you.”
He slammed into her and took her with slow strokes that were as long as the full length of his cock. He let go of her shoulders and hooked an arm under one of her knees to pull her closer to him. With his free hand, he massaged her clit while slowly, patiently pumping her.
His pace hastened.
Brandon’s cock touched the inside of her vagina exactly where she needed it, and his fingers working her clit magnified her sexual energy. Jackie’s breathing stopped and the world went black with sounds muffled as she came around him; her pussy gripped him convulsively.
Speechless, her head in a fog, she looked at him. His head was thrown back. Sweat trickled down his forehead and neck. His hair matted against his face in a wavy mass.
Inside her, the head of his cock swelled, his thrusting accelerated, and he pushed deep into her, gripping her legs with strength and desperation.
His body shook. He let out a silent scream, his mouth open, head back, every muscle taut.
Both relaxed. A low moan came from her throat.
Brandon opened his lids to reveal those amber eyes, now soft and liquid as warmed cognac. He stretched her leg out and turned his face to kiss her ankle. His stubbly jaw scratched as he nuzzled her leg and foot. He pulled out from her and removed the condom.
His gaze fell upon her, unblinking.
He scooped her up in his arms, the warmth of his body melding with hers. With her legs and arms wrapped closely around him, Jackie laid her cheek on his shoulder. Tears pooled in her eyes.
“I love you,” she murmured.
“Hmm?”
She pulled back enough to look him in the face. The words formed deep in her chest and caught in her throat. She willed them out.
“I love you.”
He ran his fingers through her hair. His smile stretched into a grin that encompassed his entire face. “Yeah, I figured that out.”
“You did?” She playfully slapped his chest.
He pulled her close. “Uh-huh.”
“When?”
“When you saved my life back on the boat. But I don’t think you knew it.” He caressed her back gently. His touch warmed her and gave her a sense of security.
“Then? No.” Jackie rested her head against his chest. “But I think you’re right, and God knows I hate admitting that. And you? When did you know you loved me?”
Brandon grinned impishly. “You really want to know?”
“Yeah, when?”
His lips, warm and slightly roughened, brushed her forehead. “When you ordered that kick-ass martini at El Matador.”
Jackie narrowed suspicious eyes at him. “That’s impossible. We’d known each other, what, thirty minutes?”
“Maybe I didn’t truly know it, but there was something about the way you took charge. So competent, sexy, and self-assured. You knew what you wanted and went after it. You don’t compromise. Your passion for life blew me away. I wanted to ride that wave with you then. Still do. I don’t ever want to get off it either. Ever.”
Jackie’s eyes welled up with tears. She wrapped her arms around him and wept softly against his chest. “Oh, Brandon, me too.”
He stroked her hair. “Who knows what will happen, my love. The only thing I can think of is how many times I’m going to make love to you in the next hour, the next day, and next week. I’m confident that we’re smart enough to figure the rest of it out. For now, let it all go and be with me.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but he kissed her.
When he broke away from her, he declared, “Counselor, that objection is overruled.”
She closed her eyes and let her heart dance with the man she loved.
Epilogue
Jackie loved spring in the mid-Atlantic. The dogwoods painted the hills in light pinks and whites. Massive azalea bushes colored lawns with fuchsia and muted purple. Everything bloomed, filling the refreshing air with nature’s perfume.
For several weeks after the press conference announcing Ashe’s arrest, Jackie’s phone had rung off the hook. Cases poured in. She and Marilyn celebrated with an over-the-top dinner at The Inn at Little Washington. The criminal and civil cases wrapped up eventually, providing a substantial cushion in Jackie’s bank account.
Brandon continued to be as sexy, smart, and understanding as those first few weeks she’d known him. Her biggest frustration was that their burgeoning careers kept them busier than either wanted. They sneaked weekends together, often on Brandon’s boat. Jackie prided herself that she finally learned to swim and could even take the sailboat out with minimal tips from Brandon.
Once spring hit, Jackie traded in her practical Honda for the car of her dreams, a BMW convertible. She’d planned a girls’ weekend retreat in the mountains with her best friends from law school. Mimi came down from New York. Jackie forbade her from cruising the regattas for hotties, although her wingman duty that night with Mimi did land her in Brandon’s arms. Literally.
Charlotte flew in from Denver, where she’d recently switched from life as a prosecutor to a scrapping defense attorney. Why hadn’t Jackie called her last summer? The same reason she didn’t call anyone last summer. Too damned proud.
She’d learned her lesson. With a few phone calls, she’d been able to resume the friendships she’d let stagnate in “the Gary years.” Those cute bumper stickers proclaiming Life Is Good became an understatement.
The mountain retreat concluded, Jackie and her friends returned to Baltimore. She approached the turn to the hotel where her friends were going to clean up and change. They’d planned on meeting Brandon and a few of his buddies in DC for drinks and dinner.
Mimi, riding shotgun, grabbed Jackie’s arm. “Why don’t you take us to your office? You refused to show me last summer.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. My office is a dump. There’s nothing to see. I’m ready for a shower.”
Charlotte poked her head from the backseat. “You should see my place. Dump-o-rama. And, it’s in the middle of a strip mall. Just show us. Maybe I can get some decorating ideas.”
Jackie loved her renewed sense of sisterhood and knew they’d nag her to
death until she showed them the Whale. She sighed and took the next right. Within ten minutes, she pulled up to her building. Six trucks, some with trailers, hogged all the parking spaces.
Jackie jumped out of her car. “That’s weird. It’s a Sunday. Why are all these trucks here?”
Mimi and Charlotte shot her dumb looks.
Something was up.
Jackie led them into the building. The elevator button refused to light up, so Jackie led them up the stairs. A flurry of activity greeted them when they reached her floor. All her office furniture lay piled in the hallway.
Two guys hauling a giant roll of carpet pushed by her onto the stairs. “Excuse me,” one grumbled. “Fucking elevator is out again. What a dump.”
Jackie resisted the urge to trip him. Yes, it was a dump and the fucking elevator was always out, but it was hers!
She picked her way past boxes and carts overflowing with tools. She entered her office. Marilyn darted around, barking orders at someone stripping wallpaper.
“What the hell is going on?”
Pink flushed Marilyn’s cheeks. “Oh shit.” She glanced at her watch. “You’re early.”
Jackie looked at the workers and back at Marilyn, then at her friends, who hovered just inside the office door. “Someone had better explain.”
Marilyn grabbed her Chanel bag and searched through it. She pulled out some papers and handed them to Jackie.
Jackie scanned the letters. Some company called Northfield Real Estate had bought the building. They were remodeling. She’d be out of her office for two weeks.
“Two weeks! I have work to do. Who’s this new owner?”
Marilyn shrugged and pointed over Jackie’s shoulder.
Jackie turned around. Brandon stood in the door next to Mimi and Charlotte. They all grinned like monkeys.
Jackie threw her arms up. “What!”
Brandon handed her a notebook. “You’ve been busy, so I went ahead and filed a few papers. I know a good corporate lawyer.” He gave Mimi a wink.
The notebook contained Articles of Incorporation for the Northfield Real Estate Company. Brandon owned it. “You bought this building? Why? And what are you doing to my office?”
“Technically, I bought it, but I thought maybe you’d be interested in joining Northfield. Kind of a nice meld of names, don’t you think?”
Jackie rolled her eyes. “Northfield. I get it. Ha-ha.” She drilled a laser-sharp look into him. “Explain.”
“I love this building. It’s you. A renegade. Authentic. Raw. Unpretentious. Strong.” He took her hands and kissed each finger. “Unpredictable.”
Her heart warmed, and her irritation at the chaotic scene dissipated like waves reaching the shore.
He squeezed her hands. “I don’t want to lose this building. In fact, my business is moving in upstairs. No more weeklong separations. I’ll see you every day. And I thought we could spiff up the place a bit.”
“Okay, as long as you don’t raise the rent.”
“I’m sure we can negotiate that.”
Brandon knelt down in front of her. “I love you, Jackie. I want to spend every moment of the rest of our lives together. Will you marry me?”
Jackie was unprepared for the overwhelming surge of joy. Her heart felt like it had burst. Tears streamed down her face. Her legs shook, and she collapsed onto the floor. She folded her arms around Brandon. He hugged her tight.
“Yes! Yes!” she cried.
Brandon kissed her.
Showers of confetti rained down on Jackie and Brandon. Through teary eyes, she looked up at the smiling faces of the people who loved her and believed in her.
Jackie looked at Brandon. “I love you, Brandon Marshfield. And trust you. I’m yours.”
Loose Id Titles by J.K. O’Hanlon
Objection Overruled
J.K. O’Hanlon
J.K. O’Hanlon believes that a woman should have it all. While working as a lawyer, J.K. found true love with the hottie down the hall, but even a sizzling office romance couldn’t spice up the daily grind of legal documents. Combining her background in law with her unfailing sense of humor, J.K. now writes smart, sassy, and sexy stories about women who balance exciting careers with their passionate desire for love. In between penning steamy sex scenes, J.K. mixes and writes about cocktails as The Thirsty Jane (http://www.thirstyjane.com). Find out more about J.K. and her books at http://jkohanlon.com/.
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