by Alexa Davis
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Epilogue
DANGEROUS IN LOVE
By Alexa Davis
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 Alexa Davis
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Chapter 1
Adam
Friday
I glanced at the clock on the wall and groaned, scratching the back of my neck as I counted down the hours until the weekend. My desk was piled high with documents from the case file I was working on. One of the things they don’t tell you about when applying to law school is that countless hours of your life that are going to be sucked away doing endless amounts of research. I looked around my office at the shelves of books lining the wall across from me and sighed.
Snow was falling outside the window in graceful white tufts that floated down like confetti in the parking lot. The cars were all dusted in a fine white powder and edges of the glass tainted with crystalline frost.
Fuck, it’s going to be cold outside, I thought to myself dismally.
I was interrupted by the sound of knocking on the door and I turned reflexively. My paralegal, Leslie, poked her head inside apologetically. “Excuse me, Mr. Hillis, sorry to interrupt, but Jon Hansen is here to see you.”
Aw, shit.
Jon Hansen, also known as Hard-ass Hansen, was the lead partner on our case – and most importantly…my boss.
“Alright, send him in,” I told her with a smile. Crap, what’s this about?
She nodded, pursing her lips together slightly, and held the door open for the executive to come inside. I sat up taller in my seat and cleared my throat, hoping to make a good impression.
I hadn’t had much interaction with upper management since I’d started here a week ago. It was pretty much a boy’s club; they were a gruff no-nonsense sort of crowd. That didn’t bother me. I’d dealt with men like that before. As long as I stayed out of trouble, we would get along just fine. I just kept my head down and continued with my work while trying not to rock the boat.
“Adam!” Mr. Hansen greeted me from the doorway. He had thick, coke-bottle glasses that balanced precariously on the end of his nose and a friendly face. I’d been told not to let that fool me, though; he was a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom. I pushed my chair out from under my desk and stood up to shake his hand.
“It’s nice to see you, Mr. Hansen. Is there anything I can do for you?”
The old man smiled, taking my hand in his to give a stiff handshake. “Not at all, son. I just came down to say hello. I hear you’re doing well for being so fresh out of college.”
I chuckled nervously as he released my hand and sat down on the edge of my desk. “Thank you, sir. It’s certainly been a learning experience.”
“Good! I’m glad to hear it. All your paperwork seems to be in order. We can probably schedule the Johnson case for a hearing in January.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“Have you got any traveling plans for the holidays?” he asked me conversationally. “My wife and I are headed up to Buffalo with the kids. In-laws,” he added by means of explanation.
“No, sir. I’ll just be visiting with family.”
“Good man,” he told me while glancing down at his watch. “Listen, it’s almost four o’clock; why don’t you go ahead and take off early, enjoy the weekend? Get in some Christmas shopping while you’re at it. Everything here seems to be in order. I think you deserve it.”
“Oh, well… Thank you. Are you sure?”
He nodded. “Go on, I insist. Enjoy the break. We’ll see you back here first thing Monday morning. I’ve got an interesting case that came across my desk earlier I’d like you to have a look at.”
“Sure thing.”
Jon smiled, the skin around his eye crinkling around the edges behind his glasses. “Keep it up, son. You’ve got a bright future ahead of you.”
Without another word, he turned on the heel of his shoe and walked out the door toward his office. As soon as he disappeared from my line of vision, I exhaled a sigh of relief and wondered, what was that about?
It was an odd exchange, but I shrugged it off, grateful it had been a casual visit instead of being reprimanded and told I was messing up already. Glancing down at the papers on my desk, I decided to take the man’s advice and start the weekend early.
I could already feel my spirits rise as I gathered the documents I’d be needing and put them neatly in a pile before clipping them inside my briefcase. The clean leather case had been my first real splurge after graduating. I clicked the shiny gold latches closed and picked up the handle before retrieving my wool coat off the rack.
As I slipped my arms into its sleeves, Leslie turned her head and smiled through the open door. “Heading out, sir?”
I smiled, taking the briefcase with me, and closed the door to my office behind me. “Afraid so, Les. Do you have anything for me before I go?”
She nodded absent mindedly as she flitted over to the post-its on our message board. The rim of her desk was lined with seasonal decorations, and she had a jar for Secret Santa stashed away over to the side. She briefly scanned the post-its before pulling one off that was placed beneath my name.
“You had a call from…Max Butler. He left his number and asked for you to call him back at your earliest convenience.”
I smiled at the mention of my college friend and took the paper from her. “I will, thank you. Have a great weekend.”
“You, too, sir.”
I liked Leslie. She was detailed and efficient. As far as secretaries go, she didn’t ask a lot of questions, either, which was a valuable asset given our particular line of work. I waved goodbye to her and strode out into the parking lot.
Crisp, winter air nipped at my nose as I wrapped a scarf around my neck and headed toward my car. My faithful Escalade was parked in the lot beside the building. I pulled the keys out of my pocket and unlocked it with the clicker before sliding into the driver seat. Using the wipers to brush away the residual snow, I carefully backed out of the parking lot on onto the open road. Luckily, I was getting off in time to avoid the five o’clock rush so there wouldn’t be much traffic, but then again, you can’t be sure.
A few blocks into the drive, my cell phone began to ring. I glanced down and saw Dad’s name flash across the screen. I rolled my eyes and hit ignore, telling myself I’d call him later.
W
hen I got home, there was an open spot waiting for me right beside the door, which almost never happened. I took it as a sign and parked, grabbing my briefcase from the back and walking up the condo’s entryway. Some of my neighbors had gotten into the holiday spirit with wreaths of holly hanging from their doors or pictures of Santa plastered in the windows.
I didn’t really feel the need to go all out like that. What I really wanted was a drink.
My front door swung open as I unlocked it and stepped in from the cold, shedding the coat and briefcase as soon as humanly possible. I walked over to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. Max’s note poked out from the pocket of my coat, reminding me that I should call. I couldn’t help but grin. I pulled out my cell phone and found his number in my contacts before hitting send. It rang a few times before he answered, “This is Max.”
“Hey, man! Long time no see,” I told him happily. “My secretary left me a message saying to call you. What’s going on?”
“Not much. I just called to see how the new job was going and if you needed a ride to the Christmas party tomorrow.”
Crap.
“Augh…” I sighed in defeat. “I completely forgot about that. Yeah, if you don’t mind giving me a ride, that would be a lifesaver.”
I hadn’t seen the guys from our fraternity, called Men’s Club, since I had graduated in the spring. They’d sent out flyers and email reminders about the party over the last few weeks, but I’d been so involved with starting the new job that it had completely escaped me.
“No problem; I’ll swing by your place tomorrow morning,” he told me happily. “We want to get an early start; it’s a two-hour drive at least.”
“Alright, sounds good. I’ll see ya then.”
“You, too, bud. Take care.”
“Bye.”
I hung up the phone and let out a tired sigh. Double crap.
The Christmas party shouldn’t have been a big deal—it went with the territory—but the idea of leaving for the day wasn’t as exciting as it should be. I was really looking forward to relaxing. Since I was the chapter’s president, I was obligated to take part, though. It hadn’t been that long since my graduation, and in many ways, I still felt like a fish out of water—floundering, trying to figure out what I’m doing. That’s why I was excited to see Max; he kept me grounded.
Yeah, seeing Max will be good.
Chapter 2
Vanessa
Saturday
Britta poked her head around the corner and knocked on the open door, waiting to be let inside. “How’s it going?” she asked conversationally.
I sighed, folding up the last of my shirts and putting them in a suitcase. “Slowly,” I informed her honestly. “I don’t know how I’m going to fit all of this in one bag. It’s like my wardrobe has magically doubled.”
My oversized blue suitcase was bursting at the zippers trying to keep it all inside.
It was bittersweet to be moving away from Tampa. It had been my home for the last four years as I finished my degree in photography. The city and culture were a lot different from where I had grown up in Ohio. We didn’t have hot summer days to spend at the beach, and the citrus fruit that grew here was unlike anything up north. I’d miss a lot of things about living in the South, but it was time to move on now that I had graduated.
My roommate of two years laughed, coming to sit down next to me on the mattress. She had curly brown hair and a golden tan that most women would have killed for—one of the perks of having grown up here in Florida.
“I’m going to miss you,” Britta muttered sadly. “Who am I going to gossip with over midnight snacks once you’re gone?”
I stifled a laugh at her mention of our weekly ritual of getting drunk and eating macaroni and cheese while complaining about our classes. It’s the little things that count. Britta still had another year left, and then student teaching after that. Realizing that made me all the more grateful I was done.
I sighed, stopping only to give her a one-armed hug and said, “I’m going to miss you, too.
“What do you think it’s going to be like going back to Akron?”
I shrugged, while folding up a few more pairs of jeans and shoved them into my suitcase. “I dunno. Same old, same old, I suppose. I still don’t have a job yet, so I’ll be living with my parents.”
“That sucks,” she agreed with resignation. “But a lot of kids move home these days, at least for a while. Besides, I thought you said they were cool.”
“They are,” I insisted defensibly, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. I really meant it; my parents and I had a better relationship than most, and I tried to call home every weekend. “But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t want my own place. In fact, I’m fairly certain the reason we get along now is because I no longer have to sneak around behind their back and justify my life decisions. At least I’ll have Max to keep me company.”
Britta smiled and wagged eye eyebrow suggestively. “Who is Max?” she purred.
I grinned, looking up at her through my canopy of long blonde hair while I stuffed my last few remaining toiletries into the zippered compartment on the side. “Don’t get your hopes up—he’s my brother.”
She stuck her tongue out at me and smiled. “Oh, well, never mind.”
“Actually, we used to be really close back when we were kids, but he went to school up in Bowling Green, so we barely see each other.”
“That’s rough,” she commiserated with me briefly. “Are you excited to see him now?”
“You know what? I really am. I think it’s gonna be great. I’ll start applying to jobs when I get there, and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
“What about the photography studio? Isn’t that what you always wanted to do?”
I sighed, thinking about the idea I’d once confided in her months ago. Ever since I got into photography, it had been my secret love and obsession. Opening up my own studio would be a dream come true, but I had no idea how to turn those dreams into reality.
“Yeah, but I wouldn’t even know where to start. I’m not that business savvy.”
She smiled, putting her arm around my shoulder. “Well, I believe in you. You’ve always landed on your feet.”
I smiled nervously and rested my head against her shoulder. “Thanks.”
“And if your brother is single, you should totally hook me up.”
I bit back my smile that was forming and patted her on the shoulder before responding, “Okay, but I should probably apologize ahead of time. He’s kind of an asshole.”
She nodded, taking the assessment completely in stride. “Sounds like just my type.”
I laughed, shoving her playfully with one of the pillows and insisted, “I really need to finish packing, or I’m going to miss my flight.”
She stood up and headed toward the door saying, “Okay, just give me a call when you’re ready to go. We can use the Sun Pass on my car to avoid the tolls.”
I nodded in agreement and gave her a quick thumbs-up without looking up from my bag. “Good thinking. We’re going to need it on the way to Orlando. Just give me about an hour.”
The room was completely bare, with all my bedding, clothes, and important belongings pretty much packed away.
It didn’t take me long to finish collecting all my things, especially considering the only piece of luggage I really cared about was traveling in my carry-on: my camera. It had taken months of saving up spare change and picking up extra shifts before I was able to afford it. It was my most prized possession.
As I was putting it away, my phone rang on the nightstand, and I went to answer it. “Hello?” I greeted slowly, balancing the device between my shoulder and my ear.
“Hey, sweetie! It’s me,” Mom’s voice rang out on the line. “Are you already at the airport?”
My loving, hair-brained mother was always checking up on me; it was in her nature to worry. I chuckled while making sure that I had my ID handy and returned it to my
wallet. “Hey, Mom. No, I’m not there yet. I’ve still got some last minute packing to do. Britta and I were going to head out really soon, though.”
“Oh, excellent! Well, I won’t keep you,” she added quickly. “Drive safe and call us when you get there.”
I could almost feel the waves of her enthusiasm radiate through the phone and couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, it’s going to be great,” I told her happily, hoping my voice sounded convincing.
“Okay, hon. We’ll see you soon! Oh, I almost forgot to mention, your father and I decided to have a Christmas party on Sunday. Max is bringing a couple of his friends from school.”
I froze at the mention of a party, knowing full well that all our friends and family would be there and I’d be expected to make a showing.
“A party?” I repeated nervously. “Are you sure that’s the best idea?”
“Oh, don’t be silly! Everyone is dying to see you. After all, it isn’t just the holidays we’re celebrating—it’s about you graduating college!”
“Sounds great,” I told her with a sigh as I buried my face into my hands.
“We can talk about that later,” she assured me with a rush. “Travel safe, and I guess we’ll be seeing you soon.”
“Okay. Bye.”
“Bye!”
I slipped the phone back into my pocket, returning my attention to the task at hand. Mom’s Christmas parties were absolutely phenomenal, usually the highlight of my year. She really knew how to pull everything together and show everyone a good time. This year, however, I felt too anxious for that to be any kind of consolation.
Great, I thought to myself dismally. Another opportunity to tell people that I’ve still got no idea what I’m going to do. Because that’s exactly what I need.
Chapter 3
Adam
Saturday
My eyes flew open at the sound of someone knocking hard at the door, and I groaned into the pillow. Moments before, I lay blissfully snuggled in the warmth of my cotton sheets dreaming about a court case. The knocking persisted, growing louder, so I groggily rolled out of bed and went to answer it, wondering who could be disturbing me at this hour. The linoleum felt cool against my feet as I walked barefoot across the living room, rubbing sleep from my eyes and pulling on a t-shirt.