Lucky 7 Brazen Bachelors Contemporary Romance Boxed Set

by Caridad Piñeiro

  “Look, I’m sorry. I can’t help you. This is not something I can get behind. I don’t have time to help criminals feel better about their crimes.”

  A look of disappointment flashed across his face, and it made her stomach sink. She wasn’t trying to be coldhearted or cruel, but he had his beliefs, and she had hers. Too often people thought they could undo vicious actions with remorse, but they couldn’t. Many people didn’t feel the remorse to begin with. He was asking too much of her. Although he didn’t respond, she felt compelled to defend herself.

  “I believe in redemption and rehabilitation,” she clarified. “But people need to want it enough to work for it. They need to change their lives. Not explain away their crimes or seek absolution from their victims.”

  Daniel nodded his head.

  “Okay. I guess you’ve got your mind made up.”

  Bryn swallowed hard, trying to tell herself that the disappointment in Daniel’s eyes was for the best. She’d been trying to get him to leave her alone. Apparently, this was the way to do it.

  “Enjoy the coffee, Bryn. I won’t bother you again.” Despite his words, Daniel reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. For a moment, he let his touch linger. He looked at her intently, as if trying to memorize every line of her face. Then he dropped his hand. “Take care, darlin’.”

  Daniel turned and walked away, leaving Bryn with an irrational urge to run after him. It was for the best, she told herself again. Too bad her heart didn’t agree with her.

  Bryn angrily wiped away the moisture leaking from her eyes and walked toward her car. She had work to do.

  Wild for Mr. Wrong: Chapter Seven

  Daniel slammed the phone down in disgust. It had only been a few days since Bryn had turned down his offer to join his pro bono program. What had he done? He’d tried and convicted her because of it. He hadn’t been more than a mile from her house when he’d realized he’d made a mistake. Seeing her this past week had cemented the thought in his mind.

  Something was going on with her. The last few times he’d seen her in court, she’d looked drained. Tired. Not quite as pulled together as she usually did.

  He’d sensed her looking at him during a suppression hearing yesterday. When Judge Peters announced she was taking the case under submission, Daniel turned to find Bryn’s gaze on him. She looked away when someone had approached her, but not before he saw the sadness in her eyes. At that moment he’d convinced himself that maybe, just maybe, she was sad because she missed him.

  So he’d finally broken down and called her. She hadn’t answered the call or his voice mail. He ran his hand through his hair and let out a harsh laugh, one without any hint of humor.

  She missed him? Boy, he was reaching. And he couldn’t blame his desperate desire to see her all on his libido. For God’s sake, he’d kissed the woman once. If sex was what he wanted, there were plenty of women who were willing to spend some time with him.

  But sex wasn’t all he wanted.

  No, Bryn Donovon touched him in a completely different way.

  She obviously had issues she was dealing with, ones that had driven her to be a prosecutor. And, apparently, a detester of defense attorneys. But her issues didn’t mean she was coldhearted, or at least he shouldn’t assume that. He knew there was more to her than she was letting him see, and something was telling him that if he didn’t give this thing between them—whatever it was—another chance, he’d regret it for the rest of his life.

  A lot of people would have a problem with the idea of bringing victims face to face with their attackers. It was a common reaction, and for good reason. But he’d taken her rejection of his proposal and walked off, not even willing to fight.

  Fact was, Bryn Donovon scared the shit out of him. He’d used her reaction to his proposal to take the easy way out. And even as he was doing it, he’d known he wasn’t being honest with himself. Or her.

  Vance had been completely accurate when he’d said Daniel was obsessed with her. He noticed everything about her. The delicacy of her collarbone. The way her nails were bare of polish but well-cared for. Hell, the fact that she wore a single diamond stud in each ear despite the fact that each lobe had multiple piercings. She was one complex contradiction after another. He could look at her for a hundred years and never tire of her.

  What early-thirties male in his sexual prime wouldn’t fight that feeling?

  But bottom line, he wanted her. Now more than ever.

  He needed to see her. Today. Now. And not in court.

  Daniel sighed. Maybe they just needed to talk. If she understood he saw her as more than a piece of ass, maybe she’d let her guard down a little. Maybe she’d let him see the woman she really was. Despite the fact that she’d refused to work with the mediation clinic, he didn’t believe she was heartless.

  Planning to stop by the DA’s office after lunch to see Bryn, Daniel shook out the newspaper in front of him, hoping to catch up on the NBA finals. He scanned the article on the front page.

  Man Released From Jail Kills Young Woman, Leaves Baby Behind.

  His stomach clenched tighter with every word he read.

  Apparently, Kyle Winsor had become emboldened by his victory in court. The night before, he’d entered a residence in midtown, intent on residential burglary. When Tess Blaker walked in on him, he attacked her. Blaker’s screams alerted neighbors, who called the police. Blaker had been twenty years old, single, and the mother of an eight-month-old.

  The young mother had obviously loved her baby. She’d drawn Winsor to the kitchen, the furthest room from where the baby lay sleeping. Winsor had stabbed Tess Blaker with one of her own knives. Blaker had died at the scene, but she hadn’t died easily. She’d struggled first. She’d fought not to leave her baby, but in the end she’d lost.

  The newspaper fell out of Daniel’s numb fingers. He grasped the top of his head and bent over until his forehead touched his knees.

  Oh God, what had he done?

  *

  Bryn glanced at her watch. Two hours until Tam’s baby shower. Not a fan of small talk, Bryn had RSVP’d “no” for the shower, but wondered again if she should reconsider. She glanced at the small, brightly colored box that sat on her desk. She’d planned on giving it to one of Tam’s fellow staff attorneys to bring to the shower on her behalf, but something had held her back. Guilt, most likely.

  Tam was becoming a good friend. She was a wonderful, fun, lively person. Her bright presence had often lightened Bryn’s day, and knowing that they could share some conversation at work had been comforting. But Bryn really hadn’t let Tam in. Instead, Bryn had repeatedly refused Tam’s offers to get together after work or on the weekend. Not because she didn’t want to, but because her solitariness had become such a habit, she was actually terrified of stepping out of it. It was as if, in some illogical yet stubborn part of her, she believed that since she hadn’t been there for her sister, then she didn’t deserve to have friends because she was bound to let someone else down. It was easier just worrying about herself, but what kind of life was that? Couldn’t she try just a little harder to show Tam how much she appreciated her? She didn’t want to hurt Tam’s feelings.

  Maybe she would stay home as planned, but she could at least take the gift to Tam herself. Visit with her a bit in an effort to show her friend how much she cared. She stood, reaching for the box when the murmur of the small TV in the corner of her office, which she kept on a local news channel for background noise, caught her attention.

  “…a fund for the baby girl has been started in an attempt to help her aunt, who already has five children, pay for her care. Once again, Malia Blaker is eight months old. Her mother, Tess Blaker, was brutally murdered last night. We are told that the suspect, Kyle Winsor, was recently released from jail on commercial burglary charges. We’ll be following up on…”

  Her heart slammed against her chest. She took several deep breaths to calm herself down, then turned off
the TV and stared at her reflection in the blank screen. Regret and sympathy washed over her at the thought of the young woman who’d lost her life, as well as the baby who’d lost her mother so violently. Foremost in her mind, however, was concern. Concern for Daniel. She reached for her phone to call him but then stopped short. What would she say? The last time they’d talked, she’d frozen him out. Insulted him yet again. Maybe she was making too much out of the news story, anyway. Would Daniel be upset by the news? She didn’t know for sure.

  They’d shared a few conversations. One amazing kiss. But beyond that, they hardly knew one another.

  Nevertheless, she picked up the phone and then realized she didn’t even have Daniel’s phone number. But Tam would have it. Vance was Daniel’s best friend.

  Realization coursed through her, and she slowly put down the receiver.

  What was she thinking? Daniel didn’t need her.

  Vance and Tam were Daniel’s friends. They would be there for support if he needed it.

  Forcing herself away from the phone, Bryn sat down at her table and picked up a fax. As far as Daniel was concerned, she was a hardened bitch.

  She knew she wasn’t a very good friend. Her heart twisted.

  She glanced at the present she’d bought for Tam and decided to drop it off at the staff attorney’s office after all.

  Wild for Mr. Wrong: Chapter Eight

  The next day, Bryn couldn’t stop thinking of Daniel. She needed to make sure he was okay. So what if he had friends? Those friends might never have felt the kind of guilt Daniel would be feeling. The kind of guilt Bryn had felt before and still did.

  She could be a friend to him. Just as she could be a better friend to Tam. Starting right now.

  The Logans lived in a cozy little neighborhood off of McKinley Park. She walked up the stairs to the bungalow’s front door and knocked.

  Tam opened the door with a delighted squeal, obviously having verified Bryn’s identity through the front door’s peephole. She wore a soft pink maternity shirt with flowers that managed to look chic and flatter her dusky complexion. “What a great surprise! Wow, I love your hair.”

  “Hi.” Bryn touched her soft brunette waves, which she usually didn’t bother straightening on the weekends. “I hope it’s not too early to drop by. I…I’m sorry I couldn’t make the shower yesterday. I was going to have one of the girls from work bring my gift but…” She held up the small wrapped box.

  “Thank you!” Tam took Bryn’s offering and grabbed her arm, pulling her inside. Baby clothes, gift bags, and boxes of various baby paraphernalia were stacked in the living room. Tam chuckled.

  “I know. The baby’s not even here yet, and she’s already taking over.”

  “She? You know you’re having a girl?” Bryn immediately pictured a cherubic baby with her mother’s red hair and her daddy’s blue eyes.

  “Not for sure. Vance says he’s got a feeling, though. I have to admit, so do I.” Tam rubbed her stomach and winced. “She’s going to be a soccer player, that’s for sure.”

  She started opening the small package in her hand, saying, “I want to open it while you’re here. Thank you. I really…” She stopped talking and stared at what was in the box.

  Bryn clenched her hands together. “Um, is it…okay?” She’d shopped at five different stores to find it, and finally special ordered it online. Maybe she’d ordered the wrong one.

  Tam pulled out the miniature book titled, “People Who Love Me.” She had casually mentioned one lunch how she’d seen it at a friend’s baby shower and thought it was the cutest idea. Each page, including the cover, sported a place to insert a photo. Bryn had snuck a photo of Tam and Vance from her desk one night and scanned it before returning it. After reading somewhere that babies like primary colors, she’d colorized it in Photoshop to look like a brightly colored Andy Warhol picture and had slipped it in the front cover. She thought it came out nice, but maybe…

  Tam looked at her with tears in her eyes, and Bryn’s heart sank. “Oh no, I’m sorry if I did something—”

  “Thank you so much. It’s awesome!” Tam put her arms around Bryn and gave her a big hug. As big a hug as a pregnant woman about to deliver her baby could give, at least. Bryn stiffened momentarily but then hugged Tam back, relishing the closeness almost as much as she had Daniel’s kiss. When she felt something kick her in the stomach, she jumped back, startled.

  Tam laughed again. “See, what did I tell you? We’ll be spending a fortune on soccer uniforms.”

  “Soccer player or not, your baby will be blessed.” She looked around. “Is Vance home?”

  Tam’s expression turned serious. “No. He spent the night with…a friend.”

  “Daniel,” Bryn said softly.

  “I insisted. Daniel needed him, and my friend Lucille stayed with me. She’d driven down for the shower anyway, and didn’t feel like driving all the way back to Folsom. So…you know about Winsor?”

  She nodded, even though she felt a little weird talking about Daniel. The last time they’d talked about him, she had voiced utter disdain for the man and had been incredibly angry with Tam for trying to set them up. But now? Imagining Daniel so distraught that he needed the comfort of Vance’s presence even at night? It made her heart ache for him.

  “Yes, I did. I heard it on the news. Does he…?”

  Tam nodded. “He blames himself.”

  She said nothing.

  “I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not true.”

  Bryn shook her head. “Of course it’s not. He couldn’t have known what Winsor would do. No one could have.”

  Still, he defends criminals, a voice whispered. She ruthlessly shoved that thought away. “Has he ever had something like this happen before?”

  “No, never.” Tam paused, her voice softening. “Have you?”

  Bryn shook her head.

  “Do you feel guilty?”

  The question surprised Bryn but not as much as the answer. She didn’t feel guilty. Why not? Could she have prevented what had happened, if she’d argued the case a little differently? Somehow she didn’t think so.

  “No, no I don’t. Even if Winsor had been convicted, he would have served a few months in jail at most. What’s to say he wouldn’t have done the same thing when he got out? He obviously had everyone fooled. Not just Daniel, but a jury of twelve citizens. And even if he hadn’t fooled them, their job was to deal with real evidence. And they did.”

  She thought about it. It had been a close case. Close enough to raise a reasonable doubt in the jury’s mind, and that’s what the legal system was designed to do. Eliminate the conviction of anyone whose guilt wasn’t proven beyond a reasonable doubt. It was an imperfect system, but Daniel had been doing his job, just like she had.

  “I’m glad you see that.” Tam sighed. “I hope Daniel sees it, eventually. He’s taking it so hard. I know anyone would, but Daniel—” Tam glanced at her. “He’s a great guy, Bryn. He cares about people. About his clients. This is hurting him. I’ve never seen him so torn up.”

  Bryn felt the need rise up inside her. Tried telling herself that Daniel didn’t need her when he had Vance. But the feeling wouldn’t be quashed.

  “Tam, I need Daniel’s address.”

  *

  Ten minutes later she’d arrived on Daniel’s doorstep, but just stood there, unable to knock. For the third time, she turned around, walked toward her car, and then walked back again. She was crazy. What in the world was she doing? When she’d asked Tam for Daniel’s address, she knew she’d surprised her friend. But the thought of Daniel blaming himself for Tess Blaker’s death was more than she could bear.

  In her own messed up way, Bryn knew guilt was destroying her life. She couldn’t erase almost ten years of damage, but the idea of Daniel dropping to the depths she had experienced didn’t bear thinking.

  She couldn’t help remembering every conversation they’d had where she’d slammed him for his occupation. Despite her prosecutor-oriented
thoughts at Tam’s house, she didn’t blame Daniel for Winsor’s unexpected escalation of violence. Daniel was a defense attorney, but he was an honorable one. One who served an important function in society.

  The justice system was based on advocacy. On pitting one side against the other. It wasn’t a perfect system, but it was needed in order to ensure the innocent weren’t unjustly imprisoned. It was also needed to ensure the guilty weren’t punished for more than the actual crimes they committed. Because of her own guilt with respect to her sister, she hadn’t wanted to like Daniel. Hadn’t wanted to concede what he did for a living was important. But she did like him. She respected him and the work he did. And she needed to make sure he knew that.

  Before she could stop herself again, Bryn knocked on the front door. Daniel’s home was an older version of the Logans’ but in just as nice a neighborhood. Oak trees lined the streets and McKinley Park was only a stone’s throw away. She could readily imagine a group of young children chasing an ice cream truck down the wide street on a sweltering day in the valley.

  Vance Logan opened the door and frowned at Bryn. The tall man walked onto the porch and closed the door behind him. With pitch-black hair and almost icy blue eyes, Vance had always appeared to Bryn to be extremely handsome, a perfect foil to Tam’s bubbly redheaded looks. “What the hell are you doing here? Come to gloat?”

  Bryn was taken aback by Vance’s hostility. She’d tried several cases against him but had only spoken with him once or twice on a personal level. During those times, he’d been unfailingly polite to her. But then again, that had been in front of Tam. Apparently, his true feelings about her were fair game now that his wife wasn’t around.

  Bryn immediately put on her game face. Straightening her shoulders, she met his glaze levelly. “I’m here to see Daniel. Is he in?”

  “Not for you, he’s not.”