by Maren Lee
“I got your fix right here, Lane.” He motioned his head down to his groin.
Damn, she went about five shades of pink this time.
“Don’t worry, we can save that for dessert.” He winked at her. She rolled her eyes. She sure does that a lot around you. He walked to the cupboard to grab a couple plates. When he turned around Lane had already dug into the box and was practically inhaling her first piece of pizza, now completely unaffected by his dick. Hmmm.
“You want a plate, sweetheart? Or a napkin?” He couldn’t help but smile at her. She looked genuinely happy with her cheeks full.
Lane nodded and reached for the plate. She pointed to the wine glass rack and then to the bottle. She made a ‘please’ gesture with her hands.
Jake shook his head and laughed, “You’re adorable, Red. You make it easy to want to please you.”
Lane swallowed hard and caught her breath, “Woo, sorry. I’m hungry. Thanks, I think?”
“You’re welcome, sweetie.” Lane give him the look. The “friends don’t call each other ‘sweetie,” look. Jake changed the subject. “How was your week?”
The “look” vanished and a look of anguish appeared in its place, her shoulders sagging. “It. Fucking. Sucked.” Lane took a big swig of her wine. “Thinking about it just makes me angry.”
“That bad, huh?” Jake grabbed a slice out of the box.
“Yeah. That bad. Sorry, I shouldn’t even be talking about it with you.”
“Lane. I want to be your friend. And friends talk to each other. I’m not here as Sergeant Hamilton. I’m here as Jake. You can talk to me about anything.”
Lane hesitated for a moment before she let the floodgates open, “I can’t talk to you about attorney-client privileged stuff, but I can tell you all about fuckwad Mayor Jennings.” Jake was interested before, but he was certainly interested now. Mayor Jennings had pulled some crazy shit this week with his office.
Lane continued. “He stopped by my office the same morning I found you in my bed.” Jake started to make a sound of protest - you asked me to stay! - but stopped himself. He wanted to hear this story.
Thankfully, Lane continued. “That fucking prick started asking me about the Walters case. When I refused to give him anything, he told me to stop doing my job and ‘let the justice system’ take care of Tom. He told me he hoped we could see ‘eye to eye’ on this matter. Me! A part of the very fucking justice system he hopes will take care of Tom! I kicked him out of my office and on his way out that fucker threatened me!” Lane clenched her fists at her side, she was pissed.
“Are you shittin’ me? What do you mean he ‘threatened’ you?” Jake felt his blood boiling at the thought of that douchebag talking to Lane that way.
“He said something like, ‘don’t say I didn’t warn you.’ I don’t know. I was so pissed. I can’t stand the fact that all these motherfuckers think they can just push me around. I’m not a delicate flower! Now I have to get a fucking subpoena to talk to any of his officers or employees because that fucker kicked me off the premises when I went to City Hall.”
What the fuck is going on at City Hall? “Jesus. He’s on a fucking roll lately. Did you go to the judge to get some subpoenas issued?”
“What do you mean he’s on a roll?” Lane asked, her brow furrowed.
“He’s cut ties with the Sheriff’s Office. No more officer assists. Nothing.”
“Odd.” Lane made the most adorable face. Jake could tell the gears were turning in her brain. “So get this. I go to Judge Corcoran. He tells me to stop pestering the fucking Mayor and that if he hears about me harassing city cops and other city employees, he’s going to hold me in contempt! I’m fucked. I can’t talk to anyone because I can’t get a fucking subpoena! And poor Tom is left defenseless because my hands are tied! Fucking shit balls! Fucker!”
Whoa. Lane was pissed as hell and she had the mouth to prove it.
“You should have called me, honey,” Jake offered.
“Why would I call you? What could you do? You think I can’t handle my own problems? Fuck that,” Lane scoffed.
The more angry Lane got the more Jake wanted to tie her up and fuck the sass right out of her.
Jake took a step toward her bringing them toe to toe. He looked down to meet her glare, gritting his teeth.
“Red, shut it. You should have called me because I’m your man. I’ve seen you handle your business and I’ve got no doubt you can do that, but when I hear of some mother fucker threatening you I want to knock his fucking teeth down his throat.” Jake felt his blood pulsing through his veins.
This woman knew how to get him hot as hell and pissed the fuck off. Lane was flush, he could see her nipples getting taut through her shirt. Yeah, she was definitely not wearing a bra.
Her breathing became more labored, “You’re not my man Jake, you’re my friend.”
That was fucking it. He’d heard enough.
Jake reached around her waist with his left hand and behind her neck with his right, pulling her nose to nose with him. Their height difference meant he had to lean down. Quite a bit. But he fucking loved it. He could feel her softness leaning into him, the ridges of her hard nipples pressing into his chest.
“Does this feel like I’m just your friend, Laney?” he whispered on her lips.
“Don’t call me Laney.” As her name rolled off her tongue, he felt the tip brush his lip as she rolled the ‘L’ out.
Fuck it.
Jake crushed his mouth to hers, stealing her breath as he ravaged her. Lane met his tongue and the twisting and teasing intensified. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Jake pulled her tight to him, pressing his hardness against her warm, soft body. He fucking ached for more of her. The kiss turned from the frantic lust it began with into a pure, deep need. Jake needed to consume her. He needed to own her. He needed to love on her. Lane let out a soft moan into his mouth as she dug her nails into his neck and pulled on his hair. Fuck me. Jake swallowed her moan and slowly brought the kiss to a simmer, giving her light kisses and quick nips on her sweet lips.
“Lane. Baby. You fucking wreck me.”
“I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.” Her head tilted with curiosity.
Jake laughed while still holding her in his arms, “Good. It’s good, honey. This wreckage is all yours.” He loosened his grip and she slid down and off of him.
“Shit. That was so not in the ‘friend zone.’ Maybe we should cool this down? Take our pizza to the living room and flip on the game?”
“Of course. I also brought the movie Crazy Stupid Love. It’s funny for me, but also a girly romance for you.”
“For me?” Lane smiled, but sounded skeptical. “Jake, it’s okay if you like chick flicks. Chloe told me about your ‘guys nights’ where everyone in the department gets together and you all watch the new rom-com followed by the manliest movie out there, you know, to remind yourselves you all have big swinging dicks between your legs.” Lane couldn’t contain her amusement and burst out laughing.
“Fucking Hunt! That guy can’t keep his stupid mouth shut.”
“I won’t judge you, but I’d rather watch the Northwestern game first, if you don’t mind.” Lane marched over to the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table. “Now be a doll, sweetheart, and bring the wine and pizza in here so we can catch up on our gossip! Maybe I’ll do your nails.”
Jake put the pizza and wine on the table, “Watch yourself, sassy britches. I’ve shown you I’m all man. Multiple times if memory serves me right.” He winked and he swore he could see Lane squeeze her thighs together. Ha!
Jake turned around and headed for the couch, “Scoot over, hot stuff.” He slid in next to her and pulled her close. Even with football on (stupid team - even if it is Lane’s team), it was going to be hard to stop thinking about that kiss. Hard. As. Fuck.
➰
Lane couldn’t move. She shouldn’t be letting this go so far. That kiss. Oh, that kiss. Was amazing. Now sitting on the couch,
snuggled up with Jake while she watched her beloved Wildcats kick the shit out of Illinois, she couldn’t move. His huge arms. His wide chest. His hard-as-fuck abs. Lane wanted to stay here forever. But she couldn’t do that if they were just going to be friends. Ugh. You knew you couldn’t do the ‘friends’ thing with him, Lane.
Jake broke the silence. “Baby, you’re all tense. What’s going through that pretty head of yours?”
Lane tensed even further. “We’ve gone so far outside the friend zone, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back.”
“News flash, Lane. I don’t want to be in your friend zone. I want to be in your man-zone.”
That made Lane smile. “My ‘man-zone’? What does that even mean?”
“I want to be your man, Laney. And I want you to be my woman.”
Lane may have swooned. But she tried not to let it show. “Jake, please don’t call me Laney. I’m serious.”
“Honey, you’re gonna have to be honest with me and let me know why I can’t call you ‘Laney.’ It’s natural for me. It just pops into my head. I’ve been trying. Maybe if you tell me why it makes you uncomfortable, I can do better.”
God he was so sincere. Lane decided to let it all hang out. “I was engaged.”
Jake’s jaw got tight. “Explain to me, sweetheart, what that has to do with me calling you ‘Laney.’”
“God, this is stupid, but it really fucking bugs me. I met him at work. He was my supervising partner, so things were a little sticky, but there were ways around company policy. He was much older than me. But he was so handsome and a great lawyer and powerful. He wooed me. Like, seriously worked hard to win me over, because I was very skeptical of being in a relationship with him,” Lane paused.
“I know that feeling, Red. Gotta say, I hate that there's been anyone else, but I’m a little relieved to know its not me, it's you,” he teased.
Lane laughed and smacked his arm. “Ugh. Well, long story short, I thought we were in love. He proposed. We moved in together. I was his ‘Laney.’ He never called me Lane and was super possessive with me. He kept me from working with other male attorneys too, which I found odd, but also somewhat charming. I thought the possessiveness was kind of sexy, you know?” Jake growled, possessively. “I should have known he wasn’t trying to keep me from falling in love with someone else. He was trying to keep me from hearing from everyone else that he was a total dog.”
Jake cringed. Lane continued.
“One afternoon, he told me that he had to work late on something and said I should go home without him. I got caught up in my own work and didn’t realize how late it had gotten, so at about 8:30 pm, I walked down to his office. I found him getting a fucking blow job from OUR secretary.”
“No fucking way.” Jake just couldn’t believe it. That any man would just throw this woman away. Crazy.
Lane let out a sad laugh. “Yeah. Certainly not what I expected. I didn’t know what to do. So, of course, I lost my shit. I worked with him - for him. And I fucking lived with him. He turned into a total dick. Threatened to fire me, though we both know what would have happened if he’d actually done that. I called HR and told them in exchange for me not suing the shit out of them, they would pay for my temporary corporate housing while I moved out of his penthouse. Surprisingly, they agreed. So I was reassigned to another partner and living in a nice apartment by myself for free. All while watching my ex-fiancé fall in love with my secretary.”
“What an asshole,” Jake added his two cents.
You’re telling me, Lane thought.
“Yeah. I may have had a full-on-fucking-meltdown to the point where they suggested I check out the Employee Assistance Plan and talk to a counselor.”
“Oh sweetheart,” Jake pulled her onto his lap and into his arms. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
God, if I had to go through all of that to get to these giant arms around me, I am not sorry. Shut it, Lane. You are completely failing at your friend zone! Get off of his lap! Lane’s inner voices battled. She decided to stay right where she was.
“I’m fine now. I’m over it. It was not my fault. He was the douchebag. But I’ve always struggled with anxiety, and that kind of flipped me over the edge, you know? I did learn some great breathing exercises, so that helps. Work doesn’t bother me. I feel completely in my element in the courtroom. It’s...extracurricular activities and weird things out of the ordinary that slip me up.”
Things were making more sense to him now. Jake gave her a squeeze. “So is that why you decided to leave Chicago?”
“Yep. Started job searching right away. Found a few openings at other firms in Chicago. Was even offered a lateral position at Latham & Watkins, which is kind of a big deal. But I needed to get out of the city and far away from anything to do with Everett Kauffman. I saw the Bounty County position posting and I’d always wanted to do something like this. I just didn’t have the guts, I guess. Decided I owed it to myself to find out if I could do it. I paid my own way out here for the interview and got the job. The rest you’ve pretty much been around to watch.”
“And you’re spectacular at it, babe, though I do hate being on the receiving end of your badassery. But let’s go back a minute. Everett Kauffman?” Jake scoffed. “Even with that douchebag name, I can’t believe anyone would do something like that to you, Lane.”
Yeah. Lane sighed again. “Well, you witnessed the aftermath of the second time it happened to me. Fucking Connor even knew my Chicago story and still stepped out on me. So, I must be quite the catch,” she said sarcastically.
“You are quite the catch. And I seriously want to beat Connor’s ass even more aftering hearing that story. I’ll do it just for you, honey. Just say the word.” Jake gave her a smile. God those dimples. His hazel eyes sparkled.
“Stop. I don’t need you to defend me. That relationship is O-V-E-R. And honestly, it didn’t even bother me that much. So I obviously wasn’t that invested in him.”
“It bothers me. I won’t call you Laney ever again. I don’t want my pet names for you to bring back memories of some asshole who fucked around on you. And when I’m in the same room as you or on the phone with you, I sure as hell don’t want you thinking about another man.” Jake’s jaw tightened again.
“It’s fine.”
“Enough.” Jake placed his hands on her cheeks. “It’s not fine. Red, you are the sexiest, smartest spitfire I have ever met. You deserve better than what those jack offs did to you.”
Lane snuggled into him. “Thank you, Jake. You’re a good friend.” I don’t think friends cuddle like this, Lane, her inner voice scolded.
He let go of her cheeks and moved his hands down her body. One rested on her lower back, the other on her lap.
Jake lowered his voice. Seductively. “All this talk about these assholes gets me all pumped up. Like I want to fight it out with them or fuck it out with you until you forget they ever touched you.” He gripped her thigh tight with one hand and her back with the other. Lane let out a quick breath, almost gasping. I already have no idea who you’re talking about.
“Sorry baby, did I grab you too tight?” He rubbed her thigh softly to take away the pain he thought he had caused.
She shook her head, “No.” Lane’s inner voices suddenly shut right the fuck up.
She turned in his lap so that she was straddling him. She could feel his erection stirring, pushing against his zipper. If there weren't layers of clothes between them, the head of his cock would be tempting her warm, wet center. Begging to come in. The thought of him sliding inside of her again sent a shiver down her spine.
“Red, you're playing with fire, baby.” He slipped both hands behind her, pulling her tight to him. Her breasts tight to his heaving chest. The look in his eyes said he wanted to devour her. “Lane?” he whispered her name as a question.
Fuck it.
“Bring the fucking heat, Jake.” Lane looked up at him with hooded eyes and started moving on him as if she were going to fill
herself up with his length.
Jake grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged her head backwards so that he could lock his eyes with hers. “You sure you want this? Friends don’t do this, Red. Once we cross that line, there's no going back.” She continued to move on him.
His eyes were on her, waiting for her to give the green light. “Do you understand what I'm saying, honey?”
I couldn’t hold back any more if I tried.
Lane leaned forward and bit his lower lip. “Fuck friendship,” she whispered against his mouth.
And with that formal invitation, Jake crashed his mouth into hers. She moaned as their tongues met. Twisting. Turning. Sucking. Biting. Jake continued to tug on her hair while their hips gyrated and mouths tangled.
Jake moved his hands from her hips to the bottom of her shirt. In one quick swoop he pulled it up over her head.