by Ali Parker
That got the receptionist’s attention. “Have a seat please. I’ll let her know you’re here.”
There were plush looking couches to our left, but before we could sit down one of the doors down the hall opened and I heard a familiar voice speaking as he walked out of it. “Get that agreement to me signed before the end of the day and he’s got his deal.”
Tyson spoke with an air of authority when he was in professional mode, commanding people’s attention and striking fear into the hearts of grown men and young children alike. I barely managed to suppress rolling my eyes when I spotted him striding toward the lobby, the man behind him scurrying to keep up.
His pretentious ass hadn’t scared me for a single minute of my life, but the other man looked like he was about to wet himself. My brother was such a show off. Another man stepped out of the room after them, this one more evenly matched to Tyson as he said, “I’ll get it to you, you just make sure the paperwork for his release is ready to go as soon as you get his signature.”
The men stopped when they reached the lobby floor, Tyson and the other hard ass guy staring each other down before clasping hands. “He’ll be released the moment everything’s been processed.”
There was a pause as the man sized Tyson up, then he nodded. “Understood. Pleasure doing business, Mr. Lovett.”
Tyson didn’t respond, nodding once before he turned away from the man. He was midway through his turn when he saw us standing in the lobby, his eyes widening in surprise. “Little brother. Of all the gin joints in all the world...”
“If only they had gin here.” The uptight reception lady scowled at my comment, but smoothed her features when she realized Tyson was following my gaze in her direction. “What’re you doing here?”
“I think the better question is what’re you doing here? This is a law firm. I’m a lawyer. My being here shouldn’t be such a big surprise. Who’s this?” His sharp navy blue eyes snapped to Marie. She shrank back at the same time I reached for her, pulling her closer to my side.
“This is Marie Nix.” I prayed he didn’t mention anything I’d said to him about her. I didn’t talk to Tyson as much or as often as I talked to Sonny, but I’d mentioned her to him in passing once or twice.
Recognition flashed in his eyes. “Ah. Marie. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too.” She was stiff as a board at my side. Tyson was intimidating to most, but was it really that bad? Marie let go of my hand, glancing at a sign for the restroom. “I’m just going to run in there quick. Excuse me.”
Shooting away from us, she darted through the restroom doors. As I watched her, Tyson watched me. “So that’s the girl, huh? She’s hot.”
“She’s beautiful,” I corrected him.
His eyes searched mine, a sly grin raising the corners of his lips. “Wow. You really like her.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“To me it is,” he said, shifting his briefcase to his other hand and glancing down at his watch. “So what are you two doing in a lawyer’s office?”
“We’re here because I followed up after Collins gave me Savannah Steele’s name and scheduled a meeting. Seeing as you and Sonny said she’s a damn good attorney, I’m hoping she can help Marie. To make a really long story short, Marie and her abusive ex have a five-year-old son together. He’s filed for custody, and she’s terrified.”
Understanding dawned in his eyes. “Ah, I see. Savannah is the best you’ll find for family law around here. She’s a kick ass attorney,” he offered before rolling his eyes. Amusement and a hint of something else sparked in them. “Uptight as all hell, mind you.”
“You know her well?”
“I’d like to know Savannah better, but like I said, uptight as hell,” he replied with a slow grin. “Anyway, I gotta get out of here. Good luck with your meeting.”
“Thanks. Good luck with your…” I hesitated, having no idea what to call what Tyson did all day. “Work. I guess.”
“Yeah. Work.” He winked. “Say hi to Savannah for me.”
“Will do.”
The receptionist chose that moment to click over to us in skyscraper heels. Marie emerged from the restroom, waiting at the staircase just beyond the door.
“Ms. Steele will see you now,” the receptionist announced, sweeping a hand toward the stairs and leading us to the attorney’s office.
Unlike Collins’ office, Savannah’s office was bright and airy. She even had a space for children to play in an adjacent room. The area had cream-colored carpeting with a comfortable looking couch in one corner, yellow curtains and large windows.
“Ms. Nix,” she greeted Marie first. As it should be, since she was the actual client. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Marie said, her voice small.
Savannah’s smart, rich blue eyes traveled to mine. She had long, glossy brown hair that was pulled back tightly in a knot, wore very little makeup and a gray suit that was so boring it could make watching paint dry look like fun. She also looked confident, intelligent and ready to work, which was all that mattered.
Her tone was brisk and professional when she said, “Mr. Lovett. Good to put a face to the voice.”
Aside from making the appointment, I’d also spoken to her in advance about payment. I didn’t want Marie to get stressed about it. Savannah had spelled out her rates for me and indicated she’d be willing to set up a payment plan if needed. While I might not have had it completely figured out how I was going to cover it, I planned on making it work.
“You too, Ms. Steele.”
“Please, have a seat and please call me Savannah,” Savannah said to both of us, but her focus was on Marie.
For most of the next hour, Savannah listened as Marie spoke. She asked questions, made notes here and there and stopped Marie every so often when she thought something important had been skimmed over.
I didn’t interrupt or interject once. This wasn’t my meeting. I listened as I examined Savannah’s office. Bookshelves lined the walls as they tended to do in lawyer’s offices, but hers were waist height and didn’t obstruct the view from her office. The books in them actually looked worn and used, instead of like trophy pieces that never got taken off of the shelf and the art against the walls was vibrant.
A little sign on her coffee table, right next to a giant box of tissues, read ‘Life is tough, my darling. But so are you.’
It made sense to me now why Tyson wanted to get to know her better. He was intrigued by her. She would be an anomaly to him. Allegedly uptight and the utmost professional, her office was warm and friendly.
The same could be said for the woman herself. There was no doubt that she tried to downplay it with the lack of makeup and the prim suit, but she was a striking woman. Marie was going through arguably one of the most difficult times of her life and she was in an environment that made her supremely uncomfortable, yet Savannah had managed to put her at ease.
Then there was the fact that while at first glance Savannah might have looked like just another attorney, the quirky little touches in her office hinted at an entirely different person that lay beneath the surface. I didn’t know the woman from a bar of soap, but I knew if there was one thing that drew Tyson in like a moth to flame, it was a puzzle.
As for Marie, she relaxed more and more as the meeting progressed. Savannah was skilled at making clients seem comfortable. Even I felt more like we were at a friend’s house than in a lawyer’s office discussing the fate of a child.
“Well,” Savannah said finally, snapping closed the notebook she’d been using. “I think that’s all I need from you for now.”
“What do you think of her case?” I asked, my first question since we’d stepped into her office.
She gave me a long look. For a minute I wasn’t sure she was going to answer my question, but then she gave a swift nod. “With Wesley’s—shall we call it colorful?—criminal history, his complete lack of child support and the fact that he’s made no effort to be a father t
o Austin, I would say we’ve got a good case.”
Hope soared in my chest. Marie sagged a little against my side and reached for my hand, squeezing it. Not giving a fuck that we were still in the company of our lawyer, I lifted Marie’s hand to mine and kissed the soft skin on the back of it. “You hear that? We’ve got a good case.”
Best. News. Ever. The same sentiment was reflected in Marie’s gorgeous green eyes.
With any luck, this would all be over real, real soon.
Chapter Twenty
Marie
My heart was galloping when we walked out of Savannah’s office, beating so hard and so fast I was afraid it was going to beat its way right out of my chest. On impulse, I threw my arms around Jeremy’s neck when we reached his truck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“For what?” Jeremy wrapped his arms around me without reservation, pulling me closer.
“For finding her.”
For the first time since this whole nightmare with Wesley suing for custody started, I was feeling an almost overwhelming sense of hope. The questions Savannah asked, her prodding at things I thought were irrelevant, and her belief we had a good case—all of it added up to help me put things in perspective. I felt reassured we could get through to the other side.
I understood that we were still going to be walking into a storm, that there were never any guarantees, but at least it now felt like we might make it through. Relief didn’t even begin to describe how I was feeling, and it was thanks to this man.
This handsome, sexy, sweet, smart, caring man who’d taken the initiative I’d been too freaked out to take myself. When my mind was foggy and half frozen with fear, he’d come through for me.
“Come over for dinner tonight,” I blurted out, my voice muffled from still being buried in his chest.
“You don’t have to do that. I said I’d be here for you every step of the way and I meant it. This is me doing that, you don’t have to cook me dinner or anything.”
“I want to,” I said immediately. It was completely true. I wanted him to stay with me for as long as I could get him. But then I hesitated, tensing. Jeremy felt it instantly, stepping away so he could look into my eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“I haven’t figured out how to talk to Austin about you yet.” Having him over for dinner again, if he stayed like I wanted him too… I had to think about Austin, how that would look to him. He was young, but he was already getting attached to Jeremy and I had no idea where our relationship even stood.
“Okay,” Jeremy said. “I don’t think this a conversation we should have standing in the parking lot at a law firm. Coffee?”
“Sure,” I agreed, because as much as we hadn’t talked about what we were, this was something we did need to figure out.
As he drove to the coffee shop, my mind spun. Hope was sending up little flares in my heart. It wasn’t just that it sounded like I would be able to win custody of Austin for good. More than that, I felt hopeful I might have a shot at something more than simply getting by. Because getting by had felt like heaven once I finally broke free from Wesley. But with Jeremy, vistas of hopes and dreams were opening up for me. It half-terrified me, but I couldn’t turn away from him. It felt too good to be with him.
The place he took me to was only a few minutes away. It was small and quiet with soft jazz flowing over old speakers mounted on the walls and ads for poetry evenings and open mic nights in the windows.
We got a table near the back, with no one around us. After ordering our drinks, Jeremy leaned forward on the table. “Okay. So, you haven’t figured out how to talk to Austin about me. You don’t have to, you know?”
“I’m scared it will confuse him, having you over so often and staying with me at night. Bringing someone into my life when I have Austin to think about isn’t easy. He’s gone through so much with his father, I don’t want another man to be in and out of my life after that.”
“Totally understandable.” His face was a mask. I had no idea what was going in his head as I spoke, but I could only hope he was as sincere as he sounded when he said he understood.
“I don’t want to pressure you. I know things are still very new for us, but I have to be honest with you for Austin’s sake.”
God, I truly hoped I wasn’t scaring him away. He’d been so patient and understanding with me so far, but how much more could I realistically expect from a guy like him? He could have any woman he wanted, there had to be some limit to the amount of drama I brought to his life, which would trip his saturation switch.
Apparently, we hadn’t reached it yet. His eyes softened, his gaze so warm it nearly melted me. “I understand, Marie. Really. You mean a lot to me. I can’t ignore the chemistry we have, and I’m a big boy. If you think it’s for the best that we take things slow, then slow it is.”
And that was the end of it.
Jeremy came over again, but we planned that he would leave before Austin got up. We had dinner with Austin again, Arcadian sleeping in the corner of the room and once again, Jeremy carried Austin to bed when he fell asleep.
Much later, once Austin was soundly asleep and Jeremy’s alarm was set for the crack of dawn, his lips slanted over mine in the darkness of my room, and my body hummed with anticipation for what I knew was coming.
We were already naked, rolling around in the sheets like randy teenagers when Jeremy broke our kiss to skim his lips down my body. Lingering over my breasts, he looked up at me with heavy eyes. “One day, I’m going to fuck these.”
A low whimper escaped from me. I wasn’t used to anyone talking to me the way he did. And each time we were together, he seemed to take it just a little bit further. I bit my lip, nodding. I wanted that, but I didn’t trust myself to speak. I had no idea what to even say to that.
“You want that?” he asked, taking my hardened nipples into his palms and lightly brushing his skin over them. Shuddering and arching my back into him, I nodded again.
“Then say it, Marie.”
“I...” Shit. Okay, dirty talk. “I want that.”
“Hmmm,” he murmured, lowering his head to my chest to suck one of my nipples into his hot mouth. “Want what?”
“What you said,” I gasped out. His mouth and one hand were working their magic on my breasts while his other hand was trailing lazily down my stomach, caressing my thighs.
“Yeah?” A teasing grin appeared on his lips as he lifted his head from my chest. One of his fingers ran ever so lightly down my seam, dipping his fingers into my wetness but nothing more.
Swallowing a loud moan, I tried raising my hips, rolling them, but his damned hand moved with me. He wasn’t doing a thing until I said the words, it seemed.
Desperate for him to give me something, I pushed back my shyness and bit out. “I want you to fuck me. All of me.”
And so he did as I asked. First with his fingers, then with his cock. I came undone for him both times, and when I felt him tremble and quiver, knowing that he was finally on the cusp of his own release, I whispered in his ear, “I want you to do that now.”
His eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t ask any questions. He got rid of the condom lightning fast and I pushed my just big enough breasts together to form a tunnel for him.
With his eyes burning into mine, I stuck my tongue out on one of his thrusts, wanting to see if it would work. I’d never done this before, but I wanted him to feel as much pleasure as he’d made me feel.
His head rolled back, but he kept his eyes on mine, peering at me through long lashes as low moans fell from his perfect lips. It was sensual, intense, watching him like this. Having him watching me watching him like this. But I loved every second of it.
When he came, I very nearly spontaneously combusted with him. Purely from being part of one of the most erotic experiences of my life. After we cleaned each other up, we fell asleep together with him curled up behind me and our legs tangled as tightly as a woven vine.
Jeremy’s alarm went of
f way too early, way too soon. But he didn’t silence it, try to ignore it or to pull me closer and go back to sleep. Instead, he got up so quietly that I felt more than heard him leave the bed and move around the room.
Clothing rustled, then he was in front of me, leaning down to kiss me deeply. His hand cupped my face, holding it while he claimed my mouth possessively, like it was some kind of prize. “Go back to sleep, baby. Let me know if you hear anything from that asshole or from the lawyer. I’ll see you later.”
“See you later,” I whispered, reaching up to bunch the soft material of his t-shirt between my fingers and pulling him down for another kiss. My body came alive as he kissed me, wanting him despite having had him probably only a handful of hours ago.
Looping my arms around his neck, my hands slid into his hair and I held him to me, pressing my still bare breasts to his chest. My nipples were pebbling already, my channel feeling achingly empty all of a sudden.
He groaned against my mouth as I took his hand and slid it under the covers, letting him feel how wet I was getting for him again. “Fucking hell. This is killing me, but I have to go. If I don’t leave now...”
I didn’t need him to finish his sentence. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just going to miss you today. I didn’t mean to make leaving harder.”
“Oh it’s hard, alright,” he muttered, planting a soft kiss on my mouth as he withdrew his hand from me. “But we’ll make up for it later.”
“Deal,” I agreed.
“Now go back to sleep, beautiful. You still have a while before you need to be up.” With those whispered words, he rose from the bed and was gone. I faintly heard the scrape of Arcadian’s nails against the floor and the soft click of the front door as he shut it, but outside of that everything was quiet.
Falling back asleep without even realizing it, I only woke up again when my own alarm sounded. My body was sore in all the right places. It usually was after a night with Jeremy, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.