by Sam Crescent
Tilly, even in high school, only ever did what she wanted to do. She liked to hurt a lot of people in the process as well. He wasn’t going to think of that though.
“I figured I’d come and see you on your first day. How are you handling it?” Callum asked, taking the seat opposite him.
“I’m behind my desk. I haven’t called Callie. I got a nice, cooked breakfast this morning, which was a nice reprieve from burnt toast. I also think I’ve been eating mold but I can’t confirm that. I’m sitting here.”
“Good. Fire up your computer. Get to work. You’ve got clients waiting for you, and not a moment to lose. We’ve missed you.”
Drew nodded at his brother.
He’d been out of work for so long. He sat back in his chair, closed his eyes, and then opened them.
Last night was the first time he’d slept completely through. When he’d gone to the kitchen this morning, hunting the scents that were making his stomach wild, Callie had been cooking, looking refreshed in a pair of sweatpants and shirt that seemed to cling to all of her curves in the right places.
Had he ever really taken the time to look at that juicy pair of tits that were begging to be held, to be touched?
He wanted her. There was no doubt in his mind he did, and it was fucking crazy.
He’d bullied her for being fat. Teased, taunted, made her life a misery, and now he saw those curves and she made him ache. No woman had made him feel that way in a very long time.
He missed it.
He wanted it.
She’d provided him with a breakfast fit for a king. He’d never been fuller in his life.
Now he needed to get his head in the game.
Pushing all thoughts of Callie out of his mind, he put his case down, fired up his computer, and accessed his emails. The first email he had to tend to was his back-to-work one. Scanning through the pages, he was completely bored, but he finished everything he needed to. It reminded him of what was required of him. The law. The conditions of his return. Standard stuff. After dealing with that, he got straight into cases.
He loved the law. It was one of the reasons why he’d been studying it even on a football scholarship. There were so many loopholes and tricks of understanding the way a law was written. He found it a challenge, and he loved complications and complex situations. They were his weakness.
After picking up the phone to dial the courthouse, he got stuck preparing himself to be ready to deal with several clients. Some of them were in county jail, and he organized interviews with them.
Just as he’d finished the last call, he looked up and saw Meghan and Callie outside his office. He stood up and buttoned his jacket, feeling more like himself than ever before.
Callie still wore a pair of sweatpants. Her long, thick hair was tied up at the nape of her neck. Meghan’s hair was in two ponytails down her chest. She had a huge smile on her face and she was also dressed in actual clothes. A dress, a pair of socks, and some shoes.
“Is this a good time?” Callie asked, in the doorway.
Drew saw a couple of people were watching. Callie held Meghan’s hand.
“We got you lunch, Daddy,” Meghan said, holding up a brown paper bag.
“I saw you didn’t take the lunch I made for you and seeing as it’s such a beautiful day, I figured Meghan and I could bring it to you.”
“You walked here?”
“Yep.”
“Meghan doesn’t like to walk.”
“I do, Daddy. When we get home, we’re going to make cupcakes. I can mix the batter. Callie promised. Didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did. Here is your lunch.”
“You made me lunch?”
“I did.”
“I didn’t see it.”
“I’ll put it by your briefcase from now on.” She smiled at him.
Was she always this beautiful in high school? No, it couldn’t be possible, if it was, she’d have guys all over her, and that simply hadn’t happened. No one had wanted Callie.
“Yo, Drew, how is everything going?” Callum asked, inviting himself into the office.
Callie turned to see Callum.
“Well, well, well, if it’s not Callie Stewart. I heard you’d taken on the most frightening task of taking care of my brother.”
“And Meghan.” Callie lifted her hand a little.
“Ah, my minx of a niece. Are you being a good girl?”
“The best.”
“I don’t believe that. You’re a little devil.” Callum began to tickle her.
Drew watched his brother who was always such a natural with kids.
“We better go. I think we’ve taken up way too much of your time already,” Callie said.
Meghan took her hand and he saw it as the most natural reaction in the world. His daughter already trusted Callie.
“You can stop by any time. Be warned, he’s a slacker, so he’ll be finding any excuse not to work. Although, I can see why he’d want to stay home.” Callum winked at Callie.
Callie blushed. “Right, okay, yeah, I think it’s time for me to take Meghan home. We hope you enjoy lunch, don’t we, Meghan?”
“Yes, enjoy lunch, Daddy.”
He was tempted to forget his lunch more often he got to see Callie and his little girl. He watched them walk out of the office and up the street.
“Wow,” Callum said.
“You’re married.”
“I wasn’t saying wow to me but I can see why you were struggling with that decision. She’s hot.”
“Don’t,” Drew said.
“You know, when I think about it, Callie was hot in high school.”
“She was fat.”
“Don’t be a dick, Drew.”
He ran his hands over his face. “I’m starting to wonder the same thing, okay? I’m not entirely happy with how I’m thinking things right now, okay. I mean, she’s … Callie.” He shook his head. Opening up the brown bag, he saw a couple of sandwiches, a bag of chips, and there even appeared to be a couple of wrapped cookies. It wasn’t much, but it was something.
His mouth watered.
“How are you finding everything?”
“Fine. No problems so far, not that I expected any.” He took a bite of the sandwich. Cheese and pickle. He loved it. He demolished the whole of his lunch in less than five minutes. He was so hungry.
“So the nanny is working for you then?” Callum asked.
“Are you playing the big-brother routine?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t need to.”
“Has Tilly signed the paperwork yet?”
“Nope.”
“Do you really think she’s ever going to sign it?”
“She will.”
“How do you know?”
“I know Tilly. I know she’s going to find someone who can offer her better. That’s all Tilly has ever done. I was under no illusions when I married her. You’ll probably find when she got knocked up by me, she figured I was rich already.”
Callum smiled. “I’m glad you’re divorcing her. You know what it means.”
“I’m not going to go looking.”
“Why go looking when you’ve got a perfect candidate working with you?”
“You deal in sexual harassment cases. If I in any way make Callie uncomfortable, she can have my ass for that little nugget. It’s not going to happen.”
“Unless she feels the same way. The woman’s making you breakfast and lunch. I think it’s safe to say something’s going on there.”
Callum left him alone. Drew finished off his coffee, crumpled up the empty lunch bag, and sat back. He needed to get his shit together and get down to the courthouse to deal with a delinquent who liked to graffiti on public property. The kid had some major issues. He was in the system as it wasn’t his first offense.
Still, even as the confrontation he was no doubt about to have filled him with anticipation, a certain brunette had spiked his blood with need. He hadn’t felt this way about anyo
ne in a long time. It was an entirely new experience for him. One he wanted to enjoy, even if he was her employer.
****
Drew had called ahead of time to let her knew he’d be late.
She’d bathed Meghan after she’d eaten, gotten her dressed, and read to her. The young girl was out of it in a matter of minutes.
It had been a long, productive day. She still had a lot of laundry to get through.
The living room finally looked like a place to relax rather than a dump for washing and dishes. The kitchen was also pristine. There was no way she was going to bake or cook anything without cleaning it first.
She’d gotten Meghan to help her. Together, they’d tackled the dust and dirt. Tomorrow, she intended to tend to the gardens. Mowing the lawn, weeding.
As a treat for Meghan for all of her hard work, and to get her to walk to her father’s office and back, they’d baked a batch of delicious cupcakes. They sat on the counter under a glass dome.
She finished folding what looked like a month’s worth of clothes and changed the wash for another. She’d been using the line outside to dry the clothes but now it was dark, so she kept the dryer low.
When she finally got on top of it, she would only ever use the line during the summer, spring, and some of the fall months.
She took a shower, washing off all the sweat, and changed into a pair of jeans and a shirt. She carried the laundry basket downstairs just as the door opened.
Pausing on the stairs, she watched as Drew took in the place. He held his key, stepped out and tried the lock, and stepped through the door.
Callie couldn’t help but giggle. “This is your home. You can come in peace.”
“You … cleaned.”
“I did ask before you left if that was okay.”
“I thought it would be, you know, just basic stuff. Are you a cleaner as well?”
“In some of the previous families, they had a cleaner and my only requirement was to take care of their kids. Meghan and I had nothing to do all day, so we cleaned this. I figured you needed a hand. I hope you’re okay with that?” she asked.
He closed the door. “I’m fine. I’m shocked, but I’m happy. This place had turned into a bit of a dump and I know it was my fault.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“I’m not a fool. It really was.”
She pressed her lips together as she descended the last of the stairs. “Nothing is out of place. I’ve been doing your laundry. I’ve left your room and your bathroom. Unless you want me to take care of them, they’ll be your responsibility.”
“You’re really a godsend, aren’t you? How did Meghan get on with all this?”
“She helped a lot. I had her taking clothing to the laundry room. I got her to put it in color codes. White, pink, green, that kind of thing. She’s been a big help. Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Good. I have a lasagna keeping warm for you as well.”
“Who are you?” he asked.
She giggled. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve cleaned, brought me lunch, made dinner. Cupcakes. I see you kept your end of the bargain.”
“And Meghan walked all the way home, so no worries.”
“Where’s my daughter?”
“She’s asleep. Why don’t you freshen up while I serve you some food?”
He looked down at himself. “Yes, I’ll do that.”
She put the laundry basket in the room, closed the door, and went to the kitchen. It was late. She made herself a hot chocolate. Meghan had already had one complete with marshmallows and whipped cream.
She wasn’t a whipped cream and marshmallows kind of girl. Just a simple hot chocolate. After pouring the warm chocolate mixture into her cup, she pulled out the lasagna from the oven and the quick green salad she’d made from the fridge.
Once she’d plated the food, she carried it to the table. She’d made sure to leave him a place. Drew entered the room seconds later, and it looked like he’d already taken a shower. Droplets still clung to his hair and he looked refreshed.
“Dinner,” she said.
She went to walk away but he captured her wrist. “Stay with me.”
“Don’t you want to relax?”
“And I’d like some company. I’ve been around a couple of moaning teenagers for the best part of the afternoon. I’d like some adult company.”
“I’ll grab my hot chocolate.” She didn’t like the way her heart raced or the feelings tugging low in her belly. This shouldn’t be happening to her. Biting her lip, she picked up her cup. All this time, she had so many reasons for saying no. For going up to her room. Instead, she sat down at the table while Drew tried her lasagna.
He moaned.
She smiled, blowing across the top of her hot chocolate. “You like?”
“I love. It’s been so long since I enjoyed a good, hot meal.” He looked ravenous. Mouthful after mouthful, he finished the plate.
She couldn’t help the pride that filled her at him eating her food. Sipping her hot chocolate, she knew she made an amazing lasagna.
“Fuck, where have you been all my life?” he asked.
“You’re right, Meghan does like to copy, doesn’t she?”
He groaned. “Has she been showing my bad language?”
“She’s been letting some things slide.” She chuckled. “She enjoys saying shit. She’d walk into the wall and go, oh, shit.”
“I’m a bad dad.”
“No, you’re a very good father, actually.”
“You think so?”
“I do.” Meghan talked nonstop about her dad and how much she loved him. Not once did she mention her mother.
“Thank you for this,” he said. “All of this. I didn’t expect it to be so … bad. I thought I could handle it, you know. She’s my kid.”
“Kids are a lot of hard work.”
“Tell me about it. I didn’t even realize how much.” He ran a hand down his face, suddenly looking tired.
He wore a plain white shirt with no stains and a pair of sweatpants. The clothes clung to his heavily muscled body.
Don’t think about that.
Don’t even go there.
“I better get cleaned up.”
She grabbed the plate and walked into the kitchen. The rest of the lasagna she put on a plate for the fridge. After finishing up the dishes, she turned to see him leaning against the doorframe watching her. How long had he been there?
“You know, I don’t know anything about you.”
“There’s not a lot to know.”
“Will I have to worry about a boyfriend? A husband? An ex?”
She laughed. “No on every single detail there. I don’t have any exes to worry about.”
“Have you always been single?”
“I haven’t had a lot of long-term boyfriends. If I did, I wouldn’t have considered the live-in position, Drew. Or would you like me to call you, Mr. Gold?”
“Drew’s fine.”
“Will Tilly be coming back?” She didn’t want to encounter Tilly ever again. That girl was the worst of the worst. She’d made her life a misery and relished it.
“Never. She hated being married to me. I couldn’t stand her either. The day she signs the divorce papers, I’ll be free.”
It wasn’t her place to ask questions or to pry. Meghan hadn’t talked about her, and the truth was, she didn’t want to know.
Drying the dishes, she put them on the counter before she finished. Drew stepped into the kitchen, and she became aware of him. This was bad.
Before Drew, she’d never had a client with whom she’d shared a past. She’d laugh with some of the other parents. She never forgot her place and she wouldn’t start now.
Taking the last of the plates, she put them away and turned only to come against a brick wall.
He was close. The scent of his soap teased her nostrils.
“Thank you, Callie, for saving me here.”
�
�You didn’t need to be saved, not really. You had this in the bag.” She tilted her head back to look at him. He had the most beautiful eyes. A sharp blue.
Pulling away, she kept the smile on her lips even as her nipples tightened. “I’m going to bed.”
“Did you wake up for Meghan last night?”
“Yes. She was whimpering. I helped put her back to bed. She had a nightmare about a monster. Would you rather I didn’t?”
“No, it’s fine. I have no problem with you taking care of her. It was the first time I had a good night’s sleep.”
“That’s what I’m here for. I’m here to help.” She nodded at him, turned on her heel, and walked upstairs to her bedroom.
You’re a professional.
He’s your old bully.
Don’t go getting feelings for him.
It has been one day.
That is all. One freaking day.
He’s just a client.
Drew meant nothing to her, and she would keep it that way.
Chapter Four
One month later
Drew cursed as he slammed the phone down.
One month he’d been back and he already had a gazillion reasons as to why he fucking hated the law and all that it entailed. One client was doing exactly as he asked of them. The other, no, he was flaunting his terms of bail and seeing as he was a rich bastard, mommy and daddy wanted Drew on the case, to keep their little ray of sunshine from behind bars.
“You know, a paying client doesn’t need to hear that kind of language.”
“I didn’t fucking speak aloud,” he said, looking toward his brother. He sat back in his chair, glaring.
“You’re looking tense.”
“I’ve got to deal with an entitled prick who thinks I’m nothing more than a slave.”
“I remember an entitled prick once.”
“Oh, give me a break. Mom and Dad never had to bail my ass out of jail for beating the shit out of a barman for denying me a drink.” He shouldn’t be defending the little prick, but he had no choice. The client was on their books as they went to Callum for business law, and so it was only fair they came to him.