by Linda Verji
“Oh!” There was no way he and A.J were driving in separate cars. In her current mood, there was every chance that she’d turn the car around and go her own way instead of following him.
Lee thought over it then suggested, “I’ll just leave my car here and come back for it tomorrow.”
While A.J sent for her car, Lee called Fabián to let him know he was leaving his car. Soon, they were on their way away from the restaurant with Lee at the driver’s seat of Kelly’s car.
“Where are we going?” A.J asked again.
“My place,” he said. When her eyes flashed in protest, he rushed to explain, “Since you don’t want that restaurant, I thought I could cook dinner for you.”
He expected her to protest, but all she did was glare at him. “After that stunt you pulled, you better be a good cook. Otherwise…”
She left the threat hanging in the air like an anvil waiting to fall on his head if he didn’t meet her expectations.
Lee laughed. “Yes, Ma’am.”
His place was close by, and ten minutes later, they cruised into the complex that hosted his condo. He parked the car in his space. “We’re here.”
A.J’s curious eyes took in the building as he led her towards the entrance. He stopped by his mailbox to pick up a delivery before leading the way to the elevators. There was no one else in the elevator so the ride to his floor was smooth and stop-free. Moments later, he keyed in his pass-code into the door’s electronic lock. With a low beep, the door opened.
“Come in.” He led A.J into his apartment. Immediately, he spotted the rogue pair of sneakers that were right in the middle of the hallway. He winced. “It’s a little messy.”
“No, it’s not,” A.J dismissed as she kicked off her boots then followed him deeper into the apartment. He watched her as she took in his home.
His wasn’t the largest condo out there but it wasn’t the smallest either. Flanking the spacious hallway was an open-plan kitchen that was all gleaming steel, in-built appliances and marble counters. Straight ahead was the large living room; a space dominated by a large, light gray sectional, a white coffee-table over a gray carpet and a grand TV. Instead of windows, light drapes covered double-doors that led out to his patio.
A.J’s impressed glance swept back to him. “This is nice.”
“Thanks.” He smiled. “You can check out the rest of it while I handle this.” He gestured to the box he was holding.
A.J took him at his word. While he went looking for a box-cutter so he could open up his delivery, she wandered away to study the rest of his house. By the time she came back to the kitchen, he’d already set his new toaster on the counter, gotten rid of his jacket and was rifling in the fridge for something to cook.
A.J came up behind him. “Anything I can help with?”
“No, this is my punishment so I should do it alone.” He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around before walking her to one of the barstools that flanked the island. “You just sit here and keep me company.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” His tone brooked no argument. He reached up to one of the overhead cabinets to pull out two wineglasses. Setting them on the counter, he asked, “Wine, okay?”
“Yeah!” She nodded. “Wine’s okay.”
Once he’d filled her glass, Lee got to work. He wasn’t a master chef but he was decent enough. His mother had always said that an adult, man or woman, should be able to feed himself and had made it her business to make sure Lee could throw down in the kitchen. Soon, Lee had spaghetti bubbling on the stove while he cut up vegetables.
“I can’t believe you made your friend lie like that.” A.J shook her head slowly and kissed her teeth disapprovingly. “Do you know how much danger you put him in?”
“What danger?” Lee guffawed. “Were you going to kill me?”
“Yes.” The look in A.J’s eyes was a little too serious for comfort. “If you’d died, I would’ve made sure he followed you into the grave.”
Lee wasn’t sure whether to be scared or touched. He cleared his throat. “Well, thankfully I was okay.”
“Hmm.” Her snort of disapproval left no doubt that she was wondering whether his being okay was something to be thankful for her. In an abrupt change of conversation, she asked, “Where do you keep your dishcloths and zip-top bags?”
“In that drawer.” He pointed.
Curious, his gaze trailed her as she lifted off her stool then circled the island to edge towards the drawer he’d pointed. Once she had the plastic bag and a dishcloth, she headed to the fridge. She took a tray of ice from the refrigerator and emptied it into the bag then wrapped the bag with the dishcloth to make an instant icepack. After closing the fridge door, she came towards him, icepack in hand.
The moment she got close to him, her feminine scent overwhelmed him. Shivers of pleasure raced up and down him, urging him to kiss her or at least bring her closer to his body. If he didn’t have a knife in hand, he probably would’ve given in to temptation.
Unaware of the havoc she was wreaking on his senses with her closeness, A.J pressed the pack to his jaw. “Does it hurt?”
“Not really,” he said then chuckled. “You hurt me then you heal me? Gives new meaning to the whole ‘love hurts’ proverb.”
“Shut up,” she ordered even as her eyes danced with mirth.
This woman really knew how to turn him inside out, didn’t she? One minute she was punching him, the next she was worrying about him, the next she was taking care of him. If he wasn’t already into her, he’d be falling for her right about now.
A soft smile creasing his face, he called out, “A.J?”
“Hmm?” She met his gaze.
He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Shall we start dating?”
Her eyes widened as she paused with the icepack on his face. A second later, she said, “I thought you said we were already dating.”
“But you knew I was just playing.” His tone took on a grave note. “I’m not playing now though.”
She studied him for such a long while that he thought she would say no, again. But she surprised him. “Well, I guess I can date you at least once.”
Shock ricocheted through him and he dropped the knife. The knife fell to the cutting board with a loud clutter but Lee barely noticed. All his attention was on A.J. He reached for her wrist, dragging the icepack away from his face so he could see her clearly. “Is that a yes?”
A pause again then she nodded. “Yes.”
Delight beyond anything he’d ever felt before flooded him. It swelled within him until it almost felt like he’d surely burst from being too happy. Grinning, he bent his head and kissed her.
TWO HOURS LATER, they were done with dinner.
“What did Kelly say?” Lee, who was seated on the couch, turned his head to watch A.J as she emerged from the balcony. “Does she want you to take the car back?”
“No. Spencer already picked her and Sin from my apartment.” A.J, who’d been on the phone with Kelly just a second ago, closed the glass double-doors behind her. “She says she’ll drop by for her car tomorrow evening.”
“What did you tell them happened?” he asked as he watched her settle on the other end of the couch he was on.
“The truth.” A.J folded one leg beneath her then reached for her half-filled wineglass. Giving Lee a pointed look, she added, “They didn’t find your joke funny either.”
“You’re lying.” Lee grinned. “Maybe Kelly didn’t find it funny, but I know Sin laughed her ass off.”
A.J chuckled because his guess was dead on. Kelly had been as pissed off as A.J was. Sin, on the other hand, had been ready to hand Lee his own stand-up comedy show. But beneath A.J’s amusement was confusion. Would normal people have found his joke funny? The thought of Lee dying, even pretend dying, wasn’t amusing to her. Especially if it was by her father’s hand.
Her tone taking on a grave note, she said, “You know I thought Casper had sent someone after
you.”
Lee’s smile dropped and his eyebrows lifted. “Would he really do that?”
“He would.” She nodded. “He may wear suits and look innocent, but he’s a thug through to his bones.”
“Trust me. I’ve never for a moment thought he looked innocent.” Lee crooked a smile but his eyes were sad as he added, “I’m sorry for worrying you.”
“It’s over now.” She lowered her gaze to her wine. Her fingertip dancing on the mouth of the glass, she murmured, “You haven’t asked.”
“Haven’t asked what?”
“Why I stole Casper’s painting,” she explained without looking up.
“I figured you’d share when you were ready,” Lee murmured softly.
Actually, that was what she appreciated most about him. She had a lot of secrets, and when most people met her, their first instinct was to quickly peel as many layers off her as they could. But Lee wasn’t like most people. He never pushed. When she backed away, he backed off too, never forcing her to reveal more than she was willing to share.
“He owes me money…” Lifting her head to meet Lee’s gaze, she revealed, “… actually he owes someone I know money.”
Curiosity flashed in Lee’s eyes. “Who?”
A.J debated the wisdom of sharing the whole truth with him for all of a second before she decided, why the hell not? Lee already knew more about her than any other man apart from Casper.
She said, “You know that I was involved in a hit-and-run, right?”
“Right.” He nodded.
“The truth is-” She drew in a steadying breath. “The truth is I wasn’t the one who actually hit that man.”
Lee’s gaze didn’t even flicker. Did he already know? How? The background check his father had done couldn’t possibly have revealed that kind of information. Or had it?
Nonetheless, A.J continued, “Casper and I had just stolen a painting and were driving back to our hideout when Casper hit that guy. I agreed to eat the hit-and-run charge on condition that Casper hand our whole take for the night to the family of the dead man. But while I was in prison, I found out that Casper had sold the painting but had reneged on our deal anyway. So when I got out, I stole a painting of his that’s worth more than he owes that family. That’s why he’s after me.”
Lee frowned. “Why wouldn’t he just give that family the money?”
“That’s Casper for you.” She shrugged. “Conscience is the only word missing from his dictionary.”
They were both quiet for a long while; A.J lost in her thoughts and Lee watching her.
He broke the silence. “You know I still can’t believe that Casper’s your father.”
“I didn’t believe it for a while either.” A.J chuckled. “I even took a DNA test just to prove to the world that I and that man didn’t share any blood.”
“What did the test say?”
“Guess.” A.J scoffed. Her sarcastic tone was answer enough for Lee.
“Well, that’s disappointing.”
“Tell me about it.” A.J set her glass to her lips and sipped some of her wine.
“What about Ten?” Lee asked. “Is she your biological sister too?”
“No.” A.J shook her head. “She’s adopted.”
Lee’s eyebrows shot up so high they almost touched his hairline. “Casper adopted someone?”
“Trust me, it wasn’t out of any sense of altruism,” she said. “He adopted Ten to keep me in line. When I was about nineteen, I started to grow horns – his words not mine – and rebel. He brought Ten in to show me that I was replaceable.”
“Wow.” Lee’s eyes almost bugged out of his head. “Somebody give the guy a father-of-the-year award.”
“Yup! He gives new meaning to paternal love.” A.J smiled. “Fortunately, I was long past the point of being emotionally blackmailed by him. Last I heard, he was trying to transform her into another me.”
Lee’s made a face. “I hope he fails.”
“He won’t,” A.J admitted with a tired smile. “Ten’s pretty smart and Casper, despite all his faults, knows how to groom a thief.”
She didn’t know why she was sharing all this with Lee. Usually, she wasn’t a sharer or even this talkative. Heck, even Kelly and Sin didn’t know about Casper and Ten’s existence. They still thought she was an orphan like them. But there was something about Lee that loosened her tongue.
She wanted to tell him about herself, show him that she wasn’t as bad as she seemed on paper. Show him that she was just a product of her past, not someone who actually enjoyed bringing pain to others. Furthermore, she trusted him. Something about the way he looked at her told her that he would never use anything she told him against her.
She studied him. “Aren’t you scared of me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Most people would keep their distance from me because of my record,” she said. “You know almost everything about my past and you’ve even seen the dangerous people in my life, yet you’re still here. Doesn’t it scare you?”
“Answer one question for me first.” Lee tilted his head to the side as he watched her. “Do you plan to go back to that life?”
“No.” Her answer came swiftly and without hesitation. “I was done with it even before I went in.”
“That’s what I thought.” A soft smile crooked Lee’s lips as he finally answered her, “No, A.J. I’m not scared of you. I know you would never hurt me.”
“What about Casper and….” Her words drifted into silence when Lee shifted closer to her and took her hand.
“I don’t care about Casper.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “You’re the only one who matters to me. And I want to get to know you better.”
He moved even closer to her, and his leg brushed against her knee.
Suddenly aware of him, she asked, “Why are you coming closer?”
“I just want to confirm it.”
“Confirm what?” she said through suddenly dry lips.
He smiled. “Confirm that your eyes are as pretty up close as they are from over there.”
“Wow.” She burst into laughter. “That is so corny. Do you spend your days thinking of corny things to-”
He leaned forward and sealed his lips over hers, swallowing the rest of that sentence.
CHAPTER 12
The kiss caught A.J by surprise and for a moment, she sat stiff, her mouth unmoving against his. Then he nipped her bottom lip and she couldn’t help her instinctive gasp. Lee took advantage of that slight parting of her lips to push his tongue into her mouth.
After that it was over for her.
Her hand came up to cup his neck as she opened her mouth wider, ready for more of him. And he didn’t disappoint. His tongue slid against hers with expert motions as he fed her kiss after kiss after kiss.
Lee’s lips were incredible; they reminded her of a sultry summer night – hot and intoxicating. He shifted closer to her and cupped her face then deepened the kiss. Overwhelmed by the intensity of the kiss, A.J shifted her hand lower until she was gripping his upper arms. She squeezed, loving how his firm muscles shifted beneath her fingers, before she hauled her body even closer to his.
Now she could feel his chest lightly grazing her breasts. Even though that little contact was enough to send sensation zipping through her, it wasn’t even close to what she wanted. Fortunately, Lee was attuned to her needs. Still inhaling her with his mouth, he urged her to lie on the couch. Once she was fully stretched out, he came over her until he was plastered over her from chest to groin.
There. Right there. She sighed in pleasure. The way the hard planes of his chest pushed against her heated breasts. The way his hard belly felt against hers. The way his groin rubbed against her mound. Ah, it felt amazing.
Though their pants were still between them, she could feel his arousal pushing against her pussy and it sent need and pleasure coursing through her. She spread her legs so he could settle even deeper into her.
“You
taste so good,” Lee murmured against her lips.
“So do you,” she whispered before cupping the back of his head to bring him down for a slow, long, enchanting taste.
Drawing away from the kiss, he stroked her braided hair then pushed it away from her face. “You’re so beautiful.”
With a smile, she traced his face with the tips of her fingers. “So are you.”
“I’m beautiful?” He laughed. “Can’t say anyone had ever said that.”
“Guess I’m your first.” She smiled before pulling him down for another one of his intoxicating kisses.
When they separated to drag in overdue breaths, his lips wandered to her cheeks, to her forehead then to her eyebrows. It was like he was tracing her face with his lips and committing her to his memory. His lips wandered to her nose, placed a soft peck there before he came back to her mouth.
This kiss was tender, slow and gentle and it left her aching for more. She arched upwards into him as they kissed, her legs coming up to wrap around his waist.
Perhaps sensing that she needed more than just these kisses, Lee shifted slightly to the side of her body then moved his hand from her waist. Slowly, that hand glided up her torso. A.J held her breath when his fingers brushed against the bottom of her breasts, but it was when he completely cupped her that she stopped breathing. Even though her tank-top and bra were between his touch and her breast, the contact was still intense enough that it sent sharp heat straight to her pussy. When he squeezed she couldn’t help her gasping.
“Lee!” Her eyes flew up to meet his. She found him watching her with an intensity that set her heart beating like a mini-drum. His eyes were so dark and shadowed, their green had transformed into almost black.
Still watching her, he murmured, “You like that?”
She nodded. When he pinched her nipple, she hissed, “Yesss.”
Lee’s hand glided back down her torso. When he got to the hem of her top, he fit his hand beneath the cotton fabric. The first touch of his hand against her naked skin left her bucking in pleasure. Need and anxiety pulsed through her in equal measure as she watched him slowly move his hand upwards again. With expert ease, he pushed her bra upwards and over her breasts.