"Like what?" I ask with a smile because, fuck, she's adorable right now.
"I need to say thank you for Rhonda Valasquez. You put your entire career on the line to help me, and I can never repay you for that."
"I don't want anything for that," I tell her quickly.
She gives me a knowing smile. "No, I suppose you don't. But the sentiment is still the same. It was a brave and courageous thing you did. You risked everything for me."
"I did," I tell her softly, not realizing how much I needed her to understand the lengths to which I would go for her. "I'd do it again and again for you."
She nods and steps in even closer. "But the most important thing I need to say to you, before you haul me up to your hotel room, is that I love you. It's scary how much I love you, and I couldn't go another day without seeing you and telling you that. That's why I came to New York. I simply couldn't let you go another minute without knowing that."
"You love me?" I ask, not quite believing I'd hear those words from her so soon. I figured maybe . . . one day . . . she'd get there. When she was really over what I did to her. One day I'd earn her trust back and get those miraculous words.
"I love you," she reiterates. "And you love me, too."
I blink at her, not because I disagree, but because she sounds so confident in her assessment. "How could you possibly know that?"
"Because of the risks you took for me. It told me all I needed to know about the depth of your feelings. Am I wrong?"
"You're not wrong," I assure her. "I love you very much, Leary. And I'm sorry for what happened--"
Leary's mouth finds mine again, and the sounds and bustle of New York melt away. I let her lips and sweet tongue possess me, and I forget about everything else that exists in the world except for this woman.
She pauses our kiss just long enough to mutter against me, "No more apologies. Let's move forward, okay?"
Leaning in, I touch my forehead to hers and nod. "Forward."
"Good," she says and presses her lips against mine again. I can feel the curve of her smile lying sweet against my own.
"And by forward, do you think that might mean toward the hotel?" I ask her deviously.
"Yeah, that would definitely be good," she agrees and then proceeds to kiss me deeply again.
Finally, I break the kiss, because otherwise I'm going to be sporting a massive fucking hard-on in the middle of lower Manhattan, and the longer we stand here kissing, the longer it takes to get her naked and in bed.
Grabbing her hand again, I look down at her and smile big. "Ready?"
"More than," she agrees, and we take off, practically running toward my hotel.
EPILOGUE
LEARY
One Month Later
"Okay, everyone . . . simmer down," Danny Payne says in dramatic fashion. He stands at the end of the conference room table, draws his height up--which may, impressively, top him out at five eight at this moment--and holds up his hands.
The chatter and laughter that had filled the room to buzzing just moments earlier starts to wane until there's total silence. I glance around, looking at all of the faces staring up at Danny. Partners, junior partners, and associate attorneys of the civil division of Knight & Payne. My crew, my posse, all of us warriors for justice. All of us working for the great Midge Payne so we can stamp out corruption and bring victory to those less fortunate.
My soapbox never looked taller or shinier in my life, and I love it.
"Midge asked me to gather everyone today before we let you out for the Christmas holidays and make an official announcement," Danny says with his chest puffed out. He's always loved the limelight of being the attorney in charge of this law firm. "This is a big one and deserves a little celebration, so if you'll hold up just a moment."
Danny brings his hands together for two sharp claps and looks expectantly at the conference-room door.
Nothing happens.
He claps twice again and leans forward to peer hard at the doorknob, but again . . . no movement.
"Oh, for Christ's sake," Danny grumbles and skirts around the end of the table. He stalks up to the door and whips it open, revealing a waiter wearing black pants, a white shirt, and a black bow tie. He's so startled when Danny opens the door, he almost drops the bottle of champagne he's carrying on a silver tray.
"You missed my cue," Danny hisses and then opens the door farther to admit the waiter.
Except it's not just one waiter. Five of them walk in, two bearing bottles of champagne and the rest with fluted glasses. They efficiently walk around the room, popping bottles and pouring glasses of bubbly until everyone has one in hand.
Taking his place at the head of the table again, Danny takes the glass sitting before him and holds it in front of his stomach while his other hand slides in his pocket. He's the picture of casual sophistication, just a little on the short side.
"As I said, today is a big day," Danny says as he cuts me a smile. "Midge would like me to formally announce that our own Leary Michaels has been offered a full partnership in the firm of Knight & Payne, and she has graciously accepted. As you know, she joins the ranks of Ford Daniels, Cary Peterson, and Wendy Fischer, who have already made full partnership along with Midge and me. This is a momentous occasion, and I remember the day that Leary started here . . ."
I immediately tune Danny out. I'm a little embarrassed this is being done, but he insisted on making a huge announcement, since it is indeed a rarity that someone is offered a full partnership. That means ownership interest, stock options, and a buy-in for partial ownership of the Watts Building if I want. Yes, it was confirmed--Midge actually owns the entire Watts Building.
This was something she divulged to me when she called me into her office a few weeks ago and offered me the partnership. It wasn't something that was taken lightly. It meant that I had to buy in, to invest in the business. It meant more responsibility. It made me responsible for the debt in equal shares to the other partners. It meant longer hours, tougher cases, and more travel.
I didn't need to think about it, but so as not to appear too excited, I gave her my answer the next day.
Swiveling my head to the right, I look at Reeve sitting next to me. He's watching Danny give his speech, but I can tell he's tuned out, too.
I wonder what he's thinking.
I bet he's thinking of that unbelievably awesome blow job I gave him this morning before we got out of bed. Tilting back in my chair, I pull in my chin and tilt my head, trying to get a good look at Reeve's crotch, which is partially hidden by the edge of the table. I can't tell if he's got a hard-on or not, so no telling what he's thinking.
My gaze swivels back to his face and I find his eyes directly on me. One corner of his mouth is tilted up in a "caught ya" grin, with a cocked eyebrow to mock my audacity. I give him a sheepish smile back and reach over to stroke his forearm before dropping my hand.
Reeve started at Knight & Payne the week after we got back from New York.
That was the big favor I asked of Midge.
I asked her to make room for him in our civil division--not because he's my boyfriend but because he's a phenomenal trial attorney with a heart of gold. He proved over and over again by the way he treated Jenna with respect throughout the case that he has what it takes to represent the people on our side of the fence. When I told Midge what he did with Rhonda Valasquez, she was so impressed she called him on the spot and offered him a job.
She said, and I quote, "I like the way you think, Reeve. I like that you push boundaries. The job is yours if you want it."
And just like that, Reeve was not only my lover but my work associate as well.
As an associate attorney, Reeve didn't rate an office. So he was out in the Pit. Tragically, his desk was all the way across the Pit, so it was hard to see him. This actually could be considered a good thing, I suppose, because I'm sure that if he were closer to me, it would be difficult to get any work done. Regardless, we've made use of the smoke walls i
n my office on at least two occasions when we wanted a little hanky-panky during the middle of the day.
". . . and in conclusion, let's all raise our glasses and toast Leary for an amazing career here so far, and for many more years of her brilliance to come in and out of the courtroom."
I blink, hastily pick up my glass, and raise it. Shouts of "Here, here" and "To Leary" echo across the room. Ford is sitting opposite me, and he leans across the table and I do the same so we can clink our glasses together. When I sink back into my chair, Reeve leans over and kisses my cheek. "Congrats, baby. I'm so proud of you."
Turning my face, I let my lips find his, and in an uncharacteristic display of wanton public affection, I give him a deep kiss that causes a tiny rumble to tear loose from his chest. When I pull back, I say, "I love you."
"I love you, too," he says.
"Okay, everyone, gulp that bubbly down and get back to work!" Danny shouts, and just like that, the party is over.
Thank God!
Everyone stands to leave. It's the Friday before Christmas break starts and almost 5:30 p.m. I still have a ton of stuff to do before I leave, though, so I let my mind start churning through my to-do list.
I round the table with Reeve behind me. Ford is waiting for us, buttoning his suit jacket.
"Hey," he says genially. "Have y'all met the new associate attorney? Cary Peterson's daughter?"
"Her name's Emma," I mutter, and then add as a warning, "and try to keep it in your pants around her, Ford. She's just a baby."
"Don't I know it," Ford grumbles. "Besides, I like my women a little more experienced. I read a survey once that said a woman doesn't know how to give good head until she reaches her late twenties. Think that's true?"
I roll my eyes and push past Ford, but I hear him and Reeve behind me talking in low voices . . . about blow jobs, no doubt.
Working my way through the Pit, I head toward my office. A few of the staff are packing up, and I nod left and right, giving smiles and wishes for a good holiday.
Just as I reach my office, I feel a hand on my lower back and Reeve is pushing me through the door. He pushes me all the way in, closes the door, and herds me around my desk. Slapping his hand on my smoke button, he steers me right to the large windows that look over the eastern edge of the Raleigh skyline.
His hands grab mine and he raises them up, placing my palms against the cool glass by my head. "Don't move," he whispers in my ear.
"What are you doing?" I ask in a husky voice, but I know damn well what he's doing.
"I'm getting some of you now because I know you're going to work late tonight," he replies, his fingers going to my skirt and lifting it up my legs. He drags the material up, bunching it at my waist, and then brings his hands downward, hooking into my underwear to remove them.
He's so skilled at what he does, I just lay my forehead against the glass and sigh as he takes my panties off, then spreads my legs apart. I expect him to whip his cock out and go to town on me, so I'm caught a little off guard when I feel his hot breath between my legs.
"Oh God," I groan when his mouth makes contact with me. I rest my cheek against the glass and squeeze my eyes shut as Reeve eats me out like a champion. It doesn't take long before I'm bursting apart, and then he's up on his feet, his hard-as-hell cock out and pushing inside me.
Reeve holds on to my hips, fucking me up against the window. Resting his chin on my shoulder, he pants, "So we're doing it this weekend, right?"
"Right," I gasp because he slams into me super hard.
"Good," he grunts as he starts to tunnel into me. "Can't wait."
"Me, either," I manage to moan in between sucking oxygen back into my lungs.
And I can't wait.
This weekend, Reeve and I are taking the next big step in our relationship.
We're moving in together.
We decided to put my house on the market and move into his, mainly because of Mr. Chico Taco. Reeve's house is larger than mine, and with a behemoth dog like that, we need the extra space. Plus, his house is a little closer to work, and even though I hate to admit it, it's nice having Vanessa available to take care of Chico when we have to work late.
Ford thinks I'm nuts for taking this step so soon, but not me. I have never been surer of anything in my entire life. I trust Reeve implicitly with my heart, so I don't see the need to hold back on anything.
Dropping his hand between my legs, Reeve murmurs in my ear. "Want you to come again, baby."
"Going to," I gasp as he hits me right in that beautifully sensitive spot. "Like . . . oh, shit . . . right now."
I start to tremble and quake as Reeve pounds harder into me, his hand between my legs working me even harder to draw my orgasm out. Then he thrusts deep, stills for a second, and drops his head to my shoulder as he starts to come.
"Fuck," he moans as he continues to thrust shallowly into me, using my warm grip to milk him dry. I curl one arm backward and bring my fingers to the back of his head, massaging his scalp as we both start to come down off our high.
Reeve slips out of me but pulls me back into his body, wrapping both arms around my waist. We both silently stare out at the darkened, winter Raleigh skyline. It's our kingdom. Our playground. From inside the Watts Building, we'll wreak havoc on corrupt businesses. From just a few miles away, in our home, we'll continue to possess and dominate each other's bodies night after night.
And from right within our hearts . . . deep inside . . . we'll continue to grow our love.
It's a journey I'm eager to start.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I'm sure when I went to law school nineteen years ago, my mother never envisioned I would use any of that knowledge to write a sexy romance. And yet here I am doing just that. I have to thank you so much, Mom, because I never would have chosen the legal field as my career without you as that role model. I had a glorious career as a litigator and hopefully will continue on just as gloriously as a writer. Just know that I would never have accomplished half of what I have without you showing me what a woman can really aspire to be.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo (c) 2014 Marie Killen
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Sawyer Bennett is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. She is the author of several contemporary romances, including the popular Off series, the Legal Affairs series, and the Last Call series. Her husband works for a Fortune 100 company that lets him fly all over the world, while she stays at home with their daughter and three big, furry dogs who hog the bed. She would like to report she doesn't have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.
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