by Morgan James
A smile curved Rob’s face. “Well, I guess that was over before it even started.”
“No.” I shook my head. “No, this is just beginning.”
He shot me a skeptical look. “Sure you don’t want to just quit while you’re ahead?”
“Not a chance.”
“Must be good.”
I leaned back in my chair and glanced at the open doorway before turning back to Rob. I pursed my lips in thought. I’d known Rob for decades, and I knew I could trust him implicitly. Despite the fact that Rob insisted he’d stay a bachelor forever, he was always good to bounce thoughts off. Right now, I needed to voice my thoughts out loud. Maybe I really was crazy and overthinking things. But saying it out loud, weighing the pros and cons of a situation always helped. I prepped for hours, sometimes days, before making an appearance in court, and the habit was so deeply ingrained in me that I couldn’t help it.
“You have no idea. She’s incredible.” My tone dropped several octaves in sincerity. “Not just the sex—though it was fucking fantastic. But she’s smart and funny, the whole package. I could really like this woman.”
Truth was, I already liked her. I’d liked her from the moment she walked into my office months ago.
“Then I guess you’ve gotta suck it up and go apologize.”
I would, but the damn stubborn woman wouldn’t answer her phone. Not that I blamed her. I was an asshole, just as she’d accused me. She obviously wasn’t going to come to me anytime soon, so that meant I’d just have to track her ass down.
I glanced at my watch. I had a meeting in an hour across town, which would put me in the vicinity of the healthplex. If all went according to plan, I’d catch her just as she was leaving for the day and convince her to go to dinner. I wasn’t stupid enough to think she’d fall into bed with me so soon after what had happened last Friday, but all I needed was a chance.
Kate was the kind of woman who needed to come to a decision on her own; trying to rush her would do no good. I just needed a few minutes of her time to convince her that I wasn’t a complete asshole—most of the time, anyway. She’d only really seen the business side of me, except for those few hours we’d spent together. If I could just plant that seed, make her see that I wasn’t as terrible as she’d decided I was, then I could slowly begin to move in.
I pushed out of my chair and nodded to Rob. “Come on. Let’s head over to meet with Gallagher.”
“Driving separately?”
“Yep.” I grabbed my briefcase and shoved the files inside before snapping it closed with a decisive click. “I’ve got business on that side of town.”
A knowing grin lit Rob’s face, and he extracted his wallet before pulling out a small square and tossing it in my direction. The foil packet bounced off my chest before I caught it one-handed. “You’ll need that.”
“Nah.” I tossed it back to him. “Thanks anyway, man.”
Rob lifted a brow. “You skipping the makeup sex?”
“Hell, no.” I grinned and nodded toward the prophylactic. “It’s too small.”
“What the fuck ever.” Rob let out a snort, and I laughed.
“Seriously, though. Long game, man.”
He rolled his eyes. “Why bother? There’s not a pussy in this world worth that kind of torture.”
Could I seduce her back into bed? Probably. Was it tempting? Hell, yeah. But I wanted more from Kate than just sex. I wanted it all—and I’d do whatever it took, however long it took, to get it.
Chapter Nine
Kate
“I still can’t believe it.” I paused in the act of packing up the last of my books and glanced across the room at Victoria, who was in the process of taking framed photos and diplomas off the wall.
“I know.” Moisture sprang to Victoria’s eyes, and I immediately regretted bringing it up. She was still covered in bruises, scrapes torn into the flesh of her neck and wrists. Shadows filled her eyes, but she was determined to push through, to move forward.
I’d spent most of Saturday at Victoria’s house and, though I’d heard the story from both Victoria and Blake, I still hadn’t come to grips with everything that had happened. After surviving a harrowing kidnapping as a teen, Victoria had recently been targeted by the same killer who’d returned after almost a decade. He’d killed two local women and attacked me in the healthplex because I had interfered.
Victoria had been lured out of her home by someone she trusted—the man who’d planned to carry out the murder he’d been denied years ago. Thankfully, Blake and his guys from QSG had shown up in time to rescue Victoria. The man had been killed that night, finally ending the horrific nightmare.
Looking back now, it all seemed so obvious. I shook my head, wondering why I hadn’t seen it before. Hell, maybe deep down we’d all known and hadn’t wanted to believe it. Just went to show that people were capable of all kinds of unspeakable evil, even those you thought you knew best.
I moved around the desk and pulled Victoria into a tight embrace. “I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.”
I knew it would be hard for her to move on. I wondered if she’d stay here in the healthplex or if she’d go somewhere else, too, leave the bad memories behind. I wouldn’t blame her one bit. I glanced around the office I’d used for the past seven years. The walls were now almost bare, packed into the boxes we had brought in. It was the first step in moving on, starting fresh myself.
Pulling away from Victoria, I rested my hands on her shoulders. “What can I do to help?”
Victoria shook her head. “It’ll just take time, I think. Blake’s been amazing. Having him around has been really helpful.”
“You look happy,” I offered, studying her.
Victoria smiled back, her features lit up bright by the joy shining within. “I am. I love him so much. Thank you for your advice.”
I waved away her thanks and propped a hip against the edge of the desk. “You guys are meant to be together. I’m just glad things worked out.”
“Oh, it’s incredible. He’s...” Victoria trailed off and bit her lip.
I suddenly realized why she’d veered from her train of thought, and I shook my head adamantly. “Hey, don’t you worry about me. You don’t have to hold back just because of my divorce with Steve. I’m better off without him, and you’re better with Blake. I want to hear everything.”
She shot me a shy smile. “He’s taking another job close to home so he can commute.”
“Home?” I lifted a brow and smirked at Victoria, who blushed profusely.
“We’re staying at my place right now since it’s a little bigger. But the plan is to fix up Blake’s little house and flip it. We’ll see how everything’s going by that point.” She lifted a shoulder. “Maybe then we’ll get a place together.”
I smiled. “I think that’s a great idea.”
God only knew where Blake’s job would take them. Ex-military, he now worked for a local security company that he and a friend had started, doing basic security coverage and private investigation work. Quentin Security Group was based out of Dallas for now, but the plan was to put an office on each coast in the near future. In the meantime, Blake and the other ops would travel if needed. He could be away for days or weeks, depending on the job, but I had no doubts that he and Victoria would make it work. They both deserved happiness, and I thanked God they’d both come to their senses and found what was right in front of them.
I tipped my head toward the door. “Come on, let’s get outta here so you can get home to your man.”
Victoria sent a blazingly bright smile my way before turning back to the box in front of her and loading the last few picture frames. I grabbed my purse out of the closet and slung it over my shoulder.
“Seriously, Kate?”
I turned to meet Victoria’s wry gaze as she held up the small bromeliad that had taken up residence on the window ledge. “What?”
“When was the last time you watered this poor thing?”
&nbs
p; “Um...” My lips twitched in humor, and I bit back a smile. “Maybe it’s just sleeping.”
“It’s dead.” Victoria rolled her eyes and held the pathetic-looking, brown withered stalk over the trash can. “It’s a good thing you take care of people and not plants.”
The potted plant hit the bottom of the can with a solid thunk, and I couldn’t help but compare it to my marriage: dull and lifeless. The only time I’d felt the smallest spark of anything lately was when I was with Gavin. He’d made me feel... incredible. He’d been an attentive lover, treating me as if I was beautiful and perfect. Maybe if I’d gotten out of the house before he’d woken, I could have tried to contact him later. Despite my initial discomfort, I really had enjoyed being with him. I didn’t want a boyfriend, but maybe we could have dated casually, seen each other occasionally. I almost felt bad for leaving the way I had—almost—but not after the things he’d said.
The memory came flooding back, and anger infused me all over again. No, I was done with that arrogant asshole who thought the whole world revolved around him. I’d had that once with Steve, and there was no way in hell I’d ever put myself in that same position ever again. If I ever married again—and that was a huge if—it was going to be right. The right man, the right time. I wasn’t going to rush into anything ever again, no matter how good a man made me feel. An hour of sex—or several, in Gavin’s case—wasn’t worth a lifetime of heartache.
I took another glance around the nearly bare office. This was what my life had been reduced to. It was easy to look at the space and see only an empty shell, but a spark of anticipation lit within, and I now saw a whole new set of possibilities. Though I was leaving this life behind, there were so many opportunities ahead of me. I could go wherever I wanted, do whatever I wanted.
With a small smile, I shook my head and gathered the box on the desk. “All right, all right. No more plants. Now let’s go.”
Victoria followed me to the elevator, and we rode the car down to the lobby. She glanced over as the door whooshed open. “When’s your last day?”
“I’m planning on staying through...” My words trailed off as Victoria let out a squeal of glee and practically skipped across the tile floor to where Blake reclined in one of the visitor’s chairs. I watched with mild envy as he stood and opened his arms to her, accepting the box of memorabilia in one arm and his girlfriend in the other, pulling her tightly against him.
I approached the duo, and Blake met my gaze over Victoria’s small frame, sending me a small nod. I never would have paired my petite friend with this giant of a man, but they were just so freaking cute together, I couldn’t help but smile.
Victoria stepped away, her hands on Blake’s chest. “I completely forgot my purse in my office. Can you please carry that out to Kate’s car for her? I’ll meet you out there.”
“You sure?” Blake’s eyes clouded with concern. Generally speaking, walking to the parking garage next door wouldn’t have been a big deal, but with everything Victoria had been through in the past few weeks, I doubted he wanted to let her out of his sight for even a second. How she’d managed to convince him to let her go to work without him watching over her was beyond me. He took his duties very seriously and would do everything in his power to keep Victoria safe. For that, I was extremely grateful.
“It’s no problem,” I cut in. “I’ll just carry this one out and come back for that one.”
“No, no. Blake can take care of it. I’ll only be a minute anyway.” Victoria stretched up on her toes and planted a soft kiss on Blake’s mouth. “Everything will be fine, I promise.”
“If you’re sure.” He still looked uncertain, but he let her go, and together we watched Victoria stride back toward the elevators.
I turned to Blake. “She’s happy. Thank you for taking care of her.”
Blake watched the elevator door close behind Victoria before turning to me, his voice low and sincere when he spoke. “Thank you for bringing her back to me.”
I waved it away, just as I had when Victoria had thanked me earlier. They deserved to be together, and I was just happy that everything had worked out. “I didn’t do anything.”
He shook his head. “I thought I’d lost her. I don’t know what you said to her, but... I owe you. Anything you need, it’s yours.”
I studied him for a minute. “You saved my life, Blake. I would say we’re more than even.”
My gaze was drawn toward the glass front doors, to a dark figure striding purposefully toward the building, and I swore silently. Blake went rigid at my side, and I realized I hadn’t been so quiet after all.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. Just a guy.” I kept one eye on the door as it was yanked open, and Gavin strode across the brightly lit lobby. His gaze seemed to zero in on me, and he immediately amended his stride, steadily closing the distance between us. The faint fluttering of butterfly wings battered my ribs as I watched him approach. Damn, the man looked good—even with his battle scar. The dark bruise stood out along the line of his jaw, and I guiltily bit down on my lip. I was a doctor, for God’s sake—I’d taken an oath to help people, and never in my life had I harmed another person. But the man was so damn aggravating and conceited, I hadn’t been able to control my reaction when I’d popped him in the jaw.
“Looks like he pissed someone off pretty good.”
A small smile curved my mouth before I could stop it. Don’t get me wrong—I felt bad for busting up his jaw, but the jerk had definitely deserved it. “That was me.”
Blake snorted a laugh from where he stood next to me, and I shifted the box in my arms just as Gavin stopped in front of us.
“Kate.”
The butterflies inside my stomach broke into full flight as the smooth honeyed sound of his voice wrapped around me like the sweetest caress. Steeling my spine, I lifted a brow at him, forcing myself to maintain his intense stare instead of allowing my gaze to stray lower, over the sculpted muscles I’d perused at length just days ago. Heat flared within me, but I tamped it down, focusing instead on the ire I was trying so desperately to hold on to. “Gavin.”
He studied me for a moment. “You haven’t answered any of my calls.”
“I didn’t know I was supposed to.”
His eyes narrowed, and his tone took on the slightest hint of aggravation. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.”
“Why? Did you need a recommendation for that?” I tipped my chin toward his jaw and pointed over my shoulder to the elevator bank behind me. “Dr. Harbaugh’s on the third floor.”
“Who?”
“Dr. Harbaugh. Maxillofacial surgery.”
He stared at me blankly for a moment, then blinked hard, his frustration quickly rising to the surface. “I don’t even know what that hell that means, but I don’t need a damn doctor.”
“Do you have paperwork for me?” I wanted to put our time together behind us and move on. I’d purposely ignored all of his calls, hoping he’d do that same. Didn’t look like that was the case.
“Not yet. I—” He gave a little shake of his head, like he was trying to get back on track. “Listen, I wanted to apologize.”
I stared at him for a long moment. “Was that your pathetic excuse for an apology?”
He looked completely taken aback. “No, I—”
“Apology accepted,” I said brusquely, cutting him off with a little toss of my head. I didn’t want to dwell on him being nice. Just having him nearby brought back all the memories from last week, short-circuiting my brain. I needed to get the hell away from him before I did something stupid, like ask for a repeat. I couldn’t afford for that to happen.
“Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have to go.”
With a head tilt to Blake, I started toward the front door. With seconds, Gavin was beside me once more and placed a hand on my upper arm. Blake, who up until this point had remained blissfully silent, let out a low growl. Gavin’s hand immediately fell away, and his eyes darted to Blake
as if just realizing that the giant man was, in fact, with me.
That familiar chocolate gaze slid again to me and hardened slightly. “Are you with him?”
“That’s none of your business,” I snapped.
He looked absolutely furious, and I couldn’t help but needle him further. Maybe he’d finally get the picture and leave me alone. “But if you absolutely have to know, then yes, he’s—”
“Who’s this?”
My shoulders tensed as Victoria’s soft voice floated over my shoulder. Damn Victoria. She had the worst timing ever. I briefly closed my eyes before spinning around and trying to capture her gaze, praying that she would get the hint and play along.
“No one,” I said loudly, just as Gavin stuck out a hand for her to shake.
“Hello, I’m Gavin.”
I cleared my throat and tried once again without success to meet my friend’s gaze.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Victoria.” Victoria smiled and released his hand, then stepped into Blake’s embrace and slipped her arm through his.
Seriously? I glared at Victoria, but her eyes were focused solely on Blake. Damn her guileless, naïve self for not picking up on the signal I’d so blatantly thrown up. Gavin watched the proceedings with interest, and the tiniest glimmer of a smile lifted the corner of his lips as he met my gaze, clearly calling my bluff. I glared back, and the smug expression slipped from his face.
Victoria glanced between the two of us. “Blake and I are heading to dinner. Would you two care to join us?”
Gavin turned his attention to me, his brows lifted in question. Or maybe it was challenge. The damn man was impossible. Trying to get through to him was like shoving at a brick wall. The last thing I wanted to do was be stuck in a restaurant with him for the next two hours, let alone a vehicle. I was seventeen once; I knew very well what happened in back seats, and I didn’t need the temptation.
“You guys go ahead. I’m not hungry.”
Gavin pried the box from my hands. “At least let me carry this out for you, then.”