As soon as Spencer saw Kelly stumble into oncoming traffic, his heart dived to the pit of his stomach. Acting on pure instinct, he moved forward to grab her upper arm then yanked her backwards. His forceful movements sent her crushing straight into his arms. Unfortunately, he hadn’t calculated for her weight, and the strength of her body smashing against his was more than he’d anticipated. Before he knew it, he was falling backwards with Kelly in his arms.
Pain! Excruciating pain as his back hit the pavement. That pain only worsened when Kelly fell on top of him. Jesus Christ. He closed his eyes tightly as bolt after bolt of pain seared through his whole body. It was so bad, the onlookers’ gasps and shouts were like mere bees buzzing in his ears. Only Kelly’s voice could get through his pain.
“Spencer!” she called out as she got off him quickly. “Spencer, are you okay?”
He opened his eyes to find her kneeling beside his supine body, real concern in her brown eyes.
“I – I am,” he murmured. When he tried to sit up a sharp pain shot through his right shoulder and down his right arm. With a groan, he clutched his arm. “Shit!”
“You’re hurt,” Kelly said as she cupped her palm over his hand.
Despite his own pain, instinctive worry pulsed through him. His eyes met hers. “What about you? Are you okay?”
“I am. You kept me from getting hurt.”
“That’s a relief.” He tried to smile but ended up wincing because of the fresh pain that rushed through his arm.
The next minutes were spent trying to get him on his feet. Though he tried to get Kelly and the other onlookers to let him be, he found himself in the back of someone’s car, headed to hospital with Kelly hovering over him.
“It’s not far,” she soothed as she stroked his uninjured arm. “We’ll be there soon.”
His eyes closed, Spencer let her touch distract him from his pain.
Gotta say, having Kelly worried and taking care of him wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Within moments, they were in the hospital. Luckily, there weren’t too many emergency patients, and Spencer got to see a doctor almost as soon as he got there.
“It’s just a partial dislocation,” the doctor pronounced as he examined Spencer.
“Are you sure?” Spencer winced when the doctor gingerly pressed his hurt shoulder. “It hurts like hell.”
“I’m sure it does,” the doctor agreed. “But you’re lucky it wasn’t a full dislocation.”
TV had lied to Spencer. He expected to get the Arnold Schwarzenegger treatment a.k.a ‘pop-my-shoulder-and-I’m-as-good-as-new’ treatment, but this was nothing like that. Getting his shoulder back in place was more painful than he imagined. Yes, the pain lessened afterwards, but not enough for him to go around shaking people’s hands let alone throwing punches. In fact, he ended up with his arm in a sling and painkillers to get him through the night.
“You don’t have to go home with me,” he said as Kelly hailed a cab. “I’m okay.”
“Why do you keep saying you’re okay when you’re obviously not,” she scolded him even as she hailed a cab. When the cab came to a halt in front of them, she bundled him in. “People who are okay don’t end up with their arm in a sling. Besides, the doctor said you should avoid using your arm tonight. How are you going to cook for yourself?”
“I have my left arm,” Spencer reasoned. “And I can always order in.”
“Not while I’m around.” Kelly settled beside him in the back of cab. “It’s my fault that you ended up in a sling.”
“It’s not your fault.” After giving the driver the directions to his place, Spencer continued, “The only person at the fault here is the guy who ran into you.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Kelly grudgingly admitted.
For some reason the warmth of the cab had Spencer feeling drowsy. Or maybe it was the painkillers. His eyes closed, he asked, “What happened to him anyway?”
“Who?”
“The guy who knocked you over.”
“The cops took him away.” Kelly chuckled. “Wouldn’t it be funny if he ends up at Chambers & Quinn asking us to represent him?”
Spencer’s chuckle was as sluggish as his nod. “Mm. It would be.”
Kelly said something else, but he wasn’t listening. Slumber’s call was too loud, and before he knew it, he was a goner. The next time he woke up, it was because a female someone was calling his name. “Spencer. Spencer.”
“Mm.” He groaned without opening his eyes.
“Spencer,” she called again, her warm breath whispering against his hair. “We’re here.”
Where was here? He opened his eyes to find himself still seated in the back of the cab with his head propped on Kelly’s shoulder. With a start, he sat up straighter. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” A soft smile playing on her lips, she repeated. “We’re here.”
He looked outside the window only to realize that they were outside the high-rise that hosted his condo. He assumed that this was where he and Kelly’s day together ended, but, despite his repeated protests that he was okay, she insisted on coming up to his condo.
“Wow.” Kelly exclaimed once they were inside his home. “This place is amazing.”
“Is it?” Spencer followed her gaze. Beside them was his open kitchen with granite counter-tops and stainless-steel, state-of-the-art appliances. The kitchen and spacious hallway opened out into the living room; a large and beautifully furnished, beige-and-green room. Floor-to-ceiling windows lined the north wall. Beyond those windows, New York City lay spread out like a majestic field of bright lights and concrete.
Spencer smiled. “It’s small but it’s mine.”
“This is small?” Kelly laughed as she followed him deeper into the apartment.
Her laughter drew his own smile. “Why don’t you have a seat? I’ll-”
“I’m the one supposed to be taking care of you.” Kelly ordered, “Why don’t you have a seat?”
Spencer couldn’t help the smile that instinctively lifted his lips. Who knew stubbornness could be sexy? After getting rid of his suit-jacket, he settled on the couch. From his position, it was easy to give Kelly instructions as she bustled around his kitchen preparing dinner. Soon, his house was filled with the delicious scent of cooking food. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until Kelly set his plate before him. Unfortunately, wolfing down a meal is almost impossible when you have to do it with your left hand.
“Ugh!” He groaned as he tried to spin spaghetti around his fork with his left hand. “This is so annoying.”
“I’m sorry.” Kelly wrinkled her nose as she watched him. “I should’ve made something easier to eat.”
“It’s not that hard to eat,” he quickly reassured her even as his struggling belied his words.
Her expression concerned, she scooted closer to him on the couch. “Should I help you?”
The moment Kelly’s body brushed against his, Spencer’s senses came alive. For the first time in his life, he forgot to breathe. He paused with the fork still stuck in his food as his gaze swung to her face. Without conscious thought, he lowered his gaze to her lips. Lush, thick, moist… he’d bet his life that she’d taste amazing. His gut tightened considerably and his cock rose to the occasion.
Those lips parted, moved, and emitted some kind of sound that he couldn’t hear because of the sudden, odd humming in his ear. Perhaps it was his lack of response that made Kelly aware that he wasn’t even listening to her. She reached out to touch his arm. Instinctively, he edged away from her touch. If her being close was enough to stop his breathing, who knew what her touch would do.
She frowned. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah.” He nodded quickly.
“You seemed lost for a moment.”
“Did I?” He forced a smile, but even as he did, he couldn’t help watching her and looking for signs that she was as affected by their closeness as he was. There were no signs, which was to be expected. Given their history, it would’ve been stranger for her to be attracted to him. Yet, for some reason, her lack of reaction to him sent immediate disappointment charging through him.
“Do you want me to help you?” she offered as she pointed to his forgotten meal.
“No. No. I can do it myself.” Shifting further away from her, he added, “It’s good practice anyway.”
Even though the TV was on, the room was uncomfortably quiet as the two ate. Still, Spencer couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips. He was glad to have her here, no matter how quiet she was being. This was the first time that she’d voluntarily chosen to be alone with him in a room, the first time they were eating together. A year ago – heck, a month ago, he never would’ve thought that this scene was even possible.
“What’s so funny?” Kelly broke the silence.
He arched an eyebrow. “Hmm?”
“You’re smiling,” she pointed out.
“Am I?” He shrugged. “Just thinking.”
“About what?” she asked.
“About how nice it is to have you here.” Watching her keenly to gauge her reaction, he added, “We should eat together more often.”
Kelly’s gaze met his and their eyes locked for a long moment before she lowered her gaze. “Maybe.”
Maybe? That was better than ‘hell no’, right? He smiled.
Her gaze still lowered, Kelly said, “I didn’t get to thank you.”
“Oh? For what?”
She lifted her gaze to his as a soft smile lifted her lips. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d probably be a blob on the road right now.”
Even now, the thought of her getting hit by the car was enough to make his muscles tighten in protest. He dragged in a deep breath. “Don’t mention it.”
“Still, thank you.” Avoiding his eyes, she said, “Lately all I seem to do is say thank you or sorry to you.”
He studied her. “Are you complaining?”
“No.” She sighed. “I’m just thinking.”
What did that mean? Though he watched her face to see if she liked or disliked the changing dynamics in their relationship, her expression left no clues about what she was thinking. Were all women this complicated or was it just Kelly? One moment she was sneering at him like he was the world’s worst devil, and the next moment she was forcing her way into his house and taking care of him like he was her best-friend. Figuring her out was a head-spinning endeavor that most rational men would walk away from. Unfortunately for Spencer, when it came to Kelly, rational wasn’t a word he could apply to himself. Whenever he was near her, all he wanted to do was peel back the layers that hid her from him.
In a bid to break the heavy silence between them and get to know her better, he asked, “What do your friends think of you and I working in the same firm?”
Kelly looked up from her plate. “My friends?”
“Amara and Tamsin.”
“A.J. and Sin?” Kelly’s eyes widened. “You know them?”
“Of course, I know about them.” Spencer laughed. “Don’t you remember? The day I came to visit you, they were at the next table with a visitor of their own and almost jumped me.”
“Oh yeah!” Kelly laughed. “I’d forgotten about that.”
“Lucky you.” Spencer gave a fake tremble. “I still get nightmares about that day.”
“They’ll be happy to know they scared you. And yeah, they’re okay with us working together.” With a smile, she added, “Though Sin told me to make you give me a pay-raise since the state didn’t give me anything for sending me to jail.”
“Sorry.” Spencer winced. “Are you mad about that?”
“Not really.” Her eyes dancing with amusement, Kelly leaned over to bump her shoulder against his. “You’re paying me well enough to make up for it.”
Spencer chuckled even as warmth ballooned within him. This night was just getting better and better. Who would’ve thought that one day, he and Kelly would be able to joke about her incarceration?
Still smiling, he asked, “How did you three even become friends anyway?”
“Trust me, it wasn’t intentional.” Kelly chuckled. “On my first day there, I ended up in the same cell as A.J…”
A.J. was quiet and gave off very fierce ‘keep off’ signals. The moment Kelly had tried to initiate a conversation the other woman had glared at her so hard that Kelly had had to take a step back.
Spencer frowned. “Weren’t you scared?”
Though he’d only met Kelly’s friends once, one look at A.J. and a background check had told him that she was the one he needed to be most careful of. She wasn’t the kind of woman you messed with.
“Of course I was scared,” Kelly said. “I really thought she was going to stab me in my sleep.”
“You should’ve applied to change your cell.”
“I didn’t get the chance to.” She paused to take a bite of her food before continuing, “Later the same day, we went for dinner and I ended up seated to Sin. She was much friendlier than A.J. and took it upon herself to give me a breakdown of the inmate’s social hierarchy…”
At the bottom of the stack were women who’d been incarcerated for crimes against children. Even though they were criminals, most inmates mothering-instincts were alive and well. Do something to a kid and you risked getting victimized. Barely step above the child-abusers were the snitches. You never tell the cops what another criminal is up to. Never.
Above the snitches were the ‘wives’. This was a position reserved for the weaker members of their population i.e. the shy, scared or young. Prisoners like Sin made up the next tier. They were the ones who made no waves and did their best to just finish their sentence without any trouble. Above the ‘no-waves’ were the soldiers – members of gangs, significant others of gang members, robbers, murderers, etc.
And at the top of them all was Wanda Barring.
“Wanda Barring?” Spencer frowned. Where had he heard that name? A second later, it came to him. “The lady who went in for murdering her boyfriend and his boyfriend?”
“Yup! That Wanda.” Kelly made a face. “She ran our prison like she was the president.”
During dinner, Wanda had sent one of her minions to Kelly with an apple.
Nice of her, right? Wrong!
Sin had whispered to Kelly that the apple was Wanda’s way of converting her to one of her minions. If Kelly ate the apple, she was now one of Wanda’s subordinates. If she didn’t eat it, she’d be the target of beat-downs and bullying from Wanda’s people.
Sin had advised Kelly to just eat it. It was the only way to leave this place in one piece and with your pretty face intact. Besides, it wasn’t so bad being one of Wanda’s people. She occasionally asked you to do errands for her, some quite degrading, but nothing one couldn’t live with.
It all sounded very kosher and peaceful. Unfortunately, Kelly had never been one to serve others. Also, she wasn’t that pretty anyway. What was a few more bumps? She tossed the apple to the floor, and it went rolling right up to Wanda’s table.
The silence that gripped the mess was chillier than a winter morning in Alaska. The other inmates stared at the two in obvious shock and a healthy dose of anticipation. Everyone – everyone – ate Wanda’s apple. Wanda stood up. Her expression stormy, she stomped to Kelly and Sin’s table. Sin was trembling so hard, Kelly could feel the vibrations coming off her. Kelly probably should’ve been trembling too; Wanda was at least double her size and a couple of inches taller than her. But Kelly had fought bigger, and won. Boldly, she stood to meet her attacker face-to-face.
Forcefully, Wanda grabbed Kelly by the collar, lifted her to her toes and cocked her elbow as if to punch her. Kelly craned her head backwards to evade the punch and cocked her own fist ready to pound Wanda’s stomach. Fortunately or unfortunately, neither of the two women got to throw a punch. One second Wanda had Kelly by the collar and the next, she was on the floor, the victim of a surprise kick to the head.
Shocked, Kelly turned to see who’d felled Wanda. It was A.J.
“I don’t like bullies,” the lady had pronounced with quiet steel in her voice.
Kelly barely had time to process those words because right then, the mess descended into chaos and fighting as Wanda and her minions came for Kelly and A.J. Despite her fear and love of her pretty face, Sin had somehow ended up fighting with the two.
“Damn!” Horror pulsed through Spencer as visions of Kelly being hit flashed in his thoughts. He dragged in a shaky breath. “That sounds like a war-zone.”
“It was, but it was kind of funny too.” Kelly burst into laughter. “I can still remember how Sin threw herself over Wanda’s back, screaming like a banshee as she pulled her hair.”
Spencer didn’t know how she could laugh. Most women would’ve been scarred for life by that experience. He’d always known that Kelly was strong but even he was shocked that she’d jumped into that fight so enthusiastically.
“It was just the three of you against a whole battalion?” He stared at her in wide-eyed dismay. “How did you even expect to win?”
“We didn’t.” Kelly shrugged as if it was okay to get into a fight you didn’t expect to win. “But lucky for us, one of Wanda’s minions recognized me. No… recognized who my father was.”
Spencer smiled. “Ah! Jesse comes to the rescue again.”
“Spectacularly.” Kelly grinned. “Let’s just say it’s good to have a father who treats cons on the side.”
As it turned out, Jesse had patched up quite a few of these ladies and their boyfriends or relatives. Just like that Kelly, Sin and A.J. became The Untouchables. They weren’t ‘big dogs’ but they certainly weren’t minions either. It’s like they’d formed their own tier-free group that was separate from the general population’s pyramid. After that everyone just gave them their space.
“The Untouchables.” Spencer tested the name on his tongue. He smiled. “I like that.”
“Sin came up with the name then spread it around,” Kelly said. “She’s the outgoing one.”
Kelly spent the rest of dinner telling Spencer about her friends and her time in prison. He listened, but on the inside he was grinning. Kelly might not know it, but her being so willing to share a part of her that had been off-limits for so long was a sign that she was comfortable with him. He would’ve preferred that she trust him, but comfortable was okay too.
Minutes later, they were done with their meal. Despite Spencer’s protests and offers to help, Kelly ended up in the kitchen washing the dishes while he stayed in the living room watching the news. Somehow, he ended up falling asleep.
He didn’t know how long he was asleep, but a strange fluttering against his upper chest pulled him out into wakefulness. Thinking the fluttering was just a dream, he kept his eyes closed.
Then he felt her breath against his face as she whispered, “Who ties their tie this tight?”
Slowly, he opened his eyes only to find Kelly kneeling next to him. Her gaze was focused on his upper chest and her fingers were around the knot of his necktie. She was so close, he could smell her sweet womanly scent. So close, he could feel her warmth. So close, her mouth was just a breath away. She was too damn close. His breath caught and the blood in his veins froze in its tracks.
Something about his sudden awareness must’ve drawn her attention because her gaze flew to his. Surprise flashed in her eyes then nervousness. He wanted to ask her what she was doing so close to him, but he couldn’t seem to push words past his suddenly dry lips.
“I… uh…” Kelly stuttered. “I was just trying to loosen your…um…”
Then she bit her bottom lip. And that’s when his common sense flew out the window. Without conscious thought, he leaned forward, curved his hand around her nape and brought her face closer to his.