The breaking of day didn’t ease Kelly’s shame or confusion. If anything, it amplified it. She stood under the shower, trembling and cursing herself. She’d always claimed to have self-control… well, where was that self-control the previous night? How could she have allowed things to go so far? Where was her common sense when she needed it most?
But even as regret coursed within her, she couldn’t deny the maddening desire that Spencer had awoken within her so effortlessly. Kelly closed her eyes, recalling the desire that had careened through her when he’d touched her. Even now, she could still remember how eagerly she’d fallen into the web of need he created with his sweet kisses…
Stop, she gave herself a mental slap. She needed to forget; not remember.
Though she would’ve preferred to avoid Spencer, there was no way to do that while they still worked in the same firm. For a brief – very brief - moment she considered quitting, but her now-functioning common sense quickly nixed that idea. Regret didn’t pay bills.
As if karma was determined to remind her of her mistakes, she ended up sitting across from Spencer during their team’s morning briefing.
“How’s Cassie Anthony’s case going?” Angelina turned her attention to Spencer.
“To hell – that’s where it’s going.” Spencer rubbed his brow. “Carrie refuses to plead guilty.”
“That’s going to make the case tricky.” Angelina frowned. “Maybe I should talk to her. Her mother and mine volunteer together at…”
As Angelina prosed on, Kelly found her gaze straying across the conference table to Spencer. He sat tall and straight, his dark eyes intent as he and Angelina debated the merits of the Anthony case. Even serious, he was still the sexiest man at the table. There was just something about him that said, “Try me, I’ll rock your night”. Could anyone really blame Kelly for taking him up on his offer?
She was just a red-blooded woman.
Eventually, her thoughts circled back to the previous night. She remembered how sweet his kisses had been, how good it’d felt to be in his arms, how exhilarating it’d felt to be touched by those big hands and driven crazy. She remembered how hard and warm he’d felt against her, how silky his naked skin had been, how much he’d filled her…
Stop it! She shook her head. What was she doing? What the hell was wrong with her? Just a second ago, she’d been feeling guilty and now she was horny? Talk about confused.
“Kelly.” Duke jabbed his elbow into her ribs.
“What?” Kelly sat up straighter as she came back to reality where all her coworkers were staring at her expectantly, as if waiting for her to say something.
“Angelina’s talking to you,” Duke murmured.
“Oh?” Kelly offered Angelina a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I didn’t hear what you said.”
Angelina studied her for a long uncomfortable moment then said, “I asked, ‘how’s Xavier Lee’s case going?’”
“Um… We’re going back to court on Monday…” Even as Kelly updated her teammates about the state of her case then handed the baton back to Angelina, she was absurdly aware of Spencer’s eyes on her. Deplorably, her heart skipped a beat.
Was he remembering last night too? Was he just as ashamed as she was, or was he okay with it? His poker-face left no clues about how he felt. Had he loved it as much as she had?
She promptly gave herself another mental slap. Bad Kelly. Why did it matter whether Spencer had liked sex with her? You have lost your damn mind, girl.
A self-mocking smile lifted her lips. How ironic was it that the first man she’d been attracted to since her stint in prison was the very same man who’d sent her there? If this wasn’t her life, she’d be laughing her head off at the comedy of the situation. Even so, she couldn’t let it happen again. From now on, Spencer was off-limits, and it would be best if he knew it too.
When the meeting ended, she waited for everyone to disappear into their respective offices before she strode determinedly towards Spencer’s office. The rap of her knuckles on his door was even more determined. Last time, she’d waffled when explaining why their kiss was something that shouldn’t have happened. Maybe that’s why neither of them had taken her seriously and crossed the red line. This time she was going to be firmer, clearer. By the time she was done with Spencer, he’d know she was serious.
No more intimate stuff. Got it?
“Come in,” Spencer called out from inside his office.
Kelly straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin and entered the room. Spencer was at his desk, his coat and tie already gone, and his shirt open at the top to reveal his strong throat. She could still remember kissing that throat and…
Woman, get yourself together! The drill-sergeant within her barked, We mean business.
“Yes?” Spencer looked up from his computer to watch her with that unreadable gaze.
She closed the door behind her. “We need to talk.”
His eyebrows shot upwards. “Do we?”
Of course, they did. Did he really think that she was just going to let last night slide? Striding further into the room, she nodded firmly. “We do.”
“Okay.” Spencer stood from his desk.
What was he doing? Panic shot through Kelly as she watched him circle his desk. This wasn’t in the plan. How was she supposed to keep her resolve if he got close to her? Fortunately, Spencer stopped in front of his desk and sat on its edge.
He folded his arms over his broad chest. “Let’s talk.”
“I want to talk about-” Her eyes strayed to his couch, and immediately, memories of what had happened there rushed in. She swallowed. “About last night…”
He rubbed his chin as he watched her with uncomfortable intensity. “About last night?”
“It was…” She paused, trying to think of the appropriate words to explain the gravity of their mistake.
“Are you going to say it was a mistake?” Spencer beat her to it. “Are you going to say that we were just over-excited, again?”
Kelly blinked. Was he reading her mind? That was exactly what she wanted to say. Clearing her throat to get rid of the sudden tightness there, she said, “Yes, that’s what I wanted to say. I’m glad you understand the situation.”
“I think you’ve misunderstood me.” Spencer’s lips lifted in a small smile, but there was no humor in his dark eyes. He straightened from the desk then walked slowly towards her. “I didn’t say I understand the situation. I just asked you if you were going to say that last night was a mistake.”
“Yeah but…” Kelly licked her suddenly dry lips. Why was he moving towards her? She took a step back then another. Her voice uneven, she continued, “… But you have to admit it was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened.”
Spencer took another two steps forward. “Why shouldn’t it have happened?”
“You know why.” She took several steps backwards, but he kept coming. When she tried to take another step back, she ended up bumping into the wall.
And Spencer kept coming.
He edged closer until there were just a few inches between them.
“Why shouldn’t it have happened?” he repeated. “Because of our history?”
“Of course.” Her eyes darted right and left, looking for an escape route.
The door was close. She turned, ready to make a run for it, but before she could, Spencer propped both his palms on the wall beside her shoulders, effectively bracketing her within them.
Her breath caught in her chest as her gaze, wide with surprise, flew to meet his. “What are you doing?”
“I know about our history,” Spencer said instead of answering her question. His expression grimmer than she’d ever seen it, he added, “But I can’t agree that last night was a mistake, and I can’t promise that it’s never going to happen again.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“I can’t promise it’s never going to happen again.” He bent his elbows slightly and moved forward, crowding her against the wall. “Can you?”
His question left her confused. When she’d come into his office, she’d expected to make her speech then go her merry way, confident that their one-night mistake would never be repeated. She didn’t expect him to get this close to her, or for him not to agree with her.
She parted her lips, ready to tell him that she was very confident in her ability to avoid last night happening again, but no words emerged. Maybe it was because her heart wasn’t ready to go along with her brain’s edicts. Maybe it was because Spencer was standing too close to her and clouding her judgment.
Though his body was barely brushing against hers, she could feel his heat burning her. His masculine scent surrounded her, taunting her with imaginings of how exhilarating it’d feel to bury her nose in his chest and get her fill. The look in his eyes wasn’t helping much either. His gaze burned into her face sending an uncomfortable throbbing straight down to her core. To avoid those eyes, she lowered her gaze and, wouldn’t you know it, she landed right on his lips.
So firm. So inviting.
Her breathing grew ragged. She could still remember how those firm lips had felt against hers, how he’d kissed her passionately, how he’d stirred desires she didn’t even know she harbored.
“Do you feel that?” Spencer asked on a hushed whisper. His hot breath blew against her temple, ratcheting up the heat already scorching her from within. “The way your heart is beating so fast it feels like it’s about to burst out of your chest? The way you want to hold me closer so you can really feel my body against yours. That’s how I feel too, and that’s why I can’t promise that it won’t happen again.”
He was right.
No, he was wrong.
Damn him. He was confusing her.
“Stop.” She shoved him away forcefully. “Stop it.”
“Stop what?” The husky rasp in his voice and the dark desire in his eyes left no doubt that he was turned on by the moment too.
“Stop-” She paused because she wasn’t even sure what she wanted him to stop. “Just stop.”
Confusing emotions pulsing through her, she strode to the door. She started to reach for the doorknob but at the last minute, she swung around to face him. “Stay away from me.”
With that she scrambled out of the room.
What a mess! She cupped her hands over her face as she leaned on the wall next to his door. Where had all the firmness and determination gone? All he’d had to do was come closer to her and all her reason had disappeared. Poof!
She really needed to stay away from that man.
* * * * *
IT WAS OBVIOUS that Kelly needed time to get used to the new dynamic between them, and Spencer was all too willing to give her that time. Frankly, he was also taken aback by the change in their relationship and how fast it’d happened. Like an explosion, their attraction had quickly flared then raced through them, razing every wall in its path. And now, it was proving even harder to put out than a forest wildfire. If he’d ever thought that one night with Kelly would satisfy his hunger for her, he now knew that he was wrong.
None of his previous lovers had given him as much pleasure as she had or left him reeling in so many confused emotions afterwards. She’d made him feel things he’d never felt before, things he wanted to feel again. Without him realizing it, Kelly had slipped beneath the defenses he’d put up after Angelina had broken his heart. The knowledge didn’t make him cringe as he expected it to. Instead, it left him thoughtful.
He’d been in enough relationships to know that what had happened between them was more than sex. Kelly had roused him physically, mentally and emotionally. There was something unexpectedly natural about how he felt when she was in his arms.
Something so real.
Something so right.
And he wanted – no, needed to explore it further.
The next Friday found the employees of Chambers & Quinn on a flight to Miami, on their way to a weekend team-building event. Judging by the excited chatter that echoed in the plane’s main cabin, most people were excited about the trip. Spencer wasn’t one of those people. It was bad enough that he spent all his weekdays with these people; he didn’t want to spend his weekends with them too. The only exception to that was Kelly. She could spend every day and night with him if she wanted.
His gaze wandered past the talking heads to her. She was standing in the aisle, trying to fit her carry-on bag into an overhead bin. Today, she’d ditched the suits and replaced them with a t-shirt, jeans and wedge sandals. Though the plain outfit left her looking nothing like the sexy vamp who’d driven him crazy in his office just a few nights ago, that didn’t change the fact that he knew what was hidden beneath all that fabric.
He could still remember what magnificent breasts her navy t-shirt covered and how they’d felt in his hands; how warm, supple and lush they’d been. His shaft thickened beneath his jeans as he recalled the thick hips that those jeans concealed, how smooth her skin was when he’d spread her legs, and how amazing it’d felt to finally shove his c-
“Stop staring at Kelly so hard.” Angelina, who was seated next to him, yanked him out of his wicked thoughts. “People will notice.”
“I’m not staring,” Spencer denied even as he set his magazine over his lap to hide any evidence of his staring.
“Yeah! Right!” Angelina scoffed. Eyeing Spencer with interest, she asked, “What’s going on with you two?”
“Nothing.” Spencer doubted that Kelly wanted any of their colleagues knowing their business.
“Really?” Angelina’s eyebrows shot up. “Then why does she keep staring at you when you’re not looking too.”
“She’s staring?” His excited gaze immediately swept towards Kelly. Nope, she wasn’t staring. In fact, she was now seated and chatting animatedly with Marie.
“Heh! Got you.” Angelina laughed. “Nothing’s going on, my foot!”
Even Spencer had to chuckle at that. “Why are you asking? Jealous?”
“Please.” Angelina rolled her eyes. “The kind of drama you and I had was the kind you don’t have reruns of. We were bad for each other.”
Spencer turned to her with genuine curiosity. “How was I bad for you?”
“Back in those days you were too straight, stiff and judgmental. Everything was just so black and white with you, and your job was everything to you.” She shrugged. “To be honest, it was a little intimidating and suffocating.” She rushed to add, “I’m not making excuses for what I did or saying it was right, but that was how I felt at the time.”
“I get that.” Spencer nodded.
It was interesting how time could bring perspective. When he and Angelina had broken up, he’d been too wrecked to listen to her reasons. But now, he could look at her criticism through unclouded glasses and without even an iota of pain. Had be really been that much of a hard ass?
“I’m actually really glad you met Kelly,” Angelina confessed. “She’s the reason our feud ended, and you started talking to me again. You remember how we used to one up each other?”
“I remember.” He chuckled.
Their feud had been the stuff of legends. Whenever they appeared in court on opposite sides, all the rules flew out of the window and the guns came out. Winning was the only thing that mattered. Once they’d even been sent to jail for contempt of court.
“Kelly makes you less unbending and more empathetic.” Angelina smiled. “You two are a great match.”
He wasn’t sure whether she was saying that he and Kelly were a great match in court, or a great match as a couple. Either way, it sent an odd warmth rushing through him. A great match? His gaze wandered to Kelly. He smiled. Getting paired with her wasn’t the worst thing in the world.
About three hours later, their plane landed at Miami International Airport, and soon, they were boarding shuttles headed to their hotel. Though Kelly and Spencer were in the same shuttle, he ended up seated upfront while Kelly sat right behind him next to Lucas Balvin, one of the junior associates attached to the Family Law Division.
“You know, Kelly,” Lucas said, sounding annoyingly close to Kelly. “You and I have never had a chance to get to know each other.”
“I guess,” she agreed. “I don’t really visit your floor that much.”
“You should,” Lucas drawled. Through the rearview mirror, Spencer caught him waggling his eyebrows. “You might find something – or someone – you like.”
Kelly sniggered. “Someone like who?”
“Someone like me. I’ve been told I’m a very likeable fella.” The flirty look Lucas gave Kelly was enough to make Spencer swear beneath his breath.
Spencer had nothing against Lucas. The guy was a hard player but worked just as hard. Still, Spencer didn’t want him playing in his yard. Why was Kelly smiling so hard at the man’s lame jokes anyway? They weren’t that funny.
“I’m serious,” Lucas said when Kelly snorted at his suggestion that she transfer to his division. “You and I could make a great team in Family.” He winked. “Maybe even make our own family?”
The guy didn’t know when to quit, did he? The muscles in Spencer’s stomach tightened as a hot ball of anger swelled deep inside him. If he punched Lucas right now, how much would a court make him pay? And would Kelly understand why he’d cracked the man’s jaw? Probably not! It left him with only one choice; listen to the conversation with one ear while imagining all the pieces he could’ve torn Lucas into if this was still the cavemen era.
His torture ended thirty minutes later when they got to their hotel. Or so he thought. Moments later, he discovered that Kelly was going to be staying in the room right next to his. Talk about temptation and torture wrapped in one toe-curling bundle! He stared at the wall between their rooms, wondering what she was doing in there. Was she unpacking? Or maybe she was changing her clothes; peeling off her t-shirt, dragging her jeans down her voluptuous thighs, unclipping her bra to reveal her fleshy breasts, taking off her panties…
Groaning, Spencer rubbed his palm over his face. This was going to be one hard weekend.