Chapter 20
Reese and I step into the elevator, and as the door closes, a switch flips in my head. “I forgot to tell you,” I say, turning to him. “I can’t believe I forgot this. My agent had a picture of you and me, obviously together.”
“What picture?”
“In your lobby, when you held my arm and we were walking toward the security area. Dan sent it to my publisher.”
“How did you not tell me this, Cat?”
“We’ve had a lot going on. Your staff was waiting on us, and I really, truly set this aside, but I’m thinking about it now. Dan is the asshole.”
The elevator opens. “Let’s talk in the hallway,” he says. I nod and we step outside. “Am I right to assume that your agent felt this hurt your book deal?” he asks.
“I turned down the book deal, Reese. It was never an option with Dan involved. I swear to you.”
“I’m not questioning you. I’m just thinking she has some agenda with Dan. Because that photo says that you could have a book deal with me any time you want it, if a partnership is what they want. And win or lose, my side of the story is half the story.”
“I’m close to this. That never crossed my mind, but it should have. And whatever game she might have been playing, it backfired. I fired her. And that’s not my concern right now. Dan is devious. I don’t know what he might do with that photo.”
“I’ve dealt with press exposure, including speculation about my personal life, for years. I’m thick-skinned and used to the gossip. It’s you I’m worried about. I don’t want this to affect your work any more than it already has.”
“The trial is over soon,” I say.
“You were worried about us being a problem for you before, Cat.”
“We were one and done.”
“We were never—”
I press my hand to his chest. “I know. I’m just telling you where my head was. I was protecting myself. I had a wall between us and I believed it to be real, because I needed it to be, but the book deal is done anyway, and I’m not going to lose my column if readership is high, and it is. I only brought this up for you. You needed to know. And right now, you need to leave.”
“I don’t want to walk into that lobby pretending we aren’t seeing each other. We are. I don’t want to hide it.” My heart squeezes with how vehement those words are, before he adds, “But if you want to wait…”
“No. I really don’t.” I take his hand. “We need to get you to the airport and find out what’s going on with your client.”
He cups my head and kisses me. “I’m not leaving unless I have to, so don’t get comfortable for a while.” And with that, he laces his fingers with mine and guides us down the hallway.
I realize then that he leads often, but not in the wrong ways, and at the wrong times—so far. He worries about my career and makes it easy for me to worry about his. We enter the lobby, and Reese motions me to the security desk. “Let’s stop here a moment.”
We approach the counter, where a fifty-ish, stocky man in a burgundy jacket with dark, wavy hair with sprinkles of gray awaits. “Mr. Summer,” he greets Reese upon our arrival.
“Newt,” Reese says. “This is Cat. I need to put her on the approved list.”
I glance up at him. “Do you have time for this?”
“I’m making time. I can’t go anywhere until we know where I’m going anyway.” He points to Newt. “Let him set this up.”
“Okay.” I look at the other man. “Hi, Newt.”
“Nice to meet you, Cat. I’ll need identification.”
I fill out a form and show him my driver’s license, during which time Reese has his hand resting on my back. It’s during this stop that a prickling sensation forms on my neck, like I’m being watched, we’re being watched. Thankfully, the security process is quick, and in a matter of three minutes, we’re walking through the main lobby.
The slight tensing in Reese’s grip around my hand tells me he feels it, too. We head toward the front of the building, and a glimpse to the right toward the bar shows it to be packed. Reese must follow my attention, because he answers my unasked question. “Sunday Night football is also big here.”
“Do you ever join in?”
“Never. I like football, but in my own living room, and not for a few years. I never have time. What about you? Are you a football lover?”
“I follow along, mostly to cheer for the team going up against my brother’s love, the Giants. The Cowboys will work just fine for me.”
He laughs and holds the door for me. I exit into a gust of cold wind, as what is clearly our first cold front of the year is in full force. “Oh God,” I say, trembling and hugging myself as Reese joins me. “What happened out here?”
He slides his arm around me. “Winter is coming.” He points to a black Escalade. “That should be Royce.”
We hurry in that direction, and Royce rolls down a window just long enough to confirm he’s the driver. Reese ushers me forward and opens the door. I climb inside and all the way over. “How’s Lauren?” I ask, as Reese joins us and shuts the door.
“Sick, and everyone that is normally close to her is out of town,” replies Royce.
“Even Julie?” I ask of his brother’s wife, who is a friend of mine, and darn near a sister to Lauren.
“She and Luke went to Paris on business they plan to turn into pleasure. Kara and Blake are meeting us at the airport to travel with Reese to get his client.”
“Oh. Well, you want to just drop me there and I can stay with her?”
“Already planning on it,” he says, glancing in the mirror at me. “Because I assumed your concern.”
“I think I just got rolled over, but it’s acceptable,” I say. “I love her, too.”
“I know that,” he says, and he glances at Reese. “Vermont.”
Reese follows his lead instantly. “Nelson went to his place in Vermont?”
“We assume,” Royce says. “He hasn’t landed, but his wife arrived there this morning. I’d bet my right hand, and I really fucking like my right hand, that he’s going there.”
“They both have to be in court next week,” Reese says. “What the hell are they thinking?”
“Let’s hope they don’t plan a jump to another country,” Royce says, pulling us into traffic. “However, at this point, I’d bet my left hand she’s your killer.”
“And what better way to take attention off yourself, but to bait your husband into looking guilty as sin,” I provide.
“Exactly,” Royce says. “Even Lauren, who was on the boyfriend team, has come around. In between throwing up.”
“That bad, huh?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Royce says, “That bad, which is why I’ll be staying here. Blake and Kara are a kickass team. A pain-in-the-ass team, but kickass nonetheless. And Blake is the one who’s been hacking a trail on these two.”
“Anything else on that?” Reese asks.
“Not yet,” Royce says. “But Blake and Kara feel like if they can pick your brain, and even meet your client and his wife, they will close in on the answers.”
“The silver lining to this fuck-up,” Reese says. “Yeah. I’m in. I’ll talk their fucking ears off if they can help.”
We turn onto the street where the Walker family owns a small building they remodeled as home and offices, and Royce glances in the mirror at me again. “I can’t promise how late I’ll be. You can have our spare bedroom if you want for the night.”
“I’ll take good care of Lauren,” I say.
“I need this baby to get here,” he grumbles.
“So you have two to fret over?” I ask.
“I can’t even think about that right now,” he replies.
I smile at his sweet version of grumpiness and Reese gives my leg a tiny squeeze, a calling card. I turn in his direction, and he leans in, lips at my ear, his breath a warm trickle on my neck as he whispers, “I really want to be in my bed fucking you right now.”
My fingers flex into his arm I’m now holding, and suddenly, I am ridiculously wet, while my nipples ache. That’s how easily this man seduces me. Reese eases back, and we share this crazy-hot—a “make me tingle where I’m already hot”—look. And then we smile, together, in the same moment. God. I’m crazy for this man.
“And we’re here,” Royce announces, as if warning us that our hot little moment, which he must have witnessed in his mirror, has come to an end.
That’s when I realize that we’re pulling beneath the Walker building and into one of the few attached garages in the city. “Lauren is expecting you, Cat,” Royce adds, halting the Escalade in front of the elevator. “I took the liberty of assuming you’d be joining her, and told her as much, when I found out you were back with Reese tonight.”
I don’t comment. He’s being a mischief maker, like his brothers. Reese opens the door and exits, taking my bag with him. I follow, and he helps me out of the car, like a perfectly, well-mannered gentleman. “I’ll walk you up to Royce’s apartment,” he says, holding my bag.
“No,” I say. “You won’t. Thank you, but go deal with your case. I’m going to pick Lauren’s brain for ideas, too. We were good at solving cases together at the DA’s office.” I push to my toes and press my lips to his.
He sets down my bag, and the next thing I know, he’s tangling his fingers in my hair and staring down at me with a wicked-hot look. “I’m going to need to fuck this hell out of my system when I get home. Be ready.” He kisses me, and it’s short, but fierce, and then he’s gone, leaving me breathless and weak in the knees, as he climbs back into the Escalade and shuts the door.
I watch them drive away, and according to the ache between my legs: I’m already ready for that fuck session, while according to the flutter in my belly, I’m falling hard for Reese Summer.