Chapter 19
Isettle in, getting straight to work. My phone buzzes. I grin, picking it up to see what Reese has sent. I hit the button. Only I hear Riley, not Reese.
“Who in the hell did you have pinned against a Jeep this morning?”
“Son of a bitch.” I fidget, knowing it’s coming.
“I think I saw red but your big ass was in the way.” He laughs.
“Whatever. I’m not saying anything.”
“I’ll call Ava. You know she’ll call Reese.” He has a point.
“We’re just getting to know each other better.”
“Bullshit. It was seven in the morning,” he huffs. “Spill, fucker.”
“I made a peace offering, I might have kissed her and I cooked.” There, short and sweet.
“Details, Walker. You’re an attorney. You know this is the important part and Ava will want them,” Riley grumbles.
“We talked, it was good. I made dinner and we fell asleep.”
“Where? Couch? Bed?” Riley asks.
“What the hell? Can I not have a little privacy?”
“No,” he says bluntly, making us both laugh.
“Fine. I went in with a peace offering with the intention of asking her to dinner.” I swivel in my chair, spinning from time to time. “We kissed while at the center and I knew then I needed to up my game if I was gonna have a chance. I went all in, asked her to follow me back to my place.
“We talked and I ended up telling her everything about Thayer. We discussed her family and watched movies until I woke up around one in the morning. I carried her to bed and slipped in beside her. We did not have sex. But we did break the kissing record, I believe.”
“I’ll be damned. You’ve never told anyone about Thayer,” Riley mutters.
“There’s something about Reese. I want to tell her everything.” I lay my head back, thinking of her red hair lying across my pillow when I laid her down. I traced her soft lips, using all my strength to not kiss her.
“How did she react to everything that happened with Thayer?” Riley’s voice is low as if he’s afraid to ask.
“She was stunned, asked questions and told me to get my shit together.”
Riley’s quiet for a few seconds. “I like her.”
“I do, too.” More than I care to admit. “I think she’s into me.”
“Good. About damn time,” Riley says.
“Oh, yeah about dinner Friday. I asked her to come. We’re gonna spend the weekend together.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Riley quickly answers. “We’d be happy to have y’all.” Riley chuckles.
“What’s so funny?”
“What happened to ‘that damn redhead, she’s driving me crazy’?” Riley quotes me.
“She sure the hell is, in all the right ways. I’m fuckin’ crazy about her.”
“Well, you’re crazy but does she know?” He laughs louder.
“Fuck you.”
“No way. Get your own,” Riley howls.
My phone buzzes. I check to see if it’s Reese. “I gotta go, it’s her.”
“Damn, crackin’ the whip.” I end the call with him laughing his ass off.
“Hey.”
“I was wondering if you were ditching me already,” she breathes through the phone.
“Not on your life. Riley was checking on me. He passed the office this morning and some redhead was accosting me. He wanted to know if I was all right.”
“Yeah, Alden’s upset with me but honestly, my phone died.” She sighs.
“I hope he didn’t give you a hard time.”
“I hope Riley didn’t.” She giggles.
“He did. Rode the hell outta me. I hung up with him laughing.”
“Good, Alden drove me insane with ninety-nine questions.” She laughs harder.
“We need new friends.”
“They’re your family.” We both chuckle.
“Don’t remind me.” I scratch the side of my face. “When do you want to present to the judge?”
“I’m slammed this week. How about Monday?” I hear her turning her desk calendar.
“Do you not even own a palm pilot?”
“There’s nothing wrong with doing things old school,” she huffs.
“Don’t you have Google Calendar on it?”
“No, I like doing things the way I want. Geez,” she quips.
“There’s nothing wrong with trying something new, either.”
“Where’s that hammer when I need it?”
I cover my mouth to keep her from hearing me snicker. “I have it, so I’m right.”
“Whatever, asshole. I’m gonna get to work.” She hesitates.
“What is it?” I wait. Nothing. “Just say it, Reese.”
“I can’t wait to see you again.”
I break into a little dance. “Me too. And we’re on for dinner Friday night at Riley and Ava’s.”
“Is it too soon to get nervous?” Her voice trembles with each word.
“There’s no reason to be nervous. My brother’s an asshole, so you’ll be fine.”
“Seriously? Don’t call him an asshole, that’s your nickname.”
I can’t wipe this smile off my face. “Get to work,” I grunt.
“So damn bossy.” She breathes heavily through the phone. “Yes, sir.”
“You haven’t seen bossy, baby,” I growl.
“I need to go. I can’t handle that growl over the phone.”
My stomach knots.
I watch for her, waiting by the back door. I haven’t seen her in two days. I think I’m losing my mind.
“What in the hell are you doing?” I jump when Maisyn scares the shit out of me.
“Nothing.” I look down the hall, making sure no one else is around. “Why do you care?”
“I don’t. Just being nosy.” She peeks out the door. “You waiting for somebody?”
I lean against the wall, scanning the area. “Nope. Just checking things out.”
“Oh, well, you might wanna move. Reese is coming in,” she says as she walks away. I jump, straightening my jacket. “That’s what I thought.” She laughs her ass off as Reese steps through the door.
“What did I miss?” Her eyes flutter between Maisyn and me.
I wrap her wrist, tugging her into the dark room behind us, slamming it shut. I push her against the wall as she drops her bags and fists my shirt.
“I’ve fucking missed you,” I growl, finding her mouth.
She moans as I sweep my tongue over hers, taking her like I’ve dreamed about for days. With every pass, our lips brush, raising the hair on my arms. I tangle my hand in her hair. It lays in waves down her back. I pull it tight, stretching her neck.
I place soft kisses down her cheek, over her jaw until I reach her collarbone. I suck and nibble my way to her heaving breasts, tracing them with the tip of my tongue. When she openly moans, I crash into her mouth, taking all that she gives.
I release her mouth, leaving us both breathless. “Hey, baby.”
“I missed you, too, handsome.” Her lips touch mine softly.
“Yeah, I’m going insane.” I return her kiss. “We need to fix this. I need to be with you more.”
She tilts her head, studying me. “What do you suggest we do?”
“I have several ideas. Let’s talk about them this weekend.”
“Friday is gonna be a big day, isn’t it?” She worries her lip, not making eye contact.
“Look at me.” I wait for her. “Reese, look at me.” Her eyes find mine and I’m rooted to the spot when I find the same feelings looking back at me. “Am I going too fast? Tell me. Please.”
She lays her hand against my cheek, gazing into my eyes. “Never.” She hesitates. “I’m not used to having people who care. Relationships are hard for me.” She points at herself. “Daddy issues. Insecurities abound in this head.”
I press a sweet kiss on her lips. “I’ve got you. Always.”
“You’re too sweet.” She lays her head against my chest. “He called again today.”
“You should talk to him.”
“Why? What could he have to say after all this time? And my mom, she’s gonna flip shit when I do.” She knots my shirt in her hands.
“Do you want to talk to him?”
She shakes her head, then begins to nod. “I do. What should I do?”
“I can’t tell you what to do but if you want to go, I’ll go with you. If you’re not comfortable with me going right now, take Alden.”
“I hadn’t thought about a buffer. I could do that, make it public.” She stares into the distance, a line forming between her brows.
I reach up, rubbing my finger into the line until she looks at me. “There’s my girl. You’ve got this. You’re a badass.”
She rises to her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on my lips. Her eyes lift, and the burning behind them sends waves of heat through my body. When she pulls me to her, we ignite. Colliding into each other the only way we can, with a force like no other.
A knock on the door disrupts our pleasure. “Hey, guys. I have the district attorney on line one for one of you,” Maisyn says through the door.
“All right. I’ll get it.”
“Give me two minutes?” Reese kisses me and steps out the door into the restroom.
“Thank you, Maisyn.” I glare at her as I walk over to the office.
“No problem.” She snickers, handing me a tissue. “Lipstick, lover boy.”
“Sorry. Thank you, again.”
She waves over her head. “No problem.”
Reese and I spend the evening helping as many families as possible. We work well together, coming up with a schedule to filter families through a short informational process. I love this work. Helping people who otherwise have no one or no way of getting help.
I glance around the room, catching Reese staring at me. She smiles at me. My lips part, releasing an appreciative gasp as I take in her beauty. Her long, red hair lays in waves down her back and I fight the urge to walk and sweep one side behind her ear.
Her green eyes dance in the light, sparkling even if she isn’t smiling. She’s intelligent and knows it. Her heart is bigger than Texas and the way she cares for people rivals Lea. Mom will love her. The words stop me mid-thought. Love.
It’s too soon. Stop it, Walker. Do not fuck this up. She’s too important and means so much to you. Don’t try to control it. Let it happen.
“You okay?” Reese’s words catch me off guard.
I force a smile. She pushes her chair out, excusing herself. When she passes me, she slides her hand across my back. My breathing slows, and I stop fidgeting.
She bends, whispering in my ear, “Take your time. We have plenty of it.”
For the first time in my life, I know I’m not forcing it. It’s organic and I don’t have to shift it one way or the other.
“Thank you.” I caress her hand beneath mine. How I sit here when everything in me is screaming to take her in my arms, I have no clue. But that’s what she does for me. She calms me.
The night flows in strange ways but is soon over and in two days, she’ll be by my side. I have plans for us and I need to make plans for her. “Hey, about Friday…” Her eyes droop. “No, nothing bad. I was gonna suggest wearing something casual. After this week, I may wear jogging pants all weekend.”
She bites her lip. “You. In jogging pants, all weekend.” She licks her lips. “We should do that.”
“Now who’s a hot mess?” I brush her lips with mine, placing a soft kiss on them. “I can’t do hot and sexy. This taking things slow is killing me.”
She smirks. “It was your idea.”
“You should’ve stopped me.” I kiss her again and pull her door open. “Friday. In ya go.”
“So bossy,” she grumbles, stepping in. Her ass in my face, I know I shouldn’t. I do it anyway. I smack her ass! The pop rings as she grabs it. “Shit! You little asshole.”
“I can do that for you,” I say, staring at her ass.
“You can kiss it!” She snickers.
“I can do that. Bend over.” I have a shit-eating grin on my face. Her mouth drops.
“I’m leaving. Kiss me.” I do as she asks.
My gut twists, letting me know I’ll always do what she wants. I wave as she drives away, already wanting to call her.
“Friday. You can make it until Friday.”