“Get a fucking grip on yourself, Walker. You’ve got this. It’s just another case, that’s all.”
Placing my hands on the table, I took in another deep breath. “That’s it. Just another client with a dickhead husband. That’s all this is.”
“Mr. Walker, I’ve brought the water into Mrs. Jackson. She asked where you were, sir.”
Glancing over my shoulder at Karen, I nodded. “Thank you. I’ll be right there.”
I needed a few moments to get my head in the right place. I wanted to take Sierra in my arms and kiss her senseless, then go pound her ex-husband’s face into the ground. Sighing, I headed back into the conference room.
Sierra was standing at the end of the conference table looking out the window.
Shutting the door, I walked back to the table and sat down. “I need to ask you a few questions, Sierra,” I said as I took a long drink of water.
Sierra wrapped her arms around her body. “Can you win this case, Dodge?”
Swallowing hard, I looked at her file and said, “Yes. I’m going to do everything in my power, Sierra, to bring this motherfucker down.”
“That’s all I needed to know. What did you want to ask me?”
Closing my eyes, I pushed my personal feelings for Sierra down. I needed to focus on the case and that meant I needed to not look at how incredibly beautiful she looked today. Or the fact her perfume was driving me insane.
Opening my eyes, I looked at Sierra. “Why didn’t you press charges against him?”
Her posture sunk and she shook her head. “He was drunk. I was the one who let him into the house and—”
“Don’t you dare say it was your fault. Do not utter those words from your lips, Sierra. No one deserves to be hit.”
Sierra turned around and my world came to a stop when I saw the tears rolling down her face. I’d never in a million years thought I’d see Sierra with her guard down. “I knew he was drunk when I let him in, Dodge. He was upset and kept going on and on about how he had messed things up so bad.” Looking down, Sierra took in a deep breath. “I told him I didn’t care and he had to leave. He made the choices he did and I didn’t care anymore.”
“Then what happened?”
Sierra’s blue eyes met mine. “He told me he wanted me and I laughed at him. It made him mad and he hit me. He’s never once touched me before, Dodge. Something in his eyes changed and I knew he regretted it the moment it happened.” Closing her eyes she whispered, “Dodge, I don’t want to talk about this. I get what he did was wrong; believe me I get it. I thought long and hard about this. I’m not pressing charges.”
Turning away from me she stared out the window. Standing, I walked over to her. I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms and hold her. “Did he threaten you and tell you not to press charges?”
“No. He cried and begged me to forgive him. Said it would never happen again.”
Placing my hands on her shoulders, I turned her to me. Placing my finger on her chin, I forced her eyes to mine. “Sierra, I know you well enough to know you wouldn’t let him get away with this if you didn’t have a reason.”
“Please, Dodge, please just let it go.”
“Sierra, I swear to you, I will protect you with everything I have in me if you want to go after this fucker for doing that to you.”
A single tear rolled down her cheek as I wiped it away with my thumb. Sierra’s body instantly came alive, but she quickly put up a mask. “If you’re trying to be my hero, Dodge, you can stop. It may work on the girls you served at the bar . . . but it won’t work on me.”
Dropping my hands to my side, I walked back to the table as I cursed under my breath. Fighting down the incredible urge I had to tell her off and kiss her, I said, “Fine. I’m dropping this . . . for now.”
Going through the notes, I continued on. “This affair he is accusing you of. Is it true?”
Dropping down in her seat, Sierra glared at me. “Excuse me?”
Gesturing to the file, I asked, “Is it true? The affair?”
Sierra’s mouth dropped open as she shook her head. “Really? You’re asking me if I cheated on my husband?”
“Yes, Sierra. I am.”
“No, Aaron. I did not cheat on my husband. I’ve never cheated on anyone, ever.”
Pulling out my notepad, I made some notes. “Why hasn’t this Jeremy been called in to give a deposition?”
Shrugging her shoulders, Sierra said, “You’d have to ask my old lawyer. Robert just threw this latest twist at us two days ago. Maybe he didn’t have time to follow up.”
“Hmm. Probably. The first thing we are going to need to do is bring this guy in. Coworker of yours?”
Shaking her head, she said, “Nope. Friend from college, and Robert was always jealous of our friendship.”
Looking at her, I asked, “Have you ever slept with him?”
Shaking her head, Sierra smirked as she said, “No. He’s gay. Robert doesn’t know that though.”
Nodding my head, I wrote some more notes. “That works in our favor. Don’t say anything to him. As a matter of fact, I don’t want you even communicating with Robert from this point on. Any emails or text messages you receive from him I want you to forward them to me immediately.”
Sierra’s eyes lit up and she smiled a breathtaking smile. “What?” I asked.
“Nothing. It’s just nice to actually feel like I might have a chance to win this thing. My last lawyer was a pussy. I was actually scared he was going to crawl into a corner and pull his knees up to his chest and bury his face as he chanted how scared he was.”
Letting out a chuckle, I shook my head. “Ed is a good guy. He’s just doesn’t realize it was time to retire . . . ten years ago.”
Sierra let out a giggle as she flashed me a smile that had me catching my breath.
My heart hurt for Sierra. I knew it was going to be hard as hell to keep my hands to myself with her, but I had to. I would not let my father down on this, nor was I going to let Sierra down. I needed to keep my feelings in check.
“I’m sorry you didn’t feel like you had a chance before. That’s all about to change, Sierra. Your ex is going down.”
Sierra licked her lips and my dick jumped. Glancing back down at the paperwork, I cleared my throat and said, “Okay. Well, let me start going over all of this and I’ll be back in touch with you either tomorrow or the next day. This is my only case, so I will be able to devote one hundred percent of my time to you.”
Wiggling her eyebrows, Sierra stood. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
Rolling my eyes, I let out a sigh as I looked her over. Fuck she had a nice body. She was wearing a beige skirt that hugged her hips perfectly, beige high heels and a white sleeveless shirt.
Her blonde hair was down and flowed freely below her shoulders. I imagined it in a ponytail and me holding it tight while I fucked her from behind. Shaking my head, I let out a quick breath. Shit. I need to stop this.
“Perfect. I’m going to be heading down to south Texas in about a week, so if you need me for anything before I go, you’ll let me know right?”
Panic began to set it. Why was she going to south Texas? Was it to see Ryn and Tristan? Or was she going to see Chris, Tristan’s best friend from high school? We had met him on South Padre when Tristan invited us all down. He wanted their close friends there for when he asked Ryn to marry him.
Clearing my throat, I stood and gathered up the file. Anger started building as I thought about the night Sierra and Chris had been all over each other on the dance floor at a club. I wasn’t sure if she ended up sleeping with him or not. My best guess was she had. No matter how hard I tried to be nice to Sierra, she always came back with smart-ass responses. I knew it was her way to guard her heart, but the fact that she had been with Chris boiled my blood.
Starting to the door, I said, “It’s probably best to keep your relationship with Chris on the down low, Sierra. Robert might try and use it against you.”
br /> Sierra stopped dead in her tracks and looked at me. “What?”
Opening the door, I said, “I’ll be in touch after I look through your file. Do you need me to show you out?”
Sierra’s mouth dropped open as she stood there. I thought I saw hurt move across her face before she looked away and walked past me. “No, I know my way out, thank you.”
Watching her walk down the hallway, I couldn’t help but notice how nice her ass moved as she walked.
Jesus, I need to stay focused.
“So, Aaron, what did you think of the lovely Mrs. Jackson?” my father asked from behind me.
Glancing over my shoulder at him, I smiled. “I think she has an asshole husband who will stop at nothing to get his hands on the trust fund she inherited and make her life miserable. He seems to be a bit pissed his wife actually had the nerve to leave him.”
Walking up, my father stood next to me as Sierra turned the corner and headed out of the office. “Did you talk her into pressing charges against the husband for the night he decided to use her as a punching bag?”
Shaking my head, I whispered, “Not yet. But I intend on getting to the bottom of why she hasn’t pressed charges.”
Slapping me on the back, my father said, “That’s what I wanted to hear. Get to it, son.”
My father walked away, leaving me alone in my thoughts. Making a vow to myself right there that I would push away any feelings I might have toward Sierra so I could concentrate on this case. I’d work her divorce case with everything I had and the last thing I needed was Sierra as a distraction. Besides, it was clear she was in a relationship with Chris. She was going to south Texas to be with him for fuck’s sake.
Blowing out a sharp breath, I headed back to my office. Walking past the break room, I glanced in and saw Karen making a cup of coffee. Walking in, I shut the door and made my way over to her.
When she turned around, she bit down on her lower lip and smiled. I’d yet to make a move on her and now was the perfect time. Anything to get my mind off of the sweet little piece of ass that just walked away from me. The moment I met Sierra, a spark flew between us but we continued to push each other away.
Pushing my hands through Karen’s long brown hair, I grabbed it and pulled her head back. Letting out a moan, Karen hissed, “Yes.”
Brushing my lips against her lips, I whispered, “Meet me downstairs at six.”
Running my tongue along her lower lip, I bit down on it and sucked it into my mouth as Karen moaned. Letting go of her hair, I turned and headed out of the break room and to my office. Smiling, I could taste the mint from Karen’s gum. Yes, she would serve as a very nice distraction indeed.
STANDING IN FRONT OF THE tall office building, I dragged in deep breath after deep breath. Glancing down to my hands, I attempted to stop them from shaking.
Shit! The last thing I wanted was for Dodge to see how he affected me.
The valet pulled up and parked my Audio Q7 right in front of me as I stared off in the distance.
Dodge thinks I’m with Chris. Holy shit. Dodge thinks I’m dating Chris. Closing my eyes, I tried to figure out what that look on his face was when I mentioned heading to South Texas. For a moment he seemed jealous.
Nah . . . you’re dreaming, Sierra. No way Dodge is interested in you. Is he? Shit!
“Um . . . ma’am? Excuse me, ma’am?”
Snapping out of my thoughts, I turned to the young valet and handed him a twenty. “Thank you,” I mumbled.
Smiling, he nodded his head and said, “Thank you!”
Getting into my car, I closed my eyes and was taken back in time to the moment I first realized I was falling for Dodge Walker.
“Hey, Ryn, Sierra, how are you both doing?”
My heart began pounding the moment I looked up and saw Dodge standing in the Starbucks Ryn and I both practically lived in. Moving my eyes over his body, I slowly licked my lips. Damn he is good looking.
“Oh, hey there, Dodge. Have you always come to this Starbucks?” I asked as Dodge smiled at me and caused my stomach to drop.
Nodding his head, Dodge said, “Yes ma’am.”
Good lord, help me for this man was sex on two legs.
Leaning back in my chair, I raised my eyebrows and said, “Huh. I can’t believe I’ve never seen you here before.”
Dodge’s eyes lit up for a brief moment as he said, “Yeah, same here.”
Dodge glanced between Ryn and me before saying, “It’s good seeing you both. I’ve got a meeting I need to get to, see y’all later.”
Watching him walk away, I took everything in. Holy hell I’d love to wrap my legs around that man and have him take me to heaven and back. Reaching up, I wiped the corner of my lips. Wait. Was I drooling?
Glancing back to Ryn, she smiled and shook her head. “Oh my gosh, you have the hots for Dodge?”
Pulling my head back, I gave her a nervous laugh. “What?”
Pointing to me, Ryn laughed. “You practically undressed him as he walked out the door.”
Brushing Ryn off with my hand, I rolled my eyes and looked away as I attempted to control my beating heart. The last thing I needed was another man who loved to screw the women in my life.
Letting out a sigh, I dropped my head back against my headrest. Ugh. I hate men. I searched for Ryn’s number and hit dial as I pulled out onto Congress Avenue.
“Hey! How did you meeting with the lawyer go? Did you chew their asses out and tell them you wanted a new lawyer on the case?”
Swallowing hard, I chuckled. What are the fucking odds Dodge damn Walker would be my new lawyer? God hates me.
“I think it went well. The new lawyer seems to think we have a good chance. I’m worried he may let his dislike of me affect the case, though.”
Silence. “Huh? What do you mean? How do you know he doesn’t like you?”
Laughing, I said, “He’s told me a time or two.”
“Okay, Sierra, what in the hell are you talking about? What did you do to the poor guy?”
“Dodge, Ryn. Dodge is my new lawyer. Dodge for Christ’s sake!”
“Umm . . . Dodge?”
Rolling my eyes, I let out a frustrated moan. “Yes! Dodge. Well, wait, he goes by Aaron now.”
“Wow. I’m at a loss for words right now.”
Letting out a sarcastic chuckle, I said, “You? Imagine my surprise. I’m so fucked.”
“Oh, Sierra honey, Dodge will be an amazing lawyer for you. Y’all just have to put your personal feelings aside and focus on bringing your ex down.”
Gripping the steering wheel to settle my rattled nerves, I headed home to my small little house in Hyde Park. I loved that house. The moment I found out Robert was cheating, I moved out of our house and bought a three-bedroom, cottage-style house in my favorite neighborhood of Austin. Now the fucker was saying I used part of his money to buy it.
I hate him.
“Sierra? Are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah, sorry, Ryn. Hey, did you mention anything to Dodge about Chris and me?”
“What do you mean? Is there a you and Chris? Why didn’t I know about this! I mean, I know y’all got touchy feely there for a bit, but when did it become you and Chris? Oh. My. God. How could you not tell me?”
Sighing, I shook my head. Clearly Ryn hadn’t said anything. “There is no me and Chris. Holy hell, settle your ass down. My gosh, Ryn! Can we say freak out?”
“Oh. Okay, well so what do you mean then? What’s going on?”
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I said, “I don’t know. I told him I was heading to south Texas, and he immediately assumed I was heading down to see Chris.”
“Well . . . I mean . . . the last time Dodge saw you and Chris together, y’all were all over each other. You blatantly ignored Dodge and gave Chris all your attention.”
Sucking in a breath, I said, “I did not!”
“Um . . . yeah you did, Sierra.”
Knowing Ryn was right, I didn’t utter a
word. I’d seen the way Dodge had been looking at me on more than one occasion. I wasn’t sure how to react so I focused on Chris. Chewing on my lip, I tried to figure out what to do. “Hey, speaking of coming down there, I think I’m going to have to pass.”
“What? Why? I wanted you to help shop for the house, Sierra. I was so hoping to have some girl time.”
Sighing, I pulled down the oak-lined street that led to my perfect little hideaway. “I know, but I think it’s best if I stay in town. I mean, Dodge is talking about bringing in an old friend who Robert is accusing me of having an affair with. Now is not the time to be leaving town.”
Hearing Ryn moan, my heart broke just a little. With Dodge being the new lawyer on my case, and the chance of me getting to see him more often now, I couldn’t think of a better reason to stay in Austin.
Oh Jesus. I’m pathetic.
“Fine, I understand. Maybe I can talk Lark and Azurdee into coming down.”
Smiling, I pulled into my driveway. I already was feeling better as I looked at the new geraniums I had planted along the sidewalk, in full bloom. “I bet she would love to get away and have a couple days relaxing and shopping with you.”
“Yeah, maybe. Hey, I’ve got to run, a client is calling. Talk to you soon, Sierra.”
“Okay. Tell Tristan hi and I’ll chat with ya soon.”
Stepping out of the car, I inhaled a deep breath. Even though I was in the middle of Austin, it still felt like I was far away from everything and everyone. Walking up to the door, I smiled as I thought about the nice hot bath I was fixin’ to soak in.
Finally getting my heart to calm down after my meeting with Dodge, I headed to the master bedroom after tossing my purse and keys on the coffee table.
“What I need is a nice long hot bath and to push Dodge, or Aaron, or whoever he is now, far from my mind.”
After pouring lavender into the hot running water, I headed back into the bedroom as I stripped out of my clothes. Grabbing my iPod, I walked back into the bathroom. Slowly slipping into the hot water, I slid down and sighed. My body instantly relaxed as I put my ear buds in and set my iPod down on the old stool I kept next to the tub.