Hot Secrets (6 page)

Before she could change her
mind, he wrapped his arms around her waist. “You have no reason to
be embarrassed with me. I loved last night.”

“But we didn’t”

“I
loved
last night,” he repeated. “And since its the
weekend, I would love it if you would spend the day with me.”

Her eyes went wide. “You want to
spend the day with me?”

He nodded as he laced his
fingers behind her neck and pulled her lips to his in a quick but
hungry kiss. “What do you say?”

She hesitated. “This isn’t
exactly how I had this planned.”

“Thought you could use me for a
night of hot sex and be done with me, huh?”

Her cheeks flushed. “No,” she
said. “I mean yes. I mean…” She groaned.

He laughed. “Spend the day with
me, Lauren.”

“Royce.” Her voice hinted at
uneasiness. “I’m… ” She let her voice trail off, then gave a
delicate little laugh. “See what you do to me? It’s not normal for
me to not finish sentences. You’re very”

“Unexpected,” he filled in,
using her words from the night before.

Her features softened. “Yes. You
are very unexpected and I just really don’t know how to react to
you.”

“Honestly
.
” he said. “Just say, and do, whatever
feels right.”

She considered him a moment,
then shook her head. “This is crazy, Royce. I’m
so
not your type.”

He wasn’t sure he wanted to know
the answer but he asked anyway, “And what exactly is my type?”

“Julie,” she said. “Blonde and
gorgeous and curvy and”

He kissed her, his tongue
sliding into her mouth, tasting her slowly, with delicate
sensuality. “
You
are my type.
You,
Lauren.” His knuckles caressed her cheek. “Spend
the day with me.”

“You want to
?
”

“Very much.”

She leaned back and searched his
face, then glanced at the clock above the bar. “Even if I agree,
it’s ten-thirty. I promised to join my family for lunch at
twelve-thirty.”

“Then have dinner with me.” She
hesitated, and he added, “Trying to cut and run on me?”

Her gaze latched onto his,
narrowed, “What time for dinner?”

He smiled with his success.
“Seven.”

“Seven-thirty,” she countered,
and somehow he knew it was because he’d press her into challenge
mode, into courtroom battle mode, with his ‘cut and run’ comment.
And he liked the contrast of sweet and spicy that was this
womanliked it so muchtoo much.

He shook his head and laughed.
“Seven-thirty,” he agreed, setting her on her feet before he
carried her to her bedroom and forgot dinner altogether. “I’ll drop
you by your parents’ house and save you the cab money if you
like
.
”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to,” he said. And he
wanted to do so much more with her as well, which was why he set
her on her feet, away from him, firmly maintaining his seat. “You
should go shower and get ready. I’ll be here waiting when you’re
ready.”

She blinked down at him and he
saw the immediate indignation on her face. When her arms crossed in
front of her, he knew he was in big trouble. “You have a very bossy
way about you, Royce Walkeryou do know that, right?”

“So I’ve been told on a few
random occasions,” he admitted, trying not to laugh because, damn,
this woman was going to put him in his place ten times over. And
considering the rush of heat flooding his body, thickening his
cock, and setting his imagination into overdrive, he was pretty
sure he was going to like every second of it. “I promise to try and
tame that part of my personality, but in this case, I’ll plead my
case, counselor. I had your best interest
s
in mind.”

“Really?” she asked, arching a
brow, and pressed her hands to her hips, opening her body language
and letting him know he was winning her over. “How exactly is
that?”

He forced himself to stay seated
and not reach for her, but it wasn’t easy, not at all. That
imagination of his was kicking into high gear, and his zipper was
stretching right along with it. “Because you seeevery second that
you stand there looking good enough to eat, I contemplate the many
reasons why I should join you for that shower. In which case, I can
assure you that you won’t make that lunch.”

Her eyes went wide, her mouth
forming a silent “O” before she quickly turned and rushed towards
the bedroom, her cute, heart-shaped butt demanding his attention
with every step she took.

***

Lauren couldn’t believe Royce
Walker was sitting in her living room watching Sports Center, with
her panties somewhere in the general area of his feet, she
imagined. But he was, and they were, and well, at least she could
face that fact feeling somewhat put together. She’d showered and
dressed in black pinstriped pants, a black sweater, and sleek
high-heeled boots, which beat the dress from the night before to
face her embarrassment, by a long shot.

Royce rose from the couch and
quickly hit the remote, the dark stubble on his jaw somehow adding
to his raw masculinity, if that was even possible. His gaze skimmed
over her, taking her in with hot, hungry eyes that had her feeling
pretty hot herself. “You look terrific.”

“Thank you,” she said, unable to
stop the heat to her cheeks she normally wouldn’t have experienced.
It wasn’t like men weren’t everywhere in her world, using
compliments and sometimes insults, to try and persuade her to help
whatever their cause might be. But Royce was different, he was…
just different.

They were just stepping into her
hallway, about to depart, when her phone rang on her kitchen wall.
She frowned, knowing this wasn’t going to be a call she wanted. No
one had her home number. She didn’t even know why she bothered with
a house phone when her cell was what she lived by. Except her
father, who resisted technology, and still favored land lines.
Hoping it was him calling to cancel lunch, she rushed inside the
door. By the third ring, she brought the receiver to her ear, only
to be greeted by the sound of a clock ticking. Her stomach lurched
at the familiar sound, the one she’d hoped to avoid when she took
the call.

Feeling Royce’s comforting hands
settle on her shoulders, she blew her hair out of her eyes and
replaced the receiver on the cradle.

“Problem?” he asked, stepping so
close that his body framed hers, his nearness, his touch, sending a
shiver of awareness racing down her spine.

She turned to face him, the
warmth of his body radiating into hers. “No, not really. I’ve just
been getting these weird calls. Probably kids being silly. Or
someone angry over one of my cases. It comes with the job.”

Royce leaned a broad shoulder on
the wall beside her. “What do you mean weird?”

“It sounds like a clock is
ticking, and then the line goes dead.”

“Huh,” he said. “And how long
exactly have you been getting these calls?”

“Maybe two weeks, and really,
they don’t bother me. Well,” she hesitated, “maybe a little. I’ve
been… ”

“Been what?”

“I don’t know,” she said as she
gnawed her bottom lip. “Nothing.”

He studied her a moment, and she
worried he was going to press her, kicking herself for saying
anything, but all he asked was, “Is your number listed?”

She shook her head. “No. And
it’s a house phone. Who even calls on a house phone anymore? I
don’t even know why I have one. Maybe the calls aren’t even for me.
Really, they can’t even be about one of my cases. No one could get
the number to start with.”

“So this is the only line you’ve
gotten them on?”

“So far.”

“So far?” he asked. “What aren’t
you telling me?”

She pursed her lips, kicking
herself yet again for the verbal misstep. What was she supposed to
say anyway? That the phone calls would seem silly if she didn’t
have this weird sense of things going on around her that she didn’t
know about yet? Or that she felt uneasy watched? That would make
her sound like some wimpy, crazy female, and she wasn’t that, nor
did she want to be treated like one. Her job, her life, had taught
her to stay guarded, taught her not to show weakness, and yet, she
was failing miserably at just those things with Royce.

She pushed off the wall. “We
should go.” He didn’t move. “Change your number on Monday, and
don’t forget to call maintenance about that window.”

“Okay now, Royce Walker. First
you ordered me to shower”

Amusement danced in his eyes.
“For your protection, if you remember correctly.”

Her stomach fluttered, heat
pooling low in her stomach, at the memory of him suggesting he
might join her. “And now you order me to change my number.”

Seriousness bled into his
handsome face. “Also for your protection.” He straightened,
towering over her, the fingers of one of his hands slipping between
hers. “Please. Change the number and call maintenance.”

Please. He’d said please. And
when he said it with sincerity radiating from those gorgeous blue
eyes, he was irresistible. Again, he’d shown her the unexpected.
She didn’t think this man had ‘please’ in him. She liked that he
didthat he’d said it for her. A slow smile slid onto her lips.
”Since you put it that way.”

But in the back of her mind, she
knew she’d agreed for more reasons than simply Royce’s request.
Something deep and dark was bothering her. She
wanted
to change her number, she wanted to call
maintenance. And a big, macho male, who happened to rock her world
and make her feel safe, wasn’t such a bad addition to her day, or
to her plans for dinner.

Chapter Five

A few minutes later, Lauren
settled into Royce’s truck and watched him pull into traffic.
“We’re going to drive right by my home office,” he said. “So if you
don’t mind, I’d like to swing by and grab something.” He glanced at
the clock on the dash. “And if you think I have time, I’d like to
snag a quick shower.”

“In your office?”

“My office is in the same
building as my apartment.”

“Wow. I’m jealous your office is
in your home. I’d never be able to do that with my job.”

“When my brothers and I decided
to open Walker Security, we bought a small building. We live on the
upper level and work on the bottom floor.”

“Really? You live with your
brothers?”

“A little too close for comfort
sometimes,” he said with a laugh. “But thankfully, each apartment
has its own door.”

Lauren studied his profile,
watching him maneuver through traffic with the kind of finesse he
seemed to have
with
everything he did. “Oh,” she said. “That’s a unique living
arrangement.”

He shot her a quick grin. “Yeah,
well, you’ll see firsthand soon enough.”

She grinned back at him. “I’m
looking forward to it. Families always have great little tidbits to
share about each other.”

He laughed. “Yes, well, I see
we’ll need to make this a quick trip. The last thing I need is my
tidbits getting out before I’m ready.”

Before he was readyas if he
thought he might be ready someday, as if they were developing a
relationship.

“So,” he said. “I guess I should
come clean and tell you that after reading the morning paper, I now
know that I’m a close friend of the opposing counsel on your
upcoming case. And that I apparently look angry in all photos taken
of me.”

She cringed. “I didn’t even look
at the paper. I’m so used to that stuff I tune it out. I’m
sorry.”

“I wasn’t fishing for an
apology. I just wanted you to know I am friends with Mark. But we
don’t discuss his cases and we actually haven’t talked at all in a
few weeks.”

“Thank you for telling me that,”
she said, meaning it. She liked that Royce didn’t have a political
agenda
;
she liked it a
lot. “And since I know Mark pretty well myself, I know he’s
ethical. I know he wouldn’t talk to you about the case.”

“No. No, he wouldn’t. But I read
up on it this morning. Sounds like a pretty sticky case. Let me get
this straight. The defendant killed her husband and you’re after
the death penalty. Mark’s defense is Battered Women’s Syndrome.” He
whistled. “That has to be a tough one for you to handle.”

She hesitated. “I can’t discuss
anything that we aren’t making public and even that has to be on a
limited basis.”

“Fair enough.”

“You’re right,” she said. “It’s
hard. Half of the media is making me out to be the monster here,
mostly because the family of the suspect is doing so much of it
themselves especially the brother. But I don’t go after a death
penalty verdict lightly, Royce. There’s a life insurance policy, a
big one. And this woman didn’t kill her husband in the heat of the
moment. She slowly, methodically poisoned him. There were no calls
to the police, no reports of violence from this woman prior to the
murder. No history of violence anywhere in this man’s life at
all.”

“I read all of that in the
paper,” he said. “And what baffles me is that Mark runs his own
firm and he doesn’t take cases for money or fame. He’s about
justice and right and wrong. He must know something you don’t
know.”

“She’s convinced him she’s
innocent,” Lauren said, her stomach knotting. “I don’t doubt that.
But I don’t doubt the woman’s guilt either. And damn it, someone
has to fight for the man she killed, because he can’t do it
himself.” She waved her hand dismissively, unease tightening her
stomach. “Enough about my work. I’d rather talk about you. Tell me
about your brothers before I’m in the center of the Walker pack. I
know a little about Luke since, I’m sure you know, he and Julie
dated, or had a fling, or whatever it was. I never quite figured it
out.”

He snapped his fingers. “Just
like that, we’re changing subjects?”