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Author: Whendhie
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

Vanessa woke up the next morning feeling numb. She knew that it would be hard enough to simply make it through the day. She had in-laws to deal with and a funeral to finalize. The media would need a statement, as well.

She got a cup of coffee and sat down at the table, intent on losing herself in scrolling through her phone. 

When Steven and Lois Wesley strolled in a few minutes later, already dressed and looking ready to go, that was exactly what she was doing. With everyone gathered in the kitchen drinking coffee, she knew she should offer to make something for them to eat, but she couldn’t bring herself to do that.

Eyeing her, Anita must have understood. “I’m going to make a doughnut run,” she announced. “I’ll be right back.”

“Get some sausage rolls too,” Steven told her.

Anita nodded as she went out the door. Fifteen minutes later, she returned with a large box of doughnuts. Everyone grabbed one or two and fell to eating them as if they hadn’t eaten for days. Vanessa stayed back and watched, unable to stomach so much sugar right now. The doorbell rang at 9:00 a.m. sharp. Everyone fell silent.

“I’ll get it,” Vanessa said, sidling away. 

Anita detached herself from where she’d been leaning against the counter and went after her. “Wait.” she grabbed her arm. “What if it’s the media?”

“Then I’ll tell them no comment. I haven’t had time to work on a statement to give them.”

“Let me handle it,” she urged.

“Not this time.” Pulling herself free, she marched over to the front door.

When she opened it, Christopher's assistant and campaign manager, Chloe Davis, let out a loud cry and fell into Vanessa's arms.

“I can’t believe he’s gone,” she wailed. Her red-rimmed eyes and disheveled platinum hair testified to her sorrow. “Oh, Vanessa, honey. I just don’t understand how anyone could do something like this.”

Leading her inside, Vanessa closed the door. “Christopher's parents are here,” she said quietly, taking both the younger woman’s hands and willing strength into her. “They’re already understandably upset, so please don’t make things worse.”

Her message appeared to get through. Chloe straightened, pulling a tissue from her designer handbag and blotting at her eyes. “Right, right. I’m sorry.” She peered at Vanessa. “How are you holding up?”

“I made most of the funeral arrangements yesterday,” Vanessa replied, circumventing a direct answer. “And last night someone shot out one of my back windows. The police were here at three in the morning. It’s been rough.”

Chloe's eyes went wide, her false eyelashes giving her an owlish look. “Do you think it might have been Christopher's murderer? That’s pretty terrifying.”

“You don’t know the half of it.” Vanessa tilted her head, considering the younger woman. “What can I do for you, Chloe?”

“Do for me?” Echoing Vanessa's words, Chloe’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “I came here to see what I might do for you. I know you said you’d already made most of the funeral arrangements, but if you need my help coordinating anything, I’m here for you.”

“Thank you.” Thinking back to all the decisions Jeremy Blackenstock had said she’d need to make, Vanessa nodded. “I’m probably going to take you up on that.”

“Sounds perfect.” Sniffing, Chloe wiped at her still-streaming eyes. When she caught sight of Anita, she looked her up and down slowly. “Well, hello there.” she said. 

With a bored expression, Anita nodded. “Hello.”

“This is Anita,” Vanessa said. “Anita , this is Chloe, Christopher's assistant and campaign manager.”

She dipped his chin in acknowledgment. Chloe turned back to Vanessa. “Vanessa, honey? Do you mind if I say hello to Steven and Lois? It’s been a little bit since I’ve seen them, though I talk to them several times a week.”

She did? Keeping that thought to herself, Vanessa gestured at Chloe to follow her as she led the way to the kitchen. Chloe patted down her hair, smoothed her pencil skirt and pasted a sympathetic smile on her face.

The instant Lois caught sight of her son’s assistant, she leaped to her feet and held out her arms. “Chloe.”

Hugging, the two women wept, exchanging mostly incoherent phrases about their mutual loss. Vanessa looked on, a bit shocked. She’d had no idea Chloe and Christopher's mom had been so close. Judging from Anita's expression, she felt the same way.

Even Steven's gaze lit up when he spied Chloe, though he waited patiently for Lois to finish hugging her before he held out his arms. Chloe embraced him too. They clung to each other and Steven cried for the first time since arriving, wiping his streaming eyes almost angrily.

Heaven help her. Vanessa tried to ignore the twinge of jealous discomfort, but she was only human. Chloe had worked for Christopher long before he’d met Vanessa, and of course she’d gotten to know his parents. Clearly, they’d become close. Which might be exactly what they needed, even if it seemed odd that they were closer to Christopher's assistant than his wife. She couldn’t begrudge them whatever comfort they could get, no matter where they found it.

But Lois's next question made any sympathy Vanessa might have felt vanish.

“Chloe, do you know where Christopher kept his will? I’d like to take a look at it.”

Even Chloe appeared taken aback by the question. “I’m just now starting to go through his papers,” she replied. “Once I find the will, I’ll be contacting the executor to meet with the attorney and get the probate process started.”

Lois nodded, but she wasn’t finished. “But you’ll let me see it first, right?”

“I’m sorry.” Chloe seemed to choose her words carefully. “But I have strict instructions and I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

Though Lois grimaced in disappointment, she didn’t challenge the statement. “Can you at least tell me who is the executor?” she asked.

 “I’m not sure.” A hint of firmness had crept into Chloe’s voice now. “I haven’t actually seen the will yet. I know he revised it after his marriage.” She nodded toward Vanessa . “I’m not privy to the details beyond that.”

Neither Steven nor Lois bothered to hide their obvious disappointment. Vanessa wondered if they somehow honestly thought Christopher had left her out of his will.. 

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    Since she and Christopher hadn’t gotten around to drawing up a prenup, the law was clear on the rights of inheritance. A will could only confirm that and perhaps designate heirship of smaller, sentimental items. Was there something specific Lois wanted? If so, all she needed to do was ask. Pushing down the bewildered hurt, Vanessa reminded herself she’d never truly understood Christopher's parents. Christopher had often commented that they cared more about their church family than their real one.After getting Chloe a cup of coffee and a doughnut, Vanessa asked her if she’d mind coming with her to the study. “I hope y’all will excuse us for a few moments,” she said to the rest of the room. “I’ve got some things I’d like to discuss with Chloe.”“I’d prefer to be there,” Lois announced. Vanessa stared at her. She’d thought Christopher's mother couldn’t shock her any more than she already had. Turned out she’d been wrong.“I’m sorry,” Vanessa told her firmly. “But this is private. I’m

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    She wasn't sure if it was those startling dark eyes of his. Or it could’ve been those incredibly wide shoulders that would make any woman feel petite, or that broad chest and those…“What am I doing?” She smacked her forehead with her palm, pushing those thoughts aside.Going to him for help had nothing to do with envisioning him in boxers or showing off hard, naked abs. And the last thing she needed to be doing right now was mentally molesting the man. It was highly unlikely that he’d be happy to hear from her, but it was his job. Unable to find the number, she scooped up the letter she'd received, placed it back into the package it'd come in and shoved it into her bag. Fuck finding his number, she thought. She'd go straight to the station and find him there. She left her house, in search of a very different type of asshole.—--------Detective Alaric Harper's phone vibrated in the pocket of his jeans for the second time in the last hour. He needed to continue ignoring it. He should

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    While those who were unaware of his upbringing thought he was affected by it due to his…habits and the fact he rarely stayed with one woman, the truth was, he had enough common sense to know that not all relationships were like his parents’. In reality, he had always been the least affected by his bastard of a father and train wreck of a mother. He just hadn’t met the woman he wanted to be with for more than a few hours here and there or involved in any aspect of his life.He really should get the fuck out of here. The lack of interest was one of the reasons why he hadn’t frequented Leather and Lace lately. And this was the only place he’d do this in. He never brought women back to his home. His cell started vibrating again.Fuck.Leaning back in his chair, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell. Curiosity perked when he saw that it was his partner's number. “Paul?”“Thanks for answering the phone in a timely manner,” a deep, gravelly voice said.Alaric's lips tipped up

  • UP IN FLAMES    14

    Vanessa's stare lingered on the woman’s chest, and she suddenly felt like she was rocking a training bra. Christ on a crutch, were those things real? Her gaze finally drifted up to the woman’s face and something about the pretty features was familiar… Holy fuck balls, wasn’t she a district attorney? Oh my.Alaric cleared his throat, drawing her attention back to him. “We need to talk? Right now?” he asked. For a moment, she couldn’t speak. Good God, this man…His dark brown hair was messy, and his broad shoulders seemed bigger now. His cheekbones were well defined and high, setting off a strong jawline and wide, expressive lips. The man was built like a heavyweight boxer.Her gaze traveled down his throat, over the gap in his shirt at his neck, and then down his arms. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, exposing powerful forearms and large hands.“Mrs Spencer?” Amusement colored Alaric's voice.Heat flooded her cheeks. Dear God, was she flustered? She was never flustered. An obno

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    Irritation pricked at her skin, mostly at herself for becoming so frazzled. “I have a problem.”When his brows shot up, she wanted to smack herself in the face with the file folder. Had she lost brain cells somewhere between entering this room and right now? Fuck. “I received a threatening letter… Or note I guess,"Alaric didn’t respond, so she shoved the file folder toward him, which wasn’t very far, since he was in her personal space. He didn’t take it, and her irritation grew into frustration. “It's in here," “Okay.” He drew out the word as his gaze dipped. But not to her hands. To her chest.Vanessa didn’t know what to think or say at that point. She was a logical woman. A minute ago, he had had a woman in here who had two baby butts for boobs and she was barely a B cup. Not to mention there was no way in holy hell he could see her goods. She was wearing a white blouse buttoned straight up to her chin and a suit jacket. Unless he had x-ray vision, he was just being an ass.Strug

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    "This… That was… That is so inappropriate that I don’t even know where to begin.” She reached up, taking off her glasses. For the briefest second, he saw her face for the first time without them before she placed them back on. His eyes narrowed. Just what did she see in Christopher Wesley that made her marry him, he wondered. She stared at him for a good half a minute and then exploded like a bottle rocket. “For fuck’s sake, talking to you is impossible! Fucking forget I even came here, because this was the most pointless trip I’ve ever made in the history of fucking forever! And just so you know, you're the worst Detective I've ever met in my life. It's a wonder how you manage to keep your job since the only thing you're good at is making false accusations, and being a shitty person.”He blinked, surprised by her outburst. And turned on—completely, 100 percent rocking a raging hard-on. There was definitely something wrong with that, but he wasn’t surprised. He liked his women mouthy

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    The whole lower part of the steering wheel had been torn open, wires exposed and dangling like little red and blue snakes.“Oh my God,” she whispered, slowly shaking her head. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Anger poured into her chest, causing her hand to tighten around the keys until the metal dug into flesh. Someone had done this to her car—her property. No way in hell did she believe this was coincidental. It had to be the asshole behind the note, and…Icy fear snapped at the heels of her fury. Her breath came out in a ragged exhale. The person who had done this could still be here, ting and watching. Oh my God. Her heart jumped in her chest painfully. Backing away from her car door, she scanned the darkness ahead of her.She swallowed, but the knot of fear made it difficult. She was out here, alone, and if someone wanted—A heavy hand landed on her shoulder.Shrieking, she spun around, dropping the folder and throwing out her hand that held the key-shank she’d created.“

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    He stepped away and opened his mouth, but then seemed to rethink what he was about to say. He finally checked out her car, frowning when he saw her open door. As he moved forward, she gulped in air and ignored the smidgen of disappointment.“What in the hell?” he said, facing her car fully. Gripping the door, he bent at the waist. “Looks like you lost a windshield.”She rolled her eyes. “No shit.”He cast a look over his shoulders that would’ve sent men running in the opposite direction. Vanessa made a face. “The sarcasm isn’t necessary,” he said before turning back to her car. “Man, they did a number on this baby. Looks like someone was trying to get himself a free ride.”She snorted. “You must be the muscle and not the brains. I guess Paul is the brains in the team then.”Again, he shot her another dark look, which she ignored.“Ten minutes ago I told you that I received a threatening note. Do you really think those two things aren’t connected? Wait. Don’t bother answering, because

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    He laughed, dropping his forehead to hers. “I was thinking you wanted to tell me something else.”She reached up, spreading her palm against his cheek. The words were surprisingly easier to say than she could’ve ever imagined. “I love you.”His eyes fell shut as he sucked in a deep breath. “I’m glad we don’t need to fight again for you to admit that.”“Me, too,” she whispered, stretching up and kissing him softly. “Don’t you have something you want to say?”“Remember my fantasy?” His lashes lifted. “The one I told you about?”Paul cleared his throat behind them, but it went largely ignored.That wasn’t what she was looking for, but she would go with this. “Yes. I remember.”“And look at you. Your hair pulled back, wearing one of those god-awful suits. I think you did that on purpose.”A smile teased her lips. “I might have.”“Hmm,” he murmured as he reached around, gently unwrapping the bun and letting her hair fall down her back. “And why did you do that?”“I thought it might help my

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    Stunned by what he said, all she could do was sit there, and when she didn’t say anything, Alaric cursed under his breath again. “I’ve told you that I don’t mind the chase, and I have no fucking problem chasing after you, but I refuse to run after a ghost. And that’s what you are if you can’t let go of your past with your mom. I won’t chase a ghost.”Then he spun, his long legs quickly eating up the distance between her and the door. And then…then he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him.The moment Alaric left, she knew, without a doubt, that she had made the biggest mistake of her life. It was right there, smacking her face. Everything he had said was right.She was a coward. And the best damn thing to ever happen to her had just walked out the door.……… Her heart was like a hummingbird in her chest by the time she climbed out of her newly returned car and stared up at Alaric's house.A thousand things could go wrong with this. He might not be home. He could be and he could h

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    Pressure clamped down on her chest and she quickly shook her head. She had been doing so well. Now wasn’t the time to break down. She placed her purse on the desk when someone knocked and the door to her office opened. It was her assistant, Ruby. "There's a Mr Harper here to see you, Mrs Spencer. Should I send him in?" Vanessa's heart skipped a beat, and she almost ran out the door to see him, but she stopped herself. What use would it be? She'd already left. There was no going back now, so she shook her head, "No," she replied, "Please tell him I'm not available," Ruby left, and Vanessa stood, staring at the door. She knew Alaric well enough to know that if he insisted on coming into her office, no one would be able to stop him. Fifteen minutes later, no one came in and she knew that he'd gone. She should be relieved, but she felt more miserable than ever. —-----Everything should be okay.Her apartment had been virtually restored. The rental insurance had kicked in and the new

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    “Vanessa,” he breathed, voice ragged. "Vanessa, please…. Please don't…" He stopped talking and she dropped her head to his warm shoulder, squeezing her eyes against the rush of hot tears. Her arms trembled, but it seemed to have very little to do with what they’d just done, and more with the fact that after today, it would be the last time. It had to be before it was too late.But an evil little voice whispered that it was already too late. —------Vanessa was running.Alaric was a lot of things, but he wasn’t fucking stupid. And he’d meant what he’d said. Kind of. He’d let her have the facade of running, because she wasn’t going to get far. He knew that the woman felt the same way he did. She may not be able to say the words, but it was everything else she did. Right now, she was like a cornered animal. There were only two options for her: fight it out or run.She was going to run.He’d kept her busy the rest of the day Sunday, not giving her much time to put whatever cockamamie pla

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    Looking over her shoulder at him, she drew in a shallow breath. “It is.”Alaric stared at her for what felt like forever and then he had his pants off in record time. His arousal jutted out proudly, hard and thick, and molten lava filled in her belly. He stepped into the shower, closing the door behind him. His hands landed on her hips and when he spoke, his voice whispered in her ear. “I know what you’re thinking.”Vanessa shuddered. “You do?”“Yes.” He kissed her shoulder, causing her heart to squeeze at the tender action. “You’re going to run.”She stiffened, her arms clamped close to her chest. “I don’t…don’t know what you’re talking about.”“You’re a shitty liar.” He turned her around and reached between them, wrapping his hands around her wrists. He backed her up until she was flush with the cold tile. “You have that look in your eyes. Never really seen it before—the whole deer-in-the-headlights look. But you have it. You’re going to run.”“You need to get your eyes checked, the

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    “That's bullshit and you know it.” Paul said, "Fuck you," Alaric replied, but there was no real heat in his words. "Look, I had to take a break, okay? After everything that happened, I felt like I needed some time for myself. Besides Bobby was fine with it," Paul didn't look convinced, "Does this have anything to do with a certain Mrs Spencer?" When Alaric didn't reply, Paul added, "Damn man, Did you let her go?" Vanessa felt like an interloper. Well, duh, she was, and she really needed to get her ass out of there. Paul looked like he was about to say something else when what sounded like a chair in the dining room deciding to mate with the table drew their attention. They turned at the same time.Vanessa stood a few feet back from the table, her face as red as a fire truck and her eyes wide. Alaric's gaze dropped, and he swallowed a groan. Damn if he didn’t love seeing her in his clothes. However, he did not like the idea of Paul seeing her practically naked. And he really wasn’t

  • UP IN FLAMES    74

    Oh fuck, he needed to be in her again. “I like it, too.” Placing the tips of his fingers under her chin, he lifted her gaze to his. “And I love it when you lose control.”Her mouth opened, as if she was about to deny that, but he kissed her before she could deny what was so obvious. He wanted her upstairs and in his bed, but they got sidetracked on the stairs, and he ended up between her thighs, his arm along her back, taking the burn of the rocking motions. Later, much later, they made it to his bedroom. Both of them were exhausted, and he felt like he’d run a marathon. He lazily trailed a hand up and down her spine. Each time he reached the slight curve of her lower back, his fingers brushed the swell of her ass and she’d shiver. Of course, he kept doing it.She nuzzled her cheek against his chest, letting out a content sigh. “What you did downstairs, on the table people eat at, wasn’t very appropriate.”Alaric chuckled deeply. “What is it about you and appropriateness?”Her lips cu

  • UP IN FLAMES    73

    Cupping her breasts, he rolled her nipples between his fingers as he dipped his head, pressing a kiss to the small puckered skin on her shoulder. “You like that?”“Yes,” she said, voice husky. “It feels so good.”“Hmm…” He kissed her shoulder once more and then placed another kiss over her wildly beating pulse. “I like you like this.”“What?” She arched her back, thrusting her breasts into his hand.He plucked her nipples, grinning when she gasped. “Standing naked in front of my sink.”A soft laugh lit up the kitchen. “Are your blinds closed?”“Of course.” He moved his hips against her rear, groaning in her ear. “If I saw you like this every fucking day, my life would be perfect.”“Every day?” Muscles tensed against him, and he cursed under his breath.Not wanting to give her time to dwell and obsess over that comment, he curved his hand around her throat, guiding her head back, and kissed her. As he licked his way into her mouth, he pulled out the tie.“Close your eyes.”She pulled b

  • UP IN FLAMES    72

    He stared at her, and Vanessa averted her eyes. She couldn't look at him. He looked so hurt and she almost flung herself at him, but they didn't belong together and there was no point letting things go on longer than it should. They'd just be postponing the inevitable. "You don't have to stay in a hotel, Vanessa. You can stay with me…. And…. And then maybe we can get the chance to say goodbye to each other… Properly. Not standing here like strangers. We don't have to end it this way," That made sense, Vanessa told herself, or maybe it did because she wanted it to. She turned to look at his handsome face, "Alright," she said, "Let's go," —-----------It didn’t matter how many times Alaric tasted her or slid deep inside her, it was never enough. He was addicted to her—to the way she moved against him, how her mouth brought him pleasure and then riled him up seconds later when she mouthed off, or the way she cried out his name as she came. He couldn’t keep his hands off her, not whe

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