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 sure you and Steven can enjoy the rest of your breakfast while I take care of this."
With that, she swept from the room, Chloe trailing behind her.
—---------
In the study, As Vanessa outlined tasks to the other woman, Chloe pulled out an iPad and took notes.
“Chloe, I’m going to need your help getting everything set up with the funeral home. I already did some of the initial work, but there are still a lot of decisions that need to be made.”
“I’m ready to help in any way I can,” Chloe said, nodding.
Once Vanessa had outlined everything she needed, Chloe shut down her iPad and stowed it in her purse. “Thank you for such detailed instructions,” she said, smiling. “That makes it a lot easier. I’ll get right on this. In fact, I’ll stop by the funeral home after I leave here.”
“Perfect.” Vanessa stood, smiling. “Oh, and one more favor. Please don’t mention any of this to Lois or Steven.
I’d prefer just to let them know everything once all the arrangements have been finalized.”
Though Chloe eyed her curiously, she nodded. “Consider it done.”
Though she felt like a cynic, Vanessa couldn’t help but think she’d realized who’d be signing her paychecks from now on. It certainly wouldn’t be Christopher's parents.
“I’ll touch base with you later today,” Chloe promised, striding confidently toward the exit. “Let me tell the Wesleys goodbye.”
Once she’d gone, Vanessa let out a huge sigh and began massaging both her temples. “This is a nightmare.” She mumbled to herself. Finally, she pushed herself up from behind the desk. Her head was starting to ache so she decided to try and bypass the Wesleys for a while. She headed out to the living room, where Lois and Steven were seated waiting for her. They informed her that would be leaving to stay with a close friend of theirs who lived in the city.
Although Vanessa knew that it would make more sense for them to stay with her, she knew that it was best so they'd avoid getting on each other's nerves as they didn't really get along.
"That's alright," Vanessa told them. "Just let me know if you need anything and I'll keep in touch too,"
After they left, Anita followed an hour later as she had some work to attend to while Vanessa took the opportunity to get some sleep. She woke up later that evening and decided to go for a small walk. When she opened her front door, there was a tiny package waiting for her.
That was weird, she thought. She'd not ordered anything and wasn't expecting anything either. At first she was afraid to pick it up, but after giving it a kick with her foot and realizing that it was very light, she picked it up. Besides, if it really was a bomb as she feared, it'd have exploded already. She took it inside and sat in the living room to open it up.
Smoothing the stray hairs at her temples, she cursed. Her hands were shaking as she opened it to find a letter… Well not really a letter because it just had one sentence. “Obviously someone is a dumbass,” she muttered, willing her hand to stop trembling.
'I’ll be seeing you soon' it said.
Her breath caught and pressure seized her chest. It didn’t matter how many times she’d read the line. Each time her eyes crawled across those five words, she felt the burn in her throat, the building in the back of her mouth. She wanted to scream, and she never screamed.
Placing the letter beside the flower vase on the table, she then stood on weak legs. Her fingers icy and numb, she walked across the living room to the window. Could he be out there right this second, watching her?
No.
She stopped herself from backing away from the window, from caving into fear, and squeezed her eyes shut. No way could she allow herself to think that. She had done nothing wrong to anyone and she wouldn’t let this…this fucker do this to her. Only she had control of her life and her choices.
“Focus,” she said, rubbing tiny circles along her temples.
She twisted away from the window and opened her eyes. The room was minimalistic in design, muted colors of black and gray. Her shoes clicked off the hardwood floor as she went back to the table. She dropped her hands to her hips, her eyes narrowing behind her glasses. She had to fix this, gain control of the situation. It was the only option. But doing so required that she take the threats seriously.
First it was the shooting and now threats. Trying to ignore this was like ignoring an ache that wouldn’t go away. No good shit comes from that.
She needed to figure out who was behind this letter, and that wasn’t going to be easy. She needed protection. And she knew who to go to.
Detective Alaric Harper.
He'd given her his number and told her to call if she needed him. Well, now she did need him. The man had such terrible people skills, but she didn't have anyone else to go to. He was also very handsome, she thought as she searched her room, trying to remember where she'd kept his number.
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
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
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
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
"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
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.“
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
There didn’t appear to be any security cameras at the garage entrance or inside, at least none that was obvious and would deter potential perpetrators. The lighting sucked in the garage, making it easy for anyone to be hiding. He didn’t like any of it.As he parked the truck and killed the engine, he looked over at her. “Are you doing okay?” The question made him strangely uncomfortable because he shouldn't care. She finally met his gaze and nodded curtly. “I’m fine.”That was debatable.Clearing her throat, she reached for the door handle. “Thank you for taking me home.” She said, “I came all this way, so I’m going to check out your apartment.”She was out of his truck with surprising quickness, slamming the door. He cursed under his breath and climbed out, finding her standing near his side, hand extended.“I’m going to need the note, please.” Her voice was clipped, professional, and cool.His eyes narrowed. Instead of handing it over, he walked around her and headed toward the en
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
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
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
“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
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
“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
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
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
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