All Chapters of Fight Dirty: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

CharlieThe door to the conference room opens behind me. I whirl around, blinking back my emotions. I’ve been out here waiting to come in and be briefed on the case. Jack Richards, our client, is old and sexist and “didn’t trust a woman” to do his legal work. Being old and sexist is exactly why he’s a regular client.“I need to go,” I tell Owen. Closing my fingers around the key, I walk forward trying to block Owen from my dad’s point of view.“Owen Dawson,” Dad says, and I know I’m too late. “I haven’t seen you in years. How have you been?”Gritting my teeth, I step into the conference room and let go of everything else around me so I can focus on the client and case at hand. In New York, I specialized in real estate law. Here, I’ll be more of a Jack-of-all-trades when it comes to counseling clients, and right now I want to tell Jack Richards he’s a big bag of dicks and deserves to be sued for firing a flat-chested cashier from his store after telling her she should consider getting

CharlieI braid my hair as I walk down the stairs. I couldn’t fall back asleep after going to bed last night and finally drifted off about an hour before my alarm went off. I hit snooze twice and then just shut off my alarm, waking fifteen minutes later in a panic. Luckily, I washed my hair last night. It’s long and thick and takes forever to dry.I secure a hair tie around the end of my braid and throw my blonde locks back over my shoulder. The house is quiet, and Owen was true to his word last night: he did leave his bedroom door open. I looked in when I walked down the hall, seeing him in all his glory sprawled out on his stomach on his mattress.He sleeps naked, like he always has, and the sheets were barely covering up his ass. The sight of his naked body sent a jolt through me, awakening every single nerve in me. Physically, there’s no denying that Owen is a gorgeous man. He’s tall and fit, with deep brown eyes, full lips, and a strong jaw that’s always covered in the perfect am

Owen“You know how you asked me if I missed the city?” Charlie rests her head against the seat and looks out the car window, watching farmland pass us by.“Yeah?”“I miss one thing right now. Guess what it is.”“Easily accessible strip clubs?”She lets out a snort of laughter. “Oh, totally.” She’s drunk, and it’s fucking adorable. “Takeout.”“Takeout strippers?”“No,” she laughs and hits my arm. “Takeout food. I could really go for some fried rice right about now.”“How are you possibly hungry?” I ask, chuckling. “You had two pieces of cake.”“Are you judging me?” She straightens up and tries to look like she’s mad, or more like she thinks she should be mad.“Not at all. I never judge you, Charlie.”Her expression softens. “I know. You never have. Thank you.”She turns back to look out the window and I take my eyes off the road for a second to admire her beauty. Her hair is down, blowing in the wind from the open window.“You don’t happen to serve orange chicken and fried rice at Geta

Charlie“You’re in a good mood today.” Amy opens the box of donuts I brought into the office.“I am,” I agree. “Which is surprising since I didn’t get much sleep last night. I get a little cranky when I’m tired.”“Were you getting a little something else?” She wiggles her eyebrows, and I laugh. Before I can tell her no, my dad comes into the office and we both stop talking about where I was last night. I don’t know Amy well, and the fact that she’s slept with Owen weirds me out, but she’s nice and I get along with her just fine.Though it seems like Owen has slept with most of the women in this town, so if his ex-lovers weird me out, I’m going to be limited to talking to only those he’s related to. But the past is in the past, and I can’t hold that against him.He asked me what changed my mind about being together and I couldn’t give him a clear answer. Because I don’t really know, and when I think about it, it doesn’t make sense.I thought things would only work if he changed and was

CharlieOwen isn’t in the kitchen anymore when I come back down the stairs. The house is dark, with the exception of a soft glow coming from the screened-in porch. A single candle is lit and sitting on the table out there, and Owen’s back is to me as he looks at the fountain in the pond behind his house. There’s a light in it, making the simple fountain look much fancier at night than it actually is.Silently, I slip into the room. The candle is one of those meant to repel mosquitos, and the smell reminds me of summer nights spent on the front porch, both with Owen and my other friends. Life was simpler then, and while I can’t get rid of my adult responsibilities, things don’t have to be complicated.Owen turns right when I get up behind him, and firelight flickers in his eyes. He takes me in his arms, and my heart skips a beat. I hook my arms around his neck and step in close. Being in his embrace feels so right.It’s like I never left.He tips his head down, lips brushing against mi