Page 15 of Kane's Awakening
“That’s the point, right? Great sex with no strings attached. It’s perfect.” He looked like he seriously believed that, too, which only verified my thoughts about him.
“Not for me,” I said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Officer, I have to get to work.”
***
Luckily, my client had also been late, so my annoying run-in with the law hadn’t done any harm. She had walked in a few minutes after I got into the office, and everything worked out fine.
“My bastard husband is sleepin’ around with a two-bit hoe and I wanna divorce his cheatin’ ass,” she said once we’d gotten started.
I inwardly sighed and wished I hadn’t spilled my coffee before leaving home. I needed a pick-me-up and fast, especially having to deal with my type of clients. Not all of them were bad, but a good portion of them looked and behaved like the stereotypical definition of trailer-park rednecks.
But it wasn’t my job to judge.
For the next half-hour, I discussed her options and what to do next. I wanted her to be certain she wished to have a divorce because if both parties weren’t in agreement, it would not only get messy but also expensive. In the past, I’d had clients retract and say they wanted to “try and work things out” after I had put so much time and effort into their cases.
After the appointment, I left my office and went into the kitchen area. We liked to keep it stocked with food and refreshments for the staff. I measured out water and grabbed the coffee can, hoping coffee would help wake me up and snap me out of the Monday blues.
“Oh, miracle juice,” Eric said, walking in and staring wantonly at the brewing machine.
He grabbed his mug from the counter and held it against his chest as he waited. His light blond hair laid flat and touched the tops of his ears, and a cream-colored scarf was around his neck, looking more for fashion purposes than to keep warm. As he stood there, he smiled at me, friendly and kind.
I’d gotten the impression that he was gay in the past, but nothing he’d done had ever verified my assumption. Well, except for the way his eyes lingered a bit too long on me as I passed by or when I was instructing him. But it was a harmless crush—if that’s even what it was.
Eric was a great paralegal, and I wouldn’t trade him for anything. Crush or not.
“You seem frazzled today,” he broke the silence, studying me with concerned, brown eyes.
“Do I?” I played at ignorance, knowing damn well I was out of my element that morning.
He nodded. “You’re usually more collected. And you’re wearing two different types of shoes.”
Shocked at his words, I checked and saw he was right. Although they were of the same make, one was black and the other was dark brown. How many things could possibly go wrong for one person without it being a sign? From who, I had no clue as I didn’t believe in god. But someone or something.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me today,” I said, feeling lost. “Do you ever feel like the universe is just out to get you?”
Eric visibly pondered the question. “Quite a lot actually. But whether it’s an angry god punishing you or just bad luck, everyone has off days. Today is just yours.”
The coffee finished brewing, and I grabbed his mug to fill it before returning it to him.
“Aw, you’re such a gentleman,” he said, setting it down to pour in some cream and add sugar.
I’d been so preoccupied since I’d come to the office that my run-in with Kane had been shoved to the back of my mind. As I grabbed a cup from the cabinet and poured my coffee, I let myself focus on the cocky cop, which was stupid because I immediately thought of his muscles and how amazing he looked in his uniform—something I’d noticed even when he was being his egotistical self. That behavior was a turn-off for me, but dammit, he was the exception for some reason.
If I wasn’t careful, I’d sport a hard-on right there. And addingpitched a tent in front of my paralegalto my day was the last thing I needed.
“I have some things you need to sign,” Eric said, bringing me back to the present. “Just some motions for you to look over and approve. I’ll bring them to you in a few minutes.”
“Excellent. Thank you.”
I walked out before he could see the bulge in my slacks and headed for my office. When I sat down at my desk, I took a few much needed drinks of coffee before getting to work.
Anna invited me over for dinner again, so later that afternoon, I drove to her house.
She lived in a nice, suburban neighborhood where all the homes had a similar make, but had their own unique differences as well. Her two-story, brick house reminded me of a modernized cottage, only fancier. Wooden shutters framed the front windows, and a tall fence surrounded the spacious backyard.
As I parked and walked up the sidewalk, I remembered the reason Brian had bought such a big house. They’d been expecting a baby at the time and had been over the moon excited, but Anna had miscarried a few months into the pregnancy. The loss had devastated them both. They’d tried again after that, but were never successful.
Anna was only thirty-one, so she still had time to have another baby. The last she told me, though, they had given up.
