Loved her.
The words bounced around in his mind as the feel of his erection delving deep and slipping out slowly, being grasped by her hot and wet walls, lulled him along the path to complete delight.
She whispered his name, lifted her hips, and bit on her bottom lip as his fingers grasped her ass. He wanted more, so much more and pulled out of her quickly, moving her into another position. When she was up on her knees, her delectableass facing him Ben wanted to scream. No, he wanted to come deep inside her. His body strained with the effort of holding back, just a few moments longer.
“Take me,” she whispered when she’d turned to glance over her shoulder at him.
He didn’t need to be asked twice as he slipped inside her from behind. She pumped back immediately, tossing her hips until they’d found a beautiful rhythm, one that incited the delicious sound of their bodies joining.
Ben held tight to her hips, loved the feel of her surrounding him, the tingling that had begun at the base of his spine. When she tensed beneath him, screamed his name he couldn’t fight it any longer. It was powerful, moreso than he’d anticipated and it was delicious, addicting, invigorating. They came together in a maelstrom of moans and tremors. Hearts pounded as they shifted and he pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly, his chin resting on the top of her head as she wrapped her legs and arms around him. She pressed against him, fitting them together like they’d been born attached, like this was where and how they belonged.
As they both struggled to catch their breath Ben knew that thought was fact. Thiswaswhere they belonged and this was how they were meant to be.Together.
Chapter 15
Ben
“Why’d you become a prosecutor?” Ben asked when they lay in the dark, listening to the absolute quiet that surrounded them.
“My father was killed when I was fifteen. He was coming to pick me up after the sophomore dance. He parked his car at the corner of the school instead of coming to the door—I’d requested he do that. Anyway, he stepped out of the car to smoke a cigarette when he was approached by a guy. Robert Fulgham was his name. Fulgham demanded my father’s money and his car keys. My father gave him his wallet, but not his keys. Fulgham got mad and shot him. Point blank range, three times straight to the chest. He died before the paramedics could arrive.”
She stiffened slightly in his arms as she spoke, but her voice remained calm and decisive, as if she were giving an opening statement.
“You’re really good at your job. He would have been extremely proud of you,” he said, because he sensed she didn’t want his pity. There was a resoluteness to the way she’d told the story of that night. It was obvious she’d grieved and come to terms with what had happened in her own way. Shedidn’t believe she needed his comfort after all and as much as he would’ve loved to offer it to her, accepting her hard-won strength in this moment seemed to be the better choice.
“My mother would say he was always proud of me, no matter what.” She took a deep breath, then released it slowly. “I have to believe I’m doing some good in this world or his death would’ve been in vain.”
Silence filled the space again as Ben considered her words and how they made him feel. “I became a defense attorney because I wanted to help those that others discarded. I wanted to be the voice of those who everyone had already decided didn’t deserve to be heard. I get up every morning and head into the office, taking drug cases and murder cases and more often than not, traffic cases. And I try each case as if my client were being faced with the death penalty because I think each one of them deserve a zealous defense. I don’t ask about their guilt. I make my case from the notion that they’re innocent.”
With one hand tucked between his head and the pillow, the other running fingers up and down her arms, Ben paused and considered his next words. It would be his first time making this admission out loud. “Vega was my first mistake.”
“Because you believe he’s guilty?” she asked.
“Iknowhe’s guilty,” was his reply.
She waited a beat and so did he.
“This is totally off the record, Ben. I would never use anything you tell me in our personal life in the courtroom.”
He believed her. He trusted her. Otherwise they wouldn’t be here.
“Three weeks before the first trial just as I was about to start working on the case, I received a call. They wouldn’t say who they were, just that they worked in the mayor’s office and had some information about my case. Naturally, I wanted to know what it was. I don’t like surprises in court.”
“Surprises are never good,” she agreed, shifting slightly so that she was now laying on her side, her cheek pressed to his bare chest, one leg tossed over his.
“Exactly. So I agreed to meet with this person. We met at my brother’s casino. Lots of witnesses for me if it turned out I needed it. He was an older guy, balding, sweating. We talked in the men’s room of all places.”
“Cozy,” she quipped and made him laugh.
Made him relax and decide that telling her was the right thing to do.
“Mayor Radcliffe is the father of Alayna Jonas’s baby. Congressman McGlinn had an affair with her last year as well, so there was an apparent discrepancy as to who the real father was. Alayna was in love with the Congressman, so she wanted it to be his. She’d just left the Congressman’s house after telling him and his wife that she planned to go public with the baby scandal when Vega arrived. The Mayor paid Vega to kill the Congressman. Myrna McGlinn was just a casualty since she was there.”
“Wow,” she said and let out a whoosh of breath. “Damn, Ben. How did you continue to represent him knowing all that?”
“How could I not? He was my client. Innocent until proven guilty. All I had was this sweaty bald guy’s word taken in the men’s room of a casino. Not exactly the most credible evidence and I didn’t have a lot of time to investigate its viability.”
“Why not ask for a postponement?”
