N. Walters - A Legal Affair

“If you want to keep this private between us, that’s fine. For now.” He reached down and pulled her out of her chair, his hands warm and sure on her shoulders.

She appreciated that he wasn’t dismissing her concerns, but was trying to understand. Alicia was simply being realistic. Gill didn’t live here and she did. He’d be leaving eventually and she’d be left to deal with the aftermath. It would be hard enough to see him go without having to deal with professional problems on top of it.

“So we agree.”

“Whatever you want, sugar.” Gill slid his hand down her back, pulling her closer.

She could feel his erection nestling against her stomach. His other hand cupped her neck, his thumb pushing her chin upward. “Whatever you want,” he repeated as he leaned down to kiss her.

Gill’s body was vibrating with barely suppressed emotion. He didn’t know if he wanted to hug Alicia or shake her. He settled for kissing her. Their lips met and the familiar fire shot through him. This woman was his, no doubt about it. Her every move, every touch, set his body on fire, but she did so much more. Alicia made him long for things he’d never had—a home, a family, a tomorrow. He thought he’d lost his need for those things years ago. His career as a big city cop had left him empty inside. Since coming to Jamesville and meeting her, that had changed.

Gill found himself thinking how nice it would be to have a house instead of an apartment. A place to really live instead of one that was meant to store his clothing and give him a place to sleep in between shifts at work.

When he’d awoken with Alicia in his arms this morning, he’d felt complete for the first time in his adult life, as if he’d been simply waiting all these years to find her.

Making love to her this morning had rocked the foundations of his world. Last night had been about sex and need. This morning had been about caring and connection.

God help him, he was already half in love with her. And what was he going to do about that?

His musings were interrupted when Alicia deepened their kiss, pressing her tongue past his lips. He groaned, his hand sliding down to cup her ass. She had a fine ass. A first-class ass. He palmed the mound, squeezing gently. She moaned and his cock jerked in response. Damn, he was as hot as an eighteen-year-old boy around her.

He forced himself to pull back. Alicia had to get to work and if she were late, she’d worry and maybe even start to question their relationship. He wasn’t pleased that she wanted to keep their relationship a secret, but it was a starting point. With enough time and effort, he’d be able to make her forget all about her worries. At least he hoped so.

Gill peppered kisses on her mouth and across her jaw. She was wearing a turtleneck sweater, which made it harder for him to get at her neck. It was probably just as well anyway. If he got started on her neck, they’d probably end up back in bed, or on the kitchen floor. He groaned as his balls tightened.

“Alicia.” He took a step back. “As much as I’d like to continue, didn’t you say you had an early meeting this morning?”

She appeared dazed for a moment, her lips were moist and red, her green eyes slightly glazed. Shaking herself, she wiped a shaky hand over her forehead. “I do.” She glanced at her watch. “I have to leave in five minutes if I’m going to make it.”

“You go and finish getting ready. I’ll take care of the kitchen.”

Alicia looked as if she wanted to say something, but changed her mind. Whirling around, she grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair and hurried from the kitchen.

The moment she was out of sight, Gill reached down and adjusted himself, trying to ease the ache in his groin.

Swearing under his breath, he gathered the plates, scraping the remaining food into the garbage before piling them in the sink. He took one last mouthful of coffee before regretfully pouring the rest of it down the drain. He’d get another cup just as soon as he got back to Patrick’s place.

That was another problem. He didn’t think Patrick would question where he was last night, but the man wasn’t stupid. It was only a matter of time before he figured it out.

Shannon, on the other hand, would probably start flinging questions at him the moment he walked through the door. He smiled as he filled the sink with soapy water. It was good to have friends.

By the time Alicia returned, he’d made quick work of their few dishes, leaving them to drain in the dish rack.

“I’m really sorry about this.” She checked her purse and grabbed her cell phone from the charger.

“No problem.” He followed her to the foyer, and pulled on his boots and coat. He grabbed her wool coat and held it for her, sliding it over her arms.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“You’re welcome.” He kissed the top of her head. He wanted to do a heck of a lot more than that, but restrained himself. “I’ll see you tonight?”

She chewed on her lip and nodded. “Pull your truck into the garage. I’ll give you the remote.”

Gill nodded and Alicia visibly relaxed. He hated sneaking around. They weren’t doing anything wrong. He understood her mind-set about the situation, even though he felt she was overreacting. Still, he’d agreed to do things her way. For a while anyway.

They stepped outside and Alicia locked the door, her gaze darting to her neighbors’

homes. It was still fairly early and there didn’t seem to be anyone around. Alicia’s small home was situated at the end of a dead-end street, providing her with a certain amount of privacy. Still, if any of her neighbors looked out their window, they would see the two of them leaving together.

Gill might not have spent his adult life in a small town, but he’d grown up in one. If there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that secrets like this were almost impossible to keep. He’d do his best and hope that Alicia would eventually become comfortable with the fact that they were in a relationship, and would no longer care who knew about it.

She walked ahead of him, her boots tapping against the stone path as she hurried to the driveway. Gill followed her to her snappy red car, which was parked alongside his truck. The sporty vehicle and its hot color suited her. It was just another sign of the passionate woman hidden beneath the staid façade.

She unlocked her door and slid into her car. Gill waited patiently until she was settled before leaning closer. “Have a good day.” He thought about kissing her, but didn’t want to push his luck. She looked nervous enough as it was. Closing the door, he headed toward his truck and slid behind the wheel.

Alicia backed out of the driveway and started down the road. Putting his truck in gear, he followed her down the quiet street. She didn’t look back, didn’t wave or toot her horn as she headed to the downtown section of Jamesville. Annoyed, Gill took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He had to give her time to get used to the fact that they were in a relationship. Turning left at the next intersection, he headed toward Patrick and Shannon’s place.

Alicia sat at her desk, pen clutched in her fingers, trying to concentrate on the paperwork in front of her. But the documents blurred, fading from sight as her thoughts drifted back over the past week.

She and Gill had easily fallen into a routine of sorts, with Gill coming over in the evenings, making certain to pull his truck into the garage. They’d cook supper, share their day, watch television or movies and generally enjoy one another’s company.

Some of his clothing found their way into her dresser drawers and his shaving kit now sat on the vanity in her bathroom. For a woman who’d lived alone her entire adult life, it was strange, but nice. Several times she’d caught herself staring at his toothbrush resting next to hers in the holder.

The sex ranged from the raunchy to the sweet, with everything in between. He’d kiss her awake in the morning and they’d share breakfast before they’d both leave to begin their day.

Alicia was surprised by how much they had in common, but there were enough differences between them to make things interesting. Cooking with a man was a strange experience. It was something she’d never actually done before. Gill was a decent cook, but more than that, he was fun in the kitchen. He’d chop and dice and grate anything she put in front of them while they chatted. It was homey.

Her stomach clenched as she tossed her pen aside and sat back in her desk chair, staring out the window at the streets of Jamesville. It was still early, not quite ten o’clock, but Main Street was full with people bustling about, taking care of their business. As much as the smallness of the place drove her crazy sometimes, there was no place she’d rather be. It was home, pure and simple.

She was content with her life here, if not blissfully happy. At one point in time, she’d wanted more, but she’d settled. She certainly wasn’t complaining. She had a lot to be thankful for—her career, her family and her friends. She was healthy and owned her own home. Her thoughts tapered off. In spite of all her good fortune, she’d always felt that something was missing. Being with Gill reminded her just what that elusive something was.

Living with Gill felt right. As if an empty spot in her life had been filled to overflowing. It felt good to come home at the end of the day and have someone to share it with, someone to care how her day had gone. Alicia wrapped her arms around herself, feeling chilled in spite of the heat kicking out of the heater behind her.