Home Is Where the Heat Is (6 page)

***

JT scurried to his office so he could catch up on his email before reporting to the courthouse. Linda, his office manager, had taken care of the important stuff, leaving mostly junk. He scanned through the remaining messages, and came across and old email from Martin Perkins, the electrician he’d fired.

That fire wasn’t my fault. Rodney Mitchell checked the wiring after I installed it. He said it looked good, but he could’ve sabotaged it to get me fired. Give me my job back or you’ll be sorry.

JT scowled and deleted the email. The first fire had been Perkins’ fault. Mitchell, the foreman, could’ve sabotaged it, but no one could prove it. The fire marshal determined the cause to be an ungrounded connection. The foreman missed it, so JT had fired him, too.

The front door opened and closed, and Linda walked in. “Good morning, JT. I didn’t expect to see you today.”

“Mornin’. I just stopped in to catch up.” He shut down his computer and stood. “Thanks for handling things yesterday.”

“No problem.” She smiled and flipped through the mail, handing JT a couple of envelopes he promptly tossed on his desk.

“I gotta get going.” He grabbed his coffee and finished it off.

“Good luck,” she called after him.

He grunted and let the door slam shut behind him, abandoning work tasks to her capable hands, and directing his thoughts toward the sexy paralegal waiting for him.

***

Sub sandwiches and chips had been delivered to the jury room for lunch. Cookies and sodas completed the meal, but it did little to settle JT’s stomach even after he’d picked off the pale tomato and limp lettuce. Claire had only looked at him once all morning, but her eyes failed to sparkle and her lips formed a tight line. Keeping it professional, he’d told himself.
She has too much at stake.
The testimony didn’t sit well with him either, and while the judge had instructed the jurors not to talk about the case until it was handed over to them, they couldn’t help sharing an occasional shudder.

He’d cancelled his date for tonight. Sure, odds were pretty good he would’ve gotten laid, but rolling around in the sack with a beautiful doctor didn’t appeal to him as much as exploring the connection he’d felt with the rebellious paralegal.

Today she wore a strictly business blazer and skirt, with her hair pulled back in a sleek, conservative ponytail. One hundred percent professional except for blue toenails peeking out of her high-heeled shoes.

JT smiled and shifted in his seat, picturing those toes curling as she wrapped her thighs around his head.

The judge rapped her gavel, bringing the court to order. The assistant district attorney, Claire’s boss, called another witness. The other jurors took detailed notes while JT jotted down a couple of important points, then he put down his pen and caught Rebel staring at him.

She quickly returned her attention to the witness stand, but underneath the table, she crossed her legs at the knee, squeezing her thighs together. What he wouldn’t give to be clamped between those luscious muscles.

Two more witnesses testified, and then the court recessed for the day.

Claire had done a good job ignoring JT, pushing her way through the crowded corridor to get to the stairwell. He jumped on an elevator, cursing as it stopped at every floor on its way to the parking garage. He thought taking a different route would prevent anyone from detecting a pattern, but it only thwarted his attempt to catch up with her. Maybe she’d gotten slowed down too. He could only hope as he ducked into the blind corner—and walked straight into Claire.

“I only came to tell you we can’t do this. I shouldn’t be here.” She shoved him back and tried to leave, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

“But you
are
here.”

She snarled and jerked her arm. “Wipe that grin off your face. Let me go.”

He laughed in her ear. “Nope. You’re all mine.”

“Hardly. The law says—”

“Screw the law.” He pinned her against the wall, thrusting his hips against hers and leaving little doubt he intended to screw something else.

She dropped her briefcase and clutched his jacket. “I ignored you all day long, but you wouldn’t stop staring at me.”

“I told you no one could, and you weren’t exactly ignoring me.” He felt her heart race against his chest. “I felt the fire between your thighs all the way from the jury box.”

She gasped. “You did
not
.”

He slipped his hand down her smooth ass to tug at the hem of her skirt. The heat radiating from her skin proved his case. “Guilty.”

She groaned and shifted. Those dangerous heels put her in just the right position to grind against his rigid crotch. “I decided not to see you again. What are you doing to me?”

He caressed her thigh through her silky pantyhose. “Exactly what you want.”

Her breath caught, and he took advantage of her surprise to back her into the wall. She gave him no resistance. “After you left, I couldn’t stop thinking about….” She bit her lip as if she didn’t want to confess.

“Me?”

“That kiss.”

“Mmm… what were you thinking?”

“That I wanted more.” She rose up on those painted toes, dragging her body against his as she offered her lips.

He claimed them before she could change her mind, taking her mouth with a hunger ignored too long. She tried to wrap a leg around his, but her narrow skirt bound her, so he shoved it up and lifted her—one hand in her hair and the other under her ass. He trapped her in that dark corner, nipping down her throat and into her gaping blouse.

Claire squirmed. “Oh….” Her heel dug into his thigh as he brushed his lips over her breast. “Fuck yes.”

What had she said about not swearing? JT lifted his head and met her fiery gaze. “Really excited?”

She growled and arched into his hips. “Fuck you.” Her body shuddered. “Fuck this!”

***

JT’s mouth clamped down on hers before she could spout more foul words and alert the entire building to their illicit activity. Tremors wracked her body, and melting heat fused her between the cold concrete wall and his scorching body. His tongue wrestled with hers, sweeping away all rational thoughts.

Claire groaned.
I shouldn’t be here.
But when she’d found that corner empty, she’d waited and watched for him, hoping he’d come after her.

The stubble on his cheek grazed her skin as he kissed down her throat again. Her nipples tingled and one last shock seized her.
Holy hell!
When her brain cleared, she set her feet on the ground and pushed him back. “Cheese and Goddamn rice! We can’t do this.”

He stumbled as she took off. She heard him curse as she wove between parked cars, trying to shake him off, but as she darted from one row to another, she stopped and looked back, hoping he wouldn’t lose track. She usually took the Light Rail to work, but she’d been driving to the courthouse for the trial.

Her car sat in the next row, so she darted over and jumped in, watching him search for his truck as she started the engine. Only two cars separated them when she pulled up to the exit. Her sweaty palms slipped on the steering wheel as she sat at the light and considered her options. Turn left to go home, right to go to the office. JT surely wouldn’t go after her there. Or drive straight west toward the mountains—quiet, private, dark. They could easily disappear for a few hours. No one would know.

The last rays of sunlight faded behind the Rockies as she stepped on the gas and shot across the intersection. JT kept his distance, changing lanes as if to avoid suspicion. She got on the interstate. He did, too. She glanced in the rearview mirror as cars filled in between them.

“Don’t give up. Stay with me.” Did he know she was letting him follow? Claire giggled at her overdramatic fantasy. Even if he was following her, who knew? Who cared? They’d been careful. Alex, the human lie detector, didn’t have a clue his assistant had tried to seduce a juror.

She got off the interstate and took a winding highway up the Front Range and into a thick pine forest. The traffic fell behind, leaving only her small car and JT’s truck navigating that lonely road.

Dark, looming trees closed in around her. She’d grown up on the eastern plains in the middle of wide open spaces. Here, the air thinned as the road climbed, twisting into darkness. She exceeded the speed limit as she searched for room to breathe. A pull-off beckoned. She glanced in the mirror; a truck still pursued, but in the deep mountain dark, she couldn’t be sure it carried the man she wanted.

She darted off the road, churning gravel as her car skidded to a halt. A jagged rock wall rose on her right, and the forest dropped off to the left. She abandoned her car and scrambled into the trees; as she stumbled, she heard a muttered curse, and stopped, scanning her surroundings as moonlight pierced the night. Crusty snow stuck to her shoes and she slipped on a patch of ice. She felt his presence just a few steps behind.

“Claire!”

She took a deep, chilly breath, turning to face him as he tore into the clearing. JT tripped into her, but she planted her feet and caught him.

He held her close, panting into her hair. “You crazy woman, what the hell are you doing?”

She kissed him, leaping up into his arms as she clung to his neck. The world spun, but he kept her from falling—or maybe he took the tumble with her.

What
was
she doing? Driving out to the middle of nowhere and running off into the woods. In December.
That’s not normal.
But somehow familiar. She pulled her mouth from his and caught her breath, sinking her fingers into his thick hair as uncomfortable memories hit.

“When I was in junior high, I used to run and hide, hoping someone would chase me, but no one ever bothered. No one cared.” She gazed straight into his eyes, searching for understanding. “You did.”

“I couldn’t let you go.” His bangs fell across his moonlit face, and he shook them away. He touched his lips to hers, holding her body close as she trembled.

She shivered and sighed as his tongue swept her mouth. His hands fisted in her hair as he pinned her against a tree. Streaks of silver bathed their entwined bodies. His frosty breath misted on her skin as he mouthed her exposed throat. Liquid heat pooled between her legs, but the winter cold rattled her melting limbs.

He flicked his tongue in her ear. “You’re freezing.” He stepped back and shrugged out of his jacket, then wrapped it around her.

The rich scent of worn leather and hot man obliterated her ability to speak, so she nodded.

“I noticed a café in that little town we sped through. Let’s get something to eat.”

“Yes.” She clutched his jacket around her as they made their way back to the road. Stars sparkled like diamonds on a bed of midnight blue velvet.

JT opened her door. “You go first. I’m gonna keep my eye on you.”

She smiled and climbed in, handing him his jacket as he leaned down to kiss her. “Follow me.”

“I intend to.” He winked and walked to his truck.

She drove downhill, trying to pay attention to the surroundings, but her mind wandered. He’d called her crazy.
I need to get away from these perceptive men.
But she never would. Being understood turned her on as much as his enduring kisses. She’d learned that from Will and couldn’t wait to study it further with JT.

Lights and buildings appeared as she rounded a hairpin turn. The café stood in the center of town across the street from a quaint motel. She parked at an angle and got out of her car as JT pulled up beside her.

“I’m starving.” She inhaled the scent of fried chicken.

He grinned straight at her. “So am I.”

She gasped and shoved him back as he laughed. “Wait until after dinner.”

“Do you really want me to?” His wicked words tickled her ear as he draped his arm around her shoulders and guided her inside.

Bright yellow light and blue checkered tablecloths decorated the warm dining room. A waitress in a frilly apron nodded them toward a table, and the kitchen doors swung open as the cook pushed his way through. The scent of fresh baked apple pie made Claire’s stomach rumble.

JT directed her to a table in the corner, far away from the few people in the place, and pulled out a chair for her.

The smiley waitress strolled over, her gaze lingering on JT as she handed him a menu. “Good evening. Can I get you a drink?”

JT nodded at Claire, and she held out her hand for a menu. “I’ll have a glass of water with lemon.”

“I’ll have a Coke.” He flipped through the menu. “What do you recommend?”

“The special tonight is beer-battered, deep fried chicken with homemade mashed potatoes and gravy.”

More calories than she’d eat in a week, but Claire couldn’t resist the indulgence. “God, that sounds good. I’ll have that.”

“Same here.” JT took Claire’s menu and handed them both to the waitress.

She bobbed off to the kitchen.

Claire scooted her chair around the table, closer to JT, but with a clear view of the front door. She’d never stopped in this town before—always blew through it on her way to the ski resort. But someone who knew her could easily walk in.

“All right my beautiful rebel,” he said, sliding close to her, “tell me why you ran.”

Beautiful.
That word meant even more under the café’s glaring light. Her face grew hot, and she glanced down at his fingers tracing circles on her knee. “It’s stupid. I haven’t done it in a long time.”

“Nothing’s stupid when you’re hurting.”

His warm blue gaze pierced straight into her soul. Not invasive, not interrogating like Alex, but inviting, enticing her to confess her secret desires, her oldest sins. “Are you always this… penetrating?”

A delighted smirk twisted his lips, and she caught her mistake.
Oh God, why did I choose that word?

Chapter 5

JT’s laugh drew the attention of every single person in the place—the waitress winked, the cook grinned, and two old geezers at the counter glared at him and shrugged. He fought to contain the smart-assed, sexual come-on, but lost the battle before it even started. “Penetrating? Hell yes, when do we start?”