Killer Career (7 page)

“Here, stick these in. It’s from my top cases,” Julie said,
pulling out five rewrite disks from her bag.

After the files were transferred, Dade said, “Well, my work’s cut
out for me. I better get started.”

“You mean we better get started. You’re not doing this alone.
We’ve discussed this case often enough. I’ll use my laptop and
get on Westlaw and research the citations. Then we’ll transfer the
information.”

They worked through the afternoon and into the evening without break,
except for nibbling on a few apples, which Julie had thrown into her
bag on the way out that morning.

By two a.m., through their combined efforts, the thirty-page brief
was finally done. Flipping over the pages, Dade scrutinized the
finished product. When he got to the end, he let out a sigh of
relief. “Thank God, it’s ready.”

Julie let out a cheer. She was bone tired, yet happy at the same
time. Through their combined efforts, they’d accomplished something
monumental. They were true partners. At least for now.

“Julie, I don’t know what I’d have done without you,” he
said. The look he gave her was special and intimate. Mesmerized, she
stared into Dade’s cobalt blue eyes.

Her heart stopped, then raced. For a moment, their relationship
shifted and they were something more than partners.

She was imagining things because she was awfully tired and incredibly
hungry.

Ignoring the strange feelings washing over her, Julie said, “We
need to get the other computers running before Monday, but I’m too
beat to tackle anything else.”

“I second that.”

She groaned. “I hate the thought of driving all the way home and
back again in a few hours.”

“You don’t have to. I can finish it up tomorrow.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. We’re still partners, Dade. We’re in
this together.” She gazed at him as fiercely as she could, which
was difficult with her eyelids drooping.

“All right, then,” he said, mustering a tired smile. “I’ve
got a spare bedroom. You can stay overnight at my condo, then we can
tackle the job tomorrow -- or should I say, later today?”

Who else had used that spare bedroom? A flash of jealousy seized
her, followed by a dose of common sense. It didn’t matter. Besides,
if he did invite a woman into his condo, she certainly wouldn’t use
the spare bedroom instead of sharing his. She frowned at the thought.

My, she was tired or she wouldn’t be dwelling on Dade’s sex life.
Also, she wouldn’t even consider his suggestion of a sleep-over.
Sex was a loaded gun and could kill the partnership.

Did it matter? She was already killing it.

She fought back a rising guilt. She had to think of herself. She
couldn’t stay in her present situation if her heart wasn’t in it.

“Come on partner. I’ll drive you over,” Dade said.

Yawning, Julie nodded.

* * *

In no time at all, Dade turned into the basement garage of his Lake
Shore Drive condominium and switched the engine off. He turned to
find Julie sleeping. In the dim light, her hair shone like an
angel’s. The worry lines had smoothed from her brows, leaving her
face serene. Her body looked soft and cuddly, making him want to grab
her caveman style and lug her upstairs to his bed, where he’d kiss
every perfect inch of her. Hardening, he thought of what he’d do
afterwards.

Hold on there, where had that come from?

He’d known Julie forever. Sure, she was hot, but he’d had no
troubling overlooking that attribute before.

“Damn, this is not happening.” He pressed his eyelids shut to
clear his head.

When he re-opened them, nothing had changed. Julie was still there,
within easy reach. Hopefully, when she woke up, the fantasy would end
and everything would shift back to where it belonged.

“Julie, we’re here,” he said, keeping a safe distance behind
the driver’s seat. She had to wake up of her own accord because he
dare not risk touching her.

She stirred slightly then fell asleep again. What should he do?

Get a grip. It’s Julie, your partner. You see her every day.
What’s the big deal
?

He reached out and tentatively placed his palm on the tip of her
shoulder. A jolt shot through him so intense he jerked away.

It had to be his imagination. The whole day was a supreme nightmare.
How could he think straight when he was bushed and incoherent?

With renewed purpose, Dade again placed his fingertips on Julie’s
shoulder. Of their own accord, they settled there, touching,
caressing. Her skin was soft, her bones delicate. A rush of
protectiveness filled him. He was used to that feeling, which meant
the aberration had passed.

He gently shook her. “Julie, wake up. We’re here.”

Her eyes opened groggily. “Wha-uh where are we?”

“In my garage. Let’s go upstairs.”

“What? Oh, now I remember.”

He helped her out of the Saab. She stumbled and he caught her. “Are
you okay?”

“I got a little dizzy for a second. It’s nothing.”

“Here, lean on me,” he said, putting his arm around her waist.
She didn’t object, probably because she was half asleep.

He realized his mistake as her soft flesh pressed against him. Damn,
he wanted her bad. What had he gotten himself into?

Dade guided her into the elevator, where he quickly dropped his hands
away.

The pulse in her neck beat fast. She bit her lip, as the elevator
began its ascent.

“Are you all right,” he asked.

“Oh, it’s that elevator thing again. It’s such a nuisance. I
try to ignore it. I was doing pretty good, but then the classes at
Jensen’s penthouse set it off again.”

“You missed one today, didn’t you?”

He couldn’t help a feeling of victory at the thought of keeping
Julie from seeing Jensen. He wouldn’t rub it in. Not after all
she’d done for him.

“Is he a good teacher?”

“Actually, he’s great. I’ve learned lots of things I can put to
use later.”

The later she was referring to meant when she left the firm. Damn.
Why was she so pigheaded? They’d grown up in the same
neighborhood. They knew what it was like to do without. She was a
damn good lawyer. Why throw away a good thing and tempt fate?

The elevator pinged. They’d reached the twenty-fifth floor. It was
time to face the temptations he’d created. He should never have
invited her up here.

Once inside the condo, Dade steered Julie to the master bedroom
suite.

“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll use the guest room.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out.”

“You’re my guest. Don’t argue.” He reached into the walk-in
closet and grabbed an oxford shirt. “Here, you can wear this.”

She looked at it as if she’d never seen a shirt before.

Maybe she slept in the nude. No, not Julie. She wasn’t the type.

“Hey, pretend you’re playing dress-up, like you and Avery used to
do. You lost the toss and got stuck being the father.”

She stuck out her tongue. “Don’t say that. I always hated being
the father and you know it.”

That tongue. It could do things to him he better not think about.

“Don’t worry. You could never pass for a guy,” he said, tapping
his index finger on the tip of Julie’s nose.

Electricity shot through him. He snatched his finger away and almost
ran to the side of the bed, where he turned back the covers. She’d
look real good lying on top here without his shirt on. He’d
better get out of here fast or he’d lose it for sure.

“You’re set. Wash up and hop in. No more talk about Avery or
neither of us will get any sleep. My sister, the newshound, has had
enough wild adventures in her lifetime. I’d rather not think of
them.”

“That’s Avery, all right.” Julie smiled bleary-eyed, clutching
his shirt.

Dade nodded and turned toward the door.

“If you need anything, I’ll be right down the hall.”

He almost ran to the guest room.

* * *

Julie stirred, awakening from a deep sleep. She stretched lazily then
sighed with pleasure at the tangy scent of Dade’s aftershave
wafting from the pillow case. This was the bed he slept in every
night. The thought made her all tingly, like she’d applied his
aftershave all over herself.

As sometimes happens in the waking-up period when reality and dreams
blur, her mind pictured Dade entering the bedroom and leaning over
the bed. Slowly and tantalizingly he unbuttoned the shirt he’d lent
her, then pulled it back.

A raging hunger filled the pit of her stomach, spreading to her toes.
What were his thoughts as he gazed down at her? What would it feel
like when he touched her?

The fantasy seemed so real, maybe because she wanted so much for it
to happen. If Dade walked into the bedroom this minute, she couldn’t
refuse him.

I should not be thinking this.
Sleeping in Dade’s bed has
to be the cause of these wild imaginings. Dade is my law partner, not
my sex partner. The hunger raging inside of me is actually that,
hunger. It’s seven o’clock. I haven’t eaten anything in a
while.

Time to forage. Julie swung her feet over the side of the bed. When
they touched the floor, the room spun crazily. She clutched the
mattress, waiting for everything to straighten out.

She must have gotten up too fast. Where were her slippers? Boy, she
was muddled. Of course, they weren’t here. They were in her
bedroom. She was in Dade’s. She had to wake up. She had to eat.
Then she’d feel right.

* * *

Julie had never had occasion to visit Dade’s condo alone. A few
years ago, after she’d moved out of Chicago to Arlingdale, he’d
relocated here from the old neighborhood so he could be close to the
office. She’d gotten a grand tour with the family then, but he’d
remodeled since.

As she stepped into the stylish yet practical kitchen, Julie smiled
with delight. Gleaming copper plates hung from black wrought iron
hangers. A trailing English ivy plant swung over the sink window
sill. A cooking grill was built into the counter-top.

What in other homes might be a recipe nook, instead was a repository
for sports magazines and a legal pad. That was Dade for you.

As she opened the steel door of the refrigerator and reached down for
the carton of eggs on the bottom shelf, the floor creaked.
Straightening, she turned.

What she saw made her eyes widen. Dade stood behind her with only a
wet towel slung around his waist.

She wasn’t the only one who worked out and went to pump classes.
Those abs of his could sell a million machines on TV. She tried to
look away, but couldn’t help noticing the dark curly hairs forming
a vee extending down to a point below his waist, an area barely
covered by the towel. Her mouth went dry and she swallowed hard.

Their eyes met. He looked hungry and not for food.

“Oh, hi,” she said brightly, ignoring the odd thumping of her
heart.

He backed away. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were up. I’ll get
dressed.”

Julie nodded dumbly. She could pretend what he was wearing didn’t
matter, but why fool herself. He looked way too inviting. She
couldn’t deal with that sort of thing now. She had enough on her
plate already.

She smiled. There she was, thinking in food metaphors. She better get
something to eat.

* * *

Safely clad in an armor of Dockers,
polo
shirt and loafers, Dade stepped back into the kitchen. Julie was
standing exactly where he’d left her, in the middle of the floor,
holding the carton of eggs, looking dazed and charmingly helpless. He
didn’t see this side of her often, which made her all the more
appealing.

Her full lips, with the lipstick bitten off, were damn inviting, as
were her sinfully long legs. Breakfast would definitely be an
exercise in will power. Would he be up to it, in more ways than one?

“Okay, let’s get the grub going,” Dade said, determined to set
things back on an even keel.

She nodded absently.

“Here, let me take that.” He reached for the carton and connected
with her hand. A bolt of lightning shot from his palm up through his
arm. He almost dropped the eggs.

Her eyes met his then glanced away. Had she felt the collision of
chemistry? She did have a knack for reading his mind.

He tightened his grip on the egg box and placed it safely on the
counter. He reached for the bowl inside the cabinet and the whisk
brush from the holder.

The usually capable Julie looked disoriented as she searched for
silverware and sought to make sense of an unfamiliar kitchen.

He pushed the chair out. “Sit down and relax. I’ll do breakfast.
Pretend you’re in a restaurant.”

She opened her mouth to protest. He flashed a stern look and she
complied. While he whisked the eggs, his peripheral vision caught
the back-and-forth swinging movement of her long legs. Dade leaned
closer to the marble counter, so she couldn’t see the bulge
developing in a certain portion of his anatomy.

He rounded up some orange juice and toast then presented the finished
product. Instead of slowly appreciating Dade’s handiwork, they both
gulped down breakfast, as if the hounds of hell were after them.

“Well, let’s get back and try to make sense of things,” he
said, gathering up the plates off the table.

“It is Sunday. If you want, we could go
to
the service at St. Peter’s, downtown. They’re usually short,”
Julie said.

“All right. We could use some divine intervention.”

Church might be just the ticket to get his mind off of Julie and back
on the right track.

Her lips curved into a surprised smile. “And I thought I knew
everything about you, tough guy.”

* * *

Since Julie had announced she was leaving and Nora had wreaked her
havoc, Dade’s world had shifted into uncharted territory. Kneeling
at Mass on a Sunday morning with Julie beside him, however, somehow
seemed right, kind of domestic, as if she were his wife. The liturgy
was familiar, yet different, since this time he shared it with her.
It gave him kind of a warm feeling. This had to be one of the things
Todd missed now that Laura was gone. The thought was sobering.