The Merger (15 page)

Julie fell backward on the bed and closed her eyes.

She replayed his hands in her hair—on her skin. Even the memory of his kiss swam in her head like a cloud of pure pleasure.

Was it so bad that he’d had a change of heart?

Was it horrible to wish she hadn’t stopped him?

Julie rolled over and let a muffled scream fly into the mattress. It was all so frustrating.

She rested her forehead on her hands and just lay silent and still for a moment considering everything from the past five months to the past week.

Opportunity lay at her feet in a new way. Law consumed so much of her, but the simple task of setting up her desk and just keeping track of the builds was calming. Sure, she knew issues would arise. After all, it had only been one day.
But she was in love with her minimal space on the other side of the movable wall from Chuck—who burped when he thought no one could hear and cursed like a sailor under his breath when he went over plans by himself.

Every job came with the hesitation that she’d fail at it. What if Tiffany wasn’t as nice as she seemed to be. And that too—what
if
she didn’t like Julie kissing Spencer? That was a tangled web she should stay away from, but she couldn’t help it.

Now her biggest fear was that she was falling for the man out of desperation to be wanted. However, no kiss from her husband had ever sizzled in her or tasted so good. She’d kissed Spencer Benson in that elevator because she’d needed to and now no amount of talking herself out of what she’d done could take it away. She’d fallen for him. She just didn’t want to hurt him by making him a rebound for her broken heart.

The house looked quiet, Spencer thought as he pulled up to the curb early Tuesday morning. He had assumed he’d see Avery dancing in the front window, but he didn’t.

He’d bought her one of those damn vanilla lattes she liked so he’d be waking her up.

With the cardboard cup holder in his hand, he walked up the front steps and started his assault on the doorbell.

From inside he could hear her stumbling over things and he laughed. Served her right for not getting up like a normal person.

When the door
swung
open Pete stood there in rumpled clothes. He rubbed his hair and then ran his hand over his unshaven cheeks.

“Spence, hi,” he said with his voice groggy.

“You’re not who I expected. Sorry for the rude awakening.”

“Right. Right.” He shook his head to obviously try and wake himself. “Come in. Sorry.” He stepped back and Spencer walked through.

From the look of the couch, that was where Pete had slept. Not unusual, he thought. Avery was too stupid and stubborn to let him sleep with her. The man was a saint to just hang around and wait for her to come to her senses.

The thought caught him off guard as humorous. Maybe they weren’t meant for each other. After all, Avery’s mother chased Spencer’s father from the time they were seven until Spencer’s father married his mother. It was only then she fell in love with Avery’s father—his mother’s brother.

“What’s so funny?” Pete asked as he shut the door and walked toward the couch. He picked up the blanket and began to fold it.

“Just thinking. So where is Avery?”

“Paris.”

“Excuse me?” His voice had risen in a slight panic and the humor he’d been enjoying was wiped away. “She didn’t tell me she was going anywhere.”

Pete shrugged. “All I know is she called me at nine o’clock last night and asked for a ride to the airport. Her grandpa had sent a jet for her. She said she’d be gone until next week.” He tossed the folded blanket back on the couch. “But she did say she’d be back in time for your birthday.”

“Which means she isn’t changing the cake,” Spencer moaned.

“Pink and Black?”

“So she says.”

Pete laughed. “To think she’s been torturing you since day one.”

Spencer chuckles. “Do you like vanilla lattes?”

“Hell no.”

“Of course not. Strong and black?”

“That’s more my style.”

Spencer took the coffee he’d earmarked for himself and handed it to Pete. “Guess I’d better go down and get Julie.”

“She’s not down there,” Pete said lifting the coffee cup to his lips.

“Where is she?”

“At work. That’s where I dropped her off about an hour ago, before I came back to get more sleep. She said she’d texted you.”

Spencer took his phone out of his pocket and sure enough there was a message. “Guess it’s on silent.”

Pete nodded. “Avery says I need an Avery setting so I never miss her calls. Mine is always on silent.”

“I suppose I’ll head in then.” He turned for the door.

“Hey, what kind of food does Julie like?”

Spencer turned around. “Food?”

“Yeah, we were talking on the ride downtown about maybe going out.”

“You and Julie?” His voice actually cracked when he said it.

Pete’s eyes grew wide. “Oh,” he let the word ride on the air. “You and Julie?”

Spencer shrugged. “I don’t think she’s too interested in me.”

“Pretend I didn’t say anything. You let me know if things don’t work out. But I’ll let you try first.”

Spencer only nodded and walked out of the house and headed back to his car.

He set the coffees on the top of the car and opened his door. Carefully, he took the coffees off the roof and set them in the passenger seat.

When the car purred to start, he pulled away and headed into town with Julie on his mind.

In one week she’d divorced her cheating ex-husband, moved to Nashville, and now had three men vying for her attention.

Spencer knew he should step away from it. He
wasn’t wanting
a competition for her attention—he wanted all of it.

Julie sat with Amber in the small boardroom across the hall from Spencer’s office. Yesterday Julie wasn’t sure she and Amber were going to be allies, but today, she was helpful and kind. Perhaps it was that Julie was taking the stress out of her job. The high-rise builds were enough to obviously make anyone stressed. Add a community build with one hundred and fifty
custom
jobs and any sane assistant would want to walk off the job.

But Julie was sure Amber would never leave Spencer. She was very loyal to the man who was at least twenty years younger than her.

“I have two luke-warm vanilla lattes for the taking,” his voice broke through their conversation and both women looked up to see him standing in the doorway.

“A Starbucks in the lobby and you bring luke-warm lattes?” Amber joked reaching for the tray he offered.

“Bought them an hour ago for my cousin and my ride. Only to find my cousin gone and my rider hitched another ride to work.”

Amber turned and Julie could feel her eyes on her. “I texted.”

“I didn’t get it,” Spencer replied with a shrug.

“I’m very sorry for that.” She took the cup Amber offered. “Thank you for
the coffee.”

He nodded his head slowly and backed out of the room.

Amber sat back in her chair and held the cup to her lips. “Past five months must have been interesting,” she said.

No doubt Amber had been on the receiving end of whatever Spencer had to say about the merger and her. It was a wonder the woman was speaking to her at all. But she’d take the bait to her comment. “Why?”

“I’ve known that man for years. He doesn’t bring coffee.”

Julie swallowed hard and picked up her coffee. “Guess he was feeling generous.”

“I suppose. How many dinners did you have in Oregon?”

The inquisition wasn’t welcome, but Julie had nothing to hide. “Never ate a meal with the man that wasn’t catered by the Grayson family.”

“No quick bites out?”

“No.”

“No late nights alone in the office?”

“Negotiations only.”

Amber let out a hum. “You caused those few gray hairs at his temples,” she said, but when Julie turned to look at
her,
she was grinning.

“I don’t think that was all me. It was a big buy for him. There is a lot of responsibility that goes into buying a family company like PLL.”

“Sure.” Amber sat forward and set her coffee on the table. “And you made it harder.”

Julie’s defenses were starting to build. This was the part of her own attitude she didn’t like. If she felt
attacked,
she went into attack mode herself. But, she was a lawyer. She could keep calm if she had to and continue the conversation without ripping the woman’s hair out.

“I hope I didn’t cause too much work for you while he was away.”

Amber shrugged. “Nothing more than I’d expected.”

“Good.
Then
I assume this is old business,” Julie said as she began to put the files Amber had given her into a bank box on the chair beside her.

“Hey,” Amber said softly touching Julie’s arm. “I didn’t mean to get you upset.”

Julie pushed her shoulders back and turned toward Amber. “I am very aware that Mr. Benson was very vocal about
detest
ing me. I know it seems odd I am here now working for him, but I’d like the chance to prove myself before everyone decides to hate me on merit.”

Amber nodded slowly. “If it’s any consolation, I like you just fine. I never bought into the bitch story anyway.” She stood and collected her files.

“Why?”

Amber smiled. “You made him mad, no question. Yes, he called you
the bitch lawyer
often. But there was something in the delivery of it.”

She left the room and Julie simply watched her walk away, still smiling.

The erratic beating of her heart had Julie nearly gasping for air. Was it what she wanted? Did she want to throw in the towel and give into the feelings she
was
having for Spencer? It was stupid. That hadn’t been the purpose of her coming to Nashville.

She needed to weigh her options. If it didn’t work then what? If it did work…

Oh, she didn’t even know what to do with that.

Hell, if it didn’t work out she had options. Randy had asked her out and told her of a job. Even Pete was flirtatious and interested, though she was damn sure he was more interested in Avery. But she had options.

So if she kissed Spencer a few more times and felt it out it would be good—enjoyable. If they had a few meals together and spent some time
together,
it would be fun. And—the heat was rising in the room, she thought—if it went further, well…

“Are you okay?”

His voice broke the silence in the room.

Julie looked up to see Spencer standing with both hands on the doorjamb looking at her.

“Fine.”

“You’re beet red and breathing hard. Are you mad? Did Amber say something out of line? I’ll talk to her. I can…”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Julie, I…”

She stood up cutting him off. Her breath was rapid now looking at him in his Polo shirt with those tunnels already etched
into that dark, thick hair
that she’d like to tangle her own fingers in.

Blinking hard and deciding that she’d panic over it later, she walked past him and straight into his office.

Spencer looked around the boardroom and wondered what could have gone on to set her off in such a way. He hadn’t heard any arguing or shouting.

He turned and walked back to his office.

The moment he walked through the door it slammed behind him causing him to spin around.

There she was, pressed with her back to the door. Her skin was still red and her chest heaved with breath. But it was her eyes—those dark
tell-tale
eyes—that told him exactly what she was thinking.

It was a risk to step toward her, but he was damn sure that was the point of all this.

He moved closer and she quickly pulled his arm and had him with his back flat to the door.

The air rushed from his lungs and she swiftly moved against him, her body pressed hard to his. Her fingers tangled in his hair and her mouth—her glorious mouth—crushed down on his.

Jesus, could he have wanted this any more than he did right now?

His hands came to her hips and gripped tightly as she feverishly sucked the very last ethic out of him with her kiss.

When her hands skimmed down the back of his neck and she hooked her arms around him he spun her until her back pressed against the door. The moan that escaped between them filled him with more desire for her.

She gasped as he pressed his body to hers, undoubtedly letting her know how aroused he
was having
her in his arms.

He worked the kiss they shared to her jaw and down that tender neck he loved to admire when her hair was pulled back, just as it was now.

Her hands slid down his chest and the warmth of her fingertips penetrated right thought the fabric of his shirt.