But he couldn’t touch them. Not yet. “Let’s get the talkin’ outta the way, so we can get to the part where neither of us will be able to even form a valid thought.”
He let his gaze slide over her face, which was fucked up. Her one green eye blinked up at him, the other was still so fucking purple and swollen. But none of her injuries took away how much he wanted her.
He’d been bothered by how spooked Reese looked in The Barn earlier. But, in truth, he was just as spooked. Never before had he experienced a pull toward a woman like he did with her. It didn’t make any fucking sense.
“Business shit first.”
“I have court tomorrow. Plus, I have things I need to get done at the office.”
“What things?”
She sighed. “Stuff.”
“What stuff?”
“Lawyer stuff.”
He clenched his teeth, trying to keep his fucking patience. “Reese.”
“I need to be in Judge Thomas’s office by nine am. I’m meeting my client there.”
“Judge Thomas.” He frowned. “He’s the local district justice. We deal with him on occasion. He’s right in Manning Grove.”
“Yes. But I have paperwork at the office I need for this case.”
“Have one of your girls meet us at the DJ’s office. Have her bring that and whatever other shit you’ll need this week.”
“Deacon...”
For fuck’s sake, this wasn’t one of her negotiations. “Listen, this is how it’s gonna go...”
She arched her unbruised eyebrow. “Oh? Can’t wait to hear this.”
He put all his weight on one hand and slipped the other down to protect his junk before he spoke. He might do dumb shit sometimes, but he wasn’t stupid. This woman did not like being told what to do and that was what he was about to do.
It was risky, but necessary.
“Gonna take you and Justice to the office in the mornin’. Leave him with Judge. Take you to the DJ’s office. You do your thing by kickin’ ass, makin’ them sweat. Hell, even make them cry. Once you’re done with that, headin’ back to my office and settin’ you up at my desk. While you’re doin’ more of your ass kickin’ shit, I’m gonna go grab you a new cell phone. After you’re done slayin’ your enemies for the day, gonna bring you home. And by home, I mean here. But listen carefully...”
She lifted her other eyebrow to match the one glued to her forehead. That one was a bit crooked and she hissed softly with the pain, but she was determined to make it known how she felt about his orders. He ignored her searing look and continued, since, fuck it, he already stepped one foot in it, he might as well go all in.
“No late hours. When I’m done, you’re done.” He shut up and let what he just said simmer.
He was pretty fucking sure she’d never been told anything like that before when her brow dropped low as her eyes narrowed dangerously on him. Or at least one did. The other was no more than a slit in the first place.
Maybe her marriage wouldn’t have gone sideways if her ex had the balls big enough to set down some rules. Though, he was keeping that possibility to himself.
“Got a meetin’ tomorrow night to discuss this shit about Warren and what we’re gonna do. Tuesday, if my idea gets the go-ahead, we’re settin’ the trap for that fucker.”
She finally said something and, thank fuck, it wasn’t a pissed off screech accompanied by clawing out his eyes. He’d done good by distracting her with that last part about Warren. Yeah, he wasn’t always so dumb.
Just sometimes.
“What idea? What trap?”
Feeling safe enough to remove his hand from his now bulging boxer briefs, he gently brushed some blonde strands off her forehead. She had an ugly bruise at her hairline, too.
Fucking Warren. Did he want the man to die? Fuck yes. But only after he suffered first.
“Reese, I got this. Let me figure it out, yeah? Know it’s hard for you to understand, but you don’t need to be in control of everything.”
“She’s my sister, Deke.”
There it was. Her getting bristly. Preparing to throw down. Not liking the fact that someone other than her could take control and get the job done. He did his best to keep his tone even as he said, “Yeah, she is. And I got this. Trust me.”
She didn’t take trust lightly. He got it. Not only was she a lawyer who dealt with a lot of people who lied, but something in her past, besides her ex-husband, made her stingy when it came to trusting people.
Did he want to fuck her? Hell yes. But, surprisingly, he wanted her to trust him even more. If she handed that over to him...
“Will you get tired of hovering over me like that?”
He blinked. It took a second for him to realize why she asked that. She was going to trust him with her story. Thank fuck.