Legally Charming (Ever After Book 1) Read online

  His phone rang, and Layla’s name flashed on the screen. “Yeah?”

  “Hey, so Felicity needs a ride. I said I’d pick her up, but I’m running late. You know where she lives. Can you bring her to Club Amazon tonight?”

  “No,” he answered instantly.

  “Fine. I’ll hire a cab for her.” Layla called his bluff.

  “Don’t. I’ll take her,” he snapped.

  “Thanks! You better hurry. It’s eight thirty.”

  Jared slid his suit coat sleeve back from his wrist and hissed a curse.

  “Shit!” Time had gotten away from him faster than he’d realized. After hanging up on Layla, he shoved the documents back into the file for the hotel and then bolted for the office door.

  The cab ride took too damn long. What the hell was he going to say when she opened the door?

  Maybe I shouldn’t say anything. I can just grab her and kiss her. She can’t argue with me or send me away if I’m kissing her, right?

  By the time he was striding down the half-lit hall to Felicity’s apartment, he was thinking up a hundred ways to talk her into moving out of this building. He was pretty sure he saw a drug deal go down in the lobby before he caught the elevator up to her floor.

  God, he had to get her out of this place. It was falling apart and in the worst part of town with bad shit happening all around her. But he couldn’t force that, wasn’t even sure how to start that conversation. She was probably here because she couldn’t afford something better. Pride would prevent her from accepting any help, so he’d have to get creative. He rapped his knuckles on her door and waited.

  “Just a sec!” Felicity’s call was a bit muffled, but still audible. A second later the door swung open and Felicity stood there, a black pump hanging on her index finger as she bent to slide it on her foot. A silver dress with tiny sequins clung to her curves, glinting softly as she shifted.

  “You’re late, Layla,” she added, then looked up as she secured her shoe on her foot and set it down.

  Jared bit back an amused grin as she gave a little gasp and promptly tripped as she tried to retreat from him. He dove forward and caught her.

  “I still think you’re a bit of a klutz.” He couldn’t resist the tease, but he made sure she was steady on her feet before he let her go.

  “I was expecting Layla.” Felicity’s cheeks warmed to a delicate pink. “And I’m only a klutz around you.” She muttered this with a furious blush to her cheeks.

  “She was the one who called me. I’m taking you to Club Amazon.”

  Her brows rose, and she chewed on her bottom lip. That same hunger he always felt for her spiked in his blood like expensive scotch. What he wouldn’t give in that moment to just kiss her and make her forget all about the club and Thad.

  “So you’re going with me on my date with Thad?” A glimmer of light flashed in her eyes, like a ripple of quicksilver. Was that anger? Interest? Whatever it was vanished so quickly he couldn’t read it.

  Jared crowded into the room, bristling as he replied, “It’s not a date. Thad doesn’t date. It’s just a night out, for everyone as a group.” He emphasized the last part, and she narrowed her cute little eyes at him. He didn’t want to even start on the fact that she seemed ready to date Thad but not him. That was an argument for another night, one when he had a bottle of bourbon at the ready.

  “Okay.” She didn’t act at all convinced. “I am almost ready to go. Make yourself comfortable.” She waved in the direction of her couch. Then she headed for her bedroom.

  He noticed the back of her dress was unzipped, giving him a glimpse of that beautiful back. Not a hint of a bra, either. He swallowed a groan as he sat down on the couch to wait. He wasn’t exactly dressed for clubbing, but the suit was better than nothing. Club Amazon was a top private venue, and Thad loved to take girls there and impress them with his private room, which cost a small fortune. Unlike Thad, he wasn’t really into the club scene. He preferred to put his money into his clothes and his investments.

  The club had natural-looking waterfalls, exotic decor, wild colorful plants, and trees built into the space around the dance floors and the private rooms. Each room inside was designed per the patron’s specific requests and didn’t have to correspond with the jungle theme.

  He shifted on the couch, and the heel of his black dress shoe hit something. Bending over, he slid the object out. It was a sketchbook, already open to a drawing. His heart flipped and his mouth went dry as he studied the work. A very provocative piece of a woman stretched out on a fainting couch covered the page. Jared settled the pad on his lap, then angled the sketch for closer inspection. The woman wore a white gown that hung over her curvaceous body. The short chin-length cropped hair was severe, yet exotic. The woman’s eyes were outlined with dark lines, making her look Egyptian.

  A man was also in the picture, wearing chest armor and a thick sword hanging from his hip. It reminded him of Russell Crowe from Gladiator. Only… He peered at the faces of the man and woman. They resembled Felicity and…him.

  She’d sketched him? Felicity wasn’t just interested in art. She was a real artist. With a rapid beat of his heart, he realized that he was holding a piece of Felicity’s fantasies in his hands. Like a glimpse of her soul.

  And fuck, she’s fantasizing about me.

  With a guilty glance over his shoulder, he slipped his cell phone out and positioned it above the drawing and snapped a shot of it.

  There was something about this sketch—it fascinated him. Like peeking into her soul and catching sight of one of her fantasies. So this was what ran through her head when she daydreamed. He grinned and then tucked the sketchbook back under the couch and pocketed his cell phone. Role playing. It hadn’t interested him before, but if Felicity was fantasizing about Cleopatra, then he was all for it. He’d start looking for a costume tomorrow. The thought made him chuckle.

  The click of heels on wood drew his attention as Felicity came into view in the bathroom. She twisted around, her dress only half-zipped as she attempted to pull her hair up. He was on his feet instantly and moving to stand behind her.

  “Leave it down,” he murmured in her ear.

  She looked at his reflection in the mirror. Her eyes wide, her lips parted as she sucked in a breath. He brushed the coils of her hair over her shoulder and out of the way as he zipped up the back of her dress. The thousands of tiny sequins on the dress reminded him of the luminescent scales of a mermaid’s fins. With her auburn hair in long beautiful waves, Felicity could have been the tragic heroine in Hans Christian Andersen’s tale. What was it about this woman that had him dwelling on fairy-tale fantasies?

  “Thank you,” she whispered. A little shiver rippled through her, visible to his eyes. She blinked as she seemed to fight for control over herself. They were both battling themselves and their desire. It was the only consolation his taut body could have in that moment. They would both be suffering until she overcame whatever fear was holding her back.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  “Uh-huh.” She reached for the small red satin clutch purse. His mind flashed to the red panties he’d seen in her gym bag, and he bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself in check. Still, he couldn’t resist the temptation of checking out her perfect ass as she walked toward the door. He wanted to get his hands on it—and a lot of other places on her body.

  Forbidden. It was all forbidden until she banished her fears. Be brave. He silently prayed she’d conquer her demons and let him inside her walls.

  11

  Club Amazon was packed with writhing bodies. Electronic dance music boomed loudly enough that it reverberated inside Felicity’s own body. The heady scent of expensive perfumes and the flashing strobe lights were overwhelming. Silver chandeliers hung from the ceiling, with beads glinting from the flashing lights, and surrounding the dance floor were areas with satin couches and bartenders offering drinks in crystal glasses. Everywhere around her was decadence and luxury.

  Feli
city swallowed hard and took an instinctive step back into Jared’s body. His arms wrapped around her from behind as she turned, pressing against him. Startled at her own actions, she tried to recover her control and put distance between them again, but he didn’t release her right away. She had to tug herself from his embrace.

  “You okay?” His voice reached her ears, even through the shouting of the crowds. She knew that no matter how loud it got, she’d always be able to pick out the sound of his voice in a crowd, and knowing that was frightening. How could he affect her so much that she’d be too aware of him?

  “Yeah, I just don’t like crowds,” she confessed.

  Jared studied her, then held out his hand. She hesitated, knowing that if she touched him again, it would remind her how much she loved being close to him.

  “I don’t want you to trip in this place—it’s a bit wild,” he explained, and curled his fingers in invitation. She took it, her palm fitting perfectly into his.

  “Come on, I know where we can go.”

  He led her to the back of the club where several private areas were cordoned off with glass doors that, when closed, would fog up to give the room privacy. Felicity would have balked if not for the trust she had in Jared. She’d always been a bit panicky in crowds and small spaces, but while Jared was there, holding her hand, she felt safe. He stepped up to the door of a private room and placed his hand on a glassy black panel, glancing back toward her with a wink. A small green light illuminated the pad under his palm, scanning it before the locked clicked. Jared pulled on the handle and it opened.

  “Whoa!” she whispered. Her reaction made Jared chuckle.

  “Thad doesn’t want anyone he doesn’t trust to use his VIP suite.”

  Suite? She’d been expecting a cheesy booth roped off with a velvet cord, not a handprint-accessible, fog-glassed room.

  When they stepped inside Felicity gaped. The air inside here was cooler than the heated room of the club, and she instantly relaxed. The room was beautiful. Cobalt-blue wallpaper with a dark-brown wooden base around the room set a seductive mood. Expensive white couches and armchairs were placed throughout the suite to accommodate several people. The ceiling had several modern glass chandeliers that lit the entire room with a seductive glow. At the back of the room, a small bar was waiting for them with bottles of champagne resting in an ice bucket and glasses ready. But it was the art that caught her attention, modern masterpieces that were splashes of vivid color in shapes that reminded her of the jungle themes.

  “You made it.” Thad stood from a chair on the left side of the room.

  Felicity had been so distracted by the room and the art that she hadn’t noticed Thad or the woman beside him.

  A woman in a ruby-red silk dress that ended mid-thigh rose as well. A little tremor of jealousy passed through Felicity when the blond woman flashed Jared a brilliant, perfect smile. But when Jared merely nodded back at the woman, to Felicity’s dismay she felt a ripple of satisfaction that the woman’s smile faltered and then faded.

  “I was wondering where you were, Jared, but now I’m wondering why you’re with my date?” Thad asked the question politely and with a hint of humor, but Felicity heard the edge to his voice.

  “She needed a ride,” Jared answered slowly, but the answering hard stare he sent his friend’s way was unsettling. The air seemed to crackle with sudden animosity.

  Thad focused on Felicity, his hazel-green eyes sparkling with curiosity, and yet she glimpsed a tinge of wounded pride behind them.

  “I thought you said you were coming with Layla.”

  “Uh…right.” Felicity bit the inside of her cheek before replying. “She had to cancel, so she called Jared, and he just showed up.”

  Felicity had to step back when Jared and Thad stood almost toe to toe, sizing each other up in that macho way men did sometimes.

  The woman in the red dress sighed and rolled her eyes. “Either get over it, guys, or get to measuring.”

  Measuring? Felicity shot a glance at the woman, and she winked at Felicity and mouthed “male egos” before rolling her eyes again.

  Thad was the first to blink, but Felicity knew it wasn’t any sort of concession in the silent battle of glares. He smoothed a hand down his dress shirt and then walked around Jared to get to Felicity.

  “Come on, let’s go dance.” He stepped between her and Jared, effectively separating them and forcing Jared to move away. Taking Felicity’s red clutch purse, he smacked it into Jared’s chest, forcing his friend to take it, and then he grasped Felicity’s hand and led her from the room. She nearly balked at the thought of leaving the sanctuary of the room and Jared to go back out into the wild part of the club.

  Throwing a glance over her shoulder, she saw Jared follow them to the door of the suite, eyes dark and brows lowered. His lips were pursed in a thin line, and a tic worked in his jaw, but he didn’t come after her. Something in her chest clenched, and her eyes burned. She wanted him to come after her, but she had pushed him away too often. He wouldn’t rescue her. Not this time.

  She was supposed to be here with Thad, and she should focus on that.

  He curled an arm around her waist as they stepped out onto the dance floor. Beams of light shot around their heads as they started to dance. Thad could really move, with a seductive roll of his hips against hers, and the way he could guide her around to the music, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that she’d left Jared and a woman back in the suite.

  “Who was that woman in the suite?” She practically had to shout to be heard.

  “That’s Shana, Jared’s old flame. They dated through law school and work together at the firm. It’s just a matter of time before they get back together. Everyone knows they’d make a killer lawyer duo if they got married. He’s not stupid. His promotion to partner pretty much depends on getting back with Shana since her dad’s Jared’s boss.”

  For a second Felicity couldn’t breathe. Jared and Shana had been a couple and his promotion to partner depended on his dating Shana? Why hadn’t he mentioned that when he’d been declaring at Sabine’s that he wanted her? That seemed like something a guy should have mentioned before he demanded she take a chance on him and date him. Her stomach roiled, and she struggled to speak past the nausea.

  “She’s his ex?” Surely they weren’t still an item. He’d never mentioned her before, hadn’t said he was still in a relationship. He couldn’t have lied about that, not after they’d… No. Jared wasn’t that kind of guy. Then again, what did she really know of him? He was sexy and charming, but she didn’t know him. Maybe he was the type of guy to lie about his relationships. But Layla knew him because of Tanner, and she would not have let Felicity get anywhere near a guy who wasn’t decent. Why hadn’t Layla mentioned Jared’s history with Shana?

  “They’re always on-again, off-again, those two.” Thad didn’t say anything else, just pulled her out onto the dance floor and settled his hands on her hips.

  “But—” She had to know more, but Thad pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her.

  “This is our date, Felicity. You and me.”

  He was right. She’d agreed to come here to meet him. Albeit she’d done it because Layla had made her, and she secretly hoped Layla would be right and Jared would be jealous. That hadn’t worked out well at all. How did other girls do this? Play the field with men and get them to be jealous and fight for them? She didn’t have a clue.

  Heck, she hadn’t even wanted Jared to be jealous—she only wanted him to want her. She’d only pushed him away because she had to protect herself.

  I can’t make up my damn mind. I want him, but I know I can’t have him because I can’t juggle a relationship and work and school. The thought of trying to do just that made her feel even worse. A headache began to throb just behind her eyes.

  Playing games with him wasn’t fair to either of them. She just had to let him go, leave him alone. No more listening to Layla and being convinced to do these stupid, selfi
sh things.

  Trying to put her concerns aside, she focused on Thad and the way he danced. Her heart rate sped up with each touch, each caress of his hands on her body as they moved to the beat, but the fire beneath her skin simmered rather than erupted the way it did with Jared. Would anyone else ever make her feel the way he did? Was he making Shana feel that way right now? Were they at that moment rekindling their romance in the suite? The beautiful, poised Shana, who seemed to be everything Felicity was not.

  Despite Thad’s excellent dance moves, Felicity was not enjoying herself. She was miserable. After a couple of songs, Thad seemed to notice his lack of effect on her. They both stopped moving on the dance floor. Panels of light burst through the darkness between them, painting his face with blues and reds, before vanishing and bursting back into existence a few feet behind them. Everywhere there were people moving, laughing, dancing, enjoying themselves. Thad curled one finger under her chin and lifted her face so he could look down at her.

  “Come with me—this way.” He led her away from the main floor and into an alcove where the noise was muted by the position of the walls.

  “Are we done?” Felicity tried not to sound hopeful.

  “I guess I am.” He sighed, and his little disappointed smile made guilt twinge sharp in her stomach. “You’re not having any fun, are you?” He bent his head down a little, not to kiss her as she thought at first, but to get a better look at her face. Like Jared, he was easily a head taller than her. Such a gorgeous man, but not her type—he wasn’t Jared.

  “I’m sorry. This really isn’t my thing.” She looked around, taking in the world of life and excitement, the other young men and women having a good time. Unlike her. If she could have been anywhere in that instant, she wanted to be back on Jared’s couch, his arms around her, his lips on hers, the quiet sounds of an old movie in the background.

  “Why did you agree to come?” he asked. “You didn’t have to, you know.”