Standing, I crossed to the front of the desk and dropped to my knees in front of her. I gathered her hands in mine, shocked at how cold they were.
“You can’t, Fee. You need to stay away from him. You’ve seen the way the drugs enrage him. I don’t want you anywhere near him. Promise me you won’t do that.”
“Don’t I owe him that?”
“No,” I stated firmly. “You don’t. He’s a grown man. He knew the consequences of his choices the second he decided to snort cocaine. He has spent his entire career screwing people over, taking advantage, and being selfish. He relied on the fact that you were so beaten down, you would allow him to dictate this divorce as well. He knows it isn’t happening now, so he can fucking well pay the price.”
I felt a tremor race through her, so I gentled my voice. “Let’s see what the offer is, Fee, and if you want to accept it and move on, I won’t force you. You’ve had enough choices taken away from you already. I won’t add to the list. But let me do the job you hired me to do, okay? Let me defend you against him.”
She sagged in the chair. “Okay.”
“Good. As soon as the offer comes in, we’ll talk again.”
She nodded and opened her mouth, then closed it.
“What?”
“It’s a different hat now.”
“All right.”
“What is happening, Halton? With us? Is what I’m doing with you any different? Am I not cheating on him?”
“No, you’re separated. Your relationship is over—you are both aware of that fact. When he cheated on you, you thought you were still in the relationship together. That’s the difference. As for us, Fee…I don’t know how to answer that. I like being with you. I enjoy it. Sex with you is incredible…” I hesitated.
“But temporary.”
“I told you before I’m not forever—I’m just right now. It’s all I have to offer.” I tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “One day soon, FeeNellyRaptor, you’ll move on to a new life. You’ll be the strong, independent woman I know you to be, and you’ll find your place.” I swallowed down the sudden thickness in my throat. “And you’ll find the man who’ll love you forever and treat you the way you deserve to be treated. Like the fierce goddess you are.”
“And where will you be?” she asked, her voice a whisper in the room.
“Here, doing what I do.” I tapped the end of her nose and stood. “I’ll be cheering you on, grateful I got to have one sliver of your time, and knowing you made me a better man for it.”
She stood and flung her arms around my neck, holding me tight. I gripped her back, feeling the loss of her when she moved away.
She hurried to the door. “Don’t work too late, Halton.” She paused, her hand on the doorframe. “I’m going to get something to eat and go to the condo. You know where I am later if you want to find me.”
We both knew I would.
“Got it.”
It hurt to watch her walk away. But I knew it was going to be the same every time she did it, until the day she no longer returned. How I would deal then, I had no idea. But somehow, I would figure it out.
I had no other choice.
I sat down and lost myself in the pile of work in front of me.
That, I knew, would always be there.
Halton
An hour later, I glanced at my watch in frustration. I wasn’t accomplishing anything. I couldn’t concentrate on the files, and I had gone through the same documents time and again. I flipped the folder closed, knowing I had to give up and start again in the morning. I would come in early. I stood and stretched, deciding to grab a bite across the street, then head home.
I walked across the street, pausing by the large windows of my favorite local bar. Sitting at a table was Fee. Her head was down, tilted away, but there was no doubt it was her. The light caught her silver hair cascading down over her shoulders. She was leaning on her elbow, her chin propped up in her hand, staring at the table, her finger tracing an abstract design on the wood. A glass of wine was in front of her, an untouched salad, ignored. I could see the strain of everything in the droop of her shoulders, and the need to somehow ease her worries, fix whatever was weighing on her, hit me.
Something about her made me want to solve everything that was upsetting her. Make her entire world right—even if it was me that was the problem. It was very confusing.
I stared at her for another moment, drinking in her beauty. I lifted my gaze, bristling when I saw a man leaning against the bar, his attention entirely focused on Fee. He sipped his drink, his unwavering gaze piercing. I glared when his eyes met mine, his eyebrows rising and his chin dipping as if to say “look at her,” then focused his gaze back on Fee. My hackles rose at the predatory look.
He drained his drink, setting it on the bar, and straightened. He rolled his shoulders as if gearing up for a fight, then turned and began to move toward Fee.
Like a bull seeing a waving cape, I charged forward, my muscles taut and my focus on one thing, and one thing only.
Getting to Fee before that asshole did.
I burst through the door, darting to the right, my legs eating up the distance quickly. I hit the edge of a table, barely stopping long enough to mutter an apology, heading toward Fee and cutting off the jerk. Fee’s startled gaze met mine, and before she could say anything, I bent, wrapped my hand around her neck and pulled her in, kissing her hard. She gasped into my mouth but let me pull her close, her mouth moving perfectly with mine.
I eased back. “Hey, love. Sorry I’m late.”
She blinked.
“You started without me. Good.” I sat down, pulling my chair close. I glanced over my shoulder, meeting the stranger’s eyes. He was frozen, one hand clutching the back of a chair as he stared at us. I smirked and lifted my eyebrows. He frowned, and without thinking, I mouthed one word.
“Mine.”
He spun on his heel and headed toward the bar.
Fee glanced at me, then toward the bar. “What just happened?”
I turned to her with a grin. “Nothing. I missed you. I thought we could have dinner.”
“You missed me,” she repeated, the surprise in her voice evident.
“Yep.”
“And you knew I’d be here…because?”
I shrugged. “Lucky guess.” I looked at her plate. “Tell me that’s an appetizer.”
“It’s my dinner.”
“Not anymore.” I signaled for the waiter and ordered us cheeseburgers and a basket of fries. I glanced at Fee. “Guinness?”
“No, I’ll drink my wine.”
I shrugged off my jacket and faced her fully. “Okay.”
“What did you do, Halton? Why is that man staring at us?”
I thought of the word I’d mouthed to the jerk-off. What possessed me, I had no idea, but the thought of someone else moving in on Fee made me want to punch something.
“He’s probably thinking the same thing I am.”
“Which is?”
I grinned and kissed her. “That you’re the prettiest woman here. No doubt he’s jealous I get to sit beside you and do this.” I pulled her in for another long kiss. “Play your cards right, Fee, and I’ll let you take me home too.”