Page 15 of Mace

Mace dipped his head, gently kissing her lips, and damn if she didn’t taste like cherries. Brooke moaned and wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him the green light to take more from her. Mace pulled her into his body, framing her face with his hands as he pressed his lips against hers once more. This time, when she opened for him, he took that as his cue to deepen the kiss, letting his tongue find hers. And when he broke the kiss, leaving them both panting, he could see the regret on Brooke’s face. That wasn’t what he was expecting after that kiss, but he could tell that she had put her defenses up again and there would be no tearing them down.

“I’m sorry,” Brooke said, “I shouldn’t have done that. You’re my client and that was very unprofessional of me.”

“Fuck that, Brooke,” he growled. “You want me as much as I want you. I can see it in your eyes every time you look at me.”

“I do want you, Mace, but acting on my feelings while I’m your lawyer is a bad idea,” Brooke insisted.

“What if I fired you as my lawyer?” he asked. “Would you kiss me then?”

She barked out her laugh, taking a step back from him. He instantly missed her body against his own. “You’d give up a good lawyer and the chance to clear your name for another kiss?” she asked. He’d give up more than that for another kiss from Brooke, but he was sure that telling her that would be a mistake.

“Brooke,” he breathed, reaching for her. She pulled away from him, crossing her hands over her chest. Yeah—she had put her defenses in place and there would be nothing that he could do to change that.

“I think you should go, Mace,” Brook insisted. “I’d like to take a nap now.” He knew that she was using that as an excuse to get rid of him, and that felt like a kick to the nuts, but he wouldn’t force himself on her. No, if Brooke wanted him, she’d have to give him the words now.

“Suit yourself,” he grumbled, walking past her, and slamming the door on his way out of her room. Mace wasn’t sure how he’d get past the steamy kiss that they just shared, but he’d have to find a way because Brooke had just made it very clear that it wasn’t going to happen again any time soon.

Brooke

Brooke knew that she wasn’t going to be able to sleep after that kiss, but she at least needed to try. She kicked off her heels and climbed onto her bed, groaning at how good it felt to be back in her favorite place. It was all hers too. No one knew about it and when she could find the time to escape to her little cabin in the middle of nowhere, she felt safe.

Mace made her feel that way too, though she had no plans of telling him that. Kissing him was a mistake, but God, she wanted to do it again. Heck, she wanted more than just one kiss with Mace, but she had to uphold her integrity as a lawyer, and jumping into bed with her client would blow that all to hell.

Her cell phone rang in her purse and she nearly jumped off the damn bed. She had forgotten that it was on, and that stupid mistake might cost her and Mace both. Brooke scrambled to the end of the bed and found her bag on the floor. She rummaged through it and found her phone, grimacing when she saw her father’s name across the screen.

“Shit,” she mumbled to herself. The last thing she wanted was a run-in with her father, but she knew that he wouldn’t stop trying to reach her and when that failed, he’d send out a search party to find her. Her father employed one of the best security teams in town and he wouldn’t hesitate to use them to find her.

Brooke answered the phone and sat back on the bed, ready to listen to a tirade of her father’s offensive comments about Mace once she told him that she was still his lawyer.

“Where are you?” he asked, skipping over the pleasantries.

“Well, hello to you,” Brooke sassed. Her father always said she had a smart mouth, but she thought that was what made her a good lawyer.

“Cut the crap, Brooke,” her father shouted into the other end of the call. “Tell me where you are so I can send a security detail for you.”

“I take it you talked to Brandon,” she said. He was the head of security at the office, and she should have known that he’d be loyal to her father.

“Yes, and he showed me the pictures you sent over. If this woman is dangerous, you should come here. I can put a security team on you and keep you safe, Brooke,” her father insisted.

“I am safe, Dad,” she said. “Mace and I are laying low for a bit until we have enough evidence to prove that Julie murdered Reece Childs.”

“You told me that you were off that case,” her father shouted.

“No, you told me that I couldn’t take the case. I never agreed to give it up. Mace needs my help and while you can’t seem to understand that it doesn’t change things. He’s innocent, Dad, and you’re not really giving him a fair shake. He’s a good man,” Brooke breathed. She hadn’t meant to say that last part, but the words were already out there. She wouldn’t be taking them back either because she meant everything that she said.

“I told you that a biker is not the kind of clientele that our firm is looking for,” her father said.

“And I told you that I own fifty-one percent of the firm since Grandpa gave me his shares. I’m the one who sets the tone for our firm, and I think that Mace is just who I’m looking for.” She looked up and found Mace standing in the doorway of her bedroom, smiling at her. She was so focused on the fight with her father that she didn’t hear the bedroom door open.

“This was my firm first,” her father spat.

“Right, and now, it’s mine. I’ll be in touch when I can, Dad. In the meantime, stay safe.” Brooke ended the call, not waiting for a response from her father. He was stubborn and changing his mind wasn’t something that a single phone call could do.

“How much of that did you hear?” she asked Mace.

“Enough,” he breathed. “Did you mean it?” he asked. Mace took a few steps into her room and Brooke wasn’t sure if she should tell him to stop or come in. She usually wasn’t so indecisive about what to do, but Mace had her all twisted up, and making a decision suddenly became harder than usual.

“Did I mean what?” she asked, trying to remember her conversation with her father.

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