Page 20 of Claimed by Him

Ten

I tookSunday as a personal day. We weren’t always open on weekends, but I’d never been the sort of person who did well relaxing in traditional ways. I’d taken the previous weekends as times to work on my laptop, to compile notes, the sorts of things I could do at home. I even spent time cleaning my entire apartment every other week.

Yesterday, however, I slept in, ate crap food, and did some reading. I was surprised by how much better I felt this morning. Sure, I’d gotten used to being around Clay when we were in Quantico, but I’d had five months to get used to not having him around. But I hadn’t gotten closure until Saturday evening. Now, even though I knew I’d miss sex with him, I felt better knowing that I wasn’t stringing him along.

This morning, I’d filled Adare in about where things had gone with Jenna’s case, then she’d gone off to some appointment while I’d manned the office. She’d promised to bring back some super-caffeinated stuff for me to drink in exchange for me having to stay inside on a beautiful day.

When I heard the door to the office open, I didn’t bother peeking outside, but rather called over my shoulder, “I hope you remembered the coffee. I got all of the paperwork done and all your files alphabetized.”

“I apologize,” a man’s voice came from behind me, “I wasn’t aware that coffee was required for a retainer.”

I spun around, my foot catching on the back wheel of the chair. I stumbled, grabbing the edge of the desk to keep from falling. I didn’t end up on the floor, but I did end up in a strange, awkward position when I finally raised my head.

And saw one of the most gorgeous men I’d ever seen. And considering how hot Rylan Archer and Clay were, that was saying something. Ruggedly handsome, he had just enough scruff to keep him from looking too polished. His hair was a rich brown color and tousled enough to tell me that the wind was kicking up outside. He was tall, well over six feet, and muscled enough to impress me. Then my eyes met his, and I almost stopped breathing. Pure, clear turquoise, like nothing I’d seen on a real person.

And he was definitely real.

And trying not to laugh at me.

“Are you, all right?” he asked as he walked into the office.

“Fine.” I nodded and managed to straighten without looking like even more of a fool. “Sorry about that.”

He shook his head. “No, no, it was completely my fault. I shouldn’t have teased you. It’s how I deal with stress. I’m sorry.”

Stress. Right. He was here for a real reason, not to flirt with me. If he was even flirting with me in the first place. Which he wasn’t. And I wasn’t. Interested. I wasn’t interested in him. Except as a client. That was all.

“Let’s start over,” he said. “I’m Jalen Larsen, and I came here to hire Burkart Investigations.”

Starting over. That I could do. “I’m Rona Quick. Please have a seat, Mr. Larsen.”

He didn’t look much older than me, and from how he carried himself, I was willing to bet that he spent a lot of time having to prove to people that his age said nothing about his abilities.

“Tell me a little about what’s wrong, and I’ll tell you if I can help.”

I gave him the same line that Adare always gave our clients. She’d warned me early on to never agree to take a case before hearing the details. We didn’t turn people away because something was too difficult, but we did pick and choose our clients carefully. One of Adare’s first clients had hired her to find his cheating, thieving wife. His words. Fortunately, Adare was thorough. It turned out that his wife had left him two months before because he’d been beating her the entire three years they’d been married.

“A business acquaintance of mine referred me to you,” he began. “Rylan Archer. He said you were doing some work for his wife.”

I folded my hands on the desk in front of me, careful to keep my expression neutral. Referrals were good, but I knew I had to be careful. He could have genuinely gotten a referral from Rylan, but he could also be lying. Rylan had money, and Jenna had been in the press. He could easily be a reporter fishing around for a story or even some lunatic trying to get at either one of them.

He gave me the sort of smile that told me he knew exactly what I was thinking. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wallet.

“Here’s my ID.” He held out the thin piece of plastic. “Call Rylan and ask him if I’m legit. I just ask that you do it now. What I need is a bit time sensitive.”

I took his ID, scrutinizing it for a moment before picking up my phone. If it was fake, it was the best one I’d ever seen. Still, I preferred to be cautious, especially considering what happened to Jenna a few years ago when an obsessed ‘fan’ had found her.

“Hello?” Rylan’s voice came over the line.

“Rylan? It’s Rona Quick. I have a referral in my office and just wanted to check with you that he was legit.”

“If it’s Jalen Larsen, then yes, I referred him to you. He’s a good guy.”

“Thanks.” I breathed out a relieved sigh. “Tell Jenna I said hello.”

“I will.”

As I set down my phone, I handed Jalen back his ID. “What can I do for you, Mr. Larsen?”

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