Page 6 of Bitter Desire
She let out a low whistle. “Well, hell, Law. Who is the lucky lady?”
I frowned. I didn’t like Charlaine reading my ass this fast and easy. She wasn’t even trying at this point, with how easy she’d figured my motivations out. “A special woman,” I answered, not even bothering to hide that she was right.
“Must be if you’re cashin’ inJersey.”
“Desperate times, Char.”
“Love that for you, Law.”
I chuckled and took another pull of my cigarette. I exhaled. “You know, I’m sure a lot of people would love to have me where I am right now. That’s why I called you,” I said, tapping my cigarette against the railing. The ash on the end fell, floating away in the air and vanishing from sight.
“You knew I wouldn’t be too harsh, hon. Not every day Lawson Sokolov gives a fuck about anyone. I know you like her a lot too, callin’ me at this hour.”
“It’s hardly past ten, Char.”
“I’m a woman who values her beauty sleep, Law.” More tinkling of ice on glass. “Now tell me who you want me to find and what you want to know.”
“Not sure who. All I have is a number and a bunch of bullshit texts.”
“A stalker. Poor thing. Glad she’s got you.”
I was still not liking the way Charlaine was again, hitting the nail right on the fucking head. Had I gotten that easy to read?
“Nobody said shit about a stalker.”
“Sure they did.”
“Char.”
“You did, just now. Everyone knows omission is the same thing as confessing.”
I rubbed the bridge of my nose. I’d forgotten how quick the woman was. Fuck. “Listen, Char. Stay with me here, will you? This is...new territory for me. You know that,” I said. There’d been a time when we’d been close. The jobs I had to do required someone with a defter touch than the business end of my hands or gun could offer. Charlaine had, and still did, cater to the city’s most powerful crime families. The woman operated like I had. She didn’t answer to anyone, playing the system and making a profit by having no allegiance. She was a sharp woman with a quick tongue. And was wicked when it came to exacting revenge.
Naturally, I liked her.
“You just gotta make me be human,” she huffed. “Annoying, Law. Real annoying. Fine, I’ll stop picking on you about your girlfriend. So now, what I’m gonna need from you is the number, and I want you to send me her phone number, name and SIM card info, okay?”
I didn’t like that she’d have Honey’s name, but I knew Charlaine wouldn’t ask for information she didn’t need. She owed me too damn much to try and leverage Honey against me. Plus, what I knew about the woman would not be ideal for her reputation as New York City’s most affluent and efficient hacker.
“I’ll send it when we’re off the phone.”
“Then we better hang up because I can tell whoever’s riled you and gone after your girl is wrong and deserves you on their ass. I’ll get on it tonight.”
I smiled. “Thank you, Char.”
“Always, Law. Now, take your tight butt back to bed and fuck your woman.” She disconnected. The dial tone hummed in my ear, and I looked over my shoulder at Honey. She was still where I’d left her, body curled in on itself, looking far too frail and small in my large bed. I pushed away from the railing and headed inside.
Chapter Three
HONEY
I awoke to Law getting into bed. He had the fanciest sort of mattress, that Tempurpedic, so bougie you could jump on the mattress and not knock over the glass of wine infomercial caliber of mattress, but the man was massive and it was hard not to feel him sliding into bed behind me. He scooted closer, closing the distance between us. I felt him settle an arm over my waist, his lips dropping a kiss on my shoulder the next second before he curled his big body around mine.
I smiled. Heaven. This was fucking heaven on earth. Bliss found.
All my life I’d searched for somewhere and someone to belong beside. Law was giving me this in all the ways I knew he didn’t even notice, because nothing he did was rehearsed or forced. It was all him. Wild, unplanned and sweet. God. I was falling for him, and I was falling fast.
I wasn’t even sorry about it.
