Page 68 of Relentless Pursuit

“Jack and Caroline are going to her parents’ house in Connecticut until Saturday night.”

“Then I’ll do it first thing next Monday morning. I’d like to do it in person, so I’ll see if he has time for a breakfast meeting.”

“I’m sure we’re making more out of this than necessary.” She shrugged. “We’re both adults. We’re allowed to date.”

“Yes, we are. I like referring to our relationship as dating.” He nodded. “Because that’s what it is.”

“Good.” She leaned into him, gently kissing him. The sweet, sticky syrup coated his lips. “It’s too hard to separate my feelings for you.”

“Me too.” It was draining trying to keep his feelings for her buried. “You’ve enlightened me on a few subjects.”

“You’ve enlightened me on more than a few.” She giggled and the melodic sound warmed his heart. “Would you like more pancakes?”

He shook his head.

“Can I get you anything else?”

“Yes, but unless you’re going to give it to me right here in the kitchen, I suggest we move this upstairs.”

“Aren’t you tired?” Her lips curved into the biggest, devious smile. “I wouldn’t want to deprive you of sleep.”

“There’s only one thing you could deprive me of right now.” He stood, scooping her into his arms and heading for the hallway. “But I have a good feeling the odds are in my favor that you won’t deny me.”

“I’m all yours.”

Don’t I know it!

* * *

Kayla’snew job kept her occupied most of the week. The change of pace, the new atmosphere, and the knowledge she’d already gained from Judge Cooper and his staff was incredible. It had been the right move, both personally and professionally. Just one more thing she could thank Julian for. When she walked into Sapphire, she had no idea what it would bring for her. At the very least, she thought she’d find the meaning of great sex. She’d found that. She never expected to find him.

As she sat in the back of the black SUV Francis picked her up in, she perused social media. Now that she was in a serious relationship and working at a fulfilling job, she didn’t log on as much as she used to. There wasn’t anything interesting happening in her newsfeed anyway.

Julian had been out of town for two days. She looked forward to the weekend so they could spend time with one another and explore what it meant to be a real couple. He’d made reservations to a post brunch hosted at a trendy restaurant in one of the city’s more popular hotels. He was friends with the chef and had been talking about the food there for a few weeks. She didn’t care where they went, as long as they were together.

While playing on her phone, a call came through. The ring surprised her because most people didn’t call these days. Even her mother had taken to texting. The screen readConnie. She frowned. They had been texting since Connie’s mishap on Saturday night, but Kayla hadn’t seen or spoken to her. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to. She’d been busy with her new job, and when she got home from the long day, she would eat, take a hot shower, talk to Julian, and then go to bed.

“Hey,” she answered. “How are you?”

“Okay.” Connie sounded down.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Connie said. “Tim called me.”

“That’s not good, Connie. Did you tell him to leave you alone?”

“Yes, but I feel bad for him. I think the cops set him up.”

“Connie?” Could she be that stupid? “He’s going to ruin your life. Julian won’t be able to help you if you get arrested again.”

“Did he tell you that?”

“No, it’s common sense. He was able to assist you because you had a clean record. He won’t be able to argue that a second time. You have to stay away from Tim. He’s a loser.”

“That’s real easy for you to say.”

“What do you mean?”

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