Page 65 of Relentless Pursuit

Twenty minutes earlier...

Julian walked Connie to the entryway of her apartment building, grateful that the long night had come to an end and the sun would start to rise in a bit.

“I’m sure this goes without saying,” he said. “But you’re going to have to stay away from Tim from now on.”

“That won’t be a problem.” She turned the key in the silver lock of her door. “I was so stupid to even take his call tonight. I won’t fall for his bullshit again.”

“I hope that’s true, because if you get into trouble with him again, I won’t be able to help you. This was a one-shot deal.”

“I understand.” She turned to face him. “I really appreciate everything you did for me. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“I want to.” She pressed her hands to his chest. “I’ve been around Sapphire long enough to know what you like. We like the same things.”

Seriously? She’s going to pick now to throw herself at me?

“I mean, if you wanted me to...” She leaned into his lips, focusing on his mouth, but he backed away.

“Don’t.” He removed her skanky hands from his designer suit, holding her wrists in his firm grasp. “I did what I did for you because Blake asked me to. I thought you were friends with Kayla, but clearly I was wrong about that.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, tears slipping from her eyes. “I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just been a long night, and I was afraid when the cops hauled me into that car and to the station. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I’m not myself.”

“Don’t let it happen again,” he warned. “I’m not a tolerant man.”

She nodded.

“Stay out of trouble.” He pushed open her door. “Go inside and get some rest.”

She wiped the tears from her face, smearing her eyeliner in the process. He watched as she went into her apartment, leaving when he heard her lock the door.

He wouldn’t mentionConnie’s betrayal to Kayla. He didn’t believe for a second Connie was overwhelmed and that was why she had tried what she had with him. She’d been submitting her application for months to request him. He wasn’t interested then, and he certainly wasn’t receptive now. It troubled him that she would call herself Kayla’s friend.

Stepping off the elevator, he punched in his code, being careful not to make too much noise. She was probably asleep and he wanted to crawl back into bed with her. When he entered the apartment, the aroma of bacon filled the air. As he made his way down the hall to the kitchen, the scent of coffee perked him up. She stood in front of the oven, flipping pancakes on the center griddle of the stove top. When she turned to face him, she graced him with a welcoming smile. Turning off the gas, she made her way to him, dressed in his Princeton t-shirt and a pair of tiny white boy shorts. Now he really wanted to go back to bed, but not to sleep.

“What’s all this?” He pulled her close to him, taking his time to hold her. He missed her when they weren’t together. She’d flooded his thoughts and had him counting the hours until they could be with one another. Weekends were no longer enough.

“I thought you might be hungry, so when you texted me to tell me you were on your way home, I came down and made breakfast.”

“That was thoughtful of you, but I’m sure you’re tired. You didn’t sleep much either.” She had insisted on texting him for updates throughout the night.

“I was worried.”

“I know.” He frowned when he thought about her wasting any energy over a so-called friend who would go after him.” Everything is fine.”

“Because of you.”

“I didn’t do anything special.” He removed his jacket and loosened his tie. “Any attorney worth anything would have done the same thing. She just needs to stay out of trouble.”

“I’ll make sure she does.”

“That’s not your responsibility, and I’m going to strongly suggest you stay away from her.”

“What? Why? You know she didn’t do anything.”

“You need to be smart.” He hated to play this angle, but what choice did he have? She would never listen to him if he tried to manage her personal life. The bedroom was one thing and there were times he had trouble getting her to submit in there. “You are now employed for a very prominent judge. You don’t need any trouble. I think you should distance yourself from Connie.”

“Julian?” She studied his face. “What aren’t you telling me?”

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