Page 3 of Fischer's Catch

I’m sitting on the floor behind the counter, reorganizing the small hidden safe, when there’s a knock on the front door. Allie rushes around the corner and squeals, “Yay! My brother finally made time to come see us.” Great. My hot neighbor shows up when I’m looking my absolute worst, and I still haven’t had time to tell Allie about my unexpected run-in with her brother.

I stand facing away from the door and brush the dust off my black capri pants while she opens the door for Fischer. Oof. This isn’t how I wanted us to meet again, but I’ll have to make the best of it.

Taking a deep breath, I turn to face the man who has occupied my thoughts since last night. He’s wearing a dark gray suit and white shirt that show off his muscular body, and my unused girly bits wake the heck up. Right here. In front of my business partner who happens to be his freaking sister.

Fischer glances over at me, and the smile on his face widens. “This is a pleasant surprise.” The temperature in the room skyrockets around us.

Allie looks back and forth between us for a few seconds as her eyes narrow. “You two know each other?” she huffs, and I know I’m going to get an earful once we’re alone.

“We’re neighbors.” Fischer smiles down at his sister and explains, “In fact, I just met Maddie last night when she stole my dinner.”

That sounds so bad. I cut in to explain myself before my new business partner thinks I’m dishonest. “It was an accidental theft,” I assure her. “And we got so busy this morning that I forgot to tell you about it.” I hope my excuse doesn’t sound too convenient. We really need to change the subject.

It’s almost like Fischer reads my mind. “Who’s coming to the grand opening?” he asks Allie, and I breathe a sigh of relief as they talk about the grand opening. I act busy arranging books on the shelf while Allie shows Fischer around the bookstore.

“I’ll see you later.” Fischer walks up behind me and places a hand on my shoulder. “I can’t wait to take you out tonight,” he whispers against my ear, “little thief.” Those two words send the hunger coursing through my blood through the roof as I watch him walk out the door.

“Okay. Ms. Likes to Keep Secrets.” Allie comes over and takes my hand. “It’s time for us to have a little talk.”

I give Allie the generic version of what happened last night, leaving out the part where I want to jump her brother’s bones, and then we spend the rest of the afternoon unpacking the last boxes. Stress, lack of sleep, and all the recent heavy lifting cause a knot to form at the base of my neck that slowly turns into a monster headache.

By the time I leave that night, my headache has progressed into a freaking migraine. It breaks my heart to cancel our date tonight, but there’s no way I can handle a night out. The thought of losing my opportunity with Fischer is heartbreaking, but I can’t function with this pain.

The pain overshadows my fear, and I end up taking the elevator up to my floor. Needing to break our date, I head straight to Fischer’s door and knock. He throws the door open, and the smile slips from his face as he stares down at me. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t make it tonight,” I mumble as pain pierces my skull from all directions. “I have a migraine.”

“Come on.” He takes my hand and leads me to my apartment. I let him take the keys from my hand and open the door. “Where’s your pain medication?” Fischer helps me to my room where I drop onto the bed before pointing at the bathroom.

“It’s in the cabinet above the sink,” I whisper and pull the blanket over my head to hide the light.

When Fischer returns, he hands me two white pills and a cup of water. I take them, hoping the pain goes away soon. “You rest.” Fischer gives me a kiss on the top of my head. “I’ll lock the door on my way out.”

I barely notice him leave; the pain is so severe.

Over the next few days, we pass each other in the hall, and Fischer stops by the bookstore a couple of times, but there never seems to be the time for us to have our date. I’m not going to lie. My heart is broken, and I’m totally bummed I blew my chance with the hottest man I’ve ever met.

CHAPTERFOUR

FISCHER

Missing my girl is driving me crazy. I must do something about it. It’s like the fucking universe dropped the best present ever in my lap, then expects me to wait patiently to claim it.

My caseload exploded after my handling of Mr. Rouse’s defense, and I’m suddenly buried under an avalanche of work. I make the time to stop by the bookstore a couple times and find that Maddie is just as busy with last-minute tasks before the grand opening. It frustrates me that we haven’t found the time to reschedule our dinner or even spend a little time together.

My sister called and bugged the hell out of me until I caved in and told her everything. After our long talk, I made Allie promise to keep my secret from the rest of the family until I make headway with Maddie.

By midweek, I’m done waiting. My fucking hungry cock is ready to rebel if I don’t make a move soon. Nightly jack-off sessions aren’t cutting it anymore, and I’m running out of time before the constant erection becomes permanent.

Wooing my girl needs my full attention, so I decide it’s time to call in my favor from the Rouse case. Jude grumbles when I ask for vacation time but agrees to give me the rest of the week off. “Just make sure you come back in a better goddamn mood,” he growls as I race from his office.

Once I get the rest of my cases squared away with other attorneys, I rush out the door like the hounds of hell are on my heels. I don’t plan to waste any time putting my plan into action. Leaving work early for the first in months feels strange, but there’s no fighting these crazy feelings.

As I rush home to wait for my girl, I admit that my family’s crazy love ailment finally caught up with me. My heart belongs to Maddie, and it’s time for me to do something about it. The curvy little thief reached into my chest and stole my heart. Now, I’ll do whatever it takes to make her mine forever.

I’m pacing a hole in my living room carpet when I see my girl’s tiny red car pull into her parking spot.

I hear her footsteps in the hallway and throw open my front door, startling Maddie. My girl jumps and holds her chest. “God. You scared the heck out of me.” A wide smile stretches across her face. “What are you doing home so early?”

---