Legal Affairs 5 - Reparation Read online

  Laughing, I hand the controller back over to him. “You are just too good, Gabe. I’ll never be able to beat you.”

  Turning to his dad, he says, “Want to play?”

  Matt reaches out and tousles Gabe’s hair. The look on his face is one of overwhelming love for his child, and it shoots a ping of joy through my heart. “Maybe later, buddy. Let’s get ready to head out to Coney Island. Go get your shoes on.”

  Gabe leaps up and yells, “Hooray,” before he takes off running to his room.

  Matt turns to me and crooks his finger. “Get over here and give me a proper hello.”

  There’s no room for hesitation. I willingly walk up to Matt and let him pull me down onto his lap. His lips find mine in one fluid move, and he’s giving me a kiss that is possessive and deep.

  It’s also brief because that type of kissing usually leads to hands wandering and clothes shedding, and we, of course, cannot do that with Gabe here. He pulls back with a sigh. “So, what do you think of Gabe?”

  Matt’s words are full of pride.

  “He’s wonderful,” I assure him, and then I ponder a moment. “He’s you.”

  The light in Matt’s eyes over my words shines bright. He knows his son is wonderful, and the fact I just said his son is just like him means that he is wonderful, too.

  Gabe comes tearing back into the room and I start to get off Matt’s lap, but he holds me tight. There’s apparently no personal space to a seven-year-old because he runs to the couch and jumps on both Matt and me. “I need you to tie my shoes, Dad.”

  “Nope,” Matt says. “You know how to do it.”

  “I forget how,” he pouts.

  “Well… I heard that in order to get into Coney Island, you have to prove you can tie your shoes. If you can’t do it, we can’t go.”

  Gabe looks at his dad, trying to determine if what he is saying is true. He’s a smart kid though and not willing to risk rejection at Coney Island. He pushes away from Matt and me and starts tying his shoes.

  Little stinker.

  I look at Matt and giggle, and he just shrugs his shoulders. “All the negotiations skills I learned as a lawyer have been invaluable raising a child.”

  When Gabe finishes with his laces, he reaches over and grabs Matt’s hand. “Come on, Dad. Let’s go.”

  Matt and I stand up from the couch and start walking toward the door. He grabs his wallet and car keys off a table in the foyer.

  “What do you want to do at Coney Island today?” Matt asks Gabe.

  Gabe starts rattling off his agenda at about a hundred miles an hour. “I want to ride the Cyclone, play skeeball, eat hot dogs and cotton candy, and then go to the beach, and then we can ride the Cyclone again. I’ll ride it once with you, and then Mac can ride it with me.” He continues chattering, and I’m staring at him in wonder because it’s amazing to me that a child can talk for that length of time and not even pause to take a breath.

  Matt opens the door while my eyes are helplessly pinned to Gabe as he continues his speech. We start to follow Matt out but he comes to an abrupt stop, and I run into his back.

  Looking up and around Matt’s shoulder, I see a woman standing in the hallway. She was apparently getting ready to knock.

  She’s stunning. Pale blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and huge boobs. She’s every man’s wet dream.

  For a brief moment, I think this is some woman that Matt is seeing behind my back. But then I immediately take in the way that Matt’s shoulders stiffen and his jaw muscle starts popping. A sure sign that he is not a happy camper.

  Then it becomes clear who this is.

  Matt grits out, “Marissa… what are you doing here?”

  So this is Matt’s ex-wife. The one that screwed around on him. The one that left him with a bitter heart and made my work all that much harder.

  The look she gives Matt chills my bones. It’s calculating and vindictive. She pushes past Matt into the apartment, and I have to step back so she doesn’t run me over. “I’ve had a change in plans, so I’m here to get Gabe.”

  Turning to me, she says, “And you are?”

  Well, this is awkward. Do I stick my hand out and introduce myself? Before I can even think what to say, Gabe grabs ahold of Marissa’s hand and says, “This is Mac, Mommy. She’s daddy’s friend.”

  Marissa’s eyes roam up and down me briefly, and then they are dismissive. Turning to Matt, she says, “I don’t appreciate you bringing your flavor of the week around our son.”

  Matt’s eyes flash in anger, but his voice is completely calm. “Marissa… I’m not doing this with you. Not in front of Gabe. We’re on our way out to Coney Island. I can bring him by your place later this evening.”

  “Sorry. That just won’t work for me. I’m taking him now.”

  Gabe pipes up. “I want to go to Coney Island with Daddy.”

  Marissa hardly gives him a glance. “Not today, baby. We have other things to do.”

  “Marissa… don’t make Gabe suffer because you want to get back at me.”

  She doesn’t even bother to respond, but I see triumph in her eyes. Unbelievable. The bitch is punishing Gabe just to punish Matt.

  I hate her. I literally hate her.

  I am immensely uncomfortable witnessing this exchange, and I would love nothing more than to slink out of Matt’s apartment right now. I consider it, but then Matt says, “Mac… would you mind taking Gabe back to his room for a moment so I can have a few words with Marissa.”

  “Sure,” I say softly. “Come on, Gabe.”

  Gabe looks from me, to his mom, to his dad. Matt nods at Gabe and says, “Go on, buddy. I’ll work this out with Mom.”

  “Okay,” Gabe says, and he grabs my hand to lead me back to his room.

  “Marissa,” I hear Matt plead softly. “Please don’t do this. He’s so excited about going to Coney Island.”

  I can’t see Marissa’s expression, but I can almost envision it. She’s happy to have power and happy to have Matt beg her. I hear her response just before Gabe and I turn the corner to his room.

  “Sorry, Matt. It’s not your weekend for visitation, and it’s my right to take him.”

  I close the door behind us, and I content myself to look at his collection of toys that he parades before me. I can no longer hear their conversation clearly and for that, I’m glad. It’s painful hearing Matt have to beg on his son’s behalf, probably knowing he’ll never get anywhere with her.

  After a few moments, Gabe’s door opens and Matt stands there. He looks resigned, sad, and pissed off all at the same time.

  “Hey, little man,” he says quietly. “Let’s get your stuff together. Mom has important stuff she needs to do, and you’ll have to go with her.”

  Gabe immediately starts whining, not that I blame him at all. If I had to go with that bitch versus going to Coney Island, I’d whine too. “No, Daddy… I want to stay here with you.”

  My heart breaks… literally cracks right down the middle, particularly when I see the pain in Matt’s eyes. Kneeling down, he pulls Gabe into a hug. “I know. I want you to stay here, too. But go with Mommy, and I promise that we’ll go to Coney Island next weekend. Okay?”

  Gabe grumbles a little but eventually nods his head. I watch while Matt packs his stuff up and leads Gabe back into the living room. Just before he leaves, he turns to me and hugs onto my leg. “Bye, Mac. See you next weekend.”

  I tell him goodbye while I stroke the top of his head, and then Matt leads him back into the living room. I wait a few moments until I hear the apartment door open and close, indicating Marissa is gone.

  Seeking out Matt, I find him in the kitchen. He has both palms on the kitchen counter, and his head is hanging low.

  “Are you okay?” I ask him hesitantly.

  He raises his head, and his eyes are dark and bleak. His generous lips are now flattened in anger. “No, I’m not fucking okay,” he snarls, and his voice is filled with so much hatred and bitterness, I actually flinch. “How can I be
okay after that?”

  Clasping my hands in nervousness, I can only say, “I’m sorry.”

  He stares at me a long moment. He’s appraising me, looking deep to find something. I’m not sure what he’s seeking, but the desolate look in his eyes never lessens. Pushing away from the counter, he stalks up to me.

  Slipping his hand into my hair and palming the back of my head, his voice is harsh and guttural. “Do you see, Mac?”

  “See what?” I whisper.

  “Do you see why I am the way I am?”

  “Because of Marissa?”

  “Yes… it’s all because of her.”

  Matt just stares at me, his eyes flicking between mine. His face is hard and unyielding. Gone is the humor and easy sensibility. My stomach drops when I realize that Matt hasn’t let go of his bitterness. But how could he… if he has to deal with that constantly from his ex-wife?

  He may have opened up to me a bit, but when it boils down to it, he has his heart firmly protected.

  Do I have the fortitude to break through those barriers? I think I might.

  Bringing my hands up, I stroke his cheeks. Standing on my tiptoes, I bring my lips to his and press in. At first he doesn’t respond, so I slip my tongue out and lick at his lips. With a slight groan, he opens up and my tongue plunges in.

  I feel desperate, because I see that Matt has the potential to slip away from me. I have a whole new appreciation for the efforts he has been taking to give me the relationship I wanted. He has been majorly damaged, and this is painful for him. His risk to open up and let me in is far greater than I had ever imagined or gave him credit for. It would be so easy for him to give up, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure he doesn’t.

  “I need you,” I murmur as I pull slightly away from the kiss to caress my lips along his neck.

  He groans again, my words fueling his desire. His hands pull and tear at my clothes, and mine do the same to him. The desperation with which we are clawing to get at each other is different for both of us. I don’t want to lose Matt, and I’m trying to get closer to him. Matt wants to forget what just happened with Marissa and lose himself in the haze of sex.

  In a matter of seconds, Matt has me on the living room floor and he’s driving into me. His entry is painful and pleasurable all at once, but my body quickly accepts him because it knows him. It knows he belongs.

  Matt takes me roughly, which is not unknown to me. We’ve had plenty of hot, rough, and fast sex before. It’s like the rush of a drug… or at least how I imagine it would be. If this is what he needs to purge Marissa’s actions from his mind, then I’ll give it to him.

  Over and over again.

  He drives me towards a blistering orgasm, and I’m still shuddering when he follows me with a quiet moan. My arms come around his back and pull him even tighter to me.

  I wait for it…

  For him to whisper my name in reverence like he always does.

  But I’m met with nothing but silence.

  If you enjoyed Legal Affairs - Reparation as much as I enjoyed writing it, it would mean a lot for you to give me a review.

  Stay tuned for upcoming volumes that will be releasing. There are only six volumes in this series.

  Legal Affairs – Objection

  releasing January 10, 2014

  Legal Affairs – Stipulation

  releasing January 24, 2014

  Legal Affairs – Violation

  releasing February 7, 2014

  Legal Affairs – Mitigation

  releasing February 21, 2014

  Legal Affairs – Reparation

  releasing March 7, 2014

  Legal Affairs – Affirmation

  releasing March 21, 2014

  Connect with Sawyer online:

  www.sawyerbennett.com

  www.twitter.com/bennettbooks

  www.facebook.com/bennettbooks

  The Off Series

  New Adult Contemporary Romance

  Off Sides

  Off Limits

  Off The Record

  Off Course

  Off Chance

  The Forever Land Chronicles

  New Adult Paranormal Romance

  Forever Young

  Stand Alone Titles

  If I Return – New Adult Christmas Novella

  Serial Romance

  Legal Affairs – Objection

  releasing January 10, 2014

  Legal Affairs – Stipulation

  releasing January 24, 2014

  Legal Affairs – Violation

  releasing February 7, 2014

  Legal Affairs – Mitigation

  releasing February 21, 2014

  Legal Affairs – Reparation

  releasing March 7, 2014

  Legal Affairs – Affirmation

  releasing March 21, 2014

  About the Author

  USA Today Best-Selling author, Sawyer Bennett is a native North Carolinian and practicing lawyer. When not trying to save the world from injustice, she spends her time trying to get the stories she accumulates in her head down on paper. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, Shawn, and their three big dogs, Piper, Atticus and Scout.

  THE END