Legally Hot, Leigh, Lora [freenovel24 .txt] 📗

carrying him across the room, straight for Carter.

Carter gave a broad smile and nodded at Keri, then held out his arms as he stepped away from the wall.

Adam fisted and unfisted his hands as he stopped in front of Carter. His jaw hurt from clenching it so tightly and he felt a muscle tic on his face. He was probably telegraphing loud and clear his desire to kill Carter.

“What’s up, Detective?” Carter said. “As I suspected, you’re fucking Keri, aren’t you.”

“Sonofabitch.” Adam drew back his arm and punched Carter in the face.

The man stumbled back, his head striking the wall. The fury in Adam only increased. Before Carter could recover, he rammed his fist into the bastard’s gut.

“Don’t you ever follow Keri again,” Adam growled.

He went after Carter again, but his arms were grabbed and he was held back. He fought against whoever was holding him, but it had to have been two or three men who had him.

“He’s crazy.” Carter wiped blood from his mouth and nose as he looked at the people now gathered around them. “Minding my own business and this lunatic cop punches me.”

“I’m a police officer.” Adam shook off the men holding him and drew out his shield and showed it to those gathered around. They backed away. “I’d better never see you around Keri or me again, Carter.”

“Did everyone hear this cop threaten me?” Carter said as he looked around. “I’m in a public place and I have a right to be here.”

“You don’t have the right to stalk Keri.” Adam said, then ground his teeth.

Carter wiped his nose with more napkins that were handed to him. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, Detective. All I know is that I was minding my own business when you came out of nowhere and assaulted me.”

Adam was about to go after Carter again when someone said, “I got it all on video on my phone.”

“I got pictures,” someone else said.

“Police brutality,” shouted another.

“Guy wasn’t doing anything,” came another voice.

Shit.

“Stay away from Keri,” Adam said in a growl and turned away.

He bumped into Keri who’d apparently come up behind him while he was dealing with Carter.

“Come on.” She took his hand and led him through the nightclub. “Let’s go home.”

Adam realized he was shaking from the amount of adrenaline pumping through him and his knuckles ached. He squeezed Keri’s fingers, silently thanking her for coming after him and pulling him away from what might have turned out badly for him.

It was going to turn out a lot worse for Carter if he ever touched Keri.

  NINE

  “That wasn’t necessary.” Keri waited until they got into the SUV to say anything to Adam about what had just happened. “I don’t want you getting into trouble.”

Adam dragged his hand down his face. “I don’t know how the hell he found us.”

“I was wondering the same thing.” The thought of Edward tracking them down like he had made her stomach sick. “I’m in a different house now and we’ve been so careful.”

“Not careful enough.” Adam banged his palm on the steering wheel. “Damn.” His face tightened. “Carter must have found out where I live and then followed me to your place.”

Keri tugged down her short dress, a nervous gesture because she really didn’t know what to do with her hands.

“We need to take you to a hotel.” Adam looked at her apologetically. “I’m sorry about this.”

“A hotel is fine.” Keri gave him a little smile. “For a couple of nights anyway.”

With clear frustration, Adam rubbed his face again with his palm. “Carter is supposed to be heading out of town for good. Possibly even this week was what we heard.”

“Maybe he just wanted to harass us,” Keri said.

“Maybe.”

After making arrangements for Fred, Adam picked a nice hotel and she waited in the lobby while he checked them in. Her room was on the twenty-second floor and the room had a great view of Times Square.

Keri stood at the window, staring at the lights, the glitter, the people. Had it really been seven years since she was forced to retire from her life of performance after performance? Seven years since she left behind that craziness that she had loved.

Still looking away from Adam, out the window, Keri said, “Will you stay with me tonight?”

She felt Adam’s presence, then his warm hands on her shoulders. He began to massage her and she tipped her head back and closed her eyes.

His touch was strong, familiar, as if he had done this to her a thousand times before.

“Mmmmm…” Keri sighed. “Wonderful.”

Adam gripped her upper arms and turned her around to face him. His features were shadowed from the dimness of the room, but he looked so intense.

He searched her face with his gaze. “You’re beautiful in so many ways,” he said quietly. “More ways than I can count.”

A feeling like a wave surging inside her belly made her catch her breath as she stared up at him. His eyes, so dark. His lips, so close.

Adam brought his mouth down on hers. A hard kiss that she met with equal intensity. She wrapped her arms around his neck and bit his lower lip, causing him to groan.

“This should answer your question,” he said with another kiss. Then murmured, “Yes, I’ll stay with you.”

She said nothing back, just kissed him deeper. She had known him just a week, but it felt like she had known him for so much longer than that. Known him and loved him.

Loved him.

He moved his hands from her shoulders, lightly down the sides of her waist, and rested them on her hips. He drew her to him so tightly that she felt his arousal against her belly.

More waves crashed in her abdomen. Need.