Before Ben (Wilde Ways Book 3) Read online

  Kadi let out another dramatic cry. This one held a surge of shock. “How could you, Hay? How could you?”

  Ben kept his face expressionless. Kadi had known about the photos. He’d talked to her about them, but the woman was acting like she was stunned by the revelation.

  Hayden’s face turned red. “Meant nothing.”

  Kadi jumped to her feet. “And the men meant nothing to me! You’re the only one who matters. It was always you!”

  Him…and maybe the five million that was up for grabs as part of the divorce proceedings. Hayden Laslow had a giant import/export business, and Kadi wanted her share of the loot.

  There had been no pre-nup. Amateur mistake.

  “I don’t want this divorce.” Kadi hurried to Hayden’s side. She batted her lashes. They weren’t wet. No tears marred her cheeks. “Let’s try to make this work.”

  Hayden stared at her.

  “Counseling,” Ben suggested coolly. It was what his client wanted. It was what he’d say. “Continue the separation until you see how the therapy works, and we can proceed from there.”

  Hayden’s hands fisted. “I’ll think about it.” He shoved to his feet. “I’m done here.”

  Without another word, the guy stormed out of the office.

  Kadi tossed Ben a satisfied smile. She took her time gathering her things and strolling out. He heard his assistant talking to her outside. They were in Ben’s conference room. His firm. After graduating from law school, he’d gotten rich clients, damn fast. And he’d made some killer deals for those clients. Maybe this wasn’t the way he’d thought his life would go…bleeding rich assholes dry for their wives but…

  Courtney’s gaze was on the photos. There was something about her expression…a hint of recognition.

  Hmm…Did she know the blonde? Because he didn’t, not yet. The photos had been sent to his investigator, and he was working to track down the mystery lady’s identity.

  “You know her?” Ben pushed.

  Courtney’s attention shifted to him. That dark stare of hers…gorgeous. “I know when I see a stall tactic. Their marriage is over. Those two are toxic together.”

  Yes, they were. And—

  And Courtney was heading for the door.

  He lunged after her. “Stop!”

  She stilled. Glanced back at him. “I don’t think there’s more to discuss right now. I need to meet with my client again—”

  He shut the door to the conference room. Kadi had left it open, and he wanted privacy. “You’re scared.” He gave a hard shake of his head. “Of me? Because of what happened between us, you’re scared of me now?” He’d called her over the weekend. Only gotten her voice mail. He hadn’t wanted to pull stalker shit, so he hadn’t tried again or gone back to her place. He’d known he’d see her at his office for this meeting. He’d just needed to wait. Unfortunately, patience had never been his strength. Not when he wanted something very badly.

  He couldn’t remember wanting anything as badly as he wanted her.

  “Of course, I’m not scared of you. I’m annoyed that you thought you could blindside me today.” She rolled her eyes. “I knew about the one-night stand Hayden had with the woman in your photographs.” She pinned him with her dark chocolate gaze. “Did your client tell you everything?”

  No, she hadn’t. He’d suspected Kadi had been holding back on him. He’d deal with her secrets later because he had other priorities right then. Or, one main priority. Courtney. “If you aren’t afraid of me, then what’s wrong?”

  Her lips parted.

  He leaned toward her.

  But Courtney shook her head. “Nothing. I’ve just had a few jumpy days.” She headed for the door once more.

  He stayed in her path. “You’re the least jumpy person I know.” She was all business, through and through. He crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at her. “Talk.”

  “Ben, I have other appointments. I have things to do. Get out of my way. Now.”

  He was being a dick. He was also worried. “You didn’t sleep this weekend. Not well, anyway.”

  Her lashes fluttered. “You know this because…?”

  “I can see the shadows under your eyes. You tried to hide them with makeup—did a good job, but I see them.”

  “Aren’t you observant.” She didn’t sound impressed.

  He shrugged. “You’re holding your briefcase too tightly right now. You did that when you came in, too. It’s an old habit you have. Used to do the same thing with your laptop case right before a big presentation in law school. You’d grip it too tightly because you were nervous.”

  Now she took a step back. “You—you didn’t notice stuff like that when we were at Emory.”

  “I noticed everything when we were at Emory.” Everything about you.

  She laughed, but the sound held no real humor. “Bull. You noticed every pretty girl you could seduce into your bed. You didn’t notice me, except when I was in your way. I was the competition that you had to eliminate so you could be in charge of the Law Review and I was—”

  “You were the hottest girl in class. The smartest one. The one who drove me crazy when she’d show up in her black converse shoes wearing those skin-tight jeans. You’d have your hair loose and long, and sometimes, you’d even have on those glasses with the black frames…”

  Her mouth dropped open.

  “I noticed you.” And maybe he’d antagonized her a bit. Because…hell, he’d been a dumbass. And he’d wanted her attention. He still antagonized her for the same reason.

  And I’m still a dumbass where she is concerned. But this was different. “Tell me why you didn’t sleep this weekend.”

  “I have an active imagination.”

  “Huh?”

  Her hold on the briefcase tightened even more. “Fine. You truly want to know? When I went jogging Saturday, I-I thought someone was waiting for me in the park.”

  His heart thudded fast in his chest.

  “A guy in a black sweatshirt and wearing a ski mask.”

  What the fuck?

  “I ran from him, and when I looked back, he was gone. Cole didn’t see him. Cole, ah, he’s the neighbor who saw us in the elevator.”

  The jackass. Check.

  “None of the other joggers saw him, and the cop I called said I must have just been stressed from the attempted mugging on Friday.”

  He didn’t move. But rage sure grew inside of him.

  “When I got back to my apartment, I, um…” She looked away. “I’d put your flowers in a glass of water on my kitchen counter. I guess I didn’t put it far enough from the edge or something because they’d fallen over. The water was across the floor, and at first, it even looked as if someone had torn the flowers apart.” The last was said softly. She squared her shoulders and glanced back at him. “But I searched my apartment. No one was in there. The place was locked. The security system turned on. There was no way anyone could have gotten inside, so I was imagining stuff.”

  Every muscle had tightened. “You should have called me.”

  “Why?” A quick, nervous laugh. “Because I was imagining things—”

  “I’ve never known you to make anything up.”

  Once again, her gaze cut away from his. “Was I supposed to call you because we had a one-night stand? We’re not exactly friends, Ben. Calling you would have been a mistake.”

  As much of a mistake as fucking me? He waited until her gaze came back to him. “You should have called me,” he said again. “Because I will help you. Because I would do anything to keep you safe.”

  A little furrow appeared between her brows. “Why?”

  “Because I’m not a total dick?”

  Her lips parted.

  “Because I don’t like to see someone in trouble, and you are in trouble. The bastard in the parking garage was attacking you. And now you say that you think someone was waiting on your jogging trail for you? That someone might have been in your home? That’s like a million red flags—”r />
  “Or just a few,” she whispered.

  “You need me.”

  Her shoulders stiffened.

  “My connections,” he corrected smoothly, though, in truth, he’d meant those exact words. You need me, baby. You’ll figure that out soon enough. “My brother owns Wilde Securities. It’s the best security business on the East Coast.”

  Her tongue slid over her lower lip. “I know about Wilde. They handle celebrities. Billionaires. They’re not exactly going to care about my mugging.”

  Wrong. “They’ll care.”

  “Why?”

  Because I care. He glanced down at his watch. “My schedule is clear for the rest of the morning.” It wasn’t, but he’d make it clear. “I’ll take you over there right now. If someone was in your home, we need Wilde Securities to do a major system upgrade for you. No way can you keep staying in that place.”

  “Ben…I don’t understand you.”

  “Well, what can I say? I’m a man of mystery.” He turned away. Hurried outside the conference room. His assistant wasn’t at his desk, so Ben sent a quick text to the guy.

  Reschedule all morning meetings. Heading out of the office.

  He heard Courtney following him—slowly. He waited for her at the elevator. Then he motioned for her to proceed him inside. As the doors slid closed, she sighed.

  And he tried not to pounce. But the last time he’d had her in an elevator…

  “You’re a shark in court,” she murmured. “You attack, and you never back down. We fight all the time.”

  A nod. “That’s court. What happens in there, it’s separate from what happens…” He motioned between them. “Right here.”

  She was still holding too tightly to her briefcase. “You’re saying the sex is separate. That we can keep being adversaries in court, but we’re something else…outside?”

  “We can be whatever you want in court.” But out of court, he wanted to be her lover. He wanted to take her in a hundred different ways…and then a hundred more. First, though, the thing he wanted most—it was for her to be safe. “By the way, your client is an asshole.” And a guy who—Ben suspected—was involved in some seriously shady business dealings.

  Her lips twitched, but she caught the movement before a full smile could form. “And yours is one real prize.”

  A laugh slipped from him. “Maybe their therapy will work. They kind of deserve each other.”

  She stared at him a moment. The elevator dinged. Already at the ground floor. Courtney squared her delicate shoulders. “Why are you helping me? Why do you believe me so easily?”

  “Because it’s you, sweetheart. You’re Courtney McKenna. Lawyer most likely to succeed. Most ethical. Least likely to get caught in a sex scandal.”

  She winced at the last one. “You won the prize on that one. The most likely.”

  Actually, he had been the recipient of that unfortunate moniker. The “titles” had been given out at a party right before they’d graduated. He held the elevator doors so she could slip outside. Then he wanted to set the record straight. “I was also most likely to kick ass.”

  Her dark gaze lingered on him. She didn’t laugh. He’d wanted to at least make her smile. Her smiles always made his chest feel a little warmer.

  “So trust me to help you.” He wasn’t kidding. He wasn’t just the playboy that the world saw. Playboys didn’t work twenty-hour days so that they could build a firm. They didn’t fight dirty and rough. They didn’t get their hands bloody when need be.

  He did.

  For her…he would do just about anything.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “You have a new client,” Ben announced as he strode right into his brother Eric’s office. He didn’t bother knocking. He never knocked. But he kept his hold on Courtney—his fingers were twined with hers—as he pulled her inside after him.

  “I tried to stop him!” Dennis, Eric’s assistant, blared. “But he ran right past me.”

  “Dennis, please, you know you have to try a whole lot harder with me.” Ben focused on his brother. Eric was seated behind his desk, a faint frown pulling at his face. It was a familiar expression to Ben. He referred to it as Annoyed, Level One.

  “This is a mistake,” Courtney whispered as she sidled closer to Ben. “He doesn’t look happy, and I think we were supposed to wait in the lobby.”

  “I never wait in the lobby,” Ben threw back. As far as he was concerned, that was a brother privilege.

  Eric sighed. “No, he doesn’t.” He motioned to Dennis. “I’ve got this.”

  After a glower at Ben, Dennis yanked the door shut on his way out. Eric leaned back in his chair. His curious gaze swept over Ben…then down to Ben’s left hand. The hand that still held Courtney’s. Then his gaze flickered to her. Sharpened.

  “This is Courtney McKenna.” Ben figured he should do introductions. “Courtney, that’s my brother Eric. He’s going to give you a brand new security system.”

  “I am?” Eric raised his eyebrows.

  “Absolutely.” He pulled Courtney forward and guided her to one of the chairs near Eric’s desk. He took the other chair. Scooted it a little closer to her. “Some piece of crap attacked Courtney in a parking garage on Friday night. She thinks that she saw the same jerk in the park when she went running on Saturday and someone was in her house.”

  Eric’s expression immediately hardened. “You’ve gone to the cops?”

  “Y-yes,” Courtney responded. She seemed flustered. Nervous. Very un-Courtney-like. “But they didn’t seem optimistic about catching the mugger. And, um, I don’t think they believed me about the man in the park.”

  “They’re idiots.” Ben immediately dismissed them. “Of course, she’s telling the truth.” He nodded toward Eric. “Got to put the new system in her apartment right away. And we need to figure out who this jerkoff is and why he’s targeting her. Sounds to me like a stalker escalating, and we both know that shit isn’t good.” No, it wasn’t. The last thing Ben wanted was for Courtney to be put in any additional jeopardy.

  Eric blinked. “Uh, how about you come with me for a minute, bro?” He rose. Motioned to Courtney. “Please, just relax until we return. I’ll have Dennis bring in coffee for you, and he can get some general info for a Wilde investigation dossier.”

  Eric wanted him to leave Courtney? Why? “I’m good right here.” He waved his hand vaguely in the air. “Come on, let’s get down to business.” They didn’t need to waste time.

  Eric shook his head. “We need to talk, now.” His voice had gone even softer. Always a bad sign from his too-controlled older bro.

  Great. Now he had his Annoyed, Level Two face and voice happening.

  Ben sighed and glanced at Courtney. He gave her a reassuring smile. “I’ll be back before you can miss me.”

  She had a little furrow between her brows. Cute as hell. Part of him wanted to lean forward and kiss that little furrow—a very big part of him, but they weren’t at that stage yet so…yeah, he just rose and stalked toward the door. He yanked it open and spared Dennis a menacing glance. “You take care of her until I’m back.”

  Dennis opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. “I…will?”

  Behind him, Eric swore. “Just give her some coffee and start getting basic case file information. We’ll be right back.” Then he hurried around Ben and led the way to the conference room. One of the conference rooms, anyway, because Wilde Securities was huge. Even though Eric was leading the way, it wasn’t as if Ben needed an escort. He knew every inch of the facility.

  As soon as they entered the conference room, Eric slammed the door shut. “What in the hell are you doing?”

  Ben shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. “Trying to help out a woman in trouble?” Was this supposed to be a pop quiz? He tended to ace those.

  Eric growled. “Don’t bullshit me. You never succeeded at that crap as a kid, and you are not succeeding now.”

  Ben shrugged. Fine. He’d be as honest as possible.
“I don’t like what’s happening with Courtney. She’s scared. You specialize in this kind of thing so I figured bringing her here was a good idea.”

  Eric crossed his arms over his chest. “You aren’t going to use my company to get that woman in your bed.”

  Oh, hell, no. Hell, no, Eric had not just said that. Ben’s shoulders stiffened. “First…I don’t need to use anyone or anything to get a woman in my bed. I’m Ben Fucking Wilde, okay? Getting sexual partners isn’t a problem for me.”

  Eric shook his head in clear exasperation.

  “And, second, she’s already been in my bed.”

  Now his brother squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

  “Though in the interest of full disclosure, I’d like to get her back there as soon as possible.”

  Eric’s eyelids flew open. “That’s why you’re using me! You’re here because—”

  “And let’s go back to my first point,” Ben snapped. “I don’t need help getting a lover. Can handle that all on my own, thanks so much. Of the two of us, I am the one who is more charming.”

  “Who the hell says that?”

  “Everyone.” He started to pace. “I want a new system at her home. I want to know what the hell is happening. I want her safe.”

  “You keep talking like that, and I’ll start to think you care about this one.”

  This one? He whirled. “Why do you think I’m an asshole? Huh? I don’t toss away any lover. That’s not who the fuck I am. Piper knows the truth about me. You’d think my own brother would, too. But then again, you did think I was having sex with Piper for years so…” He let the sentence trail off.

  Since Eric had married Ben’s best friend Piper, it wasn’t any surprise that Eric’s face immediately flushed. “I was wrong about that.”

  “About a lot of things.” Ben nodded. “Like you’re wrong right now. I’m here because I want Courtney safe.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “On Friday night, I was the one who found her in the parking garage. The asshole had his fist drawn back to punch her. The cops say it was just a snatch and grab robbery, but if that’s the case, then why did she see him in the park the next day?”