Enticing the Enemy Read online

  Enticing the Enemy

  By Jules Court

  Jules Court, author of Hot in the City, returns with a brand-new contemporary romance novella full of sparkling wit and personality

  Defense attorney Erin Rafferty has to be tougher than her male colleagues to prove herself in the courtroom. A pit bull in a teacup-poodle package, her hard-earned hard-ass persona isn’t easily undone. But one man has proved himself capable.

  Rugged, tattooed Detective Cruz is honest, solid—and his testimony on a past case devastated Erin’s career. When a blind date has their paths crossing again, she has no intention of consorting with the enemy, even if her loss wasn’t entirely his fault. Then she gets close enough to him to feel the sparks, and even Erin can’t bring herself to object.

  Undercover cop Daniel Cruz never dreamed he’d see that sexy lawyer ever again. She’s just the shot of adrenaline he needs after being lost and alone too long in a job that’s beginning to get the best of him. However, getting the cautious Erin to trust in something more than a series of hot trysts isn’t easy. And with a new case threatening to put them right back where they started, this time their future together could be on trial, too.

  This book is approximately 34,000 words

  One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise! Find out more at CarinaPress.com/RomancePromise

  Carina Press acknowledges the editorial services of Mackenzie Walton

  Dear Reader,

  I love paranormal romance, so it was an extra pleasure for me to decide we were going to publish two paranormal romance anthologies and then get to read all of the submissions for them. I’m pleased that these two anthologies, Primal Need: A Sexy M/M Shifter Anthology and Mated: A Paranormal Romance Shifter Anthology, are finally available for purchase this month. Romantic, sizzling and just plain fun, I think you’re going to love them.

  Primal Need features three talented authors of male/male romance bringing together three incredible tales (and tails, I guess? Ha!). In Parker Foye’s “Wolf in King’s Clothing,” collared shifter Kent must steal one final thing before he can be free, but alpha wolf Hadrian doesn’t intend to go quietly when he realizes he’s the thing Kent has to steal—nor does his pack intend to let him go without a fight. In “The Alpha’s Claim” by Holley Trent, quick-witted actor Teddy Gaines is the mate Coyote alpha Jim West’s inner beast craves, but in claiming the very human Teddy, Jim risks inciting rebellion in an already restless pack. Last in this male/male romance anthology is “Dark Water” by debut author K.L. White. Struggling with PTSD, blinded navy veteran Benjamin wades into the ocean to die but is intercepted by a kelpie, a water horse shifter named Rez, who planned to sacrifice him, but their unexpected passion and love may save them both.

  After an accident on her twenty-first birthday, Sam MacTire has to give his best friend, Callie, a quick and dirty education on the ways of the wolf, clan politics and the little problem of their raging hormones before he faces censure for defying clan law and changing her. Check out “Wolf Summer,” debut author Sionna Fox’s addition to the Mated paranormal romance anthology. Returning Carina Press author Shari Mikels joins her with “Drawn to the Wolves.” Wolf shifter and pack alpha Callan Mohan meets his human mate, former sketch artist Kate Ballard, who’s terrified of wolves after witnessing a traumatic childhood incident. And in “Saving His Wolf” by Kerri Adrienne, bear shifter Powell senses the instant he holds her that Olivia is his mate, but the one thing threatening their healing mating hunger is Olivia’s distrusting and vigilant pack—who are prepared to do anything to get her back.

  In addition to these six novellas, we have a full lineup of romance to keep you going through spring and the end of the school year! As FBI agents Aidan “Irish” Talley and Jameson “Whiskey” Walker struggle to separate their professional and personal relationships, the challenging task is made impossibly harder when they’re sent undercover—as basketball coach and sports agent—on an identity-theft case in which all their secrets are ripe for exposure. Layla Reyne’s Agents Irish and Whiskey series is back in Cask Strength, and if you’re not following this male/male romantic suspense series, you’re missing out. It’s not too late to catch up with book one, Single Malt.

  When she agrees to pose as his woman to get details they need for the case, things heat up fast—and it’s not long before the lines between business and personal blur, and they’re both in over their heads. Sarah Hawthorne’s Demon Horde contemporary romance series will keep you turning the pages and this newest installment, Rebel Custody, is no exception.

  Contemporary romance author Jen Doyle is back with her charming and romantic Called Out. Widowed mother of four Lola McIntire did not need a man. Been there, done that, got the broken heart. Even worse? A man who had more drama in his life than she did—like the irredeemable Jack “Ox” Oxford, the major-league pitcher who slept with his best friend’s fiancée. By all accounts, he should be called out. But there’s something about Jack that Lola just can’t shake.

  Jules Court first brought us Hot in the City and now she’s Enticing the Enemy. When passion erupts between police detective Daniel Cruz and defense attorney Erin Rafferty, natural enemies might become something more.

  Last this month is the steamy erotic romance Crave Me by Stacey Lynn. Master Jensen Rhodes was determined to leave the BDSM lifestyle forever, but when he’s introduced to Haley Portsmouth, a new sub seeking her first Dom, he not only decides he’ll train her for submission, he’ll take everything from her—including her heart.

  Pick your poison—or your paranormal or contemporary romance—this month with all these great offerings!

  Coming next month: Rhenna Morgan is back with her latest übersexy hero in the Haven Brotherhood series. Hang on to your hats because Trevor is going to knock your (cowboy) boots off and set your world on fire! Also releasing: our newest anthology offering, a capers and heists collection!

  As always, until next month, my fellow book lovers, here’s wishing you a wonderful month of books you love, remember and recommend.

  Happy reading!

  Angela James

  Editorial Director, Carina Press

  Dedication

  To a fantastic husband for understanding that there are no weekends off.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Excerpt from Hot in the City by Jules Court

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Jules Court

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Erin Rafferty was losing. Badly. And it was all because of the man seated in the witness box, calmly answering prosecutor Mike Kelly’s questions.

  Detective Daniel Cruz, tall, dark and devastating to her case.

  She faked writing something down on her yellow legal pad while she schooled her facial expressions. She couldn’t let the jury see her fear. Although, the way they were focusing in on Detective Cruz’s testimony like preteens at a boy band show, they wouldn’t notice if she gave in and had a full-fledged panic attack in the middle of the courtroom. Which, if she didn’t pull it together, she probably w
ould.

  Next to her at the table, her client, Edward White, shifted his weight. He was scowling, which increased his resemblance to a grumpy bulldog. Not a good image for the impressionable jury.

  She gave Edward a confident smile. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I’ll destroy him on cross.” Under the table, she crossed her fingers.

  Her whole case was hinging on making the jury believe that Edward had no idea drugs were being sold in his nightclub. She’d managed to get the testimony of those employees who hadn’t been involved but “knew” Edward directed the drug sales stricken from the record as hearsay, but Detective Cruz’s statements on the witness stand placed the drugs in her client’s hands. And Cruz’s testimony was calm, concise and catnip to the jury. She could tell by the look on several of their faces that they wanted to spring up yelling “guilty” already.

  “Defense, your witness. Would you care to cross?” Judge Atkinson asked from the bench.

  She stood and straightened her suit jacket. “Yes, Your Honor.” She advanced toward the witness stand, shoulders straight, head up, projecting the confidence she didn’t feel. You’ve got this. You’re a bad ass bitch. Now get him.

  The first words out of her mouth were a mistake. “Mr. Cruz,” she said. By omitting his title, she’d thought she’d be reinforcing that Daniel Cruz was still a man and men were fallible. But she saw several members of the jury narrow their eyes, which told her they saw it as disrespect.

  “Sorry, Detective Cruz,” she said. Great. Now you just sound confused. She met Cruz’s eyes and mentally dared him to laugh, but he remained stone-faced. “Let’s walk through the events of that evening as you’ve laid them out. You’ve stated that you witnessed the defendant handing a baggie with what appeared to be pills to the bartender.”

  She paused to see if he would say anything. Any attorney worth their bar number instructed witnesses to say as little as possible on cross and to never offer information unsolicited, but most people couldn’t stop themselves from talking when they shouldn’t.

  Cruz was not most people. He simply waited out her silence.

  “Did you find it odd that the defendant would simply hand over a baggie of opioids, if that’s what was even in the baggie, out in the open like that?” she asked. If he said yes then he’d be backing her up, which he wouldn’t want to do. She waited for him to get defensive and spout off justifications and hopefully give her an opening.

  He made eye contact, leaned forward slightly and said, “No,” in a calm, level voice.

  That was it. Just a simple “no.” Even his body language was controlled—no fidgeting, no defensive crossing of his arms. She couldn’t read anything in his level gaze. His dark eyes were opaque.

  She pivoted on her heel. This wasn’t going to get her anything but animosity from the jury for wasting their time. They were firmly Team Cruz and simply picking his statements apart wasn’t going to change their minds. Time for the nuclear option. The only way out was to destroy his credibility. It wasn’t nice, but this was the adversarial justice system they had. She’d urged her client not to go to trial, but now that they were here, she had an ethical duty to do everything she could to win.

  She’d come prepared. Once she realized she couldn’t persuade her client to take a deal, she’d known this case would turn on Detective Cruz’s testimony. She’d studied his stats like she was considering drafting him for her fantasy detective team, because she needed to break him on the stand.

  “Detective Cruz, tell me, are you assigned to the Boston Police Department’s drug task force?”

  “No.”

  “Isn’t it true that you were temporarily assigned to the drug task force specifically to target my client’s establishment?”

  “Yes.”

  “And also target my client personally?” This was where he would either try to justify or deny. She didn’t care which, both would make him sound shady.

  “Yes,” he said in that level voice. No justification and no denial.

  You can still get him. Push a little harder. “Are you aware that the drug task force has recently received criticism for being ineffective and a waste of taxpayer money?”

  Mike Kelly, the prosecutor, jumped up. “Objection. Relevance.”

  “Sustained,” Judge Atkinson said. “Ms. Rafferty, please limit your questioning to the scope of the direct.”

  “Isn’t it true that the drug task force needed a big win? Simply arresting a couple of bartenders for possession wouldn’t cut it.”

  Mike Kelly jumped back up. “Objection!”

  “Ms. Rafferty, this is not an investigation of the Boston Police Department’s drug task force. Refocus your line of questioning,” Judge Atkinson said.

  “Your Honor, this speaks to the witness’s credibility. Detective Cruz, isn’t it true that you have only been a member of the Boston Police Department for under two years?”

  “Ms. Rafferty—”

  She kept talking. “Isn’t it true that you left the New York City Police Department under unusual circumstances?” She made sure to hit the word unusual with plenty of innuendo.

  Mike Kelly was objecting and Judge Atkinson was saying something, but she couldn’t stop now. She was out of options. The only remaining play was to raise doubts about Cruz in the jury. Her words would be stricken from the record and the jury told to ignore them, but the damage would already be done. Being told to ignore something only made it seem important. It was human nature to focus on information you were instructed to ignore.

  She spoke faster. “Would it be correct to say that you’d do whatever it takes to make an arrest?” Cruz remained ramrod straight and looked at her as though she were nothing but a pesky fly buzzing around him. “Especially a high profile arrest? Like your arrests with the NYPD?”

  A corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. Amusement?

  “Objection! Your Honor!”

  Judge Atkinson cracked his gavel. “Ms. Rafferty, approach!” he bellowed. “Witness may step down.”

  The jury had perked up at the spectacle, and as Detective Cruz exited the witness stand, several of them watched with sympathetic looks in their eyes. One jurist, a grandmotherly looking older woman, met Erin’s gaze and gave her a murderous look.

  So not only was she about to get her ass chewed by the judge, but her trick had also backfired. Instead of doubting Cruz, they just hated Erin.

  The judge glared down at her from behind the bench. “Did you get your law degree from a gumball machine? Don’t ever pull a stunt like that in my courtroom again or you’ll be facing contempt charges.”

  “Yes, Your Honor.” Her voice came out shaky and her face burned in reaction.

  Judge Atkinson gave her a dismissive wave before addressing the courtroom. “This seems a good time to adjourn for the day. Ms. Rafferty’s last remarks will be stricken from the record and the jury is instructed to disregard.”

  As she stacked her paperwork back into her briefcase, Edward glared at her. “You’re the worst attorney ever,” he said.

  At the moment, she believed him.

  * * *

  In the ladies’ room, Erin stood in front of the sink. She wrenched the cold tap all the way open and stuck her wrists under the icy water. The mirror revealed the blotchy red spots blooming on her pale skin. It was bad enough that she’d spectacularly imploded in the courtroom, but showing that she was rattled by her failure would be catastrophic.

  She willed her heartbeat to slow. If anyone thought she’d been crying in the bathroom, it would destroy her reputation. She could just hear the lawyer bros now—”Chick lawyers, am I right? Probably that time of the month.”

  Plus, she had to convince the prosecutor that she actually believed the jury might come back with a verdict for her client in order to squeeze a deal out of him. Nothing
destroyed a bargaining position quite like the stench of desperation.

  She turned off the tap and took a deep breath. “You got this,” she lied to her reflection. “You are a bad ass bitch.”

  She exited the bathroom, game face on, only to step directly into the trajectory of Daniel Cruz. He strolled down the courthouse hallway as though it were a catwalk in Milan—head high, shoulders back and long nose in the air. Probably didn’t want to risk dislodging that stick jammed up his ass.

  Their eyes met as Cruz passed. He nodded and she returned a hard look. She didn’t need his pity nod, even if she was totally incompetent. If she hadn’t tried so hard to crack that icy façade on the witness stand, then maybe she wouldn’t be about to throw herself on the mercy of the prosecutor.

  Of course, he was heading the same way she was—toward Mike Kelly. She stood frozen in place for a moment, watching as Cruz greeted Mike, who was posted up by the window at the end of the hall. They conferred for a moment, Cruz bending his head down toward the shorter man. She squared her shoulders and approached, causing both men to look up from their conversation to stare at her.

  Cruz gave another one of those nods he seemed to employ as a method of avoiding verbal communication. If he hadn’t actually spoken earlier in court, she’d think him incapable of speech. The first time she’d encountered him during an interrogation of her client, he’d let his partner, Brian, do most of the talking. The same Brian who was now dating Erin’s ex-college roommate, Priya. Which created some weird seven degrees of Kevin Bacon between her and Cruz. But, as a general rule, she didn’t socialize with cops. No fraternization with the enemy.

  “That was some display of legal prowess you put on, Rafferty,” Mike said, radiating smug. No doubt he was enjoying the payback. Their last match up had gone much differently when she’d convinced the judge to exclude most of his evidence, forcing Mike to drop the charges against her client.

  She didn’t look at Cruz. Didn’t want to see if he was enjoying seeing her getting her nose rubbed in it. “Just give me your offer and I’ll take it back to my client,” she said to Mike as if she were bored and this last minute dealing was just a formality.