Forbidden Fruit: Volume 1 (25 page)

About the Author

I was born in Bolton, Lancashire within the United Kingdom, where I lived, and worked at the University of Bolton. In 2010, I moved to Ireland with my husband, four kids and pack of animals.

My eldest daughter, is on the Irish Junior Archery Team, and spends her time training. At least she does when her dad can get her off her ipad, reading or listening to music.

Loving to read my kindle is loaded with too many books to mention.

My main hobbies and interests are: reading, traveling, spending time with my children, and I absolutely love watching skiing and documentaries about Mt. Everest. Standing at the foot of Everest would be my all time high!

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Inadmissible Attraction

by

Rebecca Brooke

Edited by

Jen Matera at Write Divas

Chapter One

Nora sat in the courtroom, wondering for the thousandth time what had possessed her to agree to come in the first place. She'd known the fighting was going to happen; without the attorneys and the judge, she couldn't expect any less. Most of her teenage years had been spent breaking up her parent’s fights. Eventually, it became a part of who she was—the ultimate peacemaker. Nora always worried about everyone's feelings but her own, which was exactly what brought her to the courthouse.

Her brother and sister.

The two people she'd do anything for. Thankfully the divorce was almost finalized, and up until that moment, Nora had been able to stay out of it. She needed to make sure the best decision was made for her siblings. There was nothing wrong with her parents when it came to raising them, as long as they weren't near each other. But since the separation, her mother had gone from upset to angry when her children, especially Nora had refused to take her side. So she spent most of her time with her new boyfriend. That was the main reason Nora spent most of her time at her father’s when she wasn't at school and why she lived on campus in the first place. The problem was they both wanted full custody, but the smart decision would've been to share custody. This way the kids would get the best of both worlds. Hearing a sniffle next to her, Nora looked at Charlie and Jenna, who were tucked in next to her, and decided it was time once again to get in the middle of her parents' bullshit.

“You're a selfish bastard!” her mother screamed across the room. “The only reason you want full custody is to hurt me.”

Her father took a menacing step towards her mother. “To hurt you? Really, Angela? And I guess it has nothing to do with the fact that they’re my children, too, and I love them. ”

Nora stood up to head toward the tables where her parents were screaming at each other when the door to the room open and in walked the sexiest man she'd ever seen. He was definitely older than she was, but younger than either of her parents. He had dark hair, almost black, it was thick and slightly wavy, making her want to run her hands through it. Her gaze traveled down the charcoal business suit that covered broad shoulders and strong arms and hinted to the mouthwatering physique beneath.
There is no doubt this man works out,
she thought as let her gaze wander back up to his face, stopping on his lips. Lips that were definitely sculpted for kissing.

The continued yelling from behind her pulled Nora from her fantasy. She shook her head to clear it and turned back to her parents. What in the world was she thinking, fantasizing about a man who was twice her age? Moving back toward the tables, she decided enough was enough. This whole divorce and custody battle needed to be over today so that she could start to focus on having a life. Her teenage years were a montage of fighting, leaving her very little time for herself to do anything she wanted to. Charlie was only twelve, and Jenna nine—too young to understand what was happening—so Nora tried to keep  it from them the best that she could. That had to be the reason she was drooling over the guy walking towards the front of the room. That was the final straw; from now on she was spending more time with people her own age, going to parties and on dates.

That resolution didn't stop her from peeking behind her to see where he was going and why he was there.

“Mom, Dad—” Nora started but lost the ability to speak when the guy in the suit clasped her dad on the shoulder.

“Richard,” he said calmly. “I think it's time to settle down and take a seat.” God, even his voice sent chills through her. Her father nodded and took his seat at the table. Mr. Sexy took a seat next to him.

Shit.

He was her dad's lawyer. Not that she had even considered anything more than drooling over him. Now, even that seemed wrong. Nora hesitated for a moment before returning to her seat now that the screaming had stopped and the proceedings could begin. The sooner she could get out of the courtroom, the better because no matter what she tried, she couldn't take her eyes off the tall, sexy man sitting next to her father.

~*~*~*~

Jackson sat next to Richard, waiting for the judge to enter, filled with nothing but dread. Normally he didn't mind the hearings or the dealing with the clients, it was all part of the job, but his client's wife was a special kind of bitch. Throughout every proceeding, no matter what the conversation was, she was never civil, instead she chose to scream and yell like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Hopefully the papers would be signed after the hearing, and this hellish experience would be over. Unfortunately he knew this case had the potential to be worse than the others. The time had come for the custody hearing, and while he didn't think Mrs. Willson deserved anything more than visitation rights based on the way she behaved, he knew that children were only separated from their mothers in extreme circumstances. He just hoped Mrs. Willson showed her true colors in front of the judge today so he could get sole custody for his client. Otherwise the most they could hope for was joint custody.

With a sigh, he grabbed the handle of his briefcase and set it on the table. Jackson thought back to the moment he opened the door of the courtroom. Even though he’d been initially distracted by the yelling, it was hard not to notice the woman standing between Richard and his soon to be ex-wife. Ashe made his way to the front of the room it was impossible not to watch her long shapely legs, or the way her hair ran in waves down her back.. He wasn't sure who she was, but what he could see of her intrigued him more than she should. She had long, slightly curly brown hair and legs every guy dreams about having wrapped around him. She was younger than him, he just wasn’t sure by how much. When the beauty in front of him started to speak, he ignored the dirty look Mrs. Willson shot at him, and ended the argument himself.  Remembering he had a job to do, he gave himself a mental shake from the memories and continued to remove the files he needed from his briefcase.

Thankfully Richard was preoccupied with the paperwork the Jackson just handed him , which gave Jackson the perfect opportunity to see
her
up close. Stealing a quick glance out of the corner of his eye, he realized that she was much younger than he was. And gorgeous. She had a perfectly shaped pout to her lips that begged to be kissed, and the slight peek of cleavage at the base of her neckline had his imagination running wild. He wasn't sure why she was there until she sat down in the row right behind the defendants table, but as close to the center as possible, between a boy and a girl. Jackson knew the judge wanted to talk to Richard's children and hear what they had to say before making a decision. He figured the woman must be some sort of babysitter or nanny watching over the children during the proceedings, since his oldest daughter was away at college. If that was the case, he'd have the perfect opportunity to get her number after the hearing. Happy with his change of luck in this case, Jackson took his seat and waited for the judge to arrive.

~*~*~*~

After her father's lawyer was seated, time seemed to slow down as everyone waited for her mother's lawyer to arrive. She noticed her mother fidgeting in her seat, turning around every few seconds to glance at the door. Where was the lawyer? Her father and his lawyer were in a deep discussion at the table and Nora used the opportunity to take a good look at the captivating stranger seated next to her father.. He was probably in his mid to late thirties with what looked like blue eyes, but it was hard to tell at that distance. He reached up and pushed a hand through his hair and she wondered what those hands would feel like sliding up her rib cage to caress her breasts. Just the thought had her nipples hardening. The sound of her name snapped her out of her daydream. 

“Nora,” Jenna said. “What's taking so long?” The sadness in her sister’s eyes was hard to miss. She knew this was tough on everyone, but it was especially difficult for Jenna because she didn't understand a lot of what was going on.

“I'm not sure.” What
was
taking so long? Nora looked at her watch and realized that her mother's lawyer was over fifteen minutes late. She didn't want this to last any longer than it had to. The end result was going to be challenging enough on her brother and sister; she didn't want to drag it out any longer. Her mother's cell phone rang. Nora tuned in to the conversation when her mother started yelling again.

“You've got to be kidding me. I don't have time for this!”

The person on the other end of the line must have started to talk because for a few moments her mother was quiet. As unusual as it was, Nora was glad for the momentary silence. Just when her eyes started to wander to the other side of the room again, her mother slammed her phone closed and dropped it on the table with a loud thud. After staring at the table for a moment or two, she got up and walked out of the room. When she returned a few minutes later, she was accompanied by an older man wearing an old, ill-fitting business suit. Nora wasn't sure who the man was, but she had a feeling he wasn't her mother's lawyer because she still looked extremely pissed off.

By that time, the court reporter arrived and the judge entered the room. Everyone took their seats. “Good morning everyone, we are here to determine the custody of the Willson children. If both parties are ready to begin, I’d like to get this settled today”

The older man sitting next to her mother stood up to address the judge. “Your Honor, my name is George Mulford, for Banbridge, Lister and Morris. At this time we'd like to request a continuance for these proceedings, Mrs. Willson's regular attorney was called away for a family emergency. While I am a member of the same firm, I am unfamiliar with the case and would like the opportunity to review the files prior to the hearing.”

Her father's lawyer practically jumped from his chair. “Your Honor, these proceedings have been extensive as we've attempted to come to agreements on every aspect of this marriage. Now we have the Willson's children present, and Mr. Mulford wants to delay the proceedings and put these children through another day of frustrations.”

Even though Nora didn't want to see her mother suffer, she had to agree with her father's lawyer. Her brother and sister had been through enough at this point. She just wanted this whole thing to be over.

The judge looked between both tables. “Mr. Garnes, while I share your aggravation with the pace of this case, I also need to consider what is best for these children in the long run. Since I was not involved in this case until the children's custody was a factor, I have to allow Mr. Mulford the same opportunity I had to review the case and understand the proceedings up to this point.” When Mr. Garnes opened his mouth to argue, the judge raised his hand to stop him. “That is my final decision. I will see you back here in a week and a half. Mr. Mulford, I believe that should be enough time to get caught up.”

Mr. Mulford nodded. “Yes Your Honor. Thank you.”

With that, everyone rose as the judge left the room again. Nora's mother wasted no time grabbing her purse and saying a quick goodbye to her children, before storming out of the room. It was her father's turn to have Charlie and Jenna overnight, and all she could hope was that her mother would be okay tonight after the day's turn of events. Nora promised she'd call her mother later tonight when she got back to the dorm. Her father and Mr. Garnes stood up and walked toward them.

“Nora, what does that mean?” Charlie asked. His eyes showed the confusion he was feeling.

Nora looked down, unsure how to comfort her brother and sister through all of this and feeling a little lost. This was unfair to them. “Well, it means that Mom's lawyer needs a little more time to get everything ready.”

“So who do we go home with?” Jenna asked sadly.

Nora's dad bent down in front of them. “Oh sweetheart, you’re coming home with me tonight.” When Jenna still looked upset, her dad pulled her into a hug. “Everything's going to be fine. I promise.”

When Jenna had calmed down, Nora's dad stood up and turned back to Mr. Garnes. “Jackson, I'd like you to meet my children. This is Charlie and Jenna, my two youngest,” he said, gesturing towards the chairs where the children still sat. Mr. Garnes offered them a smile.

“Hi,” they said in unison.

Her father turned to her. “And this is my oldest, Nora.”

Jackson's eyes snapped from her father to her with a shocked expression. Nora stood to shake his hand, but looking dazed, Jackson hesitated a moment before seemingly shaking it off and returning the gesture. His hand was warm and strong, sending slight tremors through her body at the simple touch.

“It's nice to meet you, Mr. Garnes,” Nora said, proud that she had kept the quiver from her voice.

“Please call me Jackson. The pleasure is all mine,” he said, watching her closely before looking back at her father. “I didn't know your oldest daughter was here today, Richard.”

“Well, Nora decided to come to support her brother and sister. She's been busy with her first year of college through this whole mess, but she was able to take a few hours off this morning”

Jackson's gaze slowly wandered back to her, and Nora had the distinct impression he was checking her out. And while that should have made her feel uncomfortable, instead her cheeks began to heat. Oh God, she had to get out of there before it became any more embarrassing. She could only imagine what he’d think, seeing her blush at a simple handshake. The strange attraction she felt when she first saw him was ten times worse now that he was standing close to her. Nora wasn’t sure where the feelings had come from, but she really didn’t want to stick around to try and find out.