He runs his hand through his hair, then bangs it down on the couch, startling me. “Fuck. I can’t let this opportunity go by.”
I study the hard lines on his forehead as his anger emanates throughout the room. “Once upon a time, it was your dream to be a lawyer who helped the underdog. Not for the money. Not for the fame. But to help those that couldn’t help themselves.”
He slams his laptop shut and tosses it to the side. “Yeah, well, dreams are not always meant to come true.”
His eyes look up and down my body in a way that makes me think he might be talking about more than just his work. It sends shivers up my spine.
Then his eyes dart down to the baby monitor. He picks it up and holds it to his ear, like he might have missed a noise. He’s done that about thirty times since we sat down. It makes me smile.
“What are you smiling about?” he asks.
I shrug. “I’m silently judging your paranoia. Don’t mind me.”
He crosses his arms across his chest in defense. A giggle bubbles up before I can stop it. His forehead creases as his eyebrows rise.
“I’m not being paranoid.”
I lean back into the couch, watching him sneak yet another glance at the baby monitor glowing on the couch between us. He wasn’t even subtle about it—like if he stared hard enough, he could will the little green bars to stay steady forever.
A smile tugs at my mouth. “Yes, you are. If you’re going to stare at that thing like it’s a bomb about to go off, I should just confiscate it.”
Before he can react, I snatch the monitor and lean away, holding it out of his reach.
He lunges forward instantly. “Hey, give it back.”
I shake my head, laughing, leaning away from him as he reaches for it. “Nope. Consider this an intervention.”
The couch cushion dips as he lunges, and I let out a squeal, twisting out of reach. He grabs for it, but I extend my arm farther behind me, arching out of his way. His hand closes around my wrist instead, warm and unyielding.
The laughter catches in my throat. Suddenly, he is braced over me, his weight close enough to press me into the cushions. My chest rises and falls against his, the monitor forgotten between us, my pulse loud in my ears.
His gaze meets mine, and for a second, it isn’t teasing; it’s dark, steady, too intense.
“You think this is funny?” he asks, voice rougher than it should be.
My mouth goes dry. My free hand flattens against his chest. Heat bleeds through his shirt, through my palm.
I swallow. “Maybe,” I say, trying to sound breezy, even though my pulse is racing.
His grip loosens, but doesn’t release. His thumb brushes lightly over my wrist. The shift in his touch sends a shiver down myspine. He is so close that I can see the faint stubble along his jaw, can feel the heat of his breath against my cheek.
It isn’t about the monitor anymore. It’s about this—him over me, the way the air appears to thicken, the awareness crackling like static between us.
The baby sighs faintly through the monitor speaker, and the soft sound startles me back into reality. My head snaps toward the device still clutched in my hand, and his gaze follows.
For a heartbeat, neither of us moves. Then he eases back just enough to give me space, though his eyes stay on me, like he hasn’t quite decided to let go.
And, God help me, I’m not sure I want him to.
Chapter Ten
Walker
The sexual tension between us just continues to grow with every breath we take in the same room. If Eli hadn’t interrupted the other night, I’m sure I would have kissed her. It’s all I’ve been able to think about.
My body is in a constant state of arousal when she is around. I don’t know what’s happening to me. It’s like no matter what she is doing, it turns me on. Even watching her wash bottles was giving me a boner.
I feel like we’ve gone back in time to when we were younger and I didn’t have control of my own horniness. Forget being productive at work. My current clients are lucky their cases are slam dunks for me because I don’t think my brain could focus long enough to read through hours of evidence and case law.
