Shereallyshould have talked to Jaime beforehand. “I didn’t! This was a last-minute change, a request from the defendant, and—”
“Hush!” Jaime raised her hand. “We’re not discussing the case! Most definitely not here.”
More voices could be heard passing by, this time in a low murmur, a stark contrast to Jaime’s sharp, brittle voice, reminding Olivia of glass about to shatter.
“You were the one who almost slammed the door in my face!” Olivia retorted. God, this was getting ridiculous. She was supposed to be calm and collected, but here they were, both acting like rivals instead of adults trying to navigate an awkward situation.
Jaime pursed her lips. “I don’t understand what you want from me, or what you hope to gain by being here. Alone, without being called into my chambers. This is highly irregular, and the ethical considerations alone—”
“What happened at the conferenceis irrelevant.”
Jaime’s gaze darkened. “We shouldn’t even be talking now. I—”
“You’re not going to recuse yourself, are you?”
The vein high in Jaime’s temple ticked. “Would youstopinterrupting me?”
Silence once more spread, and Olivia took in her surroundings. The room seemed perfectly organized—not even a pencil out of order—quite the opposite of her own office.
“I won’t recuse myself because what happened is done. We have no relationship, and we haven’t been in contact for almost two months, so there is no conflict of interest, and nothing will affect the trial.”
Olivia locked eyes with Jaime, noting her flushed skin and clenched fists.
Almost two months?Jaime had kept track? The thought sent a flicker of something through her that Olivia preferred not to analyze. “Then why are you so angry?”
“Because you lied to me!”
“I didn’t!”
Jaime’s anger was new. In the courtroom, Jaime stood composed, a steady presence amidst a storm of emotions. Seeing her riled up, with color in her cheeks and frustration spilling out, made Olivia’s pulse race.
Despite the change feeling almost jarring, she couldn’t help the way it twisted something inside her. Jaime was captivating, even more so in her fury.
“Look, you must have read the original paperwork. I wasn’t on there. I told you, my boss made the change uponWeber’srequest.”
Something shifted in Jaime’s demeanor, a coolness entering her gaze. Olivia had been in enough tough situations to recognize it—the moment someone starts assuming the worst of you, no matter what you say.
Jaime folded her arms. “So you say.”
“Excuse me?” Now Olivia took a step closer, practically invading Jaime’s space. Whatever had just happened in Jaime’s head, she’d not tolerate being accused of lying, not even from someone as attractive as Jaime. Even if the thought of pushing her against the desk and kissing her senseless sprouted in Olivia’s mind like a pesky weed she needed to pluck.
“Why on earth would I make this up?”
Jaime stood her ground. “Because you want to mess with my head.”
Olivia frowned, momentarily at a loss for words. “To what end?” she pressed out.
“To help your case? I don’t know.”
“I didn’t realize I have such an impact on you, Jaime.” She smiled, though the expression felt more like a grimace.
Jaime’s eyes widened and her lips parted.
God, Olivia wanted to lean in and capture her lips in a deep kiss. Her gaze dropped to Jaime’s mouth. This back and forth, anger intermingling with the heat of attraction, almost gave her whiplash.
Jaime took a step back, finding her voice. “You don’t. I never said that. I said you might have fallen for such a delusion, and in your firm’s zealous drive to win, you ended up suggesting the change. Maybe all of it has been a set-up all along.”
Olivia laughed, but no humor laced the sound. “Are you serious?”
