Except I don’t want to hear that anymore because now I know who he really is. And he’s not the nice, playful and wildly attentive man he pretends to be. He’s a cold, calculated workaholic.
“Looking for this, Ms. Carpenter?”
His scent hits me before I even turn around—that warm, musky mix that still clings to memories I’ve spent a month trying to forget.
My pulse stutters. The tiny hairs at the back of my neck stand on end, and every nerve in my body remembersexactlywhat he felt like.
So much for thinking I’d never see him again. So much for trying not to react to him.
Pull it together!
I turn slowly, already knowing what I’ll find, and there he is, holding out my little gray clutch with a grin that’s far too smug for a man in a three-piece suit, with perfectly styled hair and a watch that costs more than what’s in my whole bank account.
Was he this tall before? I swear he wasn’t. Maybe it’s the harsh fluorescent lighting in the courthouse, or maybe it’s the expensive dress shoes that definitely scream Italian leather, but he looks taller, broader. More handsome.
The suit doesn’t help either, tailored within an inch of perfection, his long legs and broad shoulders unfairly accentuated. He looks so much lighter now.
I’ve always told myself thatSuitsaren’t my type. That I prefer my men blue-collar and a little dirtier, but now I’m wondering if I’ve been wrong all along or if it’s just him. I’ve never found a well-manicured guy this attractive.
I keep a blank face when I respond. “You stole my wallet.”
He steps closer and my breath betrays me. I hate that my body remembers him kindlier than my brain does.
“You left it in the courtroom. I was going to call your lawyer after my last case but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. I would’ve texted, but you said no personal info. So, really, you’ve only got yourself to blame for the fact that I couldn’t reach you.”
I roll my eyes and reach for it, but he yanks it back at the last second, smug as hell.
“Oh, goodie. We’re going to be mature about all this.”
His grin deepens, and a single dimple appears in his right cheek—one that I don’t remember from before. Maybe because the last two times I saw him, he was either groaning, going down on me, buried deep inside me, or the room was too dark to notice anything beyond how good he felt. But seeing that playful little indent does something to me.
My heart stutters, twisting itself into a shape it shouldn’t, trying to see him as something he’s not.
This guy is evil. Lawyers get off on destroying people’s lives. I would know, because if not for Leo helping us when our parents died, our whole house would have been seized by the state of Connecticut, and Eden would have been forced into the foster care system.
Cain also called me a nobody and practically begged the judge to make an example out of me by allowing Madison and Matt’s case to go forward. So… yeah. Evil.
“Was your meeting eventful?” I bite out, swiping the clutch from his hand and succeeding this time. My fingers brush against his, reminding me just how large his hands are. Just how largeeverythingis on him. “I’m sure your client loved realizing she got beat by a non–entertainment lawyer.”
His gaze lingers, slow and heavy. Those warm green eyes of his rake over me with the same quiet intensity they had that first night in Bryant Park, except now, there’s something else behind them. Something that feels tender, a bit curious and wholly dangerous.
He’s looking at me like heknowsme now. Or worse, like hewantsto know me.
I wish he wouldn’t look at me like that. We weren’t supposed to ever see each other again. It should be illegal for a man with that kind of moral deficit to look that good.
“I see you did your research.”
“Don’t flatter yourself I did it during lunch with Leo. But clearly you didn’t do your due diligence, or you would have known I’m not just some ‘randomnobody’with nothing better to do than make videos online.”
He rubs at his jaw, studying me carefully.
“How did you get Leo’s phone number anyway?” I press.
“Court records.”
“Hm.”
“I’m glad I didn’t have time to text him. It’s better we met here for this exchange.”
