“And yet,” I say quietly, “you never seem all that eager to avoid me.”
His mouth twitches as if he’s fighting a reaction. “You make it sound like I seek you out.”
“Don’t you?”
“Don’t flatter yourself, Kendrick. I barely think of you at all.”
I laugh. “Likewise, counselor.”
The words are as contrite as ever, but there’s a warmth to them I think we both feel. And it terrifies me. I clear my throat. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go spend my evening with someone who doesn’t make me mildly nauseous.”
I turn away before he can say anything else, telling myself it isn’t a retreat so much as strategic self-preservation. I can feel the weight of my own lie.
For the rest of the night, we avoid each other with deliberate effort, which is somehow worse than our confrontations. It grates on my nerves, yet keeps me painfully aware of him. I wonder if he feels it too, because every so often, I glance up and catch him turning, as if he had already been looking at me.
He disappears shortly after dinner. I notice his absence immediately.
I refuse to name the feeling that settles in my chest when he’s gone.
Chapter Four
Mark
My team is looking at me like I’ve grown a second head.
“She’s going to lose her shit and tear you apart for a discovery violation,” my second chair, Brad—a nervous beta if there ever was one—says. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
I don’t look up from the notes on my desk. “We disclosed the statement as soon as we had it. It was uploaded to the discovery portal late last night. We’re allowed to call a new witness if the evidence is material and we didn’t withhold it.”
Last night, a building guard walked in with an eyewitness statement for the Simmons case that places Ava’s defendant near the scene of the crime. It isn’t enough to completely slam dunk the case, but it plugs the hole that Ava has been picking at all week.
He scoffs. “Yeah, at like midnight. It’s 8:00 in the morning now, and we go into the courtroom in an hour. You know it’s unlikely that she’s reviewed it. I don’t care how good her office is.”
“And if she hasn’t,” I snap, “she can ask the judge for time to prepare. That is exactly what continuations are for.”
“All I am saying,” he replies evenly, “is that this is going to look like you are trying to catch her off-guard. Not to mention, we haven’t even had time to fully vet and verify this guy yet. You and I both know she is not the kind of attorney you can slip things past. Just seems like asking for trouble when she’s gonna get pissed and come at us harder.”
“I didn’t realize you were so frightened of the viper, Brad,” I say.
“You’re an idiot if you aren’t.” He jumps up from his seat and throws his hands up. “Whatever, man, your funeral.”
He leaves my office, and I sigh, pinching my nose. I’ve been in a shit mood for the last couple of days since the gala. Ever since she pointed out how I can’t stay away from her. And what’s worse is, I can’t stop thinking about her. I lean back in my chair, shove my hands in my hair, and sigh.
It’s because of that damn green dress how it highlighted the ethereal luminosity of her skin and the dusting of freckles down her throat and over the tops of her breasts. My mouth practically watered wanting to pull the cups down and see how far the freckles went. Is she covered in them? I almost guarantee she is, and why the hell does that do it for me so hard?
She’s a distraction and a menace. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was an omega, by the way my alpha can’t stop obsessing over her. Maybe it makes me an asshole, but I want to lash out because of it. Take her down a peg if I can.
The moment I say his name, I feel the fury roll from Ava at my back before she even stands. Her chair loudly scrapes the floor as she surges to her feet.
“Your Honor, this witness was never disclosed,” she snaps. “The defense has had no opportunity to prepare—”
I keep my face neutral, but inside, satisfaction washes through me. I look over at her and immediately regret it. Ava is always beautiful. Angry Ava is breathtaking and lethal.
Her jaw is tight, and there’s a flush to her skin that makes her eyes seem even brighter than normal. Her fists are clenched at her sides, and as if she realizes I’m looking, she flexes her fingers outward and forces her shoulders to relax. If my goal was to think of her less, maybe I should have thought this through a little more.
The judge calls us to sidebar. Ava immediately launches into her argument, but I already know everything she’ll use.
“Your Honor,” I say evenly, keeping my tone cool, completely at odds with the heat coiling under my skin. “The state received this witness’ statement only last night. We turned it over immediately.”
