Garrett’s hands clenched at his sides. “What’s to stop me from telling Blair everything you just told me?”
“She won’t believe it if you do.” Neil grinned. “Not that I have anything to worry about. You won’t tell her. You just admitted you don’t want her to know I’m sleeping with Layla. The only other thing you have over me is that I’ve told you I’m not passionately in love with her, and while I’ve never outright told her so, it wouldn’t come as a surprise. Especially after she recently confessed the same thing was true for her.”
The words penetrated the haze of his shock: Blair doesn’t love him.
Neil ushered him out of the office and turned to lock his door. “I presume you’ll be at the party tomorrow night.”
“Yeah,” he said absently. He was busy reworking his plan.
“Then see you later, cousin.” Neil winked again, with the assurance of a man who had everything he wanted, then walked down the hall, whistling softly.
Garrett shot daggers at his back. Let Neil think he had the upper hand. He might have practicality on his side, but Garrett had something else . . . something that was certain to win Blair over.
He’d show her what she was missing.
Chapter Ten
The last thing Blair wanted to deal with right now was a bridal shower. She’d found the entire day unnerving. The depositions had gone well, but while she’d savored the chance to give that egotistical prick Brian Norfolk his comeuppance, spending hours in a room with Garrett sitting across from her had nearly driven her insane.
The minute he’d walked in wearing his grey suit and ice blue tie, her heart had begun to race, and her face had flushed. She had spent most of her first deposition trying to convince her traitorous body that she wasn’t interested in him. Then she’d spent half of the Brian Norfolk deposition thinking about Garrett naked and all the delicious things he used to make her feel.
She had to put a stop to this. She couldn’t afford to be distracted tomorrow. Rowena Norfolk was paying her to make sure she got the best possible settlement—not to fantasize about Garrett stripping off her clothes and—
“Blair?” Melissa asked, standing in the doorway of her office. “The service is dropping off your car in about fifteen minutes. Do you want me to go secure it in the parking garage, or will you be leaving soon? Your wedding shower starts in forty-five minutes.”
“Um . . .”
Melissa walked into the office. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Why do you ask?” she asked, flustered.
“You look flushed. Do you think you’re coming down with something?”
She was coming down with something all right. Her libido was running full throttle after spending years in hibernation. “I’m fine. I’m just thinking about how the deposition went.”
Melissa grinned. “You nailed him, huh?”
“He never even saw it coming.” She took perverse pleasure in that part. The men always thought they were pulling a fast one on Blair, and she let them think it in the beginning. In fact, she planned it that way. She wanted them to underestimate her. It made the look of shock and horror even sweeter when she finally pulled her gotcha move. The euphoria of that moment would never get old.
Only today, the horror in Brian Norfolk’s eyes wasn’t what had made her breathless. It was the raw hunger in Garrett Lowry’s eyes after she’d executed her plan to bring Norfolk to his knees.
He still wanted her.
She wasn’t sure why she was so surprised. She’d sensed it the night before, particularly during the car ride to her condo. But even then, his desire hadn’t been so blatant.
“Well?” Melissa asked.
“What?” She looked up at her with raised eyebrows.
“Your car . . . Are you leaving or staying later?”
To Blair’s horror, her face flushed even more. “I’ll leave. I need to run home and change before I head to Megan’s mother’s house.”
“Megan’s going to be there?”
Blair smiled. “Yeah, she flew in this afternoon.”
“I like her.”
“Me too.” Blair glanced up at her assistant. “What are you doing tonight? You’re welcome to come to this thing as well.”
Melissa laughed. “Nice try. Showers of any kind give me hives. I’ll go to the party tomorrow night, but a shower with games . . . no way.”
“Games?” Blair asked in dismay. “Good God. We won’t have to play any of those, will we?” But then she remembered Megan’s mother was planning the party. Knickers was certain to have games. “I could force you to go, you know.”
Her assistant chuckled. “Now you sound desperate. But don’t worry. Libby and Megan will be there to help you through it.”
“Yeah, but Neil’s mother and sister will be there too. Not to mention Garrett’s Nana Ruby.”
Melissa’s smile fell. “Neil.”
Blair shook her head. “What about Neil?”
“You said Garrett’s nana. Not Neil’s.”
Oh, shit. She had. “Garrett’s nana. Neil’s nana. She’s the same person. It makes no difference.” But it made every difference. What was he doing to her?
Melissa looked even less convinced than Blair, but she didn’t call her on it. “Is there anything you need me to do to help you get out of here?”
“You cleared my schedule for the deposition in the morning?”
Melissa flashed a smug grin. “Your ten o’clock meeting has been rescheduled for Friday. It was that or schedule it for after your honeymoon.”
“Good call.” The meeting was with a potential new client, and she knew she could possibly lose her if she put off the meeting for another week. Women who’d been blindsided by their husbands’ infidelity or unexpected divorce papers needed almost immediate reassurance that everything was going to be okay. And while Blair never deceived them, she always assured them that she’d fight for them. And she did. Still, Neil was bound to be unhappy. She’d promised to spend the day with his family, but now she’d have to come into the office for a few hours. Was the fact that she was secretly relieved a bad sign?
“And the court reporter has been scheduled?”
“Before she even left the building.” Melissa hesitated. “In fact, before Mr. Lowry left the conference room.”
Something in her tone held a sound of warning.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Blair asked.
Melissa stared at her for several uncomfortable seconds. “I really like my job, Blair. I love working for you.”
Blair released a sigh. She’d tried not to obsess about the threat hanging over her head. She couldn’t do anything about it, and worrying about it was wasted effort. Still, the unknown loomed over her like a nuclear bomb’s mushroom cloud. “I promise I’m doing everything I can to make sure we both still have a job next week. And if I have to move somewhere else, I’ll try my best to bring you with me.”
Melissa’s jaw went slack. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
Oh, shit. She let out a long sigh. If anyone deserved to know, it was her assistant. “You can’t tell a soul.”