Although it was starting to become clear he was capable of a lot of things I wouldn’t have thought. Oblivious to where my thoughts had gone, he continued with his own train of thought—which was a hell of a lot more strictly professional than my own.
“I know you’ve been jerked around by Eric, but I don’t fuck around. You’re in good hands now. I’ll take care of you.” My eyes met his, and my stomach did an involuntary flip. “Just give me a couple of days, okay?”
“Okay.” The word was the barest whisper, but he must have heard it because he nodded.
Once again, neither of us moved away. He lingered where he was, and I gazed up at him, into those eyes I saw in my dreams and at that ruggedly handsome face that kept popping up everywhere.
I wished this feeling inside me would go away. I wished I could stand there with his hand in mine, not willing him to kiss me. But I couldn’t.
Because what I wanted more than anything else was for him to lower his head those last few inches to close the distance between us. I wanted to taste the coffee on his lips and see whether his body moved as gracefully between the sheets as it did outside of them.
As if he’d heard my thoughts, Jacob slowly started leaning in. It was nothing big. No mind-melting moment during which I heard angels sing. It simply was what it was, and what it was made my lips tingle and set my skin on fire.
Jacob and I were this close to kissing—again—and the electricity between us was even more charged than it had been before. It crackled with the promise to take my breath away. It popped with the promise to become that mind-melting moment I’d only ever written about in one of my new-adult novels.
But as much as I wanted it to become all that and more, I shuffled back before he could come much closer. Releasing his hand, I retreated to a safer distance and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
“I’ll see you around, Jacob,” I said, trying my best to ignore the moment and to go back to casual. Strictly professional.
A flicker of disappointment, so brief I would’ve missed it if I hadn’t been so focused on him, flashed in his eyes. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I’ve got something for you.”
He opened his door, disappeared inside his fancy, horrid Mercedes, and took off. I watched him drive away, hugging myself to keep from chasing after him.
Stupid, silly, reckless Laurie. I had to stop seeing Jacob as someone I potentially wanted to kiss and start seeing him as my lawyer. Because that’s what he is.
I couldn’t risk complicating things by kissing him. Why would I want to kiss him anyway?
He’s a jerk, I shouted in my head. But almost immediately, a quieter voice came back with the question, Isn’t he?
In all the time I’d known him, I’d been so darn sure. There was no reason to start questioning myself now.
If only I could believe that.
Because all of a sudden, I realized there was every reason to question myself. I just had to start doing it.
Chapter 20
Jacob
“You were an idiot to let this one slip through the cracks,” I said to Eric on Monday morning. When I’d tried to get an appointment with the man, his assistant had told me he was too busy with meetings out of the office and to try again in a week or so.
Since I’d been expecting a response like that, I’d already been on my way to his offices when I received the reply. It came as no surprise when I arrived and the man himself was not only at his office but also not currently occupied.
Eric lifted his jaw defiantly, grinding his teeth together so hard I could almost hear it. He sat behind his desk, looking up at me standing in the middle of the room with annoyance in the way his nostrils were flaring and his eyes were narrowed.
Lord knows how Laurie put up with him for almost a year. “I didn’t let it slip through the cracks, Parker. I’ve been in contact with the other side. These things take time.”
I snorted, my brows rising as I stared him down. “Really? You’re trying that line on me?”
“It’s the truth.” He shrugged. “It’s not my fault if they haven’t really wanted to come to the party.”
“When does the person being sued ever want to come to the party?” I suppressed a roll of my eyes, sliding my hand out of my pocket to motion to him. “If you would just hand over the files, I’ll be happy to take this client off your hands.”
“I’m not handing them over.” He thrust his chin out. “Laurie still owes me money.”
“If you’d provide me with a detailed invoice reflecting what work you’ve done and the amount you’ve received from her, as well as how much is still outstanding, I’ll arrange for the necessary payment to be made.”
“I think I’ll just hang on to those files until the payment has been made.” He held my gaze. “It’s not personal. I’ve just done a lot of work on this and I’m not releasing it until I’ve been compensated.”
“The thing is, Eric, I don’t think you have done a lot of work on it. I’m not convinced you’ve done any work on it, and I know she paid you already. Your mandate has been terminated, so it’s too late for you to do anything else on the case now to justify the fees you’ve charged her so far.”
“Why don’t you back off and let me handle it?” He tipped his head, but I saw the dark defeat creeping into his eyes. If I stood my ground on this, I had him, and he knew it. “I’ll give Laurie a call and smooth things over.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Not just because I wanted this case but also because the client was Laurie.
There was a strange protectiveness unfurling in my chest while I spoke to Eric. This guy had been stringing her along for months. He clearly had no pride in his work or empathy for others.
She’d had such a rough couple of years and the last thing she needed was for anyone to make things even more complicated for her. I wouldn’t back down just so he could try his luck.
“You’re a fool for not pursuing this, and your time to realize it has run out,” I said. “It’s an easy win. Laurie has this case in the bag and she’s going to get a payout from it. You should’ve been on this like white on rice from the very beginning.”
His eyes narrowed so much they became slits. “What’s it going to take to get you to leave it alone?”
“That’s not happening. You can hand over the files and I’ll take it from here while forgetting you ever worked on it, or you can keep them and I’ll follow the official channels to get them.”
A silent minute passed before he said anything. He scratched behind his ear, his eyes never leaving mine until he stood up and walked to a filing cabinet in the corner. “I don’t want any blowback from this.”
“The client didn’t want to wait a year for anything to be done on her case.”
I wasn’t making him any promises. If Laurie wanted to take steps against him, that was her business. It wasn’t my place to assure him that she wouldn’t, and frankly, if she chose that route, I would help her. She deserved nothing less after how lax he had been.
Eric’s shoulders came up when he turned with a thin file in hand. Before he held it out to me, he let out a long, loud exhale.