“I apologize if I’m interrupting,” he said. Then, as casually as if it were something he did every day, stepped slowly into the office.
Grace shifted in her seat, a smile spreading quickly over her face. While across the room Victoria felt warmth which was only incited by this man, sifting throughout her body.
“You are most definitely not interrupting, Mr. Donovan,” Grace replied. “You don’t remember me, do you?” she asked when, at the sound of her voice, he pulled his attention from Victoria to look at her.
“I do,” he said reaching out a hand to shake Grace’s. “I’ve had a case or two with you over the years and we graduated from law school together. You’re Grace Ramsey.”
Grace took his hand, her smile brightening as she cut Victoria a wide-eyed look, before returning all her attention to Ben. “I sure am. It’s nice to see you out of the courtroom, Ben.”
“Likewise,” he told her, then nodded toward her protruding belly as he released her hand. “You don’t look like you’ll be in the courtroom much longer.”
Grace chuckled and rubbed her stomach. “No. More like the delivery room.”
Ben smiled.
This man was too fine and too damn charismatic. Victoria almost cursed. Instead, she squeezed her thighs together as tightly as she could beneath her desk, praying this rapidly spreading heat didn’t make her look flushed.
“I’m sure Ben didn’t drop by to hear about having babies. So, what does bring you by?” she asked, clearing her throat.
He turned slowly. His gaze held hers as he pushed his black suit jacket back to slip a hand into his front pant pocket. He didn’t immediately speak, but instead, gave her that sinfully sexy smile. The one she dreamed about, grew wet at imagining, and despised all in the same breath.
“Actually, I love children,” he finally replied. “So I’m always pleased to see a pregnant woman. However,” he continued before she could interject. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Well,” Grace added quickly, planting her hands on the arms of the chair and gingerly pushing herself upward. “That’s my cue to leave. Call me later,” she told Victoria and made the fastest exit out of her office she had in months.
“So now I know how loyal you are,” Ben said, taking the seat Grace had just vacated.
Grace had also closed the door behind her which seemed to have sucked all the oxygen from the room now that it was just her and Ben. He wasn’t smiling now, instead looking seriously fine as he adjusted his paisley print tie, smoothing it down so that his strong hands moved lightly over his chest and abs.
Okay, you really need to get a grip.He’s just a man.
But Victoria knew that simply wasn’t true.
“Grace and I have been friends a really long time. She’s like a sister to me,” she said in response to his loyalty comment.
Ben nodded. “I see. So when’s the baby due?”
“In about three weeks,” she answered before she could catch herself. It really wasn’t any of his business. “Why are you here?”
“You like asking me that don’t you?”
“Not really. It’s kind of getting tiresome.” She shrugged to act as nonchalantly as possible. “Then again, you keep popping up, so what else am I supposed to do?”
“I was in the courthouse. Motion to suppress hearing in Judge Leontine’s courtroom,” he informed her.
So he had an excuse to be in the courthouse today. That didn’t lead to her office.
“Her courtroom’s all the way down the hall,” she replied.
“It’s not that far,” he countered, then held up his hand as if to call a truce. “I came to see if you had plans for lunch. Is that better?”
Hell no!
Though her inner voice was screaming, warning alarms blaring in her head, Victoria nodded. “Honesty is always better,” she replied.
“I’m glad you feel that way because there are a few things I want to ask you about your investigation into the Vega case.”
Victoria shook her head. “The answer to that request would be no. I’m not giving defense counsel information on my case.”
