To my dismay, my assumption that their friendship would end after high school was proven wrong, as they only seemed to grow closer. When it was clear she wouldn’t be making a dramatic exit from her connection to the Paladino family, I made a vow to myself to stay the hell away from her at all costs, no matter how much my cock begged me otherwise.
Perhaps that’s where my obsession with leggy blondes began.
She became harder to avoid when she started coming to our family’s weekly Sunday brunch. Not every Sunday, thank God, but enough of them. It’s easy to pretend I’m not attracted to her, though, with our difference in age, interests, and career paths. I have no problem with staying in my own lane, being careful to never seem interested.
Because I’m not interested.
Really, I’m not.
Maybe if I keep repeating it, it’ll come to fruition.
Reaching down, I palm my aching shaft, readjusting it as I suppress a growl, furious that my body has betrayed me yet again.
Raina Lancaster is nothing more than a plague infecting my mind, and the sooner I can get her a divorce, the faster I’ll go back to ignoring her existence, even if that means distancing myself from my sister and my friends.
I have to. For my own sanity.
Gritting my teeth, I look down at the paper below my pen and realize I’ve rubbed a hole through it, my attention focused elsewhere. Slamming the pen on my desk, I shake my head, trying to pull myself out of the fog my mind has succumbed to.
I run my fingers through my hair, letting out a shaky breath as I hear the sound of heels in the lobby, and before I can stop myself, I’m on my feet and ripping open the door. Instantly, my eyes collide with Raina’s, and her breath hitches as she gets caught in my orbit, just how I’m already caught in hers.
It’s dangerous. I can feel myself playing with fire, but the singe of the flame is welcome. It reminds me I’m a red-blooded man who’s not completely susceptible to ignoring the way a woman can make him feel.
And I need to extinguish it.
Taking my time, I drag my eyes up Raina’s body slowly—torturously—taking her all in. The cream-colored silk blouse she’s wearing, her black cigarette pants, and tortoise-shell pointed heels. The way her hair is in loose waves today, cascading down her shoulders and framing the light makeup illuminating her face.
She’s an illusion of a classy, sophisticated woman, but I know there’s another side to her, and even though I am still trying to avoid her, every fiber of my being craves her presence. I want to peel back the layers and get to know the woman beneath theexterior. I know there’s so much more for me to learn beyond this carnal attraction I feel toward her.
But I also know I shouldn’t. I should walk away.
She’s my sister’s best friend. She’s about to be my client.
All of this is wrong.
Then why does it feel so right simply being around her?
A stronger man would fight it, and Iam, but there’s just something about her that makes me want to say fuck it all and bend her over my desk, consequences be damned.
Especially when she’s looking at me like she is now.
“Hi,” Raina says after a moment, her chest rising and falling in uneven breaths.
“You’re late.” I pivot to the side, outstretching my arm back into my office.
She takes the hint and walks in, keeping her pouty lips shut as she does. Following, I watch her hips sway slightly and appreciate the way her pants hug her curves before forcing myself to act like the goddamn professional I am.
Expelling an exasperated sigh, I briefly close my eyes and force myself to get it together.
But as I close the door behind us, she overwhelms my senses. Her scent. The way she glows in the mid-morning light that shines through the high-rise window. It sends my pulse racing.
Hesitantly, she takes a seat in the plush leather chair as I circle the desk to take mine, and with each heavy step, I remind myself of all the reasons this is a bad idea.
Letting the silence stretch between us, I take my time looking for her file on my desk, even though I know damn well it’s at the very bottom where I put it. Opening it, I pretend to skim over the front page and put on a show of laying the entire file down on my desk again with care.
Don’t ask me why because I haven’t got a fucking clue.
“Are you sure you want to be my lawyer?” Raina asks quietly, which is entirely out of character for her.
