Page 110 of Bound To Be Mine

33

BRIGGS

Acouple days went by in a horrible blur. I was going through the motions but not enjoying anything. I won the case. Omar Phelps had tried every trick in his playbook, but I’d been ready for all of them. The judge ruled in our favor on every major point. A win against him

People congratulated me outside the courtroom. Fellow attorneys that wanted to witness my strategy so they could use it against Phelps.

I should have been riding high. This was a big win. The kind that would make the rounds in the legal world. Adrian was going to be thrilled with the win. And then the whole legal team would understand why I got paid the big bucks. Well, I got paid the big bucks because I was a Blackwell, but the point still stood. I was a badass.

But I couldn’t bring myself to care.

All I could think about was that Mandy and I had been playing phone tag for three days straight. We resorted to texting little messages throughout the day that kept us connected but weren’t the same as actually talking to her. Hearing her voice. Seeing her face. Touching her. I went a year without sex and it never bothered me.

But after sex with Mandy, I craved it like I was a teenager. My libido had been awakened and it did not want to go dormant again.

I walked to the waiting town car and slid into the backseat with my phone in hand. There was only one person I wanted to celebrate with. I opened the text thread and smiled when I saw a message from her.

Mandy: I miss you. Kick ass today.

Me: Miss you too. Call you tonight?

Mandy: Can’t, client dinner runs late. Tomorrow?

I didn’t want to sound cynical, but I had a feeling that call wouldn’t come. Something always got in the way. A meeting that ran over. A wedding emergency. Time zones that never seemed to line up right.

My phone buzzed again, this time a text from Adrian.

Adrian: Heard you crushed it today. Congrats.

Me: Thanks.

Adrian: Come by tonight? Elizabeth is making lasagna.

I stared at the message. I had work to catch up on. But the thought of sitting alone in my empty penthouse, eating takeout while staring at my phone and hoping Mandy would call, was too depressing to contemplate.

Me: What time?

Adrian: Six. See you then.

I showed up at Adrian’s place with a bottle of wine I’d grabbed from my collection and a stuffed elephant for Bucky that I’d impulse-bought at a boutique on the way over. The second I walked through the door, I could hear the baby crying.

“Perfect timing,” Adrian said, looking frazzled as he opened the door. “He’s been screaming for twenty minutes and we have no idea why.”

“I’ll go,” I said.

“Not a chance. He’ll settle. I hope. Or you can suffer with us.”

We walked into the living room. Elizabeth was bouncing Bucky in her arms. She looked exhausted but happy. “You try,” she said, practically shoving the baby into my arms. “I’m going to check on the lasagna before it burns.”

I held the infant at arm’s length. “What the hell?”

I looked at Adrian. He grinned. “Look, he stopped crying,” he said.

“Because he’s terrified. We both are. Look at the way he’s looking at me.”

“Put him on your shoulder,” Adrian said.

“Man, did you invite me over to take care of your kid?”