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The door cracks open, and she’s standing with a cocked eyebrow. “For what?”
Resting against the doorframe, I shrug. “I don’t actually know, but I don’t want you upset either.”
She opens the door and steps into my arms. “Not everyone gets my humor.”
“They’re idiots.”
“You didn’t get the joke.”
“Sometimes, I’m an idiot as well.”
Squeezing me in her arms, she says, “You’re not. Not at all.” She walks to the kitchen but glances over her shoulder with a smile. “I like your tie. You look very handsome. I’m sure the judge will love it.”
“Thanks,” I reply coyly. She grins.
“I need to leave in a few minutes, but I wanted to talk about us once more.”
“What do you want to talk about?” She hands me a bottle of water and then starts filling a cup with water from the faucet for herself.
“Marlow and her father are scheduled for a meeting today.”
“Oh.” There’s a curtness in the simple response.
“It was supposed to be over lunch or dinner, but I had Ashleigh reschedule to meet at the office.”
She perks up a bit. “I see.”
Not sure why I’m holding back, but I need to get to my point. “The group gossips.”
“They do,” she replies and then takes a sip of water. “Is this about keeping us a secret?”
Thank God she said it. Now I don’t feel shitty for bringing it up again.
She goes on, “I agree. I still don’t have all the details, but what does it hurt to pretend you’re together if it’s only for her father? And, with the wedding just around the corner, we shouldn’t take away the spotlight. Friends aside . . .” She comes closer and straightens my jacket. “I like that we have something that only we share, so I’m good with keeping us a secret.”
Her nod is full of the same confidence I recognize from the day we met. She may have apologized for ruining my shirt back then, but she wasn’t seeking forgiveness for how we did it. How is it possible she’s even more beautiful?
I say, “We’ll keep it until after the wedding. Just to be on the safe side.”
Lifting onto her toes, she kisses my chin. “Do you know how sexy being sneaky can be?”
I kiss her because I struggle to keep my lips or hands off her. She’s too gorgeous not to touch. Especially where I want to touch her repeatedly. Fuck. Don’t go there right now, Wellington. “I hope I’m about to find out.”
“Oh, you will indeed. Now go win those cases, so we can celebrate your victories.”
I dip her, holding her low enough for her to give me her trust by relaxing in my arms. I kiss her and then set her back on her feet again.
She slides her hand down my neck and then lower to my chest. Tapping over my heart, she replaces her hand with her lips. “You need to go,” she whispers. “The sooner you leave, the sooner you return to me.”
“What about you? What will you be doing today?”
Walking toward the elevator, she wiggles her ass. She has no clue how I wish I had a job that I could cancel going in altogether. Court days are not those. “I’ll be here waiting for you.” There’s lightness in her reply, a smile infiltrating her tone.
I punch the button and hold her one last time. In her bare feet, she fits right under my chin. “You have a date, Miss Bell.”
The door opens too soon for my liking today. Her arms wrap around me, and she says, “Go be awesome, Counselor.”
I kiss her forehead and step into the elevator. Just before the door closes, I give her a wink. “I always am.”
* * *
Standing across the street from the courthouse, Ashleigh greets me with a smile. “Nice tie. Green is always good luck.”
I chuckle. “Do you know what cat pajamas are?” I raise my hand to run my fingers through my hair but stop because I don’t want it a mess for court. I detour to the back of my neck and scratch instead.
“Pajamas for cats?”
“No.” I furrow my brow. “Like as in the cat’s pajamas,” I say it slowly like Tealey did.
Ashleigh starts laughing. “Yeah, it’s like great, awesome. The bee’s knees.”
“Do bees even have knees?”
“That’s beside the point.”
“Apparently.” Why the fuck am I wasting time before court thinking about this? “Anyway, do you have the file?”
“We have thirty minutes before the hearing.” Ashleigh digs the file from her burgundy leather briefcase. I’m starting to think this color and dressing for the job is a formality in the legal field. I’m going to owe Tealey another apology.
Ashleigh hands me a file, and I immediately open it to review. She says, “I secured an office for us to go over everything.”
We start walking toward the doors of the building. I know this, though. Everything in this file is here because I entered it. I know my client’s assets top to bottom, and every offshore account is accounted for. There shouldn’t be any surprises unless the missus has been hiding something. I hate surprises. “Nothing’s changed, and I’ve been going through it all in my mind for weeks now. I’m ready.”
