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A confused expression crossed his face. His hand came off her, and he seemed to think for a moment. “Jayna, what exactly are you worried about? There are two bedrooms. There’s plenty of space.”
She felt herself flush.
His hand moved, brushing a lock of her hair out of the way. She hadn’t straightened it after her shower so hernormally perfect bob was a wavy mess. “Jayna, are you worried I’m going to force myself on you?”
“No.” She trusted him on a base level. Even when she was annoyed with him, she knew Quaid was a truly good man.
“Are you worried you’re going to try to force yourself on me?” He asked the question with a glint of humor in his eyes.
She frowned. “No. I would not force myself on you. How would I even do that?”
“You could wait until I’m asleep and very gently tie me up, and then I would be at your complete mercy. You could get me tipsy and have your wicked way with me. There are any number of ways you could trick me into an intimate encounter with you.”
He was right back to annoying. And sexy. And funny. “I just think it would be a bad idea if either one of us decided to make a move on the other. We’re going to be working together and on opposite sides of the courtroom.”
“That’s why we’re going to agree to keep a nice strong ethical wall up when it comes to representing opposing clients. No talking about the case. No listening in. I promise I will honor that wall and make sure it’s got strong bricks, so that’s not going to be a problem.”
She should move away from him.Move. Take two big old steps back and save yourself, girl.
Her feet stayed in place. “It’s still a bad idea.”
“Then don’t make a move on me, Jayna.” He was so close, and that voice of his had gone warm and silky.
The room was suddenly way too small. “You’remaking a move onme. Right now.”
The sexiest smirk hit his lips, and his hands cupped her elbows. “No. I’m standing in one space that happens to be close to the space you’re standing in. You’re the one who went up on her toes to get her mouth closer to mine.”
She had totally done that. Why had she done that? “Well, you’re the one who is touching me.”
“I don’t want you to fall.”
Falling was exactly what she was afraid of and yet she couldn’t make her feet move, couldn’t pull her arms away from those big hands of his. “And you called me honey.”
“You said that was fine,” he argued. “I think you said that because you’re under the mistaken impression that I’m one of those old-school Southern males who calls every woman in his life honey. I don’t. I’m very professional. I’m not particularly affectionate with my friends. I called you honey because there’s a part of me that’s dying to figure out just how sweet you can be under all that armor of yours.”
“See? You can’t say things like that when we’re working together.”
“Are we? Because I don’t remember putting you on the payroll. I can’t say that to your sister, and I won’t because I’m not interested in your sister. You and I are merely sharing a workspace.”
“And going against each other in several important cases,” she pointed out even as he moved in closer.
“Yes, theLast Chance Gas Stop v. Geraldine’s Boobsis going straight to the Supreme Court. I’m not going to allow our personal relationship to influence how I try that case in any way. Are you saying you can’t do the same?”
He was challenging her. She knew and she still couldn’t resist. There was something inside her that couldn’t back down when tested. “Oh, Quaid, if I decided I wanted you, it wouldn’t matter. I could sleep with you wrapped around my body, kiss you good-bye in the morning, demolish you in court fifteen minutes later, and you would still do whatever you could to get back into my bed that same night.”
Now his hands moved to her hips, his mouth barelyhovering over hers. “And I promise that when I crush you in court, I’ll make sure to soothe your wounded ego by buying you dinner and taking very good care of you.”
She moved to bring their lips together because this was inevitable. This might be fate, and there was nothing she could do about it but give in and enjoy the ride while it lasted. It was foolish, but she wanted him, wanted everything he’d promised her.
Except the beating-her-in-court thing. That wouldn’t happen, but he would find her a gracious winner. Mostly.
His cell phone trilled, a sound that seemed to blast through the room. It was a phone call, ringing loudly.
It was a wake-up call.
“Damn it.” Quaid stepped back, reaching for his phone. “I’m sorry. That’s the tone I use for the sheriff’s office. I have to take this.”
She nodded, stepping back from the precipice. Quaid spoke low into the phone while she realized how close she’d come to jumping on him and throwing away all semblance of sense and decorum.
