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The rest of the meeting wraps up quickly and as much as I want to rush out of here to go eat something, I know Alec will have more he wants to talk to me about. Once the room is cleared out and it’s only myself, Alec, Wyatt, and Tanner left, Alec addresses me.
“Anya is stubborn as hell, as I’m sure you know. She’s going to be reluctant about having someone on her at all times. She won’t fight it necessarily, but she will be a pain in the ass.” I nod my head, but I have a feeling that’s not how it’ll be. When I had to stay with her the first time, I didn’t get the vibe of her being stubborn or reluctant about it. Just awkward. And it was fucking adorable.
“I can handle it.” Alec is quiet for a second, then he nods his head in agreement.
“She’s at work right now, but I want you there at seventeen hundred when her business hours end.”
“Got it.” I don’t linger around anymore because if I’m going to have to stick by Anya’s side for the foreseeable future, I really need some fucking time to myself to get my mind sorted out.
This is a job. Nothing more than a job. I can do this.
I really fucking hope I can do this.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Anya
I readover the offer on my screen one more time and try to hold in my laughter. Lars really is trying to push the envelope with this case. This is the third offer they’ve sent this week and each one is just as bad, if not worse than the last. Right on cue, my desk phone rings and I pick it up without even bothering to look at the caller ID.
“You seriously think we’re going to accept this?” Lars lets out an annoyed sigh, which is something I fully expected.
“Come on, Anya.”
“My client is not going to settle for one weekend every other month and two weekends in the summer. That’s a joke and you know it.”
“Do you really want to keep this going, Anya? It’s not like you’re getting paid for any of this.” My lips twitch at his jab. Lawyers like Lars always try to pull that card on me. Large firms like his require a certain amount of pro bono work, but when their associates fill that quota, they always do the bare minimum. They never expect someone who only works pro bono to actually give a case their time and energy, but I do.
“Oh, don’t you worry about me, Lars. I’m willing to keep this going as long and as far as I have to. But what about you? How do you think your bosses will feel about the fact that you can’t even seem to close a simple custody case?” The indignant huff on the other end of the lines makes me want to laugh, but I hold it in. When Lars stays quiet for longer than a few seconds I decide it’s time to pull the plug on this shit.
“You have our offer. It expires at ten tomorrow morning, then we’re going to trial.” I hang up the phone without another word and when I look up from my desk, I let out a loud gasp and jump in my seat.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Hunter’s deep voice has my skin rolling with acknowledgement. He’s wearing a simple gray t-shirt that clings to his large arms and chest deliciously and a pair of well-worn blue jeans that hug his thighs perfectly. His beard is neatly trimmed, but slightly longer than it was before. Just the sight of it has my body tingling with desire.
“How long have you been standing there?” My voice comes out way too low and husky for such a casual conversation, but either Hunter doesn’t care or doesn’t even notice. He just shrugs his shoulder and stays where he is.
“Long enough to hear you be a complete badass.” I’m used to people praising the kind of lawyer I am, but Hunter’s praise has a completely different effect on me than anyone else’s. My cheeks pinker and I duck my head bashfully.
“It was nothing.”
“I disagree.”Damn.His voice is just so much. Even those two simple words come out erotic because of his low, slow drawl.
“Well, thanks.” Luckily, he doesn’t try to keep the conversation going. He just waits quietly as I send off a couple of quick emails -one to Noah to explain the conversation I just had with Lars and their new deadline- then as I gather my things and close everything down for the night.
Normally it would be weird to have a giant of a man standing in my doorway just watching me, but with Hunter it feels almost calming. There’s just something about his presence that is comforting and it’s a feeling I know I could easily get used to. Which probably isn't a good thing.
Instead of thinking too much about that, I continue through my routine and close up the office. Hunter stays quiet as we start to walk back to my apartment.
“I was going to stop and pick something up for dinner,” I say as we turn the corner onto a street that’s lined with a bunch of different restaurants and small shops. “Is that okay?” He just nods in response. “What do you prefer?” A single lift of the shoulder. It’s seriously so weird. It’s as if sometimes he has no issues talking to me, and other times getting him to say a single word is like pulling teeth. I’m starting to think I really will never understand this guy.
“Do you prefer Chinese or Italian?” We stop walking in front of a small little Italian place that has really good tortellini. Across the small street is an equally good Chinese restaurant with my favorite sweet and spicy chicken, the same place I ran into Hunter at a couple of weeks ago.
I don’t really have a preference on where we get food at, normally I would be leaning more toward one than the other, but Hunter has me so messed up right now I can barely think straight. He seems to weigh his options for a minute before he jerks his head toward the Italian restaurant in front of us.
“Italian.”
I give him a wide smile, because at least now I can get dessert to go with my dinner. “Good choice!”
He follows me into the restaurant, and I walk straight to the take-out counter to place our order. I pick up one of the menus and hand it to him so he can make his choice. “They have really good tortellini, if that’s your thing.” He doesn’t acknowledge my statement as he takes the menu from my hand and starts looking over it.
