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“You’re too good to be a public defender.” She raised her sharply drawn eyebrows. “Come work with me. We need you.”
“These people need me.”
She frowned. “My boss said she’ll increase her last offer by fifty percent. That’s three times what you make now. Plus better benefits.”
The figures swirled tantalizingly in my mind, almost making me reconsider. After all, retrying Dad’s case was going to be expensive.
But that was the whole problem with public defenders. The really good ones would get snatched up by pricey law firms, leaving only the inexperienced and inferior ones behind. The vulnerable people who relied on public defenders needed excellent attorneys by their side, or they could face the same nightmare my father had gone through.
Plus, Elizabeth’s firm was also known for working their lawyers to the bone, and that bloated salary wouldn’t help my father’s case if I had zero time to work on it.
“I’m flattered you’re interested in me.” I offered a gracious nod. “But I’m happy where I’m at.”
Hunter Lockwood rose to his feet, packing up his papers.
Elizabeth’s eyes darted in the same direction as mine, catching where my attention had drifted.
“You know he made Chicago’s most desirable bachelor again this year,” she announced.
Of course he did.
“Those blogs should report on more important stories,” I said. Like innocent people wasting away in overcrowded prisons for crimes they didn’t commit. “I don’t get why he’s spending his days as a lawyer, anyway.” Thanks to his father’s estate, Hunter was a billionaire before he even went to law school. “He wears a $9,000 Brioni suit every day and arrives at the courthouse in his charcoal-gray Aston Martin DBS. I googled it. Know how much it’s worth? Base price: $330,000.”
“Googling him, huh?” Elizabeth’s eyes sparked with a mischievous glint, making my neck catch fire.
“The guy just tried to put my friend behind bars,” I reminded her.
“You and I both know he was just doing his job,” she countered. “Besides, with a jawline and bank account like that, he could collect toenail clippings and put them into alphabetized jars for all I care.”
I bit back a smile.
Did she have to lookthatdelighted when Hunter started moving?
“Speak of the devil.” Elizabeth grinned a little too wide, thank you very much, and walked toward the exit, adding, “Congratulations on your win today, Luna.”
And then, God help me, Hunter headed toward me. He kept his eyes locked on mine, buttoning his jacket slowly.
I kept my chin up, hoping to God that my voice box would freaking work if I needed it, because right now, it was suffering from an instant case of severe dehydration.
Hunter stopped in front of me, putting his hands into his pockets while mine began to sweat again—this time from pheromone poisoning.
“We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Hunter.”
“I know.”Beginner’s guide to humiliating oneself. Step one: light a match. Step two: engulf cheeks. Step three: hold shoulders square and respond how you should have to begin with.“I’m Luna.”
“Luna.” He nodded gently. “You’re the public defender everyone’s been talking about.”
Ugh, I figured hearing him this close to me for the first time wouldn’t be thatdifferent from hearing him in court. Wrong. His dark and sensual voice would absolutely be replaying in my ears all night, no matter how much I fought it.
“The one wreaking havoc on the state’s conviction rate.”
“That’s an exaggeration,” I assured. “But thank you.”
He held still for a second. Probably sensed I needed a minute to recover from his sensuality.
“Only a sparse few have won against me in court.” Hunter’s gaze raked over my face so meticulously, he seemed to be cataloging every pigment of my skin and thick, wavy brown hair before navigating to my attire.
A suit I’d snagged off the clearance rack at the outlet store I could afford. One with a tiny red stain on the right sleeve that earned it an additional 75% off. In the store, I’d convinced myself no one would notice—it was only the size of a pencil eraser—but of course, Hunter Lockwood’s eyes zeroed in on said stain.
