Page 17 of Barristers & Bones

After shedding the rest of my clothes, I slipped into compression shorts and headed to the gym. My mind wouldn’t rest as thoughts about what I wanted to do to Luna Cross kept intruding, which only angered me more. Over the years, I’d found the best way to quiet my brain was to work through one of the brutal sparring routines Gideon had taught us after we’d been liberated from Bitter Creek. It seemed to be a cross between Brazilian Jui-Jitsu and Krav Maga. I sparred with the punching bag, and as sweat dripped from my body, my thoughts eventually quieted.

When I finished, I toweled off and headed to the kitchen for some water and protein. As I stood at the kitchen sink drinking a foul protein shake, the pool spread out like a dark inky mirror, reflecting the glowing skyline. I finished my shake and stared out at the night, eventually walking out onto the back patio into the cool fall desert night. I stripped off my shorts and dove into the warm, black water, leisurely swimming laps as I continued to obsess about Luna.

Chapter 6

Luna

This was the third morning Roman showed up at eight sharp. My roommates had left this morning to go on vacation without me, and my mood was foul.

I swung the door open with an irritated growl. “I keep telling you, I have my own car. You don’t need to pick me up.” Not waiting for him to follow, I returned to the kitchen bar and started stuffing a few things into my backpack.

“And miss your sparkly charm and sunny personality on the drive over?” He glanced at my cat. “Hello, Carl. You little demon from hell.” Roman tried to pet him yesterday, but Carl swiped his hand and spit at him. I’d called Carl a “good little kitty.”

Strolling into the kitchen with his hands in his pockets, Roman wore yet another expensive suit and Italian leather shoes. He’d forgone the tie today, and looked like a sleek magazine advertisement for an expensive watch. The man annoyed meso much. I wore off-the-rack black, gray, and navy blue clothes. They were within my budget, easy to match, and helped me blend in.

“Did you take such a hands-on approach with other law students you’ve mentored?” I groused as I grabbed my generic black suit jacket.

“No. But you’ve already proven useful, and Klim wants you with me. He has good instincts.” He was mocking me.

“Great, I feel so special. I’m ready, let’s go.” I stopped short. “Wait, I need one more thing.” Digging through the kitchen drawer, I found a pack of Red Hots.

“You eat a lot of candy. It’s bad for your teeth.”

When he got into the car, I raised an eyebrow at him and bit into a Red Hot. Roman got a call on the way over, so I checked my emails while he talked to someone about zoning codes and multimillion-dollar returns. Yesterday, Roman had tucked me into the small, unused office next to his, and kept me there for half the day. He’d ordered lunch, then left me alone to study in the afternoon before driving me home. I had a feeling this would become our routine if I didn’t do something.

When we walked in together again today, the look on Bitchy Brenna’s face warmed my frosty heart. After she got over her initial annoyance, she couldn’t decide if she wanted to smile at Roman or glare at me.

“Good morning, Mr. Fowler,” she purred. “You have a few messages I emailed you.”

“Thanks.” He turned to me. “Find Gideon and have him show you the Garrison Development file. We’ll discuss it over lunch.” I could almost hear Brenna grinding her teeth.

I knocked on Roman’s door a couple of hours later. I didn’t ask him if he was busy. “Today is Wednesday and I’ve gotten my mentorship hours in for the week. It’s also my fall break.”

He didn’t look up. “No.”

“Are you saying it’s not my fall break, or no, you’re not going to be a decent person and let me go?”

“The second.” His lip curled, but he kept typing on his expensive, sleek laptop.

“How about if I come in tomorrow and get Friday off?” I tried.

“No.”

“Come on, man! Most attorneys don’t even work on Fridays.”

“How about you come in on Saturday too? I’ll be here, so I might as well have some company,” he countered, still not looking up.

I slumped against the door, annoyance sharpening my voice. “Fine, I’ll come on Friday. But only because Sylvie and Alexa are out of town.”

“Excellent.” He finally looked up. “I have an afternoon appointment at a motorcycle restoration shop. Do you want to come?”

“Yes.” My mind jumped ahead. “Can I ask a few questions?”

He shook his head. “You can askifthey have the time and you don’t annoy them. We’ll meet with the president at noon and grab lunch after that.”

I left his office and headed toward the break room to grab another cup of coffee. At least they had excellent free coffee here.

“Hello, Luna,” Gideon greeted me as I neared his desk. “I’m thrilled you came back.”

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