Page 100 of Client Privilege

I stared at his hand, resting on the granite counter-top inches from mine. Such a small distance to cross, yet it represented everything—the line between past and future, between fear and hope.

“I don’t want to pressure you,” Damian continued. “You’ve had enough of that to last a lifetime. If friendship is all you want from me, I’ll respect that completely.”

Slowly, deliberately, I moved my hand forward until my fingers brushed against his. The simple contact sent electricity up my arm.

“And what if I said I want more than friendship?” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.

I looked up to meet his gaze. For the first time since meeting Damian Richards, I saw him without any professional armour—just a man, vulnerable and hopeful, waiting for my answer.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Alex

DAMIAN’S FINGERScurled around mine, his thumb tracing gentle circles against my palm. The touch was light, almost reverent, but it sent waves of warmth through my entire body.

“Alex,” he said, his voice rougher than I’d ever heard it. The way he said my name made it sound like something precious.

He stood slowly, never breaking our connection, and rounded the kitchen island until he stood before me. My heart hammered so loudly I was certain he could hear it. For once, the lawyer who always knew exactly what to say seemed at a loss for words.

Instead, he reached up with his free hand and gently, so gently, brushed a strand of hair from my face. His fingertips lingered against my cheek, and I found myself leaning into his touch, craving more.

Damian searched my eyes, asking a silent question. I answered by tilting my face toward his.

He leaned in, closing the final distance between us. His lips met mine in a kiss so tender it nearly broke me. This wasn’t the aggressive possession I’d grown accustomed to with Marcus, but something entirely different—a question, an offering, a promise.

I felt myself melting into him as the kiss deepened. My hands foundtheir way to his shoulders, feeling the solid strength beneath his shirt. His arms encircled me, supporting rather than trapping, and somehow I found myself rising onto my toes, pressing closer as one of my legs lifted slightly off the ground in that perfect, movie-moment knee pop I’d never believed actually happened in real life.

When we finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face.

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say,” I whispered.

Damian’s answering smile transformed his usually serious face, crinkling the corners of his eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time.”

“How long?” I asked, my fingers tracing the line of his jaw, marvelling that I was allowed to touch him this way now.

“Since you walked into my office that first day,” he admitted. “Though I tried very hard to deny it.”

I laughed softly. “You hid it well.”

“Professional ethics,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against mine. “The most difficult case of my career.”

His hands settled at my waist, warm and steady. “Alex,” he said, his voice serious again. “I need you to know that whatever happens between us, it’s entirely on your terms. We can take this as slowly as you need.”

The consideration in his words, the absolute absence of pressure—it was so different from what I’d known with Marcus that I felt tears prickling behind my eyes.

“Thank you,” I said, swallowing past the tightness in my throat. “But I’ve been waiting too. And thinking about this… about us… for weeks.”

I took his hand and stepped back, gently tugging him toward the doorway. “Come upstairs with me?”

The flash of desire in his eyes made my breath catch, but his voiceremained controlled. “Are you sure?”

In answer, I led him up the stairs to his bedroom—the room where I’d sought comfort after my nightmares, where I’d felt safe for the first time in years. Buster was curled on the foot of the bed, and he blinked lazily at our entrance before settling back to sleep.

Standing beside the bed, I suddenly felt nervous. It had been so long since I’d been intimate with anyone other than Marcus, and those memories were tainted with control and fear. Damian must have sensed my hesitation because he slowed everything down, bringing my hand to his lips and pressing a kiss against my knuckles.

“We can stop anytime,” he said. “Just say the word.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to stop. I just… it’s been a while since this felt like something I wanted rather than something expected of me.”

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