Page 21 of Dial L for Lawyer
I step closer, close enough that I can feel her body heat, and this time I do tuck the errant strand of hair behind her ear. My fingers linger, tracing the shell, and she shivers.
"Serena," I say, voice low and rough. "You don't have a monopoly on fear or self-doubt." I risk a smile, trying for something boyish while my cock strains against my zipper. "But I appreciate the performance. Really, it was legendary."
She lets out a bright bubble of laughter. "God, you're an ass."
"But as your lawyer, I'll be your ass. Your scary, brilliant, absolutely dedicated legal ass."
She wipes her eyes. "Could've done without that image."
The moment hovers between us, alive and electric. I see it in her eyes—the want, the need, the same hunger eating me alive.
She doesn't lean in. Smart girl. For now.
Instead, she shivers and tugs her coat tighter. "Well, I'm glad we cleared the air. Now we can work together without this hanging over us. But I still need you to tell me how big of a mortgage I’ll need to afford you?"
I almost laugh. "Morgan, you can't afford me.”
“Why don’t you just tell me your hourly rate and I’ll be the judge of that.” She folds her arms across her chest, and I can’t even pretend I’m not looking at her cleavage this time.
“Unless you have a trust fund the size of the Illinois state deficit—which you don’t—your options are pro bono, or barter."
She blinks, then cracks a smile. "Barter? Are you in the market for stress cookies or overly zesty lemon bars?"
"I don't want your stress cookies, Serena."
Her brow furrows. "Then what do you want?"
"I want this. Dinner with you. Time with you. That's my fee."
I want you in my bed. Screaming my name. Want to fuck you until you forget you ever thought about running.
The words land like a gauntlet thrown down. Her face goes through a series of expressions—confusion, understanding, and then panic.
"No." The word comes out flat, final.
"No?"
"Absolutely not. That's not happening."
Frustration claws at my chest, black and sharp, twisting into pure possession. "Why not?"
"Because we're not suited for each other, Caleb. I like you, yes. But there's a reason we didn't happen. You… I…" She presses her lips together, and as pissed as I am, all I want is to bite them until they're swollen. "There's too much at stake. We have friends in common, we come from completely different worlds?—"
"Bullshit." The word cuts through her rambling. "You already let things affect our friends. Layla and Bennett have been walking on eggshells around both of us for months. And Logan and Audrey go completely silent if anyone so much as mentions your name around me."
She opens her mouth to argue, then closes it.
"So what's the real reason?" I press, stepping closer, backing her against the brick wall behind her.
She looks up, face suddenly completely open as her bottom lip quivers. "I'm fucking terrified,” she admits, voice so quiet thewind nearly swallows it. "I tanked it the first time. You know I did. You were—" She stops, jaw clenching like she wishes she could just grit her teeth and grind the whole last six months into dust. "You were… too much for me. Everything I wanted, but far more than I could handle. It scared the hell out of me. It still does." She shakes her head. "So no, Caleb. I can't give you what you want. I'll pay your hourly rate like any other client. Put me on a payment plan or something."
I study her for a long moment, taking in the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the way she's pressed back against the wall like she needs the support, the way her eyes keep dropping to my mouth.
Because despite her attempt to sound resolute, I know a bluff when I see one. I've lived in courtrooms my entire adult life. Nobody is as good at pretending not to care as the person who cares too much.
So I don't step back. I close the few inches between us, bracing one hand on the wall beside her head, close enough to see the lighter flecks in her eyes. Close enough that I can smell her perfume and the hint of Szechuan pepper clinging to her breath. Close enough that if she tilted her head up just a fraction, our lips would touch. It makes me want to devour her whole.
"This isn't a negotiation. My terms are non-negotiable."
