Page 28 of Resisting the Lawyer (Dirty Hot Resistance 3)

I’ve known Caleb for nearly half my life. I was the one who represented him when he sued the FBI for wrongful imprisonment when I was just a fledgling lawyer. I was the one who secured him a fortune in reparations for the term that he served in prison. So, when Caleb looks at me a query in his eyes, I shake my head. “No, I’ll be dealing with him, personally.”

Both Oliver and Caleb look at me but neither of them says a word.

It’s only when Sophie starts fussing that we mingle with the rest of the group again. Jace also arrives and the rest of the evening is quite pleasant. I’m also quite amused that Elise keeps trying to avoid me. She’s tried to take Sophie from me a couple of times but the child refuses to leave me, clinging onto my neck for dear life.

It’s as it starts getting dark I suggest that we should leave.

When Elise automatically gets up at my suggestion, everyone turns to look at her.

I can see the sudden realization in her eyes that she’d assumed that we were leaving together.

Her assumption had been correct but I just grin and hand over Sophie to her.

In the car, the ride back is silent, as Sophie is tucked into the baby seat that Tracy had offered. She’s fast asleep.

Since Kendall’s place is quite far from Elise’s apartment, I let Elise hold onto her silence for a few minutes before I say, “So, how come you wanted to get drunk yesterday?”

Elise groans. “I knew you weren’t going to let it go.”

I smile. “Of course not. So, do you want to tell me, or should I start making guesses?”

She furrows her brow at me, demanding, “Why are you so persistent?”

I shrug in response.

She glowers at me.

Elise is usually very even tempered and seeing her like this makes me thrilled. Getting a rise out of her is something new to me and although I know I shouldn’t, I can’t help wanting to provoke her every chance I get. I consider going in for the kill but change my mind at the last minute. She can hold on to her secrets. For now.

“You were pretty mean to me last night,” I tell her. “You said all sorts of nasty things. Broke my heart, you did.”

Elise splutters, “I-I didn’t say anything of the sort!”

I grin, triumphantly. “Aha, so you do remember.”

She looks out the window, muttering, “I remember you putting me to bed like a child.”

“Then, maybe you shouldn’t get drunk on that horrifying stuff.”

“And maybe you shouldn’t show up to somebody’s apartment at twelve at night.”

I throw her a sideways glance filled with mockery. “It was nine at night.”

She purses her lips at this and crossing her arms in a huff, she turns her head to stare out the window, sulking.

I want to kiss the pout right off her face.

“Tomorrow’s Sunday,” I say after a while.

She casts me a wary glance. “Yeah, so?”

“Want to go out for breakfast?”

It’s such a casual invitation she doesn’t even hesitate in saying yes and then her face turns red. Groaning, she buries her face in her hands. “What are you doing to me?”

The smirk on my lips grows. “Last I heard, my presence made it hard for you to think.”

Elise looks like she wants to find a hole to crawl into and she makes a torn sound. “You’re a terrible person.”

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