Black Rainbow (Rainbows 1)

She relaxed. “So how are you going to win this one?”

“Jury selection.”

“Jury selection,” she repeated slowly, relaxing into her chair as she thought about it. “But I can’t think of any group that would like her. Women are going to look at her like she’s a gold digger. Older men are going to take offence to that video, younger guys will just think it funny. Jury selection won’t be easy.”

“Nothing will be easy, but everyone has prejudices or pet peeves, sometimes it’s even hidden from themselves. A twitch at the mention of drugs, or money, or something. If that family is as fucked up as I think they are, all we have to do is show that they are no better than our client.”

“We don’t have to make her likeable,” she said with a fire in her eyes. “We have to make the Nash family despicable!” she stood up, clearly excited now.

“Exactly how hard can that really be?” I rose as well. “Pack up and head home, the next few weeks will be brutal.”

“I know.” She didn’t look up at me.

Opening the door, I stopped. Turning back to her I said, “Don’t feel bad about using your mother’s book.”

She dropped the papers in her hands, “What?”

Reaching down, I helped her pick them up. “Your mother’s book of favors—”

“How did you know about that?”

“Tristan was an intern for your mother, remember? Besides, that book is like myth in law circles. You shouldn’t feel bad for using it. And I know you did, because there is no way that you were able to dig up enough dirt on the two contending top students in one weekend by yourself. Whatever it was, it had to be big enough to get them to stop trying to go after your spot. Private detective?”

“Hacker,” she whispered, hanging her head low.

“Like I said, don’t be ashamed for using it. If anyone else had what you do, believe me, they would be using it a lot more often.”

“That’s because they didn’t know what type of person she really was—”

“It doesn’t matter. Using her name, or things, or living in her house, does not mean that you accept her or that you are becoming her,” I whispered, as I cupped her face in my hand, and lifted her head to meet my gaze. “It means that you’re strong enough to not let her name get in your way, and to use what you have to your advantage. That’s a testament to your strength, and it has nothing to do with her.”

Letting her go, I wanted to walk away and end things on a high note, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t done yet.

Holding on to her waist, I pulled her to me and I brought my lips to hers. She didn’t even try to push me away. Instead, she leaned into me, her arms wrapping around my neck. Grabbing onto her, I picked her up and placed her onto the table.

Kissing her like this was sinful, the way her legs wrapped around me, and the way her breasts pushed themselves against my chest drove me mad. I never wanted to stop kissing her, but I had to… breathing had never been so annoying.

“We aren’t done Thea. ‘So I can’t. I just can’t. I’m sorry.’ ” I repeated the very words she said to me that night on the phone. “That isn’t enough to push me away. Especially when your body still reacts like this every time I touch it.”

To illustrate my point, I slipped my hand between her thighs and softly stroked the length of them. She shivered, and tried to turn her head away from me. But I forced her to look me in the eye. She bit her lower lip, trying to keep from moaning, even as she ground her hips against my hand.

“You don’t look like a woman trying to run from me,” I said kissing her lips softly as I played with her entrance.

“Ah!” she gasped, grabbing on to my arm.

“And you definitely don’t sound like a woman trying to run from me.”

I kissed her lips, then her cheek, and finally, I lightly licked the edge of her ear and gently sucked on her earlobe. She shivered against me, as her flesh broke out into goose bumps.

“So I must assume that you aren’t really running from me,” I told her, “which is good to know, because I wasn’t planning on letting you go anyway. Like I said,” I broke away from her and took a step back as I licked my fingers clean, “we aren’t done. So when you’re ready to get serious again, let me know, or else, I’ll just keep playing with you.”

Walking out, I fought with my inner desire to take her right then and there on that table. But I couldn’t, at least not now. I was going to reel her in, nice and slow.

I’m going to need a lot of fucking cold showers.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

THEA