I was always safe with him. I knew that. “I don’t want to go,” I breathed out.

He took control again, kissing, caressing, holding me. He tasted of coffee and sugar, and I knew he’d been snacking. His scent surrounded me. His heat warmed me. His closeness brought comfort. His mouth brought desire.

Then reality hit, and I pulled back, staring up at him.

“You’ve ignored me all day.”

“I had to.”

“You never called or texted. Not once.”

He ran a finger over my cheek, tucking a curl behind my ear. “The company monitors all cell phones and emails, Gracie. I couldn’t risk you.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t thought about that.

“I went out and got myself a personal cell. Now, I can call and text you.”

“You didn’t have one before?”

He shrugged. “No need. I rarely make personal calls.” He smiled and tapped my nose. “Until now.”

I felt a tug of sadness, but I returned his smile.

“Michael said you went out. That was why?”

“Yes. I couldn’t ask him to get it for me. He’d figure it out. I will not risk your reputation.”

“Why would you care? You said you don’t care about—”

He tapped my mouth with his finger. “Forget what I said. I do care, Gracie. I care more than I should.”

Then his mouth was on mine again.

A couple of weeks later, Michael perched on the edge of my desk. “What are you doing about a costume?”

I looked up, confused. “Costume?”

“It’s Halloween in a couple of weeks. The office does dress-up. Did you not read the memo?”

I blinked. Halloween? I had been at the firm for six weeks. Where did the time go?

“I don’t think I saw it. They really dress up? Even the lawyers?”

He grinned. “The ones not in court that day. And some of them do once they come back to the office. Departments carve pumpkins, and they get judged by the partners. The prizes are awesome. Last year, I won third place, and Larry and I had an amazing dinner out.”

“Wow.” I wouldn’t have suspected that about the firm. It seemed well run and the partners nice people, but I didn’t think they’d be into costumes and pumpkins. “I haven’t even thought about it.”

“You need to. And we need to plan a pumpkin.”

My gaze drifted to Jaxson’s closed door. “Do all the lawyers dress up?” I asked with my eyebrows raised. I couldn’t begin to imagine Jaxson dressing up.

He chuckled. “Last year, he took off his tie and said he was dressed as a casual lawyer. The year before, he held a cigar between his lips and said he was a smoking lawyer.”

I bit my lip to stop laughing. “Maybe this year, he’ll hold a book and say he is a reading lawyer.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Jaxson mused as he walked into the office. “I was going to drape a bathrobe over my shoulders and say I was a sleeping lawyer.”

The laughter spilled over, and I covered my mouth.

Michael stood. “You could try, Jaxson. The top prize is a hotel package for the weekend. Maybe a break would do you some good.” He walked over to his desk. “It would certainly do me some good.”

Jaxson met my eye with a subtle wink and walked to his office. “I’ll see what I can do, Michael.”

“I won’t hold my breath.”

I bent my head, pretending to read the words in front of me, but as usual, when Jaxson was close, I was distracted. I knew if I looked up, his eyes would be on me. Watching. Absorbing everything about me. Almost caressing me with his glance. I didn’t dare risk it.

We walked a tightrope these days. Boss and student by day. Passionate lovers after hours and on weekends. At times, it was hard to separate the two. One glance from Jaxson could set me aflame. A smart remark from me turned him into a raging madman, although he was often that way, so few people noticed except me. This was a different type of anger. His eyes would darken, his gaze became even more intense than usual, and the sexual tension ramped up so high, my body responded of its own accord. It was dangerous, crazy, and delicious.

At times, I didn’t recognize myself. Grace VanRyan, the cool, unflappable girl who always thought everything through. The one who toed the line and followed the rules. I was dependable and quiet. Confident with my place and the direction my life was headed in. I had my future mapped out. Finish law school, article, study for the bar, then join ABC Corp. and work with the lawyer at BAM, learning and soaking up as much knowledge as I could, while taking extra courses on trademarks and copyrights to hone my skills. A personal life, including love, was part of the distant future.

Until Jaxson entered the picture.

He consumed me. Sex with him was unlike anything I had experienced until now, and our appetites for each other were voracious. Our conversations were long and varied. It felt to me as if his views on the future were changing. Softening. Now had become next week. Next week was often referred to as later. I could envision him as part of my life.

Tags: Melanie Moreland Vested Interest - ABC Corp Romance
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