Olivia woke with a start. The room was still dark, the bed unfamiliar. But she knew she was in Logan’s hotel room. She rolled over, reaching for him, and found his arm and then his broad chest with her hands. He made a soft noise. Stirred awake. Without speaking, he rolled toward her, pulling her against his body, his mouth finding hers in the dark. The kiss had that same longing intensity, searching her lips for answers.

It would be so easy to give in, to surrender to their desires and let him take her on that wild ride again. Olivia gently pushed him away instead and heard him sigh in the dark.

“Logan, I can’t.” She bit her lip where he couldn’t see. “I have to... I need to go home and change. I can’t be late to work, and Ryan wants to meet with me. About your case.”

She stumbled a little over the words and hoped Logan wouldn’t notice. She was going to have to deal with Ryan, and whatever wrong impression he’d clearly gotten from her. But before that... The realization of what she’d done hit her like a physical force. Her stomach dropped.

The night before, everything had seemed simple. She’d felt like nothing could touch them. But with morning coming and work on its heels, reality was all too clear. By giving in to her desires, Olivia had risked Logan’s case, her career. Everything.

“Aye. I thought as much.” Logan rolled away, flicking on the bedside lamp, and Olivia blinked in the sudden light. Without darkness softening his edges, Logan took her breath away.

She couldn’t allow herself to fall into that trap a second time.

“Logan.” Olivia took a deep breath. “There’s something I need to tell you. I hinted at it last night, but I should have made myself clearer, but I...I didn’t want to.”

She looked down, playing with a corner of the sheet. Logan turned toward her, rising on one elbow, and she wondered how she’d ever be able to explain to him how she was feeling without him thinking she regretted him. She didn’t. But that didn’t change the fact that what she’d done had been incredibly stupid. And with that thought, the words just tumbled out.

“I was wrong to sleep with you.”

His eyes darkened, and for the first time Olivia saw pain in their depths. She reached out, her hand on his shoulder, and hurried to go on. “Not because of you. Because of your case.”

He frowned. “And why is this?”

“It’s a conflict of interest. To sleep with a client. Before the case... that was different. But now it’s complicated. And it’s a breach of ethics.”

“Do you regret it, then?” Logan’s voice was steady, but the pain deepened in his eyes. “What we did?”

Her heart ached. “No.” The answer escaped before she could think better of it, but she wouldn’t have been able to lie to him. “Not at all.”

Olivia curled against him, resting her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest. “This. You. I wouldn’t have given that up for anything. But I want you to know now, even though it’s too late, that there might be consequences if anyone finds out. So that if something goes wrong...” She shook her head.

Logan lay back on the pillow, and Olivia took a breath, trying to force herself to relax. The pain had receded from his eyes, replaced with confusion.  “You risked your career for this. For me?”

She nodded. “Yes. And I’m willing to keep risking it. But you need to know the stakes. I should have told you last night, before we did anything. It’s your risk now too, I guess. Although if there are consequences, they’ll be mostly on me. You’d likely be assigned a different lawyer and that would be that.”

“And what about you? What would happen?”

Olivia shrugged. “Likely I’d lose my job with the firm. They would definitely stop handing me high profile cases. I’d probably never make partner. If I’m really unlucky, they’ll hand down something more official.” She smiled, though she thought it might look more like a grimace. “The good news is, they’re not likely to disbar me. That’s usually saved for worse fuck ups than a little inappropriate sleeping around.”

Logan sat up, pulling Olivia into his lap. “You know I can’t ask you to risk your career for me.”

“You’re not asking. And I’ve already made my decision.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Logan’s mouth. “And why do I have the feeling that once you make up your mind, there’s little chance of changing it.”

“There’s no chance at all.”

He pulled her against him. The kiss was briefly tentative, but as she deepened it Logan responded with the hunger she was starting to find familiar. She reached past him to turn out the lamp, but he caught her wrist, pulling her down to the bed with him, rolling on top of her.

“I want to watch you.” He bent his head, kissing her hard. Olivia surged up against him and gave herself over completely to desire.

* * *

WHEN SHE FINALLY LEFT, the sky was just turning pink in the east. The cab that Logan had called from his room was waiting in front of the hotel. She slipped into the backseat and leaned her elbow against the door, watching the city roll past.

Everything had changed in the space of twelve hours; Logan wasn’t the opportunistic rock star who’d taken advantage of her ravaged emotions. He was an honest man who had apparently fallen for her hook, line, and sinker. And he had told her he loved her. In two languages.

She smiled at the improbability, the utterly amazing series of events that had landed her here, in this tentative but exhilarating new relationship with Logan Graham. If she’d tried to imagine this, nothing in her wildest dreams would have come close.

That didn’t change the fact that it could ruin her life.

The cab finally arrived at the apartment. Olivia nervously checked her watch, tempted to have the cab wait, but decided to chance getting another one after she was dressed rather than pay him to sit there idling. A hot shower and clean clothes sounded like heaven.

But she would have been better off keeping the cabbie waiting. The second one she called was late, and as she waited impatiently in front of her building, her hair still a little damp from her shower, she calculated just how late she was going to be. Olivia debated calling Melissa then, letting her know that she was going to be late, but maybe she’d get lucky and traffic would be light. She really couldn’t tell anyone she’d decided a second session in bed with Logan was more important than work.

The cab finally pulled up and she climbed in, giving the driver the address. “I’m late. Can you hurry?”

“Yeah, lady. You and everyone else.”

Olivia sighed, settling back against the seat. It was her own fault. And now she really would have to call someone.

She took her phone out of her purse, dialing Melissa’s direct line. The phone rang for what seemed like an eternity before going to voice mail. Odd. Melissa should have been at her desk already. Maybe she’d been called away to help one of the other lawyers

Pulling up the keypad, Olivia maneuvered her way through the company phone system, eventually ending up with the receptionist.

“Hey, Jenny. This is Olivia Michaels. Is Melissa Wright there? I’m running late and I wanted to let her know. If she is there, just put me—”

Jenny interrupted her. “Just a minute, Olivia. I’d better connect you with Mr. Marshall.”

Before Olivia could speak, Jenny’s voice was replaced with canned hold music. She listened impatiently, bewildered. The cab was stuck behind a truck belching smoke, obviously not going anywhere soon.

“Olivia.” Ryan’s tone was cold. “Where are you?”

“I’m stuck in traffic. Where’s Melissa? I tried—”

Once again she was cut off. “You should be more concerned with being at work—on time—than with Melissa. We’ll talk when you get here.”

The line went dead. Olivia frowned down at her phone, and the blinking ‘Call Ended’ icon. What was going on?

Traffic started moving, finally, and a few minutes later Olivia got out in front of her building. She made a beeline for her office, gathered her files and notes, and took the stairs two at a time rather than waiting for the elevators.”

When she arrived at Ryan’s office, the door was open. She knocked, stepping inside without waiting for him to answer.

“Ryan. I just want to say that I’m sorry.”

Without raising his head from the papers he was bent over, Ryan held up one index finger, silencing her. Olivia clutched her files and papers to her chest, trying hard not to shift from foot to foot in the doorway. Ryan finally closed the file and looked up.

“Close the door and have a seat. We have a great deal of work to do.”

Olivia closed the door quietly, taking a seat at Ryan’s worktable. “Ryan. I—”

He lifted a hand. “We have work to do. You can give me your excuses after we finish discussing the Graham-Ashton case.”

Stung, Olivia closed her mouth. He’d never been so angry at her before for being a couple minutes late. Maybe the other partners really were breathing down his neck.

They spent the next hour going over the case file, Ryan reading Olivia’s notes and helping her lay out the first draft of the initial complaint. Finally, he sat back, scanning the document once more.

“I think this’ll do for now. You work on it today and bring it back to me to review before you leave for the night.”

He looked at her over the top of his reading glasses, smiling for the first time since she’d entered his office. “You’ve done good work here. I must say I was starting to worry about your dedication to the case, but I’m impressed.”

Ryan removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “But, unfortunately, there are other issues we need to talk about, things that aren’t going so well.” He frowned. “We’ll start with being late. That’s not like you, especially when you’re meeting with a partner. Currently, you’re at two strikes. Let’s not try for a third.”

Olivia bristled, feeling like a child being reprimanded, but held her tongue. Ryan was right, she had been late twice now. But he went on.

“And about Melissa. I’m afraid she’s been let go.”

“Let go? You mean fired? But why?” Olivia felt the color drain from her face. Melissa was her rock, her organizational system, the person who kept her on track. And she was her friend.

“You know she’s been dropping the ball lately; you remember we had a brief conversation about that earlier. And her behavior with Mr. Graham was inappropriate and unprofessional. I’m sorry, but it’s something that needed to be nipped in the bud before it became a real issue. It impacted her performance. And it reflects on you that let it get so far out of control.”

Out of control? Because Melissa had missed one appointment and gawked a little at Logan? Olivia shook her head. “But who... What am I supposed to do about having a paralegal? Melissa knew all my cases. We’ve worked together for years, and she’s never made a mistake. She’s the one who keeps me on track.” Kept you on track.

“Lori will be available for the Graham-Ashton case. For the rest, you can use the float pool; Human Resources will send you someone later today. Your schedule is light right now, so it shouldn’t be a problem until we hire someone new.”

“But I don’t want anyone new!” Olivia had the irrational and utterly immature urge to stamp her foot. “I like Melissa.”

“That’s part of the problem. You lost your objectivity. She became your friend, and so you let things slide that should have been addressed. Frankly, it’s concerning how little you seem to care for your professional image.” Ryan grew thoughtful, gazing past Olivia as though she were invisible while she stared at him in shock. “Really, I ought to have a discussion with the other partners about this as well. If you’re not able to handle disciplining one paralegal, how will you be able to manage an entire department?”

He stood, moving around the table. Olivia watched with alarm as he engaged the lock on his office door.

“You know, there is something you can do to help this situation.” Ryan turned to meet her eyes. “I know you’re willing to do almost anything to succeed, both with this case and with making partner. We can chalk up this issue with Melissa as a learning experience, and I won’t talk to the senior partners.”

Ryan had stepped so close that his legs almost touched her knees, his body looming over her. He leaned forward, placing his hands on the arms of the chair. She wanted to look away, to turn in her chair, but there was nowhere to go. Her heart raced, and she was forced to crane her neck to look up at his face, only inches away from hers. The scent of his cologne—leather and rosemary—threatened to choke her.

She’d tried to convince herself that she had misunderstood what happened in their last meeting together. That he had somehow mistaken her intentions. But looking up at him, at the expectant expression his face, she had to admit to herself that his intentions had been crystal clear.

“What do you think you could do, Olivia, to help prove your dedication?” Ryan’s voice was low, barely audible.

He slid his hand behind her neck. She stiffened, her arms braced against the chair as he pulled her forward.

“Why so resistant? You’ve made it clear that there are things you’re willing to do. WE can resolve the issue right here, right now, and we can all go back to work. Otherwise, I’ll have to take your lack of interest in a compromise as a sign that you’re just not ready for this case.” He sighed. “And of course without this case, you’ll no longer be on the fast track for partner.”

“You can’t.” Olivia found her voice and jerked away from his touch. “This is wrong! On so many levels.”

“You’re the one who made the first move. I’m just following your lead.”

Olivia shook her head. “I’ll go to Human Resources. File a complaint.”

The sound of Ryan’s laughter, a completely unexpected answer to her threat, sent a chill down Olivia’s spine. “Go ahead. But before you do, think about this. I’m a partner here, and it’s my word against yours. You kissed me, remember? You threw yourself at me the other day; there are witnesses. You’ve locked the door today. Who do you think they’re going to believe?”

“Who are you?” The words were barely a whisper. “Why are you doing this?”

“I’m your mentor,” Ryan said pleasantly. “The one responsible for your success here.” He leaned forward, his lips almost touching hers. She could feel his hot breath on her cheeks as he spoke. “I’m the person who should show a little more gratitude toward, considering that you wouldn’t have this job without me. And should you choose to continue the way you have been, I’m the person who can take this job away.” His fingers stroked a lock of hair back from her face, and Olivia pressed her back further into the chair, skin crawling where he’d touched her.

“You can walk out of here right now. But you won’t have a career if you do.” He inclined his head toward the window that looked out on the New York skyline, high rise after high rise. “Marshall, Avery and Shaw have a lot of clout in this city. And my name comes first in that list for a reason.” He stepped in closer, and with a tightening knot in her chest Olivia realized that he was pushing her knees open with his legs.  “You’re teasing me, Olivia. And if we were somewhere other than here, I’d show you just how that teasing makes me feel. But unfortunately there are other matters to deal with.”

Ryan stood then, abruptly, his hand trailing across Olivia’s shoulder as he straightened. She dropped her gaze, only to find that there was an unmistakable bulge at the apex of his thighs. Her eyes went wide, and she turned her head away, but not before she saw Ryan watching her, his lips turned up in a knowing grin.

“You see what you do to me? It’s always been like this. You lead me on and then leave me wanting. Even when you were engaged to Patrick you were flaunting yourself in front of me at every chance you had. What is a man supposed to do with that, hmm?”

Finally, he stepped away. Olivia pressed her knees tight together, tugging her skirt down. She rose shakily from her chair to gather her notes and files. Ryan took a seat behind his desk. She glanced at him, then quickly away; she was certain he had his hand in his lap, but there was no way she wanted to find out for sure.

“I’ll... I’ll drop off the draft later. With Lori.” Olivia ducked her head, turning the doorknob. The door refused to open, and she felt her heart rate speed up again, her breath coming too fast. She tugged harder, making the door rattle in its frame.

“Olivia,” Ryan’s cool voice cut in. “Unlock the door.”

Right. It was locked. Olivia thumbed the catch, jerking open the door and all but tumbling into the narrow hall that separated Ryan’s office from Lori’s cubicle. Lori looked up, startled, as Olivia gained her feet and hurried around the corner.

Olivia flung open the door to the stairwell, heading up a flight to the law library rather than heading back down to her own floor. Clutching her files, she darted into the farthest corner of the stacks and pulled out a chair at one of the empty tables, dumping her papers carelessly across the polished mahogany.

What the hell just happened? She realized belatedly that she was trembling. Not just her hands this time, but the entirety of her. She sat hunched forward, clutching her hands between her knees, and forced herself to take slow, deep breaths until she felt less like she was on the verge of a panic attack. In the quiet of the library, she allowed herself to think about the meeting with Ryan.

It was clear he was harassing her. But she had no way of proving it. He’d been right, when he said that they would take his word over hers. And he’d set her up, that day that she’d tripped into his arms in the door of his office. Too many people would have seen exactly what he wanted them to see. Any first-year law student could predict the outcome of a case like this one.

So where did that leave her? He’d threatened not only to take the case away, but to ruin her entire career. A career she needed; law school hadn’t been cheap.

She couldn’t abandon Logan either, not with his case against Ashton just starting, not when he’d asked for her specifically.

But she knew Ryan held a great deal of power in the firm. He’d made his mark long ago, and his rank among the other senior partners proved it. Anyone who crossed Ryan would find themselves out on the street. And in the small world that lawyers inhabited, word got around fast. A bad word from Marshall, Avery and Shaw would mean every door closed against her.

And Melissa was gone. Olivia frowned, not quite sure where the younger woman fell in all this. Granted, there was a grain of truth to Ryan’s claims of unprofessionalism, but Melissa’s overall performance far outshone the occasional lapse.

It was all too much to deal with in the office. She still had cases to work on and hiding away in the library wouldn’t keep Ryan from finding her. Olivia rose, gathering her things, and headed downstairs. The sight of Melissa’s empty desk as she stepped off the elevator made her heart sink. I’ll call her at lunch...

Sitting behind her desk, eyes scanning over the clutter, she wondered where to start. She glanced at her watch. A good solid hour for Logan’s case, she decided, then she’d figure out where to go with the rest. Pushing Ryan from her mind, she opened the case file and notes and lost herself in the details of the lawsuit, in the precise language of the legal system, knowing she was doing this for Logan.

Sometime later, a knock at Olivia’s door startled her. She looked up and found Melissa standing in the doorway, holding a cardboard box.

“Melissa!” Olivia was so incredibly glad to see her. “Come in. Please.” She came around her desk, reaching out for Melissa’s arm.

But Melissa stood just outside Olivia’s office, her face solemn, not speaking. It wasn’t until Olivia stepped into the hall that she noticed Nathan from Human Resources standing at Melissa’s desk.

“I’m here to get my stuff and I wanted to say good-bye,” Melissa mumbled, head down. Olivia wanted to hug her, but with Nathan standing right there, practically guarding her, it didn’t seem like the right thing to do.

“I’ll call you,” she said instead. “Tonight. Okay?”

Melissa nodded, and Olivia could see tears gathering in her friend’s eyes. Rather than embarrass them both by giving in to the rising urge to cry too, Olivia went back to her office, closing the door quietly behind her.

Logan’s case, she told herself. That’s the only thing that matters. He had some solid grounds to go after Ashton, but everything would depend on the financial documents both sides produced.

It was just before lunch when Olivia felt she had enough to take the revised complaint to Ryan. But she hesitated, not wanting to face him again so soon after the morning’s... whatever that had been.

Glancing at her watch, Olivia decided to take it after all. If she was lucky, he would be at lunch and she could just leave it on his desk. If not, she’d leave it with Lori and just avoid him altogether. It wasn’t the best plan, but she wasn’t ready to face him again.

But when she came around the corner on Ryan’s floor, Lori was gone. Ryan stood at her desk, reading a file. He looked up as Olivia came to an abrupt halt several feet away, hands going white-knuckled around the edges of the folder she held.

Her first instinct was to bolt. The only thing that stopped her was the knowledge of just how unprofessional that would look to the few people not at lunch; she didn’t need another thing for the partners to censure her over. And after all, what could he do to her here in the middle of the office? She forced her feet to move toward him.

“Olivia. I was just coming to find you. Do you have a minute?” Ryan inclined his head toward his office.

“Actually, I was just dropping off the Graham file with the complaint for you to review, like you asked for.” She held the file at arm’s length, hoping he would take it.

“Yes. I see.” Ryan reached out and took the folder, watching her with a calculated gaze. She felt like she was being studied—and found wanting.

“As you wish. I’ll read it through and if it’s acceptable I’ll have Lori type it up. We should be able to file tomorrow morning.” Ryan tapped the folder on the edge of Lori’s desk. “Do you have time for lunch? I was just heading out to grab a bite.”

Olivia was shaking her head before Ryan finished his sentence. She registered the darkening look on his face but went on. “No. Sorry. I have... I have a lot more to do. I have a filing due today, if you remember, on a different case. And with Melissa gone I don’t want to fall behind.”

“Right,” Ryan said flatly. “That reminds me. Come into my office.”

At the repeated invitation, she felt her heart sink. She glanced around the area. The last place she wanted to be was in Ryan’s office when the rest of the floor was nearly deserted. But refusing an outright order from a partner was the kind of thing that could get her censured.

Ryan was waiting for her. Reluctantly, she walked into his office, careful not to go beyond the doorway.

“Why so shy? You were anything but this morning.” Ryan sat behind his desk, watching her closely. Olivia said nothing. He shrugged and took a folder from his desk. “Here. It’s a list of paralegals who’ve submitted resumes to the firm. Read through them, pick out five or so that interest you, and let Nathan Hunter know which you like. They’ll set up interviews and we’ll have someone for you as soon as we can.”

Olivia nodded and took the file, stepping quickly back into the hallway. “Thank you, Ryan. I’ll do that.”

As she turned away, she felt Ryan’s eyes still watching her, and barely resisted the urge to run.

In her office, she closed the door, tossing the file on her desk. She wanted to call Melissa, but more than that she wanted to hear Logan’s voice, the soft cadence of his speech. Maybe he’d tell her again that he loved her.

In the heat of the moment last night, in the rush of the morning, Olivia hadn’t had time to savor Logan’s words, their full meaning. He had said that he loved her.

She closed her eyes, letting all the wonderful feelings those three words created wash over her. It was the most secure, the happiest she’d felt in weeks. She didn’t know if she felt the same way about Logan; it was too soon for her to tell. But she knew that she wanted the safety of his arms. Wanted him close to her. He’d said he didn’t expect her to return his feelings; he seemed satisfied just to say it himself, to put it out there for her like a gift. And right now, that was enough.

When the phone rang, she jumped. The display showed an external incoming call, but the number was marked as private.

“Olivia Michaels.”

“Olivia.” Logan’s voice answered. Olivia smiled.

“Logan. I was just thinking of you.” Such a cliché.

“Well, I have to say I was thinking of you too, since I’m calling. But I’m afraid I’ve not got good news. My morning hasn’t been to my liking.”

Something in Logan’s tone made her clutch the receiver tightly. “What is it?”

“The band. And Ashton. They’ve threatened to boot me out, permanently. Ashton’s told them enough lies to make them believe I’ve left them. And in the midst of that, Ashton called. He’s gotten wind of the lawsuit somehow and he’s furious. Claims it’s all something I’ve made up, which is a load of crap. But of course you know that.”

She heard the frustration in his voice. “I’m sorry, Logan. This is horrible for you. Did Ashton say how he found out about the suit?”

“No. Just that he would see me in hell before he’d admit he’d done anything wrong. Claims he can ruin me before we even get to court.”

Olivia sighed. This wasn’t anything new; there had been plenty of cases before where the mud-slinging started well before the court date. She had always been professionally distant from the client’s day-to-day issues, only concerned with the personal attacks where they gave her something for her case, but this was Logan and she felt his pain.

“Well, I can tell you we’re filing tomorrow. Ashton will receive a summons and have to make a formal answer to the claims. He may counter-sue them. Mostly likely, by the sounds of it, he’ll want to try. But we’ve done what we can for the moment. The ball we be in his court, and from there we’ll wait for his response to know how to proceed.”

“Thank you, Olivia. I mean it. I can’t think of anyone I’d want in my corner more, for many reasons. Not least of which is that I trust you, and that’s not something I can say about many people.”

“I’ll do my best, Logan. You know that.”

“I’ve no doubt.” Logan’s tone lightened, and Olivia envisioned his easy smile brightening his eyes. “Let’s have dinner. You never really got to have any last night, if I remember. I asked you out, and then made it quite difficult for you to eat.”

Olivia felt a rush of warm fondness for his teasing. For his kindness. She ached to see him again, to find shelter in the storm her life was quickly becoming. “Yes. I’d like that.”

“I’ll call...”

She didn’t hear the rest of what Logan was saying. There was a knock at her door, and then it swung open, Ryan standing beyond it.

“Olivia, I—” He stopped abruptly when he realized she was on the phone, but remained in her doorway, blocking the exit.

“That’s fine. I’ll call you later when we have confirmation of the filing. Thank you, Mr. Graham.” Without waiting for Logan to answer, she replaced the receiver.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Ryan said. “But Hunter is waiting on those resumes, if you’ve had a chance to look them over.”

“Just getting to that now. I’ll have them to him within the hour.”

Ryan hesitated briefly. “What did Mr. Graham want?”

Olivia hoped he couldn’t see her nervousness. Logan was her client after all. She was allowed to speak to him on the phone. “He was looking for an update on the case. It seems the band has threatened to replace him, and Ashton knows about the suit. I suspect he’ll file a counter suit, but we’ll have to wait. I’m not sure if the band’s actions will have any bearing on the initial claim. We may need to address that before we file.”

“Yes. We should discuss that. I have a meeting now that will take me through most of the afternoon. Stop by my office after five.”

Before she could answer, Ryan was gone, closing the door behind him.

Olivia quickly dialed Logan’s cell phone, but it went to voice mail. She left an apology for abruptly ending the call and asked him to contact her later with a time and place and ended the message with the statement that she was very much looking forward to dinner.

* * *

AN UNEASY FEELING DOGGED Olivia through the rest of the afternoon. She read through the resumes in the file, heartsick at the thought of replacing Melissa. When she returned the folder to Nathan’s office, he seemed remote and cold, and she wondered if he and Ryan had talked. She decided she was being paranoid and went back to her office, delving into her other cases.

When she came up for air, it was just after four o’clock, and Logan still hadn’t returned her call. She debated calling him before she went to see Ryan, but just as she reached for it her phone rang. Her heart skipped. Maybe he’d finally decided to get back to her. But it was Ryan’s number on the digital display. Olivia went from hopeful to apprehensive.

“Come on up,” Ryan said when she answered. “I finished my meetings early. We can get this done tonight, Lori can make the changes tomorrow, and it’ll be filed.”

With no other option, once again, Olivia took the stairs to Ryan’s office, her feet dragging. Get it over with, and then you can have dinner with Logan.

Ryan’s door was wide open. She hesitated to step through it.

“Have a seat.” Ryan indicated the work table, and Olivia reluctantly complied. The sound of the latch click as she settled herself in the chair made her jump.

“Hunter’s lined up several candidates based on your preferences,” Ryan said. “He’ll do the initial interviews and then you and I will sit down with the top three. That should get you someone within a few weeks, assuming they need to give notice.”

Olivia nodded, making a note on her pad. Ryan had Logan’s case file, and he spread the documents on the table, turning them toward her. Olivia ran her eyes over the latest draft of the complaint, finding Ryan’s notes in the margins. She scribbled a couple of her own on the potential ramifications of the band dumping Logan.

Ryan’s abrupt present by her chair startled her. He leaned over, one hand on the back of her chair, the other on the table. Again, she felt pinned by him as he looked over her shoulder at the complaint. She was overly aware of the heat of his body, the suddenly flimsy-seeming support of the chair between them.

“Very good. I like this.” He pointed to an area of her notes, tapping the paper with his finger. “I like this very much.”

His voice had dropped low, and Olivia could feel him leaning nearer. She shuddered.

“Ryan...” She didn’t even know what she wanted to say, but before she could continue, he put his hand on her shoulder, his fingers moving upward into the hair along the nape of her neck.

“Shh. Just relax. You’re so tense.” He massaged along her spine, rubbing muscles that Olivia was sure must feel like wire they were wound so tight. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. Nothing here that you don’t want.”

“Please. Ryan. Stop.”

He moved closer, his body pressing against her shoulder. “I’ll stop when you mean it,” he breathed against her ear. “Ever since Patrick, you’ve been playing me. Toying with me. I’m just following your lead.”

She shook her head, hands tense around the padded edge of the chair. She felt like she’d been frozen in place. “No, Ryan. That’s not—”

“We’ve had this conversation. The same page. Remember? I know what you want.” His hand tightened around the back of her neck. “You want partner. You want it so bad you can taste it. And I can give that to you. We can do this together.”

The brush of his lips against her hair broke the shock that held her in place. Olivia pulled away, nearly falling over the edge of the chair in her haste.

Ryan stopped. She heard the hiss of his breath through his teeth. “Have you changed your mind, then?” He stood. “We’re not speaking the same language any more, are we?”

Silent, he moved around the table to pull out the chair across from her, sitting stiffly against the high leather back. He folded his hands in his lap. The air in the room felt thick around Olivia, too heavy to fill her lungs.

“I’m disappointed, Olivia. Maybe this case isn’t for you.” He looked critically across the table at her, and she saw a sneer of contempt on his lips, reproach in his eyes.

She’d never felt so judged by him before. Had never felt so worthless under his gaze.

“Maybe you’re just not the woman I thought you were,” he said. “I thought you were willing to do what it took to succeed, but...” He shook his head, rising from the chair, and turned to stand in front of the window, his back to her.  “You can go,” he said without looking at her. “We’re finished here for now. Lori can make the changes and file in the morning.”

Heartsick, Olivia gathered her notebook and pen, her files. For a moment she hesitated. Ryan didn’t turn.

She let herself out of the office.