chapter 9
CALLUM
“THIS IS NOT WHAT I expected,” I say to Trinity, eyes wide. “Holy shit, how can I be scared about our predicament when we’re flying in a fucking private plane. Whose plane even is this?”
“I have no idea,” she murmurs, wriggling her feet, which are peeking out from the blanket the hostess gave her. She doesn’t sound as shocked as me though, so maybe she’s used to such treatment.
“Is this what I have to look forward to?” I ask myself. “I knew I chose the right career path.”
She turns to me, her face so close I can see speckles of green in her eyes. “I’m surprised you didn’t just become a family lawyer or something, so you’d get to talk all damn day.”
I chuckle to myself. “It’s funny you say that, because my friend Hunter is the chattiest at Bentley and Channing and he’s the family lawyer. Is that a thing? Family lawyers like to talk?”
“All lawyers like to talk,” she tells me with a grin. “But in my personal experience, yes. I know Mr. Brayze.”
“Is that who you’re basing this theory on?” I ask, grinning.
“Maybe,” she replies, shrugging. “Whenever he’s coming into court I make sure I leave extra time before the next case.”
I throw my head back and laugh. Fuck, I miss Hunter.
“I’ve just always been fascinated by the court system,” I explain to her. “I used to watch all those judge daytime television shows growing up, and I don’t know . . . that’s just where I wanted to be.”
“Aspirations to be Judge Judy?” she teases, and I bark out a deep laugh.
“Judge Judy’s law clerk apparently,” I fire back. “Although the judge I work for is a little meaner than Judy.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “I’m not mean. And it doesn’t even faze you anyway, you’re still in my personal space and asking me about nonwork topics.”
“Nothing fazes me really.” I shrug, turning my body to face her. “We’re opposites. You’re uptight, and I’m more laid-back.”
“Is this plane trip to our unknown destination going to be filled with insults?” she asks me in a dry tone but sounds amused. “Because if so, I’m going to put my iPod on and turn up the volume.”
“What do you listen to? Beethoven or something of the likes? Uptight music?”
I like teasing her. I’d never have spoken to her like this before all this happened, and I don’t think she would have found it amusing. It almost seems like another time, even though it was only yesterday evening. We’re in such a different place now; we’re equals, instead of her being my dreaded yet talented boss, and my being her overly talkative law clerk. In her opinion anyway. I happen to find myself extremely charming.
“You think classical music is uptight? Oh, that’s right: you’re young. Practically an infant,” she returns, kind of hitting a sore point for me. I don’t care that she’s older than me. Not one bit. But I care that she cares. I don’t want age to be any kind of issue for her, because that’s something about myself I can’t change. Yes, I’m a few years younger, but age is just a number. Chemistry trumps all of that.
“I’m younger than you but I’m still a man,” I tell her, boldly resting my hand on the curve of her tiny waist. “Want me to show you?”
She arches her brow and gently pushes my hand off her. “You’re my law clerk.”
“Not right now I’m not,” I say, studying her. “Tell me you don’t feel any kind of attraction to me and we’ll pretend this little thing never happened. And if you lie, I’ll know.”
“How?” she probes, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Yes or no, Trinity,” I push. If she says no, I’ll have to let go of any notions of ever being with her. It will be hard, because I don’t think I’ve ever been so intrigued by a woman, but I’ll do it. “Are you attracted to me?”
She bites her bottom lip, then reluctantly admits, “Yes, but—”
I cut her off. “No buts. You are, and so am I. And we’re both in this together and are stuck with each other until this is over, so I don’t see why we can’t . . . I don’t know . . . explore this attraction?”
“Because you’re my law clerk and you’re much younger than me,” she replies, lifting her stubborn chin, her hands now clasping on to the edge of the blanket as if for dear life. “It’s inappropriate. Just because we’re attracted to each other doesn’t mean we should act on it. If I had never been attacked, then we never would have admitted even having an attraction.”
“But you were attacked,” I remind her. “This is a different realm, Trinity. We’re not in the courtroom with people watching us. It’s just you and me, literally, against the world until it’s safe for us to resurface again.”
“There is only one world, Callum,” she replies in a soft, subdued voice.
“I think you’re amazing, Trinity. Beautiful, intelligent, and so accomplished. I know you hide behind your cold demeanor, and I think you enjoy that you’ve made a reputation for yourself as being tough. I bet you even like that they call you Medusa behind your back, but I know that—”
“They call me what behind my back?” she asks, her voice going up an octave.
Ahh fuck.
How did she not know this? I guess everyone was so scared of her that no one ever let it slip around her, and no one ever told her. Not even her friends. Maybe she doesn’t have any, aside from Alyssa. And the way I saw her with Alyssa and Dina only confirmed my initial thoughts about her—she’s not as mean as she likes to portray to the world. She’s a good person. She’s just protecting herself, and maybe doing what she has to do to be successful in her place as a state judge. It’s her mask. Her protection.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen her face look so pinched.
“Medusa?” she whispers through clenched teeth. “Who calls me that? Did you make it up?”
I shake my head vehemently. “No, no, I did not. I just heard someone reference you that way and yeah, some people might call you that behind your back.” I pause, and add, “And apparently now to your face.”
They say true friends say shit to your face, right?
“Medusa,” she says again, this time to herself. “So what? I turn people to stone? How does that work exactly?”
Okay, now she’s definitely reading into it too much.
“Only one part of me you turn to stone, babe,” I reply, glancing down at my cock. She follows my line of sight, and something amazing happens.
Her lip twitches.
And then a full-blown laugh escapes her. “Think you can tame Medusa, do you, Callum?”
I grin, gaze softening as I look at her. I reach over and take her tiny hand in mine, the only form of contact I know I can make without her pulling away. I run my thumb along her knuckles, and she lets me, not pulling away even though it feels so intimate.
“Don’t want to tame you. Just want you to let me in,” I reply in all honesty. “I don’t think you can change people, and I’d never want to; that’s not who I am.”
She nods once and hands me one of the earbuds and places the other in her ear. She waits until I put mine in before she presses PLAY.
“Hit ’Em Up” by Tupac starts to blast into my poor eardrum.
“Not exactly Beethoven.” She smirks, then closes her eyes and starts to rap along to the song, including all the swear words, each one making my eyes flare wider.
Judge Williams has a dirty mouth.
“Medusa is full of surprises,” I mutter, and she nudges me with her elbow. “Guess I kind of deserved that.”
“You did,” she replies, her eyes still closed. I take the opportunity to examine her pretty features, her long lashes fanning her cheeks in crescents, her pouty lips that hardly smile yet have been doing more of it as of late. Which is weird, considering everything this woman has been through recently. She truly is resilient. It’s almost like she just adapts to any situation thrown at her. She will probably thrive in it too.
“You’re a bit cute, Trinity,” I tell her, and her eyes open, exposing pools of blue.
“Cute?”
I nod.
“Cute means ugly but interesting,” she tells me, eyes narrowing.
“No it doesn’t. It means sweet, and has character.”
“I don’t think anyone has called me sweet.”
“I don’t think anyone has gotten to know you properly,” I reply, tilting my head to the side. “Except maybe Alyssa and Dina. Or anyone else you’ve let in, but no one at work.”
“You’re making a lot of assumptions here,” she says, resting her head on my shoulder. “And talking a lot. Again. Why don’t you just let Tupac do the talking for now?”
I close my eyes, amusement filling me.
Yes, Your Honor.