chapter 28
HUNTER
RILEY FALLS BACK ASLEEP, but I stay awake, replaying everything that just happened. She was clearly having a bad dream, and saying the words Devon and I’m sorry over and over again. I also heard her say I didn’t mean to kill you. I remember when Jeremy said that Riley was a murderer, and I thought he was on drugs or something, because Riley wouldn’t harm a fly. There has to be an explanation for this, because I know with everything I am that Riley would not murder someone. I absently stroke her back, wanting to protect her from everything but knowing that I can’t. All I can do is be there for her and let her know that no matter what, I’m not going anywhere. Nothing she does can scare me away, I don’t frighten easily. I have a good sense of character, and the woman next to me is beautiful inside and out.
That’s rare these days.
I close my eyes and fall asleep, her body warmth and scent surrounding me.
Now that I’ve found her, and had a taste of her, I’m going to do anything I can to keep her.
“WELL, IF IT ISN’T the werewolf of the firm.” Tristan smirks, sitting down in my office and making himself comfortable. I should have known Kat would have told him about that.
“It was a love bite, not a claw mark. Let it go,” I tell him, shaking my head. “Are you here just to give me shit?”
“Pretty much,” he says, flashing his teeth in a grin. “I’ve got some free time, and the first thing I wanted to do was ask you how you got a time machine to turn back into seventeen-year-old you, when giving hickeys was cool.”
“I didn’t mark her on purpose,” I explain, lips tightening. “Why are we even talking about this?”
“Because you gave your woman a hickey, and my woman saw it, and it’s funny,” he muses, chuckling to himself.
“I think you joined me in that time machine, Tristan,” I tell him in a dry tone.
Jaxon sticks his face in and smirks. “Do you only change at a full moon, or can you shift at will?”
I’m going to kill Kat.
I shuffle all of them out of my office and close the door. It’s only then when I look at my schedule on my laptop that I see that Yvonne has marked all the days of the full moon for the rest of the year.
I can’t with these people.
MY DAY GOES TO hell quickly when I read the piece of paper in my hand, rage filling me. I start to pace my office as I reread the words, making sure I understood correctly. Jeremy Rodgers is trying to sue me for malpractice, claiming that I breached my fiduciary duty to maintain confidentiality. He’s filed a grievance with the state bar. He must have heard about Riley and me being together, and is now accusing me of sharing his personal information with her, and claiming that’s why he lost money in the divorce.
The thing that bugs the shit out of me is that his complaint is a valid one. I’m dating my client’s ex-wife. And while we didn’t start dating until after she was divorced, it looks suspect. I get that. But I have everything to prove that I exercised the utmost care in my representation of him and I never disclosed any confidential information to Riley. This is just a big pain in my ass. I should have known he wouldn’t accept the hand he was dealt, but there’s no way he can blame me for this loss. I did everything I could to get him to take what Riley was offering before court, but he refused to listen.
I send Jaxon a text telling him to come see me when he’s free, and he’s in my office a few minutes later.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, closing the door behind him. He warned me about this, and now he gets his I fucking told you so moment, but I still wouldn’t change everything that’s happened. When he sits down I slide him the paperwork, and he quickly reads it, sighing deeply when he’s done.
“We knew it could happen” is all he says. “But he’s got nothing. He’s just pissed that he lost out on some money, and Riley is now happy.”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” I tell him.
“Hunter, we all love Riley. This isn’t on you. If I didn’t want you on this case, I would’ve said so. He’s clearly not a smart man, trying to take on our firm,” Jaxon continues, game face on. “He just started a war with the most powerful firm in the city; does he actually think he can win?”
“Who knows what the fucker is thinking,” I mutter under my breath.
“I guess we will see him in front of the board. I just became your lawyer.” Jaxon’s smile is all teeth, pure evil. It almost looks like he’s looking forward to this.
Good luck to Jeremy, because Jaxon is going to destroy him.
He stands up and takes the piece of paper with him. “I’ll get started on the annihilation of your woman’s ex-husband.”
The way he says it, so casually, is why Jaxon is a man to be feared in the courtroom.
“Thanks,” I tell him, meaning it.
“No need to thank me. We’re all family here.”
He leaves, closing the door behind him.
Fuck.
When will we be rid of this dickhead?