Suddenly, all the conversations I’d overhead between Olivia and Jason Drew made sense. This was what she had been talking with him about Friday morning. I replayed her story in my head and couldn’t help but think that Drew was right. It wasn’t nearly as big of a deal as Olivia seemed to be making it.

As far as I could see, there had been no need to run away, to change her name and start her life completely over. It was the overreaction of a seventeen-year-old girl who’d just lost everything she’d cared about, but that didn’t explain why she was so guarded about it now. Didn’t explain why she had created an elaborate web of lies for anything related to her past.

It was like Drew had said … she wasn’t the one who had pushed Amanda. None of it was her fault, but she was still carrying around the guilt, a burden that had turned her into one helluva lawyer, but had also kept her from developing any sort of real relationship for the past twenty years.

I stared down at her on my bed. Just looking at her, you’d never know she was broken inside. She put up such a strong front, guarded herself so she never had to experience that kind of pain again. Everything about her made so much more sense now. Why she was so stubborn and always wanted to be in control. She never wanted to be in a vulnerable position like that again.

I wanted—no, needed—to help her understand it wasn’t her fault—none of it was. I needed to help her let go of some of her guilt and pain, to move on and be happy. Maybe fall in love. Maybe with me. I couldn’t deny I already loved her. I wanted to fall asleep with her in my bed every night and wake up with her in my arms every morning. She’d said she didn’t need a man, but I wanted to be her man anyway.

I rubbed my hands over my face and walked to the window to look out at the darkness that was Central Park. God, this was not how things were supposed to go. When I met her at the bar a few months ago, I could’ve never imagined this was where we would be such a short time later. All the time spent with her at work had only made it that much easier to fall for her.

This should have been just sex and work and that was it, but from the very beginning, it had been more. There had always been more. Now there was no going back. I wanted Olivia and damn everything else. I wasn’t even going to try and figure out how love fit into the equation right now. This wasn’t going to be easy, but I had time to figure it out before the Delaney trial ended.

I closed the curtains and climbed into bed, pulling Olivia close so her body was flush against mine, her head resting on my outstretched arm. She wiggled and murmured something in her sleep before she was still, her body relaxing against mine and her breathing evening out as she fell back asleep.

I kissed her head and fell asleep thinking about how I could make Olivia realize she still deserved love. Everyone deserved to feel what I was feeling.

* * *

“Right, Mr. Beck?” I heard Olivia say but didn’t register she was talking to me. I was too busy staring at the subtle cleavage showing out the top of her blouse. “Mr. Beck?”

“Hmmm, yes,” I said, my eyes lifting to see Olivia glaring at me. I caught Josh smirking at me out of the corner of my eye and pushed the thoughts of Olivia from my mind. We were calling witnesses today, and Olivia had been giving Josh the rundown of witnesses … or so I thought. “I’m sorry, what were you saying, Ms. Roberts?”

“I was just telling Josh that we should have this wrapped in just a few days, assuming the prosecution doesn’t take too long with cross-examination.”

“That’s right,” I responded. “There is no reason we shouldn’t rest our case by Wednesday afternoon. Maybe Thursday.”

“Good, I’m ready for this be over with,” Josh said.

“It will be soon enough,” I said. Olivia’s phone buzzed in her hand and she looked down at the screen.

“I need to take this,” she said, walking toward the door. She pulled it open before she answered the phone.

“You’ve got it bad,” Josh laughed.

“Excuse me?” I turned back to face my client

“Olivia,” he said, nodding toward the doorway. “Something’s changed between you two. I can tell.” He smiled like he thought I was going to give him a gold star or something.

“What are you talking about?” I barked.

“Dude—”

“It’s James,” I interrupted.

“I’ve seen the way you look at her,” he continued. “Like you are undressing her with your eyes. And I don’t blame you, du—I’m mean, James, she’s hot. But the past few days, it’s different. I’ve seen my dad give my mom that look a hundred times. You love her, don’t you?”

“I don’t have to answer your questions,” I snapped. I was definitely going to have to do a better job of keeping my emotions off my face.

“You know, for being lawyers, you two are shit liars,” Josh snorted. “It was obvious you guys were fucking in the beginning, and now it’s obvious you are in love. Anyone who can’t see that is blind.

“I don’t know if she feels the same way, though,” he continued, as I stared at him. “She might be coming around, but I don’t know.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. I was about to respond when the door opened and Olivia came back in.

“Sorry about that,” she said. “Josh, are you ready? The judge is ready to get started.”

“Yup, let’s get this over with.”

“We’ll see you in there,” Olivia said, picking up her briefcase before turning to leave again. I still hadn’t moved from my chair when she turned back around. “Mr. Beck, are you coming?”

I stood quickly and followed her into the hallway.

“What the hell is your problem?” She hissed as soon as the door closed behind us.

“Nothing, I’m fine.”

“Bullshit. I’ve never seen you so distracted. In case you missed it, we are in the middle of a major trial, about to start presenting our case. I need your head here in the courtroom, not wherever else it’s been all morning.”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m some child that needs scolding,” I retorted.

“Don’t act like one then. Pull your head out of your ass and get your shit together. We have a trial to win.” She turned on her heel and stomped out of the hallway. I took several deep breaths and counted to ten to calm myself down. I wanted to yell at her, argue with her. She didn’t get to talk to me like that. I wanted to defend myself, but she was right. I had to pull myself together.

I had to internalize my feelings for Olivia. I had to keep my head in the game, at least for the next week … until this trial was over. After that, I could figure out my next move, figure out how to tell Olivia I loved her and work on winning her over. But right now, a man’s life, and my entire future, was at stake. I couldn’t let myself forget that.

The door slammed back open at the end of the hallway.

“Jameson,” Olivia barked. “We are starting. Let’s go!” I took two more breaths and followed her into the courtroom. This was going to be harder than I thought.