I swallow and cross my arms over my chest. I don’t want to say it aloud. “He just threatened to be a dick.”

“Bullshit,” Cary responds, leaning forward in his chair. “Lo, the man wasn’t afraid to put his hands on you when you told him to leave—”

“What?” Ty exclaims.

“—so you need to tell me what he threatened to do to you if you don’t give him what he wants.”

I shake my head and close my eyes, remembering the feel of Jack’s nose pressed to my neck and the crazy look in his eyes when he wasn’t getting what he wanted.

“Excuse us for a minute, Cary.” Ty takes my hand in his and leads me toward the door.

“Uh, my client, Ty, remember?”

“We’ll be right back,” Ty assures him, and leads me into his office and shuts the door behind us.

“What did the asshole threaten to do to you, Lauren?”

“You said no yesterday, Ty. This isn’t your case.”

He shrugs, as if what I just said is of no consequence. “Answer me.”

I simply shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. Cary and I will figure it out. You don’t have to stay in there with us.”

I try to walk past him but he catches my hand in his, keeping me in place.

“Lauren . . .”

“Stop, Ty. You don’t want me, I get it.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” His voice is deceptively calm. “Do you know why I turned you down yesterday, Lauren?”

I shake my head, my eyes wide and pinned to his.

“Because it would be a conflict of interest. I can’t be your lawyer because I’m your friend, and I want to be a whole lot more than that.”

If I thought I was stunned before, it’s nothing compared to this. My jaw drops as he closes the gap between us. He doesn’t touch me, but his face is mere inches from mine. His eyes are on my lips as I bite them and watch him, completely thrown by this turn of events.

“You have the most beautiful lips, Lo.”

“What?” I whisper.

He takes a deep breath as he lays his thumb gently on my lower lip and pulls it from my teeth. I can’t tear my gaze away from his mouth and I take a deep breath, inhaling the musky scent of him.

I’ve forgotten Jack and his threats, the lawsuit.

Everything.

Ty clears his throat and backs away, watching me carefully. “Cary will remain your lawyer, but I want to know what the hell is going on, Lo. I can help.”

I blink and continue to stare at him, completely dumbstruck. He wants me?

“And another thing, Lauren. You’re not settling. Fuck Jack and his lawyer.”

Chapter Two

TY

“Court is in recess until Monday,” the judge announces as he leaves his bench. I smile reassuringly at my client, shake her hand, and grab my briefcase, ready to head out for the day.

It’s been three days since Lauren’s appearance in the office, and I haven’t been able to reach her.

As I push through the courthouse doors, I pull my iPhone out of my pocket and dial her number, but it goes straight to voice mail.

Again.

I’m worried about her. She’s not mine. She’s not my girlfriend. She’s not even my client, so I have no reason to be this worried.

She’s a grown woman who can take care of herself.

But I’ll be damned if I can stay away from her.

I bypass my office and head straight for home. I don’t live far, so I typically walk to and from work. Summer is dragging on nicely, although a hint of the bite of fall is in the air. The tips of the maple trees lining the boulevards are beginning to yellow.

As I pause to pull my suit jacket off, a car honks as it passes. I wave and roll my sleeves, drape the jacket over my arm, and continue toward home.

Where is she?

If Lauren’s ex-husband hadn’t just threatened her the other day, I wouldn’t be so worried.

But he did.

And she never did get around to telling me exactly what he threatened to do to her.

My first instinct is to drive to her house and check on her. What if she’s fallen? Sick?

Or maybe she’s just gone on vacation, you idiot.

I shake my head and cross the street leading to my house. The neighborhood is older, but the houses are well taken care of and nicely spaced. I approach my sister’s home and smile when I see Jillian sitting on her porch, absorbed in a book.

“Hey!” I call out, and wander up her sidewalk.

She looks up in surprise and smiles when she sees me. “Hey, yourself. How was your day?”

I set my briefcase down and loosen my tie. “Long. You?”

“It was good.” She gestures to the chair beside hers and I sink into it with a deep sigh. “Want some sun tea?”

“No thanks.” I shake my head and push my hands through my hair, then glance down at the book in her hands. “What are you reading?”

Her eyes light up and she shows me the cover. “A Spark of Passion by Peyton Adams. It’s the second in the series.”

I raise my eyebrows and smirk at my little sister. Her dark hair is pulled back in her usual braid and she’s in shorts and T-shirt, her new uniform since returning home from LA. She looks much younger than her twenty-eight years.

“You’re reading porn now?”

“It’s not porn,” she sniffs. “Besides, they’re gonna be made into movies, and I wanted to see what all the fuss is about.”