“Then what’s it going to be? Stay with me or go to Reese?”
Her lips tighten. “I won’t fuck you again.”
“Then you choose me?”
“Professionally,” she says. “Yes.”
“Professionally, I’ll respect your limits,” I say. “But I’m not one to play games about what I want. This changes nothing. I still want to know you. I still want to fuck you, but I won’t. Not until you’re ready.”
“I’ll never be ready.”
“We’ll play that game until it gets too old, and it will quickly. For now, you have your first assignment. Study my cases and know why I won. Don’t come back until you can answer questions accurately on every single one of them.”
She studies me several beats, something flashing in her eyes before she turns and walks to the door, but when I think she will exit, she pauses and turns back to me. “I won’t ever be ready. You see, one night weeks back, I had this overwhelming need to go to the bar where I met you. I was compelled, and I went. I saw you there with another woman who looked a lot like me. It told me who you really are, and I don’t like that person.” She turns again and reaches for the door.
“Lori, stop,” I order, closing the space between us but not fast enough. She’s already out of the door, and right when I would exit to follow, Reese steps in front of me.
I curse under my breath, and he arches a brow. I give him my back and cross the room, claiming the spot behind my desk and sitting down. Reese shuts the door and crosses to sit in front of me. “How big of a problem is this?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” I assure him, not big on denial.
“Did you fuck her?”
“If I did,” I say, “I wouldn’t tell you. That would be her story to tell.”
“She’s been through a lot,” he says.
“Which is why I’m going to mentor the hell out of her, whether she likes it or not.” I stand up. “Let’s get to that partners meeting. We have the world to rule.”
With that statement, we shift into our own warrior mode. We exit to the outer offices, a mission between us to be achieved; battles new and yet to be discovered to be fought and won. While I have one battle of my own to win, and her name is Lori Havens.