Page 14 of Anything To Be With You

Mason takes the stairs, two at a time and grabs Axe by the front of his shirt. "We've talked about this Axe," Mason says, hauling Axe closer to his face. "We don't hit on, check out, make sexual comments to, or make kissy faces at Ma. You feel me?"

Mason is very protective of his mama. It has been me and him—with the help of my parents and Erin—since I had him at sixteen. I give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Behave boys, and don't spend all day in front of the TV." I swipe my purse off the end of the banister and walk out the door.

"And your curfew is ten-thirty, Bubba."

Yes, You Did

Luke

I get to the office at a quarter to eight, finding Dani waiting outside the door. She’s wearing a black dress that cinches at the waist and flares out at her hips, fluttering around her perfect thighs. With lace sleeves and lace going across the top of her chest, showing off two tattoos I can’t fully make out on her shoulder and forearm and hiding that burn slightly. A pair of black heels display her legs like they’re the crown jewels of England, also giving her some height but not much. She’s quietly humming a song, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

I take the opportunity to take her in while she’s not paying attention. I have never seen anything so perfect. She is a Goddess brought to life. I give my head a shake and take a few deep breaths as my control slips further.

I clear my throat a few times, but she doesn’t acknowledge it. "Daniella," I call.

Dani jumps and her hand flies to her chest. "Jesus fucking Christ!" she swats at my arm. "You scared the shit out of me, I didn’t even hear you walk up."

Dani looks stunning this morning, with her hair pulled up in a French twist and very natural makeup. She fiddles with her skirt, brushing her hands over her wide hips. The thought of another man looking at her the way I am, has me seeing red and wanting to cover her with my jacket. I take a deep breath to steady the possessiveness I’m developing.

It doesn’t work.

"Why are you wearing that?"

Dani’s head snaps up and those showstopping eyes meet mine. "Excuse me?" she looks up at me wide eyed, blinking innocently with lips parted in invitation. One I can’t accept but I fucking want to.

"That dress shows too much skin," I lie. "This is a law office, not some sleezy nightclub." I suppress a wince. That was a shitty thing to say to her. I never went over the dress code and to be honest, there’s nothing wrong with what she’s wearing. It’s my reaction to her that’s the problem.

Dani crosses her arms, the click, click, click of her foot tapping on the floor signals how pissed she is. "Oh, I didn’t realize that my body repulsed you so much. I’ll go home and change into the potato sack I usually save for special occasions."

"Too late for that. Remember for tomorrow," I deadpan then kick myself for saying that. Fuck, I’m being a real asshole this morning.

Dani huffs out a breath and turns away from me. Her shoulders drooping a little. "Yeah," she whispers.

I didn’t mean for that to come out the way it did. However, it’s better that she hates me. It will keep her away from me because I sure as fuck won’t be able to stay away from her. She calls to me in ways no other woman has and I can’t afford to lose my heart again.

"Why are you here early, you weren’t supposed to start until eight," I bark.

"Fine," Dani seethes. "I’ll go for a walk and come back for eight."

"Don’t bother. You’re already here," I grumble. I unlock the door and hold it open for her, but she doesn’t move.

"What are you waiting for? A formal invitation?" I demand, nodding towards the door.

"Asshole," Dani mutters and brushes past me, heading inside.

Goddamn!

That dress hugs her ass like it’s holding on for dear life. Dani waits for me by Carrie’s desk, and I can’t help but stare at those legs of hers. They go on for miles. I harden myself against Dani’s allure. Tamping down the rising feelings she seems to bring out in me and tighten the hold on the wall around my heart.

"When Carrie arrives, she will get you all set and up to speed with what I have on the go," I state, walking past her down the hall towards my office. "This will be your desk. Carrie will show you how to use the phone system and photo copier. Printer is self explanatory," I state. "You will also be given a tablet for use in the office and at home. It is connected to your office computer and loaded with the same programs. If there is anything that needs my signature, it can be done on the tablet."

Dani raises a hand. "Photo copier? Aren't most offices paperless now with software to help manage appointments and things like that?"

"I like to have hard copies of the casefiles in case the system goes down or get's hacked."

"Do you not have a firewall in place? Or password protection?"

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