Page 2 of Entice

He leaned forward, and she caught a whiff of his cologne. A woodsy scent that reminded her of hiking in the forest.Mind on the interview.

“I wish you would have told me,” Kendra said.

“My apologies, Kendra,” Jordan replied. “The meeting was over a month ago, and it was coffee with mutual friends.”

“Very well.” Kendra looked back down at the papers in front of her. “As I was saying, your references are stellar, as is your resume.”

“Thank you.”

Jordan’s intense stare sent a wave of uneasiness through Crystal’s body. Damn that heat. She shouldn’t have worn a suit jacket today.

Jordan shifted in his seat. “Why do you want this job, Crystal?” he asked.

The husky tone of his voice sent a tingle of awareness down her spine. She was a mass of contradiction. First unease, now awareness.He’s a lawyer and your potential boss, she reminded herself. She wouldn’t get involved with a lawyer, not again.

“The grapevine made it sound like a challenge.” The ad hadn’t said much.Paralegal wanted. Experience with civil law a plus. Temporary position for three months, possibly less.

“The grapevine?” He shook his head. “Figures. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep this completely quiet. And yes, it will be a challenge.” He leaned back in his chair.

“It was bound to get out,” Kendra said, then looked at Crystal. “The case is very sensitive. So you’ll understand there are some legalities we need to work out. Are you and Jordan going to have any issues?”

“We won’t.” Crystal’s voice was firm. Kendra looked at Jordan.

“Kendra, will you give us a minute?”

Crystal saw the surprise on Kendra’s face, but she nodded and left the room. Crystal kept her gaze on Jordan. He was watching her, and she had to force herself not to shift under his scrutiny.

“I’ll ask Kendra to come back in a minute. I wanted to make sure you’re okay working closely with me. You were pretty upset with me after coffee.”

Crystal looked down at her hands. She was a professional, and this was the office, not a coffee shop. Yeah, she’d been a bit curt with him. She blamed it on two parents arguing and their little boy looking so upset. How many times in her childhood had an argument like that turned into a punishment?

“I was upset. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I apologize.”

“I can understand why it upset you. I dislike when parents air their issues in front of their kids, and I accept your apology.” He rubbed his chin. “I want to make this clear. You’ll be working for me, exclusively.”

A tremor went through her body. The way he said it made her think of late nights and midnight kisses. “What about the other lawyers?” Thank goodness her voice was steady because her body was reacting to Jordan in ways it shouldn’t be.

“They have their own paralegals.” Jordan leaned forward, his expression serious. “I asked around when you made the appointment, Crystal. You’re one of the best paralegals in the field. I need someone like you.”

He’d checked her out; she hadn’t expected any less. Maybe next time she’d do better due diligence when researching the lawyers in the firm before agreeing to the interview. “What is the case?”

“Let me call Kendra back in.” Jordan stood and went to the door. Kendra stood there, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Inappropriate,” Kendra said as she walked past Jordan and back into the room. Crystal’s gut clenched. Maybe she should leave and look elsewhere. But she didn’t want to. This case sounded like something interesting, and Crystal couldn’t wait to do research.

Kendra sat down. She glared at Jordan as he retook his seat, then looked at Crystal and blew out a breath. Crystal steadied herself.

“Maybe it would be better if I turn the job down,” she said. The last thing she wanted was to make an enemy of the operations manager.

Kendra’s green eyes lit up with surprise. “I was pointing out to Jordan that he wasn’t acting in the firm’s best interest in asking me to leave.” Kendra took a breath. “It’s not your fault or mine. Jordan has a tendency to be hands-on in certain things. I’m trying to break him of the habit.”

Jordan flashed a grin. “I wanted to clear the air with Crystal. She asked me about the case, which is why I called you back in. All I can say is it’s a civil case. I can’t go into particulars until we have a signed contract and NDA in place.”

Crystal’s spine stiffened. “An NDA?” While nondisclosure agreements in the legal profession weren’t unheard of, her gut tensed. She was still wary of them in the workplace.

“Yes, this case is sensitive.” Jordan’s gaze focused in on her.

“I see.” She shifted in her seat. Sensitive. The word didn’t make her think of the case. A shiver ran over her skin. Why was she reacting to Jordan this way? It was like she’d never been attracted to someone before. Crystal took a deep breath and pushed her fascination aside. “The ad mentioned this is a temporary assignment for three months?”

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