Page 44 of Entice

A smile played around her lips as she took the elevator down to the lobby. Jordan had been a gentleman all day. Well, except for those damn hard, passionate kisses he kept giving her.

The second they’d finished preparing for the case, he’d pulled her into his arms and hadn’t let her go until early this morning. The things Jordan could do with his hands and mouth. He’d teased and loved her into the early morning hours, driving her home this morning so she could change and get ready for work.

A shudder slid through her body. She enjoyed everything he’d done to her last night, including each and every orgasm he’d given her, and for once, the tapes in her head were silent. Crystal had tried to reciprocate, but he refused, telling her it was all for her. This way she would get used to his touch.

She didn’t think she’d ever get used to his touch or the husky tone of his voice when he gave her a command. Crystal bit her lip. She’d more than enjoyed herself last night. Even following his commands didn’t dim her need for him.

Jordan pulled up in his dark blue SUV, and she climbed in. His gaze went from the top of her head to the tip of her shoes. “Something wrong?” She’d dressed for court, but opted for pants rather than a skirt, and she’d put her hair up.

“Court Crystal has me all hot and bothered.” He leaned over and brushed a kiss against her lips. “Later I’ll kiss you silly,” he whispered before he pulled away from the curb as she put on her seat belt.

Sage was pacing around the small waiting room when they arrived. “Hi,” she said. Crystal noticed the slight tremor in her hands.

“Good morning, Sage.” She walked over and hugged the woman. “It will be okay,” she whispered.

“Thank you.” Sage hugged her back and released her, and Crystal stepped back. “What’s our plan of action?” Sage asked Jordan.

“Our first move is to ask for a delay.” He held up his hand when Sage opened her mouth. “We’re prepared if we need to go forward today, but with the judge change at the last second, we need more time to get some professionals lined up.”

Sage nodded. “Okay. I want this to be over with.”

“I know you do.” Jordan looked at his watch. “Come on. Let’s get into that courtroom.”

Two hours later, Crystal had a pad full of notes. The judge granted them more time. It had been a fight. Crystal also noticed Brady’s family glared at him and kept whispering to the lawyer. Then, whenever Brady tried to say something, the lawyer would object, saying Brady’s comments were not relevant to the hearing. Anger welled in her. His family acted like hers did when she was a teenager. She hadn’t been allowed to question anything. A shiver slid down her spine. She loved her family, but she would never again put herself in a position that allowed them to control her.

Sage’s gaze stayed on Brady as he left the room. “He’s lost weight,” Sage remarked.

“I noticed,” Jordan agreed. He took Sage’s arm and escorted her out of the courtroom with Crystal following. After seeing Sage off, they got into Jordan’s vehicle.

Jordan took his tie off and tossed it on the seat. “That was not fun.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Her notes were her observations, but still, they were valuable.

“Why don’t we stop by Sweet and Savory and have lunch before we go back to the office?”

“I’d like that.”

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Lara’s cafe. The place was bustling. “Lara is going to need more help,” Crystal said.

“Yeah, I’m glad to see the place so busy.” Jordan looked around for a place to sit. There was an empty table next to a group of bikers. He led Crystal over to the table and held out her chair for her. “I’ll go order. What would you like?”

She gave him her order, and he got in line. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Crystal as she talked with the bikers. While some people in the cafe avoided them, Crystal didn’t seem to have an issue with them. Good. The bikers he knew were good guys who enjoyed life to the fullest.

Jordan got to the counter, ordered, grabbed their drinks, and returned to the table. The bikers nodded and went back to their food. Crystal turned to him when he sat down.

“Thanks.” She opened the water bottle and drank. “I was thirsty.”

“So I see.”

“I feel for Sage and Brady.”

“I do too. I saw you taking notes; what did you write down?” He’d been surprised to see her scribbling furiously in the notebook as the proceedings went on.

“A lot.”

Just then, his name was called, and Jordan retrieved their food and came back. “When you told me you wanted a BCL, I was confused.” He set the plate down in front of her.

She laughed. “Bacon, cheese, and lettuce. I hate tomatoes, but Lara knows what I mean.”