Page 5 of Staking His Claim

To this day I don't know why he picked me, but hell if I was complaining.

I snuck a glance at my watch and almost moaned in frustration when I saw that only five minutes had passed.

My phone was in my pocket ready for the alert from Judge Montgomery’s clerk once he was back in his chambers.

It had cost me an extra bottle of red for said clerk, but at least I would get the heads-up of the imminent news Fletcher was waiting for.

I learned very early on that he valued extreme efficiency and conciseness. It was why he took me along to every meeting to take notes.

I had a near photographic memory and an ear for recording things as clearly as if hearing it in real time. It’d seen me graduate at the top of my class with several recommendationswhen I left law school. I still pinched myself every morning that I got to work withtheFletcher Knight.

But my growing obsession with him?

Mysexualobsession?

Yeah, that was becoming increasingly problematic. Except my analytical brain hadn't found a way to resolve it that didn't involve distancing myself from the object of my obsession. And heaven help me, I wasn't planning on finding a solution anytime soon.

Because I liked Fletcher Knight.Morethan liked him.

He was the first thing I thought about when I woke up and the last thing on my mind when I went to sleep.

I had a picture of him on my nightstand. And that one time he’d asked me to deliver his dry cleaning, I may have stolen one of his shirts then made up a story about it being misplaced.

So what if it cost me $700 to have it replaced because it happened to be a Brooks Brothers exclusive made of a specially sourced cotton-silk blend?

Snuggling into his shirt and falling asleep with the regrettably diminishing scent of his aftershave was the highlight of my nights. And I wasn't about to deprive myself of it over an insane obsession I couldn't escape.

“Is everything alright, Emily?”

I jumped a little at the deep voice directed at me from across the room.

“Of course.”

“Are you sure? Because you haven't turned the page in that file for the last three minutes.”

I sucked in a sharp breath at being caught.

“Oh, yeah…I came in early this morning so I am familiar with the case already. I was thinking what our next step would be.”

Grey eyes, set in the light bronze face of the most gorgeous man earth, stared at me. “You came in early?”

My head bobbed up and down as I cleared my throat, so I didn't sound like a breathless bimbo.

“Yes. I thought I'd get a jump start on a few of the cases just in case your meeting went longer than scheduled.” I immediately regretted reminding him of the clash with his ex when his lips pursed, but his annoyance seemed to evaporate in the next instant. And his gaze remained on my face, his eyes probing.

“How early?”

Shit. Would I get in trouble for telling him the truth?

He’d berated me for coming in when the roads were icy two months ago. And he had expressly forbidden me—with a horrified, livid look on his face—from taking an Uber when he’d discovered that was how I went home when I worked late. Which was why I now had access to the firm’s exclusive car service, usually reserved for partners and senior associates.

“Around five-thirty,” I said, deciding to come clean because I suspected he could find out if he put his mind to it. He was Fletcher Knight, after all. “Closer to six,” I hastily added because I didn't want to get into trouble.

“I admire your diligence, but you should have known that I would have given you more time to familiarize with the case if necessary. We don't go to trial for another week.”

I forced a shrug, his intense focus as usual making fireworks explode beneath my skin.

“I couldn't sleep so I would have just been wasting time lying in bed.”

---