Page 17 of Attorney Privilege
Piper and Landon exchange a look.
“What?” I’m close to losing it, and these two are making puppy eyes at each other.
“Love isn’t always on your own timeline,” Piper says. “But if you really don’t have feelings for her, then you should let her go. She deserves to be happy, even if it’s with someone you don’t like very much.”
“To be fair, he is a piece of shit.” Landon gives Piper the abbreviated version about Gamer and Emerson’s families and their arranged marriage.
“And you let her sign the prenup?” Her eyes narrow on me and then Landon. “I can’t believe you would do that to her.” She jerks the muffin container out of his hands and scowls. “I’m giving these to Scout. She’s the only one that deserves them.”
“Piper, wait.” Landon starts to go after her, but she holds out her hand to stop him and points at me.
“You need to fix whatever that is first.” She raises her chin stubbornly and walks out of my office.
Landon glowers at me, and I have the urge to laugh. “Congratulations. You’ve managed to piss off two women at once. This has to be a new record.” His shoulders sag as he flops down in the seat next to my desk. “Those muffins were really good too.”
“She’s right. I shouldn’t have let her sign that contract.” I rub a hand down my face, hating that I’ve made things so much worse for Emerson. It’s eating me alive that she’s getting married to someone else, but what did I do about it? I’ve made sure he’s going to screw her after it happens. “Fuck.”
“I don’t think you’d be feeling as sorry for her if the contract was reversed and Gamer was the one getting taken advantage of.” Landon leans back in the chair far enough so he can strain a look at his wife. He almost falls backwards in the chair in the process, and I have to grab his foot before he tumbles to the floor.
“Where is Spencer when I need him? At least he can stay focused for five seconds,” I say to myself, and Landon finally gives me his attention.
“He’s in court, and I bet if Emerson was out there, you’d be looking too.”
“True.” It’s not worth pretending he’s wrong. I take a seat across from him and put my face in my hands. I can still smell her on me, and it’s almost painful. The urge to cry out, to scream or hit something is bearing down, and I feel like I’m going to split in half.
“If you stop this wedding, it will ruin her,” Landon says softly. “People in her world take this shit seriously. They’ll know you’re stopping it because you either want her or because you’ve had her. It will put a target on her back, and she’ll be their favorite gossip for the rest of her life.”
“I know,” I say into my hands.
“You’d be risking everything you’ve built, we’ve built. Emerson’s family and maybe even Conner’s will come after us if you publicly embarrass them.”
“I know,” I say again, feeling the weight of this crashing around us.
“But I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it.” I look up at him, and he leans over, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You need to figure out if this is an itch you’re trying to scratch, or if she’s worth losing it all.” He stands from his seat and buttons his suit jacket. “If what you feel for Emerson is anything close to what I feel for Piper, then I’ll gladly stand beside you while they try to tear this place down.” He grins and then winks at me. “Besides, I’ve always got Uncle Dino to shake things up.”
Piper appears in the doorway, and Landon beams at her. “Well, do you deserve these or not?” She holds up the container with two muffins left.
“He doesn’t, but I do.” Landon pulls her in for a quick kiss while stealing the container from her. Piper wraps her arms around his waist, and Landon looks back at me before they leave. “You got this?”
“Yeah,” I say, waving them off. “I’ll see you later.”
When they’re gone, I walk over to the window that looks over the city below. It almost feels like a dream that Emerson was here today, and that I tasted her. I touch my fingers to the glass, wishing with all my heart she was here right now. When I’m with her, everything makes sense. It’s like I can finally understand a language everyone has been speaking, and when she’s gone, I’m lost.
One thing I know for sure is that Emerson isn’t an itch I’m trying to scratch. The real question is, is she willing to choose me? By pursuing her, I could ruin her reputation and her arranged marriage, and she might not want me. Maybe I’m the itch she’s trying to scratch.
My phone chimes in my pocket, and I pull it out to see a text from Taylor.
Taylor: Got you a number. It’s not hers, but I’ve been assured it’s a safe line.
The surge of adrenaline and excitement I feel at the prospect of talking to Emerson again tells me all I need to know.
As dangerous as this might be, I’m not giving up. I’ll do my best to protect her, but I’m willing to risk it all.
Chapter Eleven
EMERSON
I’m not only a cheat, but now I’m a thief too. I turn my head, inspecting the mark Gideon left on my neck. I wore a scarf yesterday to hide it, which my mother told me was hideous. Now Conner and his family are coming over this evening, and I know if I put the scarf back on, Mother will tell me to remove it. She will freak out if she sees it, and I’m not sure what Conner will do.
