Page 54 of Already At Risk
Natalie cited Korey’s need for control as one reason we were here, and I suspected she was right. I often wondered if this was just a way for him to gain access to Natalie’s life again, steal glimpses of her that he no longer got and didn’t deserve. He wanted back into her world, and even if he didn’t get it through custody, he’d get a taste through this process.
Unfortunately, a lot of that I couldn’t help. But sometimes, I could. There were some things Korey Abrams didn’t get to know, some things I could put my foot down on.
“She has to answer my non-privileged question,” Mr. Keller argued. “If there are new men being introduced into Chloe’s life?—”
“It’s not relevant to a custody case,” I pushed back. “We have already determined that my client has not introduced new partners of any kind to her daughter.”
“But—”
“If you want an answer, you’ll have to get a judge to order it,” I said flatly.
Mr. Keller’s lips pulled in a thin line, and he shifted his attention to Natalie, lifting a brow at her. “No new partners of any kind?” he asked, looking for her verbal confirmation.
“That is correct,” she said.
And then she squeezed her legs together again. This time, it felt more like an urge, a request. So I slowly brushed my thumb in a new pattern, pressing my fingerprints into her skin. I hoped they stayed there, evidence that I’d once been between Natalie London’s legs.
When she didn’t stop me, I carved a path higher, tracing more of her inner thigh. Her legs parted, her knee pressing against mine again, telling me all I needed to know, telling me that she wanted me there, branding circles on her skin.
When I risked a glance over at her and noted her slightly flushed skin, I should have stopped. But her voice wassteady as she answered the next question, and the top half of her body looked unchanged, her elbows still on the table, her hands remaining clasped, albeit a little tightly.
So I didn’t stop. I kept touching her.
I knew I shouldn’t be caressing Natalie in the middle of the deposition. I knew if someone caught us right now, it might mean I never got that promotion. Hell, it might even mean the end of my career. There were so many reasons I should stop touching her.
But Icouldn’t.
I couldn’t deprive my client of something she wanted, something she encouraged with every shift of her body language.
I did hesitate when she squirmed the first time, wondering if I was being more distracting than helpful. But then, similar to the leg squeezes, Natalie readjusted herself in her chair, a nudge. And fuck, for that split second when I’d stopped, I’d missed the feeling of her smooth skin gliding beneath the pad of my thumb, missed the rhythmic connection, missed the spark of heat. And Natalie’s light only dimmed when I hesitated, so I took that as a sign. That maybe me touching her was what spurred her on.
Sure, we both knew she didn’tneedmy touch. But maybe she liked the idea that she was on camera, that her ex was going to see this, and all the while, she was being touched by another man in a way he never would get to again.
He might get access to this recording, but he’d never get access to her.
Fucking never.
I worked my hand beneath her skirt, wanting to feel more of her skin, needing my hand to palm more of her thigh possessively.
Natalie paused her sentence but played it off like she was just thinking of the right words, and I squeezed, a reminder to keep going. She picked up again where she left off without a hitch.
Good girl.
I kept my grip tight while she continued, thinking about howbadly I wanted to feel the rest of her. All of her. How she admitted to wanting it, too. And then my brain wandered back to how she was considering inviting another man into her bedroom. A man who wasn’t me.
How thefuckwas I supposed to let that happen now? How could I honestly just stand by and let Natalie slip through my fingertips? Doing nothing just wasn’t a goddamn option. Not anymore. Not when it involved the beautiful fucking woman next to me.
I drummed my fingers, feeling the heat of her core just inches from their tips.
I’d gone too far.
I should stop.
I couldn’t.
I didn’t.
I just stayed there, torturing her, torturing me.
