Being a bachelor suited Ryan just fine—it freed him to pursue his career goals single-mindedly, without the distraction of a serious relationship to waylay him, as he’d seen with other colleagues. But he wasn’t opposed to spending time with a woman who aroused him on all levels, and Jessica Newman certainly did that.
But first, he needed her to admit she reacted the same way to him.
His mind turned over tantalizing ideas just as his office door opened and Glenna stepped aside to let Jessica enter. Automatically, he stood, one of the many gentlemanly gestures ingrained by his mother since he was a toddler. Being the only son in a family with three sisters, he’d learned early to treat women with utmost respect. As a teenager, he’d grumbled about the unfairness of having to cater to his sisters, but had grown to appreciate being familiar with the formalities that women seemed to admire and value.
Not that he was counting on his social graces to make any difference with Jessica. No, it was going to take something more tangible and candid to make an impact on her. By the time she left his office, he planned to shake her aloof composure and, he hoped, put a fracture in her convictions to keep him at arm’s length, too.
She strolled into the room, her winter coat draped over her arm with her leather gloves stuffed in the front pocket. He started around his desk and across the distance separating them, watching as her big blue eyes registered his gradual approach. He smiled, taking in her teal-and-black, thigh-length sweater over black leggings, which tucked into stylish boots. She always dressed conservatively, whether in jeans and loose blouses, or slacks and long flowing skirts—nothing to draw attention to the slender curves and full breasts merely hinted at beneath her choice of clothing.
Nothing sophisticated like the kind of worldly women his profession drew, but it was her wholesomeness that fascinated him and appealed to him. She wore little makeup to enhance the creamy perfection of her skin, just enough to intensify the drown-in-them-forever blue of her eyes. Her hair was a rich shade of honey-blond, all chin length in a no-fuss style, and parted on the side with wispy bangs touching her forehead. The strands were incredibly silky-looking, beckoning for him to slide his fingers through them as he’d envisioned doing a hundred times since knowing her.
Today, there would be no suppressing his urges. Today, he was going to discover just how warm and heavenly her hair felt wrapped around his fingers…and he planned to discover a whole lot more.
“Can I bring either of you refreshments?” Glenna asked.
“Would you like something from the coffee bar downstairs?” he suggested to Jessica. “An espresso? Mocha? Cappuccino?”
He fully expected her to say she wasn’t staying long, but she surprised him with, “I’d love a mocha, thank you. I’m still chilled from the cold temperatures outside. Maybe that will help warm me up.”
Ryan thought of more traditional and fun ways to generate heat. Long, slow kisses. The stroke of his hands across her bare skin. His naked body against hers. The possibilities were endless.
“A mocha it is,” he said, glancing toward Glenna with their order. “And I’ll take a cappuccino.”
With a nod, the receptionist was gone, closing the door behind her.
“This is a pleasant surprise.” Taking her coat and purse, he hung both next to his suit jacket on the brass hooks mounted on the wall just inside the room. “Dare I hope that you’ve reconsidered going out on a date and you’re here to beg me for a second chance?”
A smile quirked the corner of her mouth, and she slanted him that sly look he was coming to know so well. He knew what was imminent, and anticipated her brand of humor.
“Hmm, let’s see,” she murmured speculatively, as if giving his question serious consideration. “I’m trapped in a room with a tiger, a rattlesnake, and a lawyer. I have a gun with two bullets. What should I do?”
He lifted his brows, indicating he was ready for her punch line, even though he knew it wouldn’t bode well for him. “I have no idea. What should you do?”
“Shoot the lawyer. Twice.” She flashed him a quick grin.
He chuckled and shook his head, even as he wondered what had caused such a cynical attitude toward attorneys. “I take it that means no?”
“Ahh, a lawyer that catches on quick. Amazing.” She moved away from him, to the wall holding his law degree and other various certificates, diplomas and credentials he’d acquired since college. He watched her examine each one, a tiny frown forming on her brow. Not sure what had caused the sudden mood change, he attempted to keep their banter light and flirtatious. “You’d better be careful, Jessie. I have to confess that those lawyer jokes of yours are starting to turn me on.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him, a hint of laughter dancing in her eyes. “Maybe I need to work on my delivery.”
His gaze perused her lazily, thoroughly. “From my vantage point, your delivery is perfect.” He gained a bit of satisfaction at the temptation he witnessed in her eyes, the wanting. What he didn’t care for was the struggle to curb her desires. “I think what we need to work on is your general opinion toward lawyers, and me.”
She turned around and sighed, the sound rife with regret. “It’s nothing personal, Ryan. I do like you.”
“Just not that I’m a man who represents clients in a court of law.”
“Yeah, something like that,” she responded vaguely.
Pushing his hands into his trouser pockets, he slowly stepped toward her, watched as she subtly backed up to keep the same amount of distance between them. “Then maybe we should narrow it down to working on just you, and me…on a personal level.”
She bumped into his cherrywood filing cabinet, glared at it for being in her way, then crossed her arms over her chest in a gesture he read as protective. “You don’t give up, do you?”
“What can I say? Being a lawyer, I like to argue and prove people wrong. Especially when I know I’m right.”
She rolled her eyes at his too-confident statement. “Well, this is one case you won’t win, counselor.”
He smiled lazily. “You don’t think so?”
She shook her head, and that soft, enticing hair of hers swayed with the movement, teasing him, making the tips of his fingers tingle for direct contact. “I know so.”
Very casually, as if it were a perfectly natural move, he braced his left hand against the edge of the filing cabinet, sealing off her one chance to slip around him. All amusement ceased, replaced by a shimmering heat. Her scent, an arousing combination of jasmine and innocence, curled around him, intoxicating and impossibly alluring.
Resisting the urge to bury his face against her neck and inhale deeply of the fragrance clinging to her skin, he tipped his head and said, “Give me a strong, valid reason why I should give up.”
She swallowed, and the pulse at the base of her throat fluttered. “Number one on my list of dating rules. No lawyers. Especially divorce attorneys. It goes against my ethics.”
He’d heard it all before, in so many words, and he didn’t bother asking why, knowing by that guarded look in her eyes that he wouldn’t glean the answer he wanted, just a brush-off. But he knew her reasons went much deeper than something so superficial, and the analytical part of him couldn’t help but want to discover all her secrets.
“So, you’re gonna hold my profession against me?”
“’Fraid so.” She lifted her chin. “You know, despite knowing how much you enjoy provoking me, I didn’t come here for an interrogation.”
He stared deep into her eyes, filled with conflicting emotions. Denial. Defiance. Longing. It was the