“Um… I don’t know how to tell you this.”
She heard him speak to someone. “Excuse me, please. I need to take this call in private.”
A few seconds later he said, “Spit it out, Austin. I’m in the middle of a meeting but I’m here if you need me.”
“Sorry. Mr. Thorley reassigned your case to Jack and Mike. Won’t take no for an answer. I’m not sure what to do. Mike came for your file. I told him I needed to finish making notes. He said he wasn’t in a hurry because he was going to arrange a plea deal for you anyway.”
“Like hell he is,” Patrick bit out. “I’ll be on a plane this afternoon and we’ll work this out.”
She took a deep breath. “There’s one other thing.”
“I’m listening,” he said impatiently when she paused.
“Mike asked me if I was fucking you. He left before I could respond though.”
He was quiet but when she spoke, she could hear the edge in his voice. “I swear to God if I see that bastard anywhere near my case, I’m going to deck him. You really don’t need to be working their Austin.”
She cringed. Of course, that’s where his head would go.
“I know. I just can’t. I don’t think I’ve earned it yet.”
“I wish I knew what you meant by that, Austin. You’re fucking brilliant. Why can’t you let yourself have the thing I know you want?”
“It’s too difficult to explain.”
Patrick sighed. “Baby girl. You really know how to try my patience. I need to get back to this meeting and salvage an investment deal. I’m going to handle this with Thorley. I’m sorry about what Mike said to you. He had no right to question you like that.”
“I miss you,” she whispered.
“I miss you too, baby girl. I’m serious about getting on a plane tonight.”
Austin wiped at a tear that trailed down her cheek. “You don’t have to do that. Go back to your meeting. I’m sure you can handle it with a phone call.”
“And miss a chance to spend the night with you? I don’t think so. I hear the tears in your voice. I’ll see you tonight.”
Austin knew better than to argue with him at that point. His mind was made up.
“OK. I’ll be waiting.”
That afternoon, when she was back in her office, Jack came to collect Sutton’s file.
“He’s flying in to meet us in the morning. I’d really like to look over everything you have.”
Austin had taken the time to copy everything she needed, so she reluctantly handed him the folder.
“Sorry,” Jack said. “I know you brought him in, but I think you’ll do great with the Nash case.”
Austin gave him a tight smile and turned her head back to her computer screen.
Patrick’s plane was landing at seven and she would meet him at his hotel at eight-thirty. She just had a few more hours to go.
When she walked into the Four Seasons, Patrick was waiting for her in the lobby. He didn’t pull her in for a kiss, just put a hand at the small of her back and walked her to the elevator where he scanned his card for the penthouse level.
They were the only ones in the elevator, so he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her hair. She inhaled his scent, but they still didn’t say anything to each other.
Once inside his suite, he gripped her hair and kissed her hard.
“Strip,” he commanded.
