* * *
His amusement had more anger coursing through Hillary, and she was tempted to whack him again with her briefcase. Maybe even harder this time. But before she could swing the metal case again, he jerked it from her hands. And the grin left his handsome face.
“Do you want me to press charges for assault, Ms. Bellows?” he asked her.
“Do you want me to press charges for theft?” she replied.
The corners of his mouth curved upward in another slight grin, and his gray eyes gleamed with amusement. “I haven’t taken your briefcase,” he said. But he had yet to hand it back to her. “So what are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about,” she said. But because she didn’t want anyone else to know, she had pitched her voice low and uttered the words through gritted teeth.
He furrowed his brow and shook his head. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”
“You son of a bitch,” she said.
Instead of taking offense at her insult, he chuckled as if he agreed with her. But then, he hadn’t brought her bra to court to return it to her. Obviously.
He’d brought it to taunt her.
That was why she’d struck him with her briefcase, because she was so furious with him. “You are!”
He nodded. “I’m not arguing with you.”
“That’s a first,” she murmured. “Arguing with me is all you do.”
He stepped closer to her and lowered his head until his lips were just inches from hers. Then he said, “Arguing isn’t all we do, Hillary. Not anymore...”
She shivered. But she didn’t feel cold despite the cool breeze blowing through the parking structure.
“We didn’t argue last night,” he continued, and he lowered his head more until his lips just brushed across hers.
Hillary jerked back as heat sparked through her body and lights flashed in the garage. But it wasn’t camera bulbs flashing. The press hadn’t followed them like she had followed Stone to the parking garage. All the reporters had given up on waiting for Stone after court. But she hadn’t.
She’d been too furious to let him go without a fight. For her bra.
But she couldn’t let anyone witness her getting her underthings back from the opposing counsel in such a high-profile case. Someone would certainly report her for alleged misconduct.
But as long as she didn’t let whatever had happened with Stone affect how she handled the case, she hadn’t really done anything wrong. Just stupid.
Judge Harrison and her boss might think otherwise, though.
Along with the lights, she heard the sound of an engine. The lights must have just flashed because someone had started their vehicle in another part of the parking garage. Had the driver seen them?
“Open your doors!” she hissed at him.
His brow furrowed. “What?”
He’d already taken the key ring from his pocket, so she reached for the fob and clicked the unlock button. The lights flashed on his vehicle and the horn beeped. She rushed around the rear bumper, pulled open the door and jumped into the passenger’s seat. Fortunately, his windows were tinted, so no one could see inside through the windows.
But Stone pulled open his driver’s door and held it open, casting her in the glow of the dome light.
“Get in!” she said, nearly hissing the words at him.
He slid beneath the steering wheel and slowly—so very slowly—pulled the door shut. Then he turned toward her and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you needed a ride somewhere.” Then his pupils dilated, turning his gray eyes dark, and he wriggled his brows. “Unless you just need a ride.”
Heat flashed through her body again, as it had when his lips had brushed across hers. But it was anger, she told herself. She couldn’t want him again.
And even if she did, she couldn’t give in to temptation as she had in her office. If someone saw them...
