“But even my partners admitted that Byron looked guilty as hell,” Stone said. “I was the only one convinced he was innocent. And I shouldn’t have gotten mad that you couldn’t see what I saw.”
“You saw the truth,” she said. “In Byron and in me.”
He tensed. “I was wrong to say you only cared about winning.”
She smiled again. “Sometimes I do.” But her smile slid away as she laid her heart bare for him. “But what I was talking about was when you said that I can’t trust anyone to stick around.”
“Oh, Hill...” His handsome face contorted with sympathy. “I was way over the line when I said that. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
“You were right,” she said. “I don’t let myself get attached, because I don’t expect anyone to stick around.”
He rose from the chair then. And for a split second panic gripped her heart that he was leaving her—just like everyone else had. But he only came around the desk and pulled her from her chair into his arms.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he told her.
“Why?” she asked. “Why would you—of all people—stick around?”
He skimmed his fingers along her jaw and tipped her face up toward his. “Because I—of all people—love you.”
She gasped. Was she fantasizing like she had so many times before about him? But those had been sexual fantasies, not this. She hadn’t ever dared fantasize about anyone professing his love.
But then, she’d never wanted anyone’s love until now.
“You love me?” she asked, tilting her head to study his face as if he was a witness she was about to cross-examine.
He sighed almost regretfully before admitting, “Yes, I do. I love every damn thing about you.”
“You don’t sound too happy about it,” she mused.
“I might,” he said, “if I thought you loved me back.”
“I do,” she assured him.
He narrowed his eyes and studied her like a witness on the stand. “Even though I’m a sleazy defense attorney?”
“Everyone’s entitled to a fair trial,” she said. “And everyone makes mistakes and might need a little help recovering from them.”
He didn’t say anything, just stared at her as if he was dumbfounded.
“I made a mistake,” she said. “I misjudged you.”
“No, you judged me,” Stone said, “because of what I do.”
“Guess I shouldn’t be a judge.”
“You’ll make an awesome judge,” he said. “Because you’re fair. And you admit when you’re wrong.”
“Will you help me?” she asked.
“Help you?”
“Recover from my mistake,” she said. “Can we recover?”
He leaned down and brushed his mouth over hers. “It never takes me long to want you again,” he reminded her, wriggling his eyebrows with his innuendo.
“Do you want me again?” she asked.
“I neverdidn’twant you,” he said. “And I don’t think I will evernotwant you. I love you.”
