She shakes her head.
“Bear with me, little rabbit.Let me know if it hurts.”
“It’s hurt all day.I’ll be fine,” she mumbles.
“I’m sorry, Brook.You hid it too well.When did this happen?”
“This morning right before I walked into the building.I tripped and caught myself on a car door.”
I stiffen.
“The entrance is a permanent no parking zone established by the New York City Department of Transportation.It’s against the law to park on the curb foranylength of time.Even my car isn’t allowed,” I growl.
Her humorless chuckle shifts her ass in my lap.
“Tell that to Ms.Lynn,” she mumbles.
I rumble low in my throat as an idea forms.Goosebumps rise on Brook’s flesh as I brush my thumb back and forth over her bare wrist.
“You will,” I vow.
She quirks a brow.
Mr.Brunswick returns with a tray full of bagged ice, a bottle of ibuprofen, and several waters.I drop three medicine tablets onto her palm before twisting open a water bottle.
“Take this first,” I say.
She eyes the tablets before popping them into her mouth and reaching for the water.I nudge her hand away and tilt it to her lips as I cup the back of her head.
“I wasn’t blocking you from being a lawyer because of your father, Brook.”I say as she swallows the medicine.I don’t give her a chance to argue, offering her sips of water as I speak.“This is the first I’m hearing of him blacklisting you.”She pushes at my forearm, but I silence her with a tilt of my wrist.“I saw you flirting with Mr.Johnson and was jealous.Nothing more.”
I enjoy her scowl as I pour another trickle of water through her lips, then set the drink on the table and grab the ointment.
“Then why did you appoint me as an assistant’s aide?”she asks.
“Because we need one and I want you close.”
She rolls her eyes.I pinch her chin, careful to avoid the small blister forming from the spilled coffee and command her attention.
“Ineedyou close, little rabbit.”
“Right.Sure,” she deadpans.
I release her chin, squeeze burn cream onto my fingers, and dab the bubbled skin on her jaw, upper throat, and the back of her hand.
“I won’t stop you from practicing law,” I vow.
She gives me a skeptical look as I wipe my fingertips clean, but I let my promise hang in the air as I squeeze a line of arnica gel onto my hand.Her sharp inhale pains me, but I gently smear the ointment over her bruise.The warmth of her skin and lack of obsessive swelling assure me she’ll heal without a trip to the hospital, but I keep my touch as light as possible so as not to distract her from my next words.
“Your first act as my lawyer will be to file a lawsuit against Ms.Lynn.”
Delight brightens her expression, but she quirks a brow and shakes her head.
“Are you serious?According to her, you two are a thing,” she grumbles.
“We’re not,” I say.
“Really?Because she was very clear when she said you belong to her.”
