his desk before I continued on my way to Nico’s office. I hadn’t realized how much I needed to hear Saint’s words, and they’d filled me with confidence and reassurance. I had people. I didn’t need to worry.
The afternoon passed easily. All I had to do was recall the relaxing effect Kairo had on me and remind myself of my endgame—career success.
I was here to work and gain the experience to pass the bar, and Nico didn’t fit on my board. I was sure of that much.
8
Nico
This was never what I’d had in mind for my Friday nights. Staying up late to finish preparing cases for Monday. I read through the last sentence I’d typed.
Shit. Backspace. Backspace. Backspace.
I stabbed the key three times, but I just needed to hold that sucker down, quite honestly. I wasn’t preparing for crap. My mind kept drifting…wandering back to Jamie, no matter how often I reminded myself to focus on how much I valued my friendship with Saint. Plus, winning cases actually made me money, so it was a no-brainer which way I needed to direct my attention.
Sadly, given the choice between thinking about Mrs. Lea’s living will or Jamie’s ass, my brain chose Jamie every time.
After he returned from lunch earlier in the week—after I’d nearly kissed him then sent him away—he seemed calmer, at peace. But none of his earlier passion showed at all, and I missed it. He’d been a total professional, and I couldn’t fault him, but his behavior felt cold after the enthusiasm he’d shared with me.
A cold hard knot formed in my chest. He’d been open, but now he was closed. I shook my head. My thoughts were irrational, ridiculous. I didn’t want him to be any more than an employee. Less than that—he was merely an intern—but guilt spiraled through me as I considered reducing Jamie to nothing more than his position in the company to make things easier for myself.
It hurt.
My chest ached as I considered his change in attitude. He’d become absolutely what I wanted. Composed, pleasant, professional. His behavior gave my dick no encouragement, no more reasons to crave him, but part of me fought what I needed to accept. He didn’t want me.
Backspace. Backspace. Backspace.
I scrubbed my hands over my face, trying to return my attention to my work.
But why? The thought whispered through my mind. Why had Jamie changed so completely? Had I upset him? Perhaps he didn’t like me. For a moment, it seemed to awful to contemplate—that I’d done something that made me unlikeable, and especially something to Jamie.
I sat frozen, no longer even seeing the words on the screen. My head buzzed with ridiculous confusion, leaving my thoughts gritty and raw. If I’d done something, I had to make things right. I could be persuasive. I argued in public for a living, for fuck’s sake, and if I could get complete strangers to see things my way, surely I could convince Jamie? Maybe if I just—
I jumped as someone cleared their throat at my doorway then tapped on the open door.
I looked up, and my heart formed a lump in my throat. Jamie.
Holy shit. Something about the way his blond hair flopped over his forehead… I couldn’t see his smile, but I imagined it was there, and my dick twitched at his presence. I shuffled my paperwork as embarrassment at my reaction prickled my cheeks.
“Sorry to disturb you when I know you said you had some cases to prep. I left my phone in here earlier.”
I waved him in. I opened my mouth to speak but my throat suddenly dried, so I just nodded. I swallowed. “Go ahead. Whatever you need.”
His face a perfect mask of neutrality, he walked to the area where we’d set him up a small workstation for the summer. He unplugged his charging cable from the socket and slipped his phone into his pocket.
Then he nodded at me, the gesture polite and professional. Not a personal note in it, and my initial excitement at seeing him fizzled to apprehension.
“Sorry. I didn’t even notice you’d left it. I could have brought it to the conference room for you.” I almost wanted to preserve this moment, where it felt like Jamie and I were in our own little bubble, with darkness outside and the soft glow of lamps in my—our—office.
Jamie had taken some of the casebooks for cases I’d represented and studied them. When I’d quietly checked on him, they’d been spread in front of him across