After All by Kristen Proby Page 0,6
Something tells me you need it.”
She shrugs. “I hate office gossip.”
“Me, too.”
Chapter Two
~Carter~
“Do you have a fever?” I mutter and rest my forehead on the closed door of my office. “Smooth, Carter. Real fucking smooth. I’ve clearly lost the charm I’m known for in the courtroom.”
I walk to my desk and fall into the chair, rubbing my lips in agitation. What the fuck is wrong with me? Why is this so hard?
I’ve always known that Nora’s great. I would be crippled without her here at the office. She’s an extension of me here, and usually knows what I need before I do.
But four months ago, after the encounter in the lounge where I almost kissed the hell out of her, my feelings toward her have changed.
Or, if I’m being honest, my eyes have opened.
She’s not just a fantastic assistant.
She’s a fascinating woman. Intelligent, funny, and so damn beautiful it’s hard to look at her. My fingers itch to plunge into her thick, blond hair. Her body, with luscious curves in all the right damn places, is a siren’s call, and with each day that passes, I’m finding it harder and harder to stay away.
Only two other people know how I feel. My best friends in the world, Quinn and Finn.
Finn’s out of the office today, so I pick up the phone and dial Quinn’s number.
“Yo,” he says, distracted.
“Come to my office, please.”
“On my way.”
We hang up and I stand to pace my office. The space is three times as big as my first apartment, and none of the furniture came from IKEA. No, we had an expensive firm come in and do the place up right.
I was afraid to sit on the leather couch situated in front of the fireplace for three months when I first moved in.
“What’s up?” Quinn asks as he saunters into my space and flops on the couch, one leg propped on the other. “Issues with the Sanduski case?”
“No, the Nora case,” I mutter and shove my hands in my pockets, the way I always do when I’m agitated.
“Did you finally ask her out?”
“No.”
“Carter, none of us are getting any younger,” Quinn says with a heavy sigh. “For the love of God, just ask the woman out to dinner.”
“There are several reasons that this is a bad idea,” I remind him and sit across from him, holding up a finger. “One, she’s my employee. Not only that, she’s been with me for almost ten years now. She’s been through pretty much every aspect of my career in New York. The death of Darcy. Everything. If I screw this up, we don’t just go our separate ways and chalk it up to dating experience.”
“Great, you don’t have to explain your baggage to her. She’s already up to speed.”
“Two,” I continue without acknowledging his comment. “We have a no-fraternization policy in our firm. It’s not ethical, and completely cliché, to start a relationship with my secretary. She could sue us.”
“I don’t think she’ll sue us, unless you ask her out for dinner and it doesn’t go well. Besides, I won’t tell if you don’t.” Quinn’s lips tip up in a smirk. “I met my wife at work. Hell, for workaholics like us, this is the only place to meet people. Unless you want to try online dating.”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Well, then, this is your only option.”
“How in the hell do you flirt?” I ask bluntly.
Quinn stares at me for a long moment and then replies with “Do you have a fever?”
“Jesus.” I rub my hands briskly over my face. “No, I don’t have a fever. I’ve been out of this game for a long time, Quinn. I met your sister in college, for God’s sake. It was easier in college.”
“Are you calling my sister easy?”
I glance over at him. He’s smiling at his own joke.
“Is this weird?”
“Yes, you should have asked her out months ago.”
“Not that. This. You’re giving me dating advice and I was married to your sister. How are you and Finn so cool with this?”
“I love my sister,” Quinn begins, his face sobering. “And I miss her every damn day. If she were alive, and you were talking like this, I’d kick your ass all the way to Miami and back, but she isn’t, Carter. She’s been gone for five years. It’s okay for you to move on and be happy.”
“I know,” I say softly. “But I just want to make sure you know because my life is forever tied to your family. Not just because