I didn’t remember why. I whispered it into his ear instead, and the small act made the moment feel even more intimate than it had before.
I held on to him as the intensity of my orgasm left me dizzy and breathless, my bones turning to jelly. When I came to, his eyes rolled back and he rested his forehead against mine as his thrusts became sharp and hard.
An almost tortured expression flickered across his features, and a shiver ran through me to see his face contorted in pleasure the way it was. He came on a soft groan, into my ear just like I’d only let him hear my pleasure, and I was still spasming around his cock when he smiled and pressed a kiss to the tip of my nose.
“Fuck, Laurie.” He gathered me up in his arms and rolled so he was on his back and I was draped half over him to keep from falling off the couch. Our limbs were tangled, and the way he held me was too familiar.
I didn’t move away just yet, deciding to give my heart the chance to slow down again before extricating myself from him. Jacob breathed out heavily, a lazy smile spreading across his face in the aftermath. It was a smile that I wanted to see time and again, forever. The thought scared me, but I didn’t freak out again.
Whatever was between us, I already knew it wouldn’t be fleeting. It wasn’t a one and done, and while it was completely unexpected, I couldn’t say I didn’t want it.
Chapter 28
Jacob
In one week’s time, I’d progressed Laurie’s case further than Eric had in a year. I still saw red whenever I thought about all the time he’d wasted.
Even if I hadn’t liked her as much more than a client, I’d have been pissed off about it. It frustrated me endlessly when people didn’t do the jobs they were being paid for, and he definitely hadn’t done his job.
After having spent the whole day going through the files the movie company had sent over, I was more convinced than ever that they didn’t have a case. In the end, I hadn’t even needed to get someone to help me sort through it all because most of it was total bullshit.
They’d included reams and reams of paper that were totally irrelevant, and nothing they had sent over affected the strength of Laurie’s case in the slightest. Since I now knew where we stood, had done my research, and had seen what they would likely be relying on once the time came to go through the formal processes of discovery, I was ready to set up a meeting.
It took a few tries throughout the afternoon, but eventually just before I had to leave to get ready for our date, I got through to their lead counsel. I didn’t know the guy, but he wasn’t local, so it wasn’t a surprise.
Drumming my fingers on my desk while he barked, huffed, and puffed into the phone about how “this author has no idea what she’s talking about,” I looked out over the square outside and waited for him to finish his rant.
When he was finally done, I checked the time on my computer when I spun my chair around again. “You’re entitled to your opinion, Max. I know you’ve corresponded with Eric Starkey in the past, but I’ve taken over from him and I can assure you I’m not afraid to take the steps that need to be taken.”
“Are you threatening me?” he shouted into the receiver, and I could practically feel his blood pressure rising.
“I’m not threatening you. I’m simply telling you that my predecessor might have dragged his feet on this, but I won’t be doing the same thing. We can get together, sit around a table, and talk this out, or we can go to court and hash it out there. The choice is yours.”
“We’re too close to the premiere date to get involved in a bullshit legal spat right now,” he said. “I’ll have a field day with your client in court proving her maliciousness and bad faith in having waited until the release day is so close. Suing us now will cause maximum damage even if we know she doesn’t have a case. She’s going to end up owing us millions.”
“You and I disagree on that point. It’s your prerogative to take that route, but I can assure you that the client is not at fault for the delay.