Falling for the Lawyer - By Anna Clifton Page 0,61

“Vera and I are like oil and water Alex, you know that. You on the other hand can read my mind and I like telepathy in a PA,” he added with a deliberately challenging smile as he waited for her reaction.

“Is that right? What else do you like in a PA?” she tossed at him, narrowing her eyes in challenging rejoinder.

But JP knew he was a long way off telepathy himself at that moment. In fact, he was having more trouble reading her than he ever had before.

Essentially she was still the same old Alex but there was something different about her. She was more lighthearted and flirtatious, yet more cryptic and aloof too. But one thing was for sure. She was nothing if not the sexiest woman he had ever known and he wanted her so badly at that moment it actually hurt.

Unfortunately wanting her was one thing. Having her, another.

For weeks he’d been pressuring her to stand up for herself and make her own decisions. Now she’d done just that. But did he have any future in the life of this new Alex who was reinventing herself before his eyes? He had no reason to think so. Two nights ago she’d effectively shown him the door and now she was barely less than cool towards him.

“In a PA I’ll settle for brains, spirit, loyalty, and the best set of legs in running shorts I’ve ever seen,” he answered her with a short laugh.

“You know I could sue you for that comment.”

“I don’t care. By the way, Michael Porter wants to ask you out. I overheard him asking someone whether you’re single or not, on the way back from the game this morning. Are you single, Alex?”

“You know I am,” she replied quietly, the merest of quavers in her voice as she hit that sensitive topic.

“I didn’t think you’d be able to stand up to all the family expectation, all the history.”

“It wasn’t easy.” She looked agitated suddenly as though she didn’t trust herself to discuss the topic without breaking down. “But about work …”

“Of course!” JP ran his hand through his hair as his chest heaved with a sigh. Yet again she was pushing him back to an arms length position. “Work. What do you want to know?”

“Lots of things have changed for me …” she began, turning away from him and taking some steps towards the windows.

He followed and stood behind her. “Do you want me to request a transfer for you, away from me? Is that what you’re building up to this afternoon?”

He was bringing the conversation to a speedy climax but he couldn’t bear the suspense of not knowing how she felt about him. He was banking on the fact that if she gave him some hint of what she wanted from him at work it might give him a hint about what she wanted from him in the rest of her life. There was one line he would not cross though: he would not pressure her into a relationship with him. If the two of them had a future it would be Alex’s decision and Alex’s decision only.

She swung around to him. “I don’t want to be transferred.”

Relief flooded through JP, intoxicating and sweet, but he counselled himself against haste.

“What do you want then?”

“I want to work with you as a paralegal and study law. So I’d very much like to take up the firm’s offer if it’s still open, thank you.”

“Of course it’s open. But as for working with me, I’m afraid I don’t know what my future holds.”

“I know that.”

“You’ll probably be left high and dry. You may not get any notice before I head back to the UK. Now that Caroline is here there’s every possibility that will happen. It’s not in your interests to wait and see and you should talk to HR about a transfer. I could get a temp for now.”

“I’ll take my chances,” she declared decidedly. “And don’t worry, I’ll be completely professional, despite what’s happened between us.”

“I’m not the slightest bit concerned about what’s happened between us.” He dismissed her words instantly, wondering whether she was quite as emotionally detached from him as he’d thought. He decided another question might test her mettle a little. “What do you think of Caroline, by the way?”

Alex blew out through pursed lips and looked away from him to collect her thoughts for a few seconds before looking back again.

“She’s incredible,” she answered with resigned honesty. “She’s beautiful, clever, charming.