Two #2
Even with the severe cut of her jacket, it was impossible to miss the deep curve of her waist or the flare of her hips, an ass I wanted to sink my teeth into.
I stumbled again, and the woman blinked, the moment gone.
I wasn’t sure if I liked that, but decided to stand still, hoping that whatever the fuck that was had passed.
But I didn’t take my eyes off her as she smiled down at a short woman in her early sixties with a shock of red hair who looked pale .
“Will you make it home, Bridget?” the goddess asked, her voice deep for a woman and smoother than the top-shelf whiskey Vaughn had insisted on at his funeral.
“I’ll be fine,” Bridget responded.
The goddess arched a skeptical brow, drawing a genuine smile from Bridget.
“I will. Irv’s going to make his famous lemon and honey remedy and knock this right out. I’ll be back in a day or two,” she said.
“I’m not worried about you coming back,” the goddess says.
Bridget smiled brighter. “I know you’re not only worried about me coming back, but I know you, Asia, and I know you want to be working.”
Asia—I couldn’t stop myself from whispering the name in my head—smiled guilty.
“You know how backed up we are,” she said with an annoyed huff.
“And it doesn’t help that Anderson didn’t show up today.
So many people are waiting, and if we keep canceling court, the backlog is only going to get bigger. ”
Asia pressed her full lips into a thin line, her expression reflecting my own annoyance.
“I know, but we’ll get it done eventually. And if not—” Bridget’s words were cut off by a series of sharp little coughs that racked her thin body.
Asia looked at the older woman, concern clear on her features. “You’re right, and you need to get home.”
Bridget nodded. “I’m headed there now. These allergies are giving me hell, and I need to check on Irv.”
“Let me walk with you,” Asia said.
“Nope,” Bridget said.
Asia looked wounded, which had Bridget smiling and looking almost healthy. “Why not?”
“Because then you’ll have to come back and get your things, which will give you an excuse to stick around here and try to work more. You might even try to get over to the jail to meet with some clients.”
“Well, they haven’t let me visit for ten days,” Asia said, notably not denying Bridget’s words.
“You know they are short-staffed. Your clients can hold until you can visit.”
“It’s not like they have a choice.” Asia frowned.
Her displeasure gave me insight into her .
I knew the type.
Competitive, dedicated, interested in nothing but the victory, and maybe, just possibly, speaking truth to power or some other liberal do-gooder bullshit.
The worst kind of naive.
The kind that thought she could still make a difference.
A shame.
Bridget’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “They sure don’t, and your clients can look after themselves. So grab your things and head home. I’ll see you next week.”
Asia smiled, the luminous expression driving the air out of my lungs with its beauty. “See you next week. Get well soon.”
Her gaze met mine again, and I felt…exposed.
Realized I was standing there gawking. I broke her gaze and ducked into the men’s room, thrown off by my reaction to her, and eager to put it and this city behind me.
The DA wasn’t here, and I had a flight to catch.
The courtroom had emptied, and the formerly empty hallway had filled. I glanced at the fire exit map on the wall and traced the alternate route. I was getting out of here as expeditiously as possible, and once I had a direction, I was off.
I walked down the hallway at my usual brisk pace, my boots marking a steady cadence. If anyone were to encounter me, I was sure I would look detached, inattentive, but I was anything but.
Old habits made me pay attention to everything, so I tried to pretend I wasn’t disappointed that Asia was nowhere in sight.
After that, I took in everything else like the marble floors that once had been and still were a thing of beauty even though they hadn’t been cleaned like I was sure they usually were.
Then there was the slight change in temperature that told me I crossed into the older wing of the building. From what I had seen, this wing wasn’t connected to the main HVAC system, so it would always a touch colder or warmer than the rest of the building depending on the weather outside.
I saw and felt it all.
When I reached the elevator, I was surprised to see Asia standing there .
I couldn’t stop myself from noticing her striking figure. She was a few inches shorter than six feet I guessed, and everything from her posture to her curves struck a perfect balance of power and femininity.
She could also bend time and space, it seemed.
I looked past her, trying to figure out where she came from.
It must have been the judge’s chambers.
In those few short moments, I had memorized the floor’s layout, and there was no path that would have allowed her to get to these elevators without me seeing her.
Shut that shit down, Thorne.
I left the military on purpose, but my mind hadn’t quite accepted the whole retirement idea yet. An unfortunate side effect was that my mind never rested, even when I wanted it to.
I returned my attention to the lawyer. She hadn’t even looked up from her phone and still didn’t when the elevator doors opened.
She stepped on, and I followed, my gaze glued to her ass.
At least the day hadn’t been a total disaster.