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“Years ago, I got involved with someone during an important case.”
“Was she helping with the investigation?” she asked.
“No, she was the client accused of killing her husband. I fell in love with her. However, I didn’t cross any boundaries, not a single one, until I got a not-guilty verdict.”
“Let me guess. Afterward, you discovered that she really did kill her husband.”
“No. She honestly didn’t kill him. I proved she had been framed and his business partner did. Once the case was over, we began dating. That’s when I discovered another side of her. She was a manipulator.”
“Oh.”
“It didn’t take me long to figure that out, but I was too far gone. She had become my weakness, and I let her manipulate the hell out of me.”
“That doesn’t sound like you, Locke.”
“It was years ago. I was younger and not as smart. Love makes you do foolish things at times. You said so yourself.”
She recalled saying that. It was when they were talking about Nyla and Karl and how she was giving up her family’s wealth for love. Hollis had honestly thought that until she had seen them together. After witnessing their love and bond, she knew it had been worth it.
“I thought you said that you’ve never experienced a broken heart, Locke.”
“Sophie didn’t break my heart, Hollis. She left me with a battered spirit. There’s a difference.”
“What made you finally open your eyes and realize enough was enough?” she asked.
“It was when it began dawning on me that I was no longer who I wanted to be but was becoming who she wanted me to be. That’s when I knew it was time to end things.”
“Good for you.”
“Since then, I vowed never to become involved with anyone in a case I’m working on.”
“So why change now?”
“Because you’re different. First of all, you’re not a manipulator, and like me, you know when not to mix business with pleasure. After what happened tonight, I realized that whether we are together as a couple or not, I will worry about you and want to protect you. It doesn’t matter how many asses you can kick, Hollis. I’ll still want to be there and kick those asses right along with you whenever I can.”
Hollis didn’t know what to say about that. So, she said, “You’re right. I’m not a manipulator. What you see is what you get.”
She felt the heat of his gaze roam over her. “Hmm, what I see is what I get. I like the idea of that, Hollis.”
If his words were meant to be seductive, they were. The car’s interior suddenly felt hot, even though the air conditioner was on. That was compounded by intense desire overtaking her body. She wanted him and had wanted him for a while now.
Hollis couldn’t deny that. And she knew that all those times she had wanted him, he had wanted her, too. A woman could tell. For weeks, they had suppressed the ache, the intense longing, and the temptation.
“Are you making this move because of what happened tonight, Locke?”
“Not totally. However, I will admit that because of tonight, I accepted that my rule was never about professional ethics but about protecting my emotions. Those battered spirits. And then I reasoned that you’re not my client, nor do you work for me.”
“I don’t?” she asked, wondering how he’d come to that conclusion.
“No, you don’t. You work alongside me as a team member, and we work rather well together. I think we can both admit there’s an attraction between us, and I feel we should explore where that can lead.”
“You’re only interested in a physical relationship?”
“No, and if it sounded that way, I apologize. I honestly think there could be more than the physical between us. I enjoy spending time with you, working with you, sharing space with you. I think of you when we’re not together. I want to get to know you beyond those boundaries I originally set, Hollis. That’s what I want to explore. Don’t get me wrong. The physical is definitely there, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle and doesn’t complete the entire picture. I want more with you.”
He wanted more…Doing what it took to get more was something she hadn’t been interested in before. Was she now? Did she want to explore where something between them could lead? Yes, she did, but they needed to understand each other.
“I want more, too, Locke, but we need to agree that the investigation should come first. We owe it not only to Karl, but also to Nyla. They deserve to be together.”
