“How do you know?”

“Because I can tell by the way they look at me. And they’re friends with other lawyers. And judges. And practically everyone I work with every single day.”

“So a bunch of horny old men saw you naked. So what?”

“So, now I have to sit in meetings with them, and stand in front of them in court, and I never want to see them again. I never want to see anyone!”

After patiently watching her lose her shit, Javi had curled up with her on the sofa and helped her polish off a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. The next day, he’d shown up at her house again, all business this time, and made her an offer to join his new practice.

Saying yes had been the best—and riskiest—decision Leigh had ever made. From an economic perspective, it put her in a deep hole. But slowly, surely, they were digging their way out and building a practice. Their five-year business plan was starting to take effect, and the flow of work was becoming steadier. They had begun handing off more cases to their associates and talking about renewing their lease.

Leigh had worked incessantly for two years, forgoing vacations and weekends and dating. Now wasn’t the time to let her foot off the gas and get entangled in a relationship, even if the mere idea didn’t give her a migraine. Which it obviously did.

She turned onto her street and checked the mirrors before pulling into her driveway. For a moment she sat still, thinking of Brandon.

Come home with me.

It was his intensity that got to her—the fierce determination in his eyes when he wanted something. There was no way she could have said no to him. Even now, with the pain taking over, she didn’t regret spending the night with him. But that was it. One and done. The next time it came up—if it ever did—she was going to resist.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Antonio walked into the bullpen and made a beeline for his desk. But then he spotted Brandon and changed course.

“Hey,” he said, dropping a bakery bag on a stack of files.

Brandon responded with a grunt, focused on something on his computer screen.

Antonio popped the last bite of a chocolate glazed doughnut into his mouth and walked around to look at the screen.

“What’s that?”

“An arrest report,” Brandon muttered.

“I can see that. Whose is it?”

“Ross Collins.”

“Who’s that?”

“Cooper Collins’s older brother. He was arrested on drug charges in Williamson County last January.”

Antonio sucked a glob of icing off his thumb. “Why do we care?”

Brandon glanced up. His eyes were bloodshot and he needed a shave. “He’s got a black Chevy pickup registered to his name.” Brandon tapped the mouse, and the guy’s mug shot appeared on the screen.

“Shit. He’s big,” Antonio said.