She must’ve spotted him mid-scoop, because her smile widened and even from across the patio, their gazes held.

  His heart did a little hitching thing, and all the work stuff eased from his mind at the sight of her.

  God, had it ever felt like this with Hannah? No. Not that he could remember. That had been young love, which had turned into a stagnant relationship where two people were afraid to let go.

  Until Tori had come along.

  It was so different with Tori. The feelings were deeper. Scarier, and yet exhilarating. As if he were standing on the railing of this building, looking down.

  When they weren’t together, it was like a part of him was missing. She’d become that significant.

  She waved him over and he closed the distance between them.

  “Happy Friday, James.” Her smile was warm and genuine as she gestured to the tubs of ice cream in ice buckets. “Which one is your poison?”

  His lips twitched, and he gave a cursory glance at the selection.

  “I’d love some of that butter pecan. Thanks, Tori.”

  They were almost overly casual with each other at the workplace. Even though they’d disclosed their relationship to HR a couple of months ago, and it wasn’t a secret, they still aimed for discretion.

  In some ways, it actually made things more exciting when they finally made it to the bedroom at night. Whether it was at her place or his.

  “Hey.” Grace glanced over at Tori. “Why don’t you take a break and grab some ice cream too? It’s slowing down, anyway.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. Go for it.”

  James waited for Tori to scoop herself up some strawberry ice cream before they made their way to the toppings table.

  “Hey, you.” Now that they were more alone, he dropped the formality, but kept his voice quiet. “You ready for the weekend?”

  “Yeah, I am.” She exchanged another quick, knowing glance.

  They’d made plans to escape to an inn on Whidbey Island, with a big old jet tub that they’d both fit in. A water view that should show off some fireworks. And a handful of delicious restaurants to check out.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Ryan chatting up one of the summer associates.

  Despite his cousin’s disgusting comment that James should watch his back, Ryan hadn’t done anything to make good on that threat.

  Instead, Ryan had kept his distance and done his best to ignore James. Which was a complete relief, truthfully.

  “So, I’ve got news.” Tori scooped gummy bears onto her ice cream. “The house has officially been transferred to my name.”

  “Already? That’s incredible.”

  The house being the one her father had left her in his will. He’d clearly been a man who was financially comfortable. The mortgage had been paid off, the house itself was in good condition, and he had no debt to settle.

  So, it didn’t surprise him that the process had been just about as painless as it could get.

  It was at least one thing her absent father had gotten right.

  James kept that opinion to himself, though. He knew what an emotional burden it had been on Tori. He didn’t need to dogpile his own thoughts on top.

  “You still plan on selling it?”

  “I have no use for a house in Spokane. Plus, it belonged to a father who clearly knew about me, but never sought me out. I don’t want that kind of energy tied to my life. So much better to sell it and be done.”

  James nodded, agreeing with everything she’d just said, as he sprinkled some crushed cookies on his ice cream.

  “What are you going to do with the money? Have you thought about it more?”

  “I’m still not sure.” She bit her lip and added some coconut shavings, blueberries, and caramel sauce to her bowl.

  “Are you still considering applying for law school?” He finished his ice cream off with nuts, toffee chips, and chocolate sauce.

  When she’d casually mentioned that a month ago, he’d only been slightly surprised. The conversation with his sister, who’d mentioned it, had prepped him.

  “Maybe. Though, I don’t know. While I love working with you lawyers, I’m not sure I actually want to be one now that I see just how unglamorous it is.” She gave a soft laugh. “I do like the idea of challenging myself, though.”

  “Understood. You’re absolutely smart enough if you decide to. You know I’d back you one hundred percent.”

  The look she gave him from beneath her lashes was a mix of gratefulness and affection.

  “I know you would. Thank you, James.”

  They walked over to the chest-high, walled ledge of the roof, so they could look out toward the waterfront.

  While there were a few people also near the edge, they weren’t close enough to hear their quiet conversation.

  James delved his spoon in for the first bite of ice cream.

  “You know, I’ve also played with the idea of using some of the money for a down payment on a house.” She shrugged. “I mean, why pay rent on two apartments when we could be building equity by owning a house?”

  We.

  Our apartments.

  Everything about that statement had included him. His pulse quickened, and the big picture of them swam before him.

  They’d been basically living together for the last two-and-a-half months, so it wasn’t totally out of left field.

  Things had been going so well between them that he’d had to tell himself to slow down and not rush things.

  Especially when he found himself thinking long term and looking at rings. It was too fast for that.

  While he was pushing thirty, Tori wasn’t even twenty-four yet.

  But did he like the idea of getting a house with her?

  Hell, yeah.

  Before he could respond, his cell buzzed from an incoming text.

  “Hold that thought.” He glanced at his phone and grimaced at the message from one of the senior partners. “Chuck asked me to take care of something with a client really quick.”

  “Oh. Sure.”

  Though really quick could mean twenty minutes, which meant the ice cream social would be wrapping up.

  “We’ll talk more tonight, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  God, he wanted to kiss her. Squeeze her hand. Give some sign of affection, but because they were keeping the work PDAs to zilch, he settled for stealing a gummy worm off her ice cream.

  “Easy there, gummy thief.”

  He winked before turning with his own dessert and making his way back inside.

  *

  Tori watched him head back to the elevators and bit back a groan.

  Great. She’d probably freaked him out with that whole buying a house talk. His expression had certainly been a little stunned.

  It had all come out wrong, though. She hadn’t exactly meant they should buy a house together. She’d only been trying to say it was silly for them basically to be spending all their nights together, while paying rent on two separate apartments.

  She could count the amount of nights they hadn’t stayed together on one hand.

  They were damn near inseparable. James wasn’t just her lover, he’d become a close friend. Just as close as his sister, even.

  The realization made her heart flutter and warm as she stared at the view in front of her.

  The sky was a gorgeous blue, dotted with occasional marshmallow clouds. A ferryboat moved slowly through Elliot Bay on its way over to Bainbridge Island.

  It was an absolutely perfect Seattle day. And she could barely appreciate it, because James took up like 99.9% of her thoughts.

  Oh, man. She was such a mess. She’d let him in. Despite her vow never to let herself fall hard for a guy, it’d happened.

  It was hard to regret it, though. He was such a nice guy.

  Don’t you dare break my heart, James.

  “How are you doing, Victoria?”

  She cringed, recognizing that voice instantly. Though it’d been a while since he’d approached her.

  “I’m doing well, Ryan. How are you?” She kept her words polite and her gaze on the water.

  Ryan leaned back against the railing, but faced the crowd on the patio instead of looking out at the view.

  “Good. It’s about to be even better.”

  Lord, she hadn’t missed him and his sleaze. Once her relationship with James had come into the open, he’d backed off. Shockingly. Guys like that seemed to have a problem taking no for an answer.

  “Hey, Victoria, are you still a gamer, by any chance?”

  It took a minute for his words to sink in, and when they did, the world started to spin. She could feel the color leach from her face.

  He knew.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Every muscle in Tori’s body froze. She literally couldn’t move as her thoughts began to race.

  How? She’d been so careful.

  She should’ve realized that, at the baseball game, he’d been onto her.

  “I’m going to spell this out for you.” He kept his voice quiet. Casual. “There’re a lot of people at Wright and Williams who might not be too thrilled with your former extracurriculars.”

  Bile rose in her throat.

  This isn’t happening.

  She was at such a good point in her life. She was happy. Financially stable and with a job she loved. She was pretty damn sure she was falling in love with James—if not there already.

  And now this asshole was going to . . . what? What exactly was his end game?

  He turned then, so they were both facing out, looking over the water. He was so close his hip brushed hers.

  “I can make your life very unpleasant. Where you won’t just lose your job here, but will have a hard time getting employment anywhere else.”

  His words were soft and calm. To anyone else up on the roof, it’d look like they might just be having a casual conversation.

  She pressed her lips together and gripped the railing. “I’m not sure what exactly you’re implying—”

  “Don’t you, Victoria? Or should I call you ‘Elfish_girl_18’?”

  The air rushed from her lungs, and she struggled to fill them again.

  “So weird, because I don’t recall seeing that on your resume.”

  “What do you want, Ryan?”

  “You know what I want,” he rasped and gave her a sideways glance.

  Gross.

  “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m in a pretty solid relationship.”

  He laughed then, sounding genuinely amused. Then his voice lowered again.

  “I’m not thrilled about taking my cousin’s sloppy seconds, but whatever. It’s not like I want to date you. Nah, we’re beyond that. But I do still want to sleep with you. One night together.”

  “You’re absolutely disgusting.”

  “It’ll be our little secret. Hell, it doesn’t even have to be a night. You can meet me in my car after work, hike up that tight skirt of yours, and I’ll make it really quick, like the whore you are.”

  Her vision turned red. Oh, God, if she only had the strength, she would throw this jackass over the high railing and off the building.

  “This job is not nearly important enough for me to sleep with a slimy jerk like you.”

  She saw her career swirling around the drain like the last bit of water.

  But fuck this guy and everything about him. She’d rather be scrubbing toilets at a fast-food restaurant than get blackmailed into sleeping with him.

  She’d already risen from the ashes of her childhood. She could do it again.

  “Does James know, I wonder? About the job you had?”

  Her breath caught.

  No. It was the only thing he didn’t know about her yet. She’d begun to think maybe she wouldn’t even have to tell him. Hell, even Kris didn’t know.

  Ryan took her silence for an answer. “I didn’t think so. You really seem to care about this little cousin of mine. Maybe if your job isn’t enough motivation, his will be.”

  Nausea rose as her stomach dropped, but her fury surged.

  “You have nothing to hold over James’s head. Who is your own flesh and blood, might I remind you,” she hissed. “And how about I walk over to Grace right now and explain that you’re trying to blackmail me into bed?”

  “I’m a partner. You’re the new hire, barely out of college.” Ryan’s shrug showed how unconcerned he was. “And I’ll just explain you offered to trade sex for my silence. You know, since I discovered that James cheated on the bar exam the second time around.”

  Her eyes narrowed in disbelief. “James didn’t cheat.”

  “Didn’t he? So weird. Because I have a witness willing to come forward and swear he did.”

  The world slowed, and she could hear the blood pounding in her veins. It mixed with the horn of the ferry as it crossed the water.

  She knew with every fiber in her being, James hadn’t cheated, and that Ryan had clearly manipulated someone else to say otherwise. The way he was manipulating her now.

  This whole disgusting scenario wasn’t just about her life anymore. It was about James.

  The ice cream she’d just eaten threatened to come back up in a violent way.

  “My cousin is finally on track to make a name for himself at this firm. Do you really think he’ll want to saddle himself to you once everyone learns about your college side gig?”

  Ouch.

  “On the flip side, my initial offer from April stands too. I can make sure your career only goes up from here.”

  “How do you sleep at night?”

  “I sleep great with the help of some melatonin. And, come on, don’t sound so depressed. It’s the Fourth of July weekend.” He gave an amused laugh. “And if you and I aren’t creating our own fireworks by Sunday night, Monday morning, all this heavy stuff comes out.”

  “Your analogies are shit, you know that?”

  “Well, I’m a lawyer, not a writer. Anyway, you’ve got my number. I’m sure I’ll see you this weekend.” Ryan paused. “Oh, and Victoria? Know that I mentally slapped your ass before walking away.”

  She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

  Tori stared blindly out at the water. The blood in her veins thundered with a mix of adrenaline, fury, and despair. Her hands that gripped the railing trembled.

  In ten minutes, that awful excuse for a human had shattered her world.

  Tears burned behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

  Ryan had her back against a wall.

  What the hell choice did she even have?

  *

  Where was she?

  James checked his phone again, hoping this time would be different. That there’d be a text or missed call from Tori.

  But there was nothing except the text he’d sent her two hours ago. Which he suspected she’d seen, but left unread.

  Damn. They were supposed to have been on the ferry to Whidbey Island by now.

  They’d driven separately to the office today, which was becoming rarer, but she’d needed to go in early to do some shopping for the ice cream social.

  The plan had been to meet at his place by seven, and now it was going on nine. He’d even driven by her apartment an hour ago, just in case he’d mixed it up, and they were supposed to meet there.

  He went to look out the apartment window. It was a long shot to hope she’d be wandering the streets below or down a couple of blocks at Green Lake.

  No sight of her.

  His gut twisted with unease. Something wasn’t right.

  Not quite sure what to do next, he texted the only person who might know where she could be.

  Have you seen Tori? We were supposed to leave town for the weekend. She’s not answering her phone or texts. I’m starting to worry.

  Kris messaged back within seconds.

  Really? That’s weird. Hang on. I’ll send her a text and see if she answers.

  Two minutes passed without another text, and he paced the apartment, his nerves growing more strung by the second.

  Where was she? God, was she hurt? Had she somehow changed her mind about this weekend?

  No way.

  They’d been way too excited. Even up on the roof during the ice cream social, he hadn’t missed the intimacy and softness in her eyes.

  So what had happened?

  He racked his brain, trying to remember the last thing they’d said.

  The house.

  Had she regretted the conversation about getting a house together the minute she’d said it?

  Or maybe he hadn’t looked excited enough, and she’d interpreted it wrong?

  Or maybe there’s a super-logical explanation, and you’re just freaking the hell out for no reason.

  He thrust a hand through his hair and sighed.

  His phone rang and he was on it in an instant.

  It was Kris.

  “Hey,” he answered. “Tell me you’ve found something out?”

  “She’s fine.”

  The relief hit him instantly, sucking all the tension from his muscles. But it was quickly followed by a tsunami of heartache.

  Tori hadn’t answered his texts or calls, but she had answered her best friend’s?

  That spoke volumes. All of which couldn’t be good.

  He tightened his grip around the phone. “Did she say what was going on? Any clue as to why she just disappeared before our weekend together?”

  Kris hesitated. “No, she didn’t. I texted her and told her you were freaking out. That you might end up filing a missing person report or something if you didn’t hear from her.”

  Not completely illogical. “So, she’s okay?”

  “She’s fine.”

  He took a deep breath. “Where is she?”

  “She didn’t tell me.” Kris’s words were wary. “She just wanted me to relay to you that she’s fine, and please don’t worry. But she needs some time alone.”

  There it was.

  She needs some time alone.

  His stomach dropped, and nausea rocketed through him.

  How had they gone from talking about getting a house to needing time alone in a matter of hours?

  “I don’t trust it.”

  He blinked out of his downward emotional spiral at Kris’s words. “What do you mean?”

 

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