“Yeah, I somehow don’t think that will help. You could easily get blindsided when the perp comes in and you’re lying on top of her, oblivious to the world.”
Suddenly Bryson was in his friend’s face. “Don’t talk about her that way.”
When Cam began laughing, Bryson realized what a fool he was making of himself. He immediately backed off, hoping to recover the situation.
“Whoa, you have it bad,” Cam said between chuckles.
“What in the hell is this girl doing to me?” Bryson asked. “We haven’t even kissed.” He was unusually perplexed. “She’s a witness; she’s crucial to this trial. I can’t screw this up — I’ve never screwed it up before.” He ran a hand through his already mussed hair.
“We all fall eventually, my friend,” Cam said, rising to his feet.
“Neither of us has,” Bryson reminded him.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Cam said, his eyes losing focus for a minute, as if he were no longer in the room with Bryson.
“Now I’m curious,” Bryson said, on red alert.
“It doesn’t matter. Just an old flame.”
“I’ve known you for fifteen years, Cam. If something is tying you up, it won’t stop until you fix the situation. You’ve always had a killer instinct about people, which is what makes you the best damn lawyer I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”
It was a rare moment when the two men let down their guard and spoke honestly. Sometimes, being a man wasn’t easy — always trying to play the hero, always doing what was expected. Feelings just weren’t allowed.
“Let’s just get through one case at a time,” Cam said. “We’ll lock this bastard up for good, and then we can worry about our pathetic love lives.”
“I hear you and agree,” Bryson told him.
“I need to fly back early, so I’m going to catch a nap and then head out. You fly up next week, and we’ll get her testimony on record, then catch dinner at my place before you rush away.”
“I’ve had your cooking, Cam. I’d rather live.”
“I agree! We’ll go out, Bryson.”
“Sounds like a plan. This should be an interesting trip.”
The two men parted, and Bryson climbed the stairs of his temporary home. The next week was going to be hell. He would just have to make sure he kept it professional. Of course he’d do that. He was a professional, after all. Having reassured himself on that point, he got into the shower.
Yes, he would put his feelings over this girl on the back burner — keep it neutral — do the job he was hired to do.
It was easier said than done, he knew when he was lying in bed an hour later, thinking of Misty each time he shut his eyes.
“Aw, hell,” he muttered as he twisted onto his side and punched his pillow into a usable headrest. He finally fell asleep, and his dreams were filled with one green-eyed beauty and her killer body.
Chapter Eight
The day wasn’t going as planned, and not only did Bryson have a wicked headache that was threatening to make the top of his skull explode, but he was also running late and worried about Misty. The marshal had flown with her to Montana, and he had come in later.
Dammit.
He’d wanted to fly with her. Maybe his supervisor had realized that…maybe they knew he was feeling less than professional with her. That wouldn’t be good for his career. The problem was that he didn’t give a lick about his career at the moment.
Right there was a reason he should avoid this woman. She was making him not care about matters that had always been important to him. When a woman wanted a man to change, that was the time to get as far from her as possible.
Okay, the problem wasn’t her. It was him. She didn’t even know he was having these inappropriate thoughts, and she hadn’t tried to change him. It was just happening. He couldn’t even think straight.
Walking into his friend’s law office, he tried to look at the place through Misty’s eyes. This would all be incredibly intimidating for her. His friend was successful. He could have been working in D.C., New York, Seattle, L.A. — pretty much anywhere he wanted. Camden was that good, but he’d chosen to work close to home.
The residents of Montana were more than happy to have him. Camden might look like a pro football player, but the man had a mind more sharp and quick than anyone Bryson had come across. A twinge of jealousy hit as Bryson wondered what Misty thought about his friend. A lot of the girls fell over themselves to get Cam to notice them.
Bryson found himself picking up his pace to get to her. She’d been alone with Cam long enough. And as much as he tried to lie to himself, the truth was that it had been a couple of weeks since he’d last seen her and he couldn’t wait to be with her again. If anyone was going to break the rules with this woman, it would be him — not Cam.
“Good evening, Agent Winchester. It’s good to see you again,” Cam’s secretary said. “Mr. Whitman and Ms. Elton will be in conference room C in just a few moments if you’d like to head on in.”
“Thank you, Charlotte,” Bryson said as he passed by her desk, then walked down the wide hallway. He’d been there often enough to know his way around.
Once in the room, Bryson surveyed the sterile environment. The court reporter was set up, ready to begin, and looking bored. The lead attorney, Charlotte Adams, was sitting back, making some notes.
“Good evening, Charlotte,” he said, approaching her.
“Evening, Bryson,” she replied, and didn’t engage in further small talk. He took the hint when she looked back down at her laptop.
He took a seat at the end of the table and picked up the packet that was already laid out for him. Listed were the questions Cam would be asking Misty. As Bryson scanned quickly through them, another knot of tension formed in his stomach.
Tonight wasn’t going to be pleasant. Looking at his watch, he noted that it was a bit past four. They’d be lucky to get out of there by seven. And the hours that this took were going to be draining on Misty. He wished he could somehow take the pain on himself — not make her relive her time with Jesse Marcus.
At the sound of murmuring outside the room, Bryson looked up in anticipation. “Ridiculous,” he muttered.
“What was that?” Camden walked through the door with a smirk on his face.
Damn, Bryson felt like wiping that look off. All thoughts vanished, though, when Misty stepped through the doorway behind Cam, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.
With the barely heard click of the door shutting, they were all closed in. Bryson usually would have found the room a bit claustrophobic, but he wasn’t thinking in those terms right then. He could do nothing but devour Misty with his eyes.
He ignored Cam’s taunt and stood up, thinking she was just about the loveliest creature he’d ever laid eyes upon. Very little makeup adorned her high cheekbones, and her sparkling green eyes nearly had him drooling. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders and hung free down her back, leaving images in his mind of her sitting atop him, her br**sts peeking out through those glorious dark strands.
He was instantly hard as a rock. If he hadn’t sat back down immediately, he’d have gained a reputation as an unprofessional pervert. But he couldn’t help himself. One look at her and he was ready to demand that everyone exit the room so he could lay her out on the table and relieve this pressure that had been building inside him from the moment he’d tackled her in that crappy fast-food joint.
This woman was going to drag him with her to hell. It wasn’t a matter of if anymore. They were going to be together; there was no stopping it. He just didn’t know how far it was going to go — what the endgame would be. He knew beyond a doubt that they’d make fireworks happen when they came together. He just wondered whether once would be enough.
Somehow he doubted it.
His expression must have been predatory, because when she glanced up and met his eyes, her own grew large as she seemed to be caught by him, and then her chest heaved as if she couldn’t get her breath. Yes, they would certainly make fireworks happen.
“Sorry about your hard time getting here, Bryson,” Camden told him. “I hope everything worked out okay for you. Misty and I took the time to go over the process so she could be ready when we came in. Charlotte has agreed to let me ask the questions so Misty might feel more comfortable.” He led Misty to her seat and then sat down across from her. “We should get started right away, though, since we’re already running so late.”
“I apologize. After I spoke with another witness, my flight got delayed,” Bryson said, glad his voice came out clearly. No traces of weakness to be heard.
“Misty, we’re going to jump right into this because it could take a while,” Camden warned her.
“That’s fine,” she replied. She was obviously nervous, but she still sported a determined set to her shoulders.
Bryson felt a deep urge to jump up, to tell Misty she didn’t have to go through this — that they had enough witnesses, and they’d just keep her in protective custody until the trial ended. She’d been so afraid, so on edge, and although she was standing strong now, he suddenly didn’t want to hear this, not after what Cam had said, not after knowing something about how bad her life had been.