Legal Attraction. Jacquelin Thomas

handle having lunch with the man who could be her father. Marissa was not interested in any family reunions of this kind.

      “Oh, but we would love for you to join us,” Vanessa said smoothly.

      “Maybe next time,” Marissa told her.

      Vanessa smiled. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

      Marissa gave her a slight nod. She was grateful when her assistant interrupted them regarding a trial date.

      When they were alone, she turned her attention back to her aunt.

      Vanessa chuckled. “You know…that expression on your face…you look just like Frank. My husband makes that face whenever he is silently contemplating something. I guess it must be hereditary.”

      “I really need to get back to my desk,” Marissa blurted. “I have some phone calls to make.”

      “Enjoy the rest of your day, sweetie.”

      “You, too,” she said. Marissa thought she glimpsed something in Vanessa’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it had come. For a moment, it looked like displeasure, but she could not be sure.

      Marissa walked briskly to her office. She was barely aware of Harper’s presence. He must have followed her.

      “Hey, what were you and my mom talking about?” Harper asked in a low voice. “I saw you two in the hall.”

      Marissa glanced over at him. “She invited me to lunch. I turned her down.”

      “How did she seem?”

      “Same as always,” Marissa said. “Why? Do you think she knows anything? Please tell me that you didn’t tell her.”

      “I didn’t say anything to my mother and I don’t plan to. If anyone tells her, it should be my father.”

      “Nobody should say anything to anybody,” Marissa declared. “Just let them both take it to the grave. My dad does not deserve to be hurt. Neither does Aunt Vanessa.”

      “Knowing my mother, she would find a way to make Dad pay if she ever found out,” Harper said.

      Chapter 4

      “Are you feeling okay?”

      Marissa looked up from the notes she and her assistant were going over in one of the conference rooms. She gave her a slight nod. “I think I’m coming down with a cold. I’ll be fine, though.”

      “Why don’t I make you a cup of tea? You can close your door and lie down on your couch for a while. You don’t have any appointments until later today.”

      “Some tea would be nice, Roberta. Thank you,” Marissa murmured. The idea of taking a nap was very appealing to her. She was feeling a bit tired.

      She was in her office and sitting on the couch when Roberta entered the room carrying a cup of hot tea.

      Marissa smiled as she accepted the tea from her assistant. “Thanks so much.”

      “Go on and rest. I’ll see that no one disturbs you.”

      Marissa began to feel better almost as soon as she lay down.

      She could hear Griffin outside her office talking to one of the other associates. Marissa loved the sound of his voice. He reminded her of the smooth, late-night disc jockeys on the radio.

      Marissa allowed her memory to drift into forbidden territory—one night five months ago. She had decided to work late. She had been surprised to find that Griffin was also there after everyone had already gone home. They decided to take their laptops into a conference room to work while they shared a dinner of shrimp fried rice, orange chicken and egg drop soup.

      Maybe it was the adrenaline of working on a case; maybe it was sleep deprivation or maybe it was just inevitable, but Marissa and Griffin could no longer ignore their mutual attraction.

      They soon decided to call it a night.

      Marissa followed Griffin to his apartment. As soon as they were inside, they were in each other’s arms.

      Griffin had undressed her slowly and then carried her into his bedroom.

      He laid her on the bed. Griffin removed his own clothing before joining her.

      “I’ve wanted this for a long time,” he whispered.

      “So have I,” Marissa admitted.

      Griffin captured her lips with his own, holding her close to his nakedness.

      Marissa moaned softly as her passion ignited into a flame in the pit of her belly. She burned with desire for Griffin’s touch.

      They had made love slowly that night, not wanting the moment to come to an end.

      Marissa could still feel the heat of their passion from that night—it burned in her memory. The sweetness of his kisses lingered in her mind, filling her with the desire to be kissed by Griffin again.

      But that night was long gone.

      The special moment they had shared was just that—a moment.

      As soon as the thought revealed itself, Marissa shook her head in denial. What she had shared with Griffin that night was only meant to last for a moment, but for Marissa, it would last a lifetime.

      Marissa closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep with Griffin consuming her thoughts.

      When she woke up, Marissa could not believe that almost two hours had passed, but she felt so much better now and more energetic. She rose to her feet and went to the bathroom to wash her face.

      “You look like you’re feeling better,” Roberta commented when Marissa came out.

      “I do,” she responded. “I feel so much better.”

      It was almost time for her meeting with a new client, so Marissa spent the next half hour going over the file her assistant had prepared.

      “Hey, what are you doing? In here playing lawyer?”

      Marissa looked up and grinned at her oldest brother. “What are you doing?”

      Jake strolled casually into the room. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked with a sly smile.

      “You are no angel,” she stated.

      “How’s it going?” he inquired with a grin. “I know how overwhelming working here can be. Not to mention working with family.”

      “I’m hanging in there.”

      “Well, let me know if I can help you with anything.”

      “You really don’t have to worry about me, Jake,” Marissa said. “I’m fine. I can handle my job.”

      “I just want to make sure that you’re not taking on more than you can handle.”

      Marissa did not bother to disguise her irritation. “I am not a baby, Jake. I don’t need you looking over my shoulder. Why don’t you focus your energies on your new wife?”

      He ignored her remark. “It’s just that your sister said that you’ve been pretty moody lately.”

      “Maybe all of you should just leave me alone,” Marissa sniped at her brother. She took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly.

      “I’m sorry, Jake. I should not be snapping at you like this. It’s just that I’ve been with the firm a year now and I feel I’m doing a great job, but it’s frustrating when you all keep looking over my shoulder. I can’t breathe this way.”

      He nodded in understanding. “I’ll back off, Marissa.”

      She smiled. “Thanks.”

      Marissa leaned back in her chair. She hoped that Jake would keep his word. Now if she could get the rest of her siblings to do the