Straight from the Heart. Linda Warren

she’d finally achieved it. Now he’d turned it upside down for her. God, he shouldn’t have come. He should be in Jennifer’s apartment, enjoying something a whole lot better than this hollow feeling.

      He told Jennifer he had an unexpected business meeting. She’d been annoyed at first, but he’d promised to make it up to her. If he was completely honest with himself, though, he’d have to admit that Blair was the main reason he was here tonight. He was curious about Sam’s offer, but seeing Blair somewhere other than the courtroom was the big selling point. Now he’d hurt her, and that was the last thing he’d wanted to do. He had to resolve this.

      “It doesn’t matter what your father said or didn’t say,” he told her. “You don’t need his approval.”

      “You don’t know anything about me,” Blair muttered, and bit down on her lip to keep more words from tumbling out.

      “I know what it’s like to seek approval from someone you love. I used to do everything I could to gain my brother’s approval. Then I grew up and realized it was always there. I just chose not to see that.”

      “You don’t know anything about my relationship with my father,” she said tersely. “Any more than you know about me.”

      “No, I don’t,” Lucas conceded. “And I regret my decision to come here tonight.”

      “Then why did you?”

      “Curiosity got the best of me.”

      She frowned. “Curiosity?”

      Curiosity about you, Blair.

      “Yeah.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I wanted to find out why Sam was offering me a job. It’s not like I campaigned for it.”

      “Did you find out?” she asked quietly.

      “No, I’m still in the dark.”

      Besides his desire to see Blair in a different context, he had decided to accept Sam’s invitation because he couldn’t stand not knowing. He had to find out the truth, but he wasn’t any closer to that than before he got here. Derek, Frank and Theo were all enthusiastically backing Sam in saying that they needed new blood. Even Calvin, the accountant, had shown him some impressive figures and encouraged him to join the Logan team. They were feeding him a line of crap, and Lucas knew crap when he heard it. But why were they pursuing him? He still hadn’t figured that out, and now he didn’t really care.

      Blair took a step toward him. “I’ll tell you why, Lucas,” she said cryptically. “It’s because you’re a cutthroat attorney like he is. You don’t care about the law or about human consequences—just the big bucks. That’s what my father admires. So congratulations, you’re in the big leagues.”

      He was trying to be conciliatory, to apologize for a bad error in judgment, but her words angered him, and suddenly he’d had enough. As she started to walk past him, he grabbed her arm. “Someday, Blair, someday I’m—”

      He stopped as he saw fear flash into her eyes. Was she afraid of him? That possibility took him aback. They stared at each other for a long, silent moment, and then Lucas saw the pulse in her neck beating erratically. Other feelings started to surface and all he could think about was touching it with his lips and…

      Blair tried to say something, but for once, words stuck in her throat. His hand was still closed around her arm, his fingers warm and firm. She felt the heat as it rushed up her arm to various parts of her body, and she was experiencing all sorts of emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her. Emotions she’d only read about—and all because of a touch. How many other women had felt this way about Lucas? she wondered. She was well aware that it should be irrelevant to her, and yet the thought infuriated her.

      She looked at his hand. “Let go of my arm,” she said coolly.

      He saw the desperation in her eyes but didn’t relent. “I don’t think so,” he said just as coolly. “I’m not through. I’m tired of justifying my career to you—a career that I’m good at—and I’m also tired of having my apologies thrown back in my face.”

      Blair didn’t answer. She couldn’t. She was too consumed with the new reactions that were tripping through her body.

      When she remained silent, Lucas went on, “I’m not sure why your father invited me tonight. In hindsight, I see that I shouldn’t have accepted, but I’m sure he thought you were mature enough to handle it.”

      Mature enough! The words jarred her already shaky composure and she felt like screaming. She was mature enough to handle the sexual banter between Lucas and her earlier that day. She was mature enough to handle Hector Raye’s threat on her life. She was mature enough to handle Lucas in her home. Or was she? No, she wasn’t that mature, answered a tiny voice inside her head.

      Her head started to throb, and she touched her forehead to still the pain. She knew she was acting irrational, and she also knew she had to get away from him to sort through her emotions, regain her sanity.

      Blair jerked her arm free, eyes blazing. “Hindsight is always twenty-twenty and I really don’t care why you’re here or why my father invited you, because I’m leaving.”

      Lucas stepped in front of her. The woman just didn’t know when to quit and she certainly didn’t know how to accept an apology. “You don’t have to leave. I’m going.” He turned toward the door. “Tell your father thanks but no thanks for the job offer. Never mind, I’ll tell him on my way out.”

      At the door, he looked back at her. She was rubbing her arm where he’d held her. Had he hurt her? God, she made him crazy and he was acting so out of character. The sooner he distanced himself from the Logan family, the better off he’d be.

      “Are you all right?” he couldn’t help asking.

      The gentleness in his voice made her answer more abruptly than she’d intended. “I don’t need your concern.”

      Instant anger surged through him, and just as quickly it cooled. He was beginning to see that Blair had a spontaneous defense mechanism—her sharp tongue. It was just as Roger had said; she never let anyone get close to her. Well, she didn’t have to worry about him.

      His dark eyes swept over her. “Don’t worry, Blair, you won’t get it again.” Without glancing back, he disappeared through the door.

      Blair stood there trembling from so many emotions—new, alien emotions that she’d denied for a very long time. How did she deal with all of this? she asked herself as she unconsciously rubbed her arm. She didn’t know. She only knew that she was hurt and confused…and afraid. Not of Lucas but the feelings he engendered, feelings she didn’t want to experience.

      Stay out of my life, Lucas Culver.

      Please stay out of my life.

      EVAN HOLT SAT at his desk studying the latest putter he’d purchased.

      Carl Wright, his chief prosecutor, entered his office, followed by two detectives.

      “Anything new?” Evan asked the lead detective, Mike Wilson.

      “Logan was over at Lucas Culver’s office this afternoon and Culver had dinner with him tonight,” Mike answered.

      “Dammit.” Evan slammed the putter onto his desk and got to his feet.

      “What do you think that means?” Carl asked.

      “He’s trying to recruit Culver—that’s the only explanation.”

      “Why? He’s got his own team.”

      “Sam knows we can handle Johnson, Mann and Barker, but Culver—that’s a whole different situation.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “Culver has a way of controlling a jury, and this case is all going to come down to the jury.”

      “Don’t be so sure,” Mike said, placing