LITMIR.BIZ

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Iris had in her ability to assign Nash Dupree to another attorney was slowly slipping away. Her breath caught as he moved smoothly across the plush room with the swagger of a self-assured, influential man who was used to getting what he wanted.

      Good Lord, this brother is fine.

      “Hello, sorry about that,” he said in that rich voice and extended his hand. “I’m Nash Dupree.”

      Iris self-consciously ran her sweaty palm down her skirt and cleared her throat before shaking his hand. “Iris Sinclair. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

      “The pleasure is all mine.”

      Okay, just stay cool, Iris told herself. She smiled and eased her hand out of his grip before stepping over to the conference table and setting her notepad down. Despite her professional success, she had never been very comfortable around good-looking men, especially men who openly checked her out, the way Nash was doing now. Men like him rarely looked at her the way he was doing.

      “Please have a seat.” She gestured for him to sit in the high-back leather chair to her left. “I understand your niece has gotten herself into a little trouble.”

      “Yes, you could say that.” Nash unbuttoned his suit jacket and waited until she was seated at the head of the table before taking his seat. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a photo, sliding it across the table to Iris. “That’s my niece, Tania Dupree. She’s an amazing young woman who is highly intelligent with musical skills that could rival Alicia Keys, and she has the stubbornness of a mule. She’s the love of my life, and the bane of my existence.”

      Iris smiled. In the picture, Tania wore her hair in micro-braids that easily flowed past her shoulders. Hazel eyes, similar to Nash’s, shined with a youthful glint, and Iris would bet her paycheck that the sweet smile gracing Tania’s lips got her whatever she wanted from her uncle.

      Iris handed the photo back to Nash. “She’s beautiful.” Like her uncle, she wanted to say, but kept the thought to herself.

      “Thank you,” Nash said quietly, staring at the photo.

      “I can tell she means a lot to you.” Iris crossed her leg and turned her body toward him. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?” The least she could do was hear him out before assigning someone else to the case.

      “Mr. Dupree?”

      Nash’s head snapped up and he looked at her as if he had forgotten she was in the room. He stood and rubbed his hand over his head and down the back of his neck.

      “I’m sorry. I, um, it’s been a helluva day.” He chuckled and Iris nodded her understanding, realizing for the first time since leaving court that the headache she’d been battling for the past couple of days had finally departed. “Anyway, I received a call a couple of hours ago that Tania had been arrested for drug possession. She and some of her classmates had a half day of school and were heading home when they were pulled over by a cop.”

      “Why were they pulled over?”

      “From what I understand, the kid driving the vehicle didn’t come to a complete stop at a stop sign.” Nash shoved his hand into his pants pocket, taking Iris’s attention from his sexy hazel eyes down to the front of his pants. She quickly diverted her attention. What the heck is wrong with me?

      “The cop probably would’ve just issued a warning,” Nash continued, “but when one of the kids started smarting off, the officer made all them get out of the car.”

      Nash roamed around the plush space. “I told Tania to stop hanging out with those kids. Associating with them had already gotten her into trouble at school. A few months ago, she was apprehended by the cops when one of the little thugs she was hanging out with stole a couple of candy bars from a convenience store.”

      Nash stopped and slowly turned to Iris, releasing a loud sigh. “When Tania exited the car, she swung her backpack onto her shoulder and a bag of marijuana fell to the ground. Supposedly it came from her bag. Needless to say, all the kids claim they knew nothing about it and they all were taken into custody.”

      “What did Tania say when you asked about the drugs?”

      Nash walked back over to the table, but didn’t reclaim his seat. “She said it wasn’t hers and had no idea how it made its way into her bag.”

      Iris asked a few more questions, taking notes as he talked more about how he had transferred her to the best private school in Johns Creek, a suburb outside Atlanta. Tania had had her share of harmless trouble since arriving at the school, like putting a dead bird in one of her teachers’ desks and getting caught egging another student’s car.

      “I can’t believe she’s been arrested for drug possession with the intent to sell. She’s too smart for that and has never shown any sign of drug use. I know that weed wasn’t hers.”

      “So you believe her?”

      “Without a doubt, but don’t get me wrong, I understand that the cops had to take her in. Having drugs in her possession doesn’t look good. The worst part is, the officers would have let her leave with me, but she was adamant about staying until she talked with a lawyer.” He let out a harsh laugh that lacked humor. “That girl became indignant with an officer because she didn’t like the way he automatically accused her. As if he didn’t have reason to doubt her damn story!”

      He pounded the table with his fist and turned away. “I’m sorry,” he said when he turned back around. “This whole situation is like a bad dream.”

      “I’m sure it is.” Iris could tell how much this was bothering him. “I assume they’re keeping her in detention until she goes before the judge.” That was more of a statement than a question. Georgia’s juvenile detention system didn’t care who your parents were. They didn’t tolerate unruly behavior. If a child was uncooperative, that often meant an automatic night in detention.

      Nash nodded and folded his arms across his chest. “You have to understand, Attorney Sinclair—Tania is very headstrong, but she’s a good kid.”

      “I don’t doubt that, Mr. Dupree.” Iris glanced at her notes and sighed. It would only take a few minutes to meet with Tania and then go before the judge and get an arraignment date set, but Iris had vowed not to take on another case until after her vacation. If she took this case, then there would be another, and yet another one after that. She would end up spending another year without taking any much-needed time off. She placed her pen on top of the notepad and leaned back in her seat, folding her hands on top of the table.

      “Mr. Dupree, based on what you’ve told me, any one of our associates will be able to assist you and your niece. Not only will it save you money, it will—”

      “I don’t give a damn about the money, Counselor!” Nash leaned on the table. His face was a glowering mask of anger, hovering only inches from hers. “I want my niece to have the best representation there is. Refusing to take the case is not an option.”

      Iris bristled at his tone, the arrogance behind his words making her see red. She stood slowly, trying to contain the anger that suddenly bubbled within her. She pinned him with a level look, willing herself to remain calm. “With all due respect, Mr. Dupree, I’m not sure what you’re accustomed to, but I decide what cases I take on and I will not stand for you or anyone else telling me what I can or cannot do.”

      Nash stood so close to her that she could smell his mint-scented breath against her face. His expression was unreadable, and his enticing lips were close enough to kiss. He glanced down at her mouth before he lifted his eyes to meet hers.

      “But I want you.”

      Chapter 2

      Nash could feel the fuming heat emitting from Iris’s body. He didn’t mean to raise his voice, but after an exhausting day his patience had snapped. Looking down into the most intriguing brown eyes that he’d ever seen, he wanted nothing more than to reach out, pull the enchanting attorney into

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