LITMIR.BIZ

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watched her, his gaze intent. “You think I want your money? Lady, I’m the Kern County assistant district attorney.”

      She returned his glare. “I know exactly who you are.”

      “Morgan, I thought I heard you.” Ashley’s boss, Richard Williams, lumbered across the conference room’s plush carpet to face Hunter Morgan. “Is there a problem here?”

      Ashley froze, unable to do anything but wait to see what, if anything, the assistant D.A. intended to say.

      Hunter glanced at her. “Problem? No. Ashley and I were having a friendly disagreement over a common interest.”

      Mr. Williams warned Ashley with a cutting look before turning his attention back to Hunter. “If you have a few minutes, I’d like to discuss the Thompson case.”

      Without missing a beat, Hunter slipped into his prosecutor persona. “All right.”

      “Have a seat, and I’ll get my client. I was going over with him what to expect at tomorrow’s arraignment,” Mr. Williams said.

      When Ashley tried to follow her boss from the conference room, Hunter caught her arm, his hold firm, but gentle.

      Once assured Mr. Williams wasn’t waiting outside the door, Ashley glanced at the long fingers that held her, then met Hunter’s frown with one of her own. “If I want to keep my job—and I do—then I need to get back to work.”

      “We’ll continue this conversation over dinner tonight.”

      Ashley checked the urge to chew on her bottom lip. She met his gaze, pleased she accomplished the feat without flinching. Father indeed. What proof could he possibly have? Under other circumstances, being assistant district attorney would give him a lot of bargaining power. But not for her child. Never for her child. “I’m busy.”

      “Tomorrow at lunch, then?”

      “I already have plans.”

      His jaw tightened. “Tomorrow night?”

      She tugged her arm free, rubbing the spot that still burned from his touch. “I can’t. If you’ll excuse me.”

      “It doesn’t end here, Ashley. I won’t go away. Either agree to meet me, so we can do this nicely,” he said, the underlying threat in his voice letting her know nice was the last thing he intended to be. “Or, refuse, and we can engage in a custody battle in court with the entire world watching our lives being dissected, detail by ugly detail. Which do you want? It’s your call.” The flames leaping into his eyes blazed blue.

      Ashley knew that no matter her decision, he would play to win. But so would she. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t want to do either. All I’ve ever wanted is a baby, this baby. You, the father—if that’s true—were never supposed to be in the picture.”

      “But I am very much in the picture. I can prove I’m the father. I won’t go away until this is settled.”

      “I refuse to enter into a tug-of-war over my child.”

      “My child.” He gave her another nothing-will-get-in-my-way look. “We have a lot to discuss. I’ll grab take-out and be at your place tonight at seven.”

      She raised her chin. “But—”

      “Be there.”

      “No, not my apartment. I’d rather meet somewhere public.”

      “That’s why I came here today. I didn’t think you’d let me in if I just showed up at your apartment. Meeting in a public place is fine with me so long as you’re not concerned about being seen with me after hours?”

      Ashley frowned. He had her, blast it, and from his sudden smile, he knew it. “All right. We’ll meet at my apartment,” she muttered between clenched teeth as her boss and his spit-shined client entered the room.

      Exercising the rigid control he was known for, Hunter nodded, then moved to take a seat at the heavy mahogany table as if they had merely exchanged pleasantries. He accepted and glanced through a stack of papers, his hands steady, his thoughts seemingly focused, while Ashley fought sudden tears.

      Leaving the room, she closed the door and leaned back. Her heart hammered. Her hands trembled as she pressed them against her stomach where her baby lay nestled, safe from harm. At least for now.

      Yesterday after receiving confirmation of her pregnancy, she’d been the happiest woman in the world. Now that same world crumbled around her. All because a man with eyes that discerned far too much, thought his rights outweighed hers. How appropriate he was a lawyer. A prosecutor at that. What luck.

      She remembered how it had felt to be lifted in his arms as if she weighed nothing, how he had held her close, made her think for a brief moment he might really care. Well, she wasn’t buying it and refused to be sweet-talked or intimidated. Not again. It would take more than some testosterone-ridden attorney with shoulders as wide as the Palo Duro Canyon to distract her.

      Determined to put a stop to whatever Mr. Morgan planned, Ashley pushed away from the door and hurried to her office. She needed to confirm whether Hunter Morgan had in fact fathered her child, though it didn’t seem likely he would make such a claim if it wasn’t true. Still, her marriage to a lawyer had taught her anyone was capable of lying. Even a man sworn to uphold justice.

      Ashley had once been incredibly naive. She hadn’t known any better than to believe in love, marriage and happily-ever-after. But that was then and this was now. She’d learned her lesson the hard way and had paid a high price for her gullibility. Never again would she trust a man or give one control over her life. Especially a lawyer.

      And God help anyone, prosecutor or otherwise, who tried to take her child.

      Chapter Two

      “What was going on between you and Hunter Morgan?”

      Ashley’s fingers tightened around the envelope she had sealed. She glanced up to find her boss leaning against her office door frame, his gaze watchful.

      What she wouldn’t give to wring the neck of the man who had caused her current predicament—the assistant district attorney in question. Of course, she would have to get a stepladder to reach that high, but the very thought of doing just that helped her remain calm. She even managed an almost genuine smile. “Mr. Morgan mistakenly thought he might have left a file here last Friday when you two met to discuss the Smither’s case.”

      Her boss scratched his chin, his expression skeptical. “Is that all? I could have sworn you two were arguing.”

      “Arguing? Us? No. He mentioned that new restaurant over by the courthouse and asked if I could recommend something. Only he didn’t like my idea of soup and salad bar.” Ashley chastised herself for coming up with such a lame excuse. Every attorney and secretary within walking distance had already made the new café a lunchtime habit. She even went once a week. But she hadn’t seen the prosecutor there and could only hope the same held true for her boss.

      Mr. Williams didn’t look as if he believed her, and Ashley decided she had better leave before he asked anything else. Not that she would be able to answer. The lie she’d just told stuck in her throat like a runaway peppermint lodged sideways, one more thing she blamed on Hunter Morgan.

      Ashley pushed to her feet and retrieved her coat. “If you don’t need anything else, I’ll be going home,” she said, lifting her purse and making her way past her boss.

      “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

      She wanted nothing more than to run, but forced herself to turn back. “What’s that?”

      He lifted a stack of envelopes from the corner of her desk and handed them to her. “The mail.”

      “Oh. Thank you.” Sticking the outgoing mail under her arm, Ashley hurried down the hall and around the corner.

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