Mary Baxter - Without You

However, she couldn’t help but notice that his handsome features appeared more strained than ever. Even his eyes were bloodshot, from too much booze or too little sleep. She couldn’t say, nor did she care.

“You’re looking exceptionally good this morning,” he said in that husky tone that never failed to send her pulse rate skyrocketing.

“Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about you,” she responded with intended bluntness, hoping to diffuse the sexual tension that had notched the temperature up several degrees.

He smiled. “I didn’t sleep last night.”

“Not by choice, I assume,” she said, moving farther into the room.

“Nope. Too much on my mind.”

A silence fell between them while they simply stared at each other.

Jackson’s eye’s darkened. “I really had no intention of crashing in on you again.”

“Then, why did you?”

“I wanted to try and talk you out of meeting with the other attorney.”

“That other attorney’s name happens to be Nathan James, which I’m sure you’re aware of.” She folded her arms cross her chest. When she felt the rapid rate of her heart, she dropped her arms. “And not talking to him isn’t an option.”

Jackson shrugged as his blue eyes bore back into hers. She turned away. “At least I get an A for effort.”

Her gaze whipped back to him. “If you’re trying to be funny, you’re wasting your time. I’m not in the mood.”

For a moment his eyes seemed to linger on her chest. She turned her entire body away from him this time, fearing he might see her distended nipples.

“Hallie?”

Reluctantly, she turned back around, schooling her features to show none of her mixed emotions. “Yes.”

“Never mind,” he muttered.

With determination, she walked to her desk and punched a button on her phone. “Pearl, please ask Mr. James to come to my office.”

“There’s nothing I can say to make you change your mind?”

“No, Jackson, and I can’t see why you’d want to. You’re going to need all the help you can get.”

Suddenly the door opened, and a man walked in. “Good morning,” he said. “Shall we get down to business?”

Hallie smiled at the dapper attorney. Nathan James was dressed to kill, in his custom-made suit and expensive tie. He was medium height and slender, with sharp features and eyes that seldom missed a thing.

“Thanks for coming, Nathan,” she said, her smile broadening.

“Anything for you, my dear.”

“Save your charm.” Hallie’s lips twitched. “You know it’s lost on me.”

Nathan grabbed his chest in mock despair. “Why must you continue to break my heart?”

Hallie rolled her eyes. “Will you please behave yourself?”

Of all the attorneys in the firm, Nathan was her favorite, the one whom she respected the most. He was an excellent lawyer whose superior intelligence provided him the ability to think on his feet, which was a great asset in the courtroom.

But her liking of him went deeper. Although he wasn’t quite old enough to be her father, he treated her like the daughter he didn’t have. Happily married with three grown boys, he and his wife, Donna, had made her welcome in their home. She considered him her mentor, and was ever conscious that he genuinely liked and respected her, as well.

“I’m Nathan James. You must be Jackson Cole.” Nathan extended his hand.

The sound of the attorney’s well-modulated voice drew Hallie back to the moment at hand, and she watched the interplay between the two men. Nathan’s features had sobered and his narrowed eyes were focused on Jackson, as if sizing him up.

“Right.” Jackson responded without any real warmth, though his gaze didn’t shy away from Nathan’s piercing one.

“Before we get down to business,” Hallie said, “would either of you care for coffee?”

Both men nodded. She pressed the button on her phone and asked Pearl to accommodate them, then they all sat down. The silence had turned suddenly hostile, something she’d feared but had hoped to avoid. She quelled a sigh and was about to speak, when Jackson jumped in.

“I have to tell you right off, Nathan, that I wasn’t in favor of bringing in a second party.”

“That’s your call, of course,” Nathan responded, turning his attention to Hallie, his eyebrows raised as if to ask what she had gotten him into.

“No, it’s not his call.” Hallie’s voice was firm. “It’s my call and Jackson knows it.” She wanted to throttle her ex-fiancé, even though he looked good enough to pounce on. When she realized the path her thoughts had taken, she was surprisingly unrepentant.

Okay, so his good looks and commanding presence were a turn-on. They always had been and always would be. Seeing him again this morning brought that home. He had set off that deep sexual ache in her again, an ache she’d fought so hard to get over.

Yet a tiny part of her was glad to have him back in her life, if only for a short time. There was something about him that appeased her hunger, made her feel like a live woman and not a career robot.

Yet he’d severed her trust as casually as someone discarding a pair of worn-out sneakers.

“So do I stay or do I go?” Nathan demanded into the lengthening silence.

Hallie shot a warning glance at Jackson. “You stay.”

Pearl chose that moment to enter the room, carrying a tray filled with the coffeepot, cups and breakfast muffins. Hallie thanked her and she hurried out.

“Jackson, I’d like for you to repeat everything you told Hallie, from start to finish, followed by what you told the detective.” Without taking his gaze off Jackson, Nathan reached for a cup and filled it with coffee.

“First off, I didn’t kill Roberta Klein.” Jackson’s tone was terse.

Nathan nodded, then took a sip of his beverage. “Good. Since that’s out of the way, please continue.”

Hallie listened while Jackson repeated what had transpired with Detective Gomez. Every so often, she would inject a comment, clarifying what Jackson had said. When he finished, the room was quiet for a moment. In order to keep her eyes off Jackson, she poured a cup of coffee she didn’t want.

“Have you thought of anything else you might’ve overlooked?” Nathan asked.

Jackson shifted his gaze. “No, nothing.”

“What about Gomez?” Nathan asked, facing Hallie. “What’s your impression of him?”

“He’s both smart and smart-alecky.”

“Not surprising. But you can handle him, right?”

Hallie smiled with confidence. “With ease and pleasure.”

Nathan chuckled. “I don’t know why I even bothered to ask.” Then he said to Jackson, “Have you written any of this down?”

Jackson turned swiftly to Hallie, a question in his eyes.

Hallie answered for him. “I didn’t tell him to.”

Nathan worked his mouth. “I am. Get a notepad and write down everything you just said, in addition to your long history with the Klein woman. It’s imperative that you don’t leave anything out.”

“And equally imperative,” Hallie put in, “that you don’t show it to anyone but me or Nathan.”

“That’s right,” Nathan said. “No third party. It’s privileged, but if anyone else sees it, it becomes unprivileged.”

Although Jackson didn’t appear the least bit enthusiastic about the request, he said, “That’s a tall order, but I can handle it. As for anyone else seeing it, I get it.”

Ignoring Jackson’s obvious rebuke, Nathan went on. “So let’s talk about you personally.”

Jackson bristled. “Like, how personal?”

“Real personal,” Nathan said with a smooth smile, though his voice had no give.

Jackson whipped his eyes to Hallie. “Look, is all this necessary?”