Plus, you’re also the rebound for the only serious relationship he’s ever had.
The awful little voice in her head loved to kill any joy Tori could find.
She shoved it aside and told herself not to overthink this. To just let whatever happened happen.
She bit her lip and stared at the black cherry nail polish being put on her toes. It was a bold and sexy color, and the very image of what she always tried to project but didn’t always feel.
“I’m open to see where it goes,” she promised her friend.
But what if it led her down the path to a broken heart?
*
It was official.Litigation was sucking away more and more of his soul each day.
James sat at his desk, trying to catch his breath after a busy morning of depositions. He spent the next half hour checking emails and voicemails.
Only his stomach growling had him checking the time to realize it was already two and he hadn’t eaten lunch.
His cell buzzed, and he scooped it up to check the message.
It was from Tori.
Hey. Saw you come in a while ago. If you didn’t get lunch, I saved half my Thai takeout for you. It’s in the fridge under my name. Have at it.
It was like she could read his mind.
While the rest of his afternoon was looking just as busy, he definitely needed a few minutes to grab some food.
He smiled and typed a quick message back.
You’re an angel. Thank you. I’m totally stealing your Thai. Don’t suppose you can get away to meet me in the lunchroom for a few?
He dropped his phone into the pocket of his suit and made his way to the lunchroom.
Not surprisingly, it was empty at this time of day. He found her leftovers, grabbed a paper plate from the cupboard, and went about heating the food in the microwave.
He was just about to pull the phone back out to see if she’d replied when she strode in.
His blood quickened, and his heart softened at the sight of her.
Today she’d skipped the tight skirts that she usually wore and instead had on a long flowy dress with a cardigan and colorful ballet flats.
Where he was used to sophisticated, sexy Tori, this style was more of a bohemian and girl-next-door combo.
She pulled off both looks easily. She was gorgeous.
It was always his first thought when he saw her. Quickly followed by how the hell had he gotten so lucky that she was in his bed almost every night?
“Hey there.” While her greeting was cheerful and casual, her gaze was much more intimate.
It took everything in his power to not grab her around the waist and haul her against him. Let her kiss take away all the stress of the week.
Instead, he forced a brief smile before glancing back at the microwave.
“Hello, Victoria.”
Maybe he overdid it on the formality, but they knew to keep things cool. While they were alone in here, who knew when someone could walk in at any minute?