Rule Breaker By Accident

by Parker, Ali

  “I said I was better in high-pressure environments.” I dropped my chin and opened my eyes, a smirk tugging at my lips. “I didn’t say I lived for them. I could definitely get used to this instead.”

  Shrugging, she walked out of the water again and sat down on the sand just out of reach of the waves. “You could always give up your career and become a beach bum. I won’t join you, but I would support your choice.”

  “You wouldn’t join me?” I pretended to pout, shaking my head with fake disappointment. “Why not? We could be bums together.”

  She laughed, drawing her knees up to her chest and looping her arms around them. “I’ve recently learned I have trouble keeping myself busy for just a few days without a job. I’m not sure I’d be able to lounge on the beach for a living.”

  “Fair enough.” I grinned, walking up to her and holding my hand out. She took it and I tugged her to her feet, winding our fingers together as we walked back to our towels. “I doubt I’d have lasted long as a bum anyway. I love my job too much.”

  “I know.” She smiled and tightened her grip on my hand just before letting it go to get comfortable on her towel. “I know I’m still new at my job, but I’m already starting to love it too. It’s stimulating, you know?”

  “Yeah,” I agreed, taking a seat on the towel beside hers and crossing my legs. “I can see how it would be. Have you met any criminals yet?”

  The thought made me frown. I’d been rather preoccupied last night when she told me her boss specialized in criminal law. Now that I wasn’t preoccupied, I realized that his specialty meant she might come into contact with potentially dangerous people. Not that I can judge them.

  Olive pressed the corners of her lips in and lifted her shoulders. “I’ve met some of the clients, obviously. I don’t know that I would call them criminals, though.”

  “If they’ve committed a crime, they’re criminals.” It was fucking rich coming from me, especially right now, but that didn’t make it any less true. “Are there security measures in place at your office?”

  She bopped her head up and down, eyeing me with amusement. “Plenty. Look at you being all concerned and protective. It’s cute, but unnecessary. I’ll be just fine. I’m perfectly safe. Besides, if I’m not, I’m sure Shane could get me into the witness protection program or something.”

  I temporarily ignored her comment about my concern being cute, choosing to inject some humor into a situation I wasn’t finding all that humorous anymore. “Where would you move to then? If you could move or if you had to?”

  She took a deep breath, turning a contemplative gaze toward the ocean before looking back at me. “I’ve always loved the thought of living somewhere cold. I used to love winter in New York, but it would have been better if there had been feet of snow on the ground.”

  “Somewhere cold then?” I narrowed my eyes and motioned to the beach stretched out in front of us. “You’d give all this up for the cold?”

  Flipping her hair absently, she shrugged. “Well, obviously, I just hate the sun. I’m so done with it.”

  “Of course. I can see that you are.” I laughed, arching an eyebrow. “I noticed how reluctant you were to come to the beach today. You totally didn’t drag me out of bed first thing to get me out here.”

  “It wasn’t first thing, first thing. There was the other thing first.” Her cheeks flushed at the mention of our morning workout. Well, maybe it hadn’t been that much of a workout, but we’d both been covered in sweat by the end of it anyway. Lazy morning sex is awesome.

  “True.” I lay back on my towel, then rolled over to reach for my sunglasses that were lying on top of my shirt. “Okay, so cold weather then. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  I laughed, but Olive frowned at me with questions shining in her eyes. “Keep it in mind for what?”

  “If we ever decide to move, or if you get placed in witness protection and I have to come find you.” Or if we didn’t necessarily decide to move, but it would be convenient to do it. Will and I had been talking, and I was trying to be realistic about my options.

  Olive didn’t know I’d been talking to her friend’s boyfriend and baby daddy, but his connection to one of her best friends was one of the reasons I was considering what he approached me with. Without her in the picture, it might have been easier to turn him down out of hand.

  She was in the picture, though. I couldn’t ignore that, and I also couldn’t ignore how loyal she was to her friends. It made the situation more complicated than it would have been otherwise, even though I knew I would have given it due consideration purely because it was Will asking.

  Sighing, I slipped my sunglasses over my eyes and lay on my back. The sand was warm beneath my towel, but it wasn’t uncomfortably hot here. Except for the roar of the ocean, it was quiet on the beach. Occasionally I could hear a bird somewhere nearby, but soon the tranquility of my surroundings was lulling me gently to sleep.

  I reached for Olive’s hand, finding it already placed halfway between our towels. She took it, but then I felt her rolling onto her side. Our hands moved a little in the process, but we didn’t break apart.

  Turning my head to face her, I pried open my sleepy eyes. “Why are looking at me like that?”

  I’d felt her stare even while my eyes had been closed and my face turned up to the sky. Vulnerability flashed in her eyes, worry following close behind.

  I frowned. Neither of those emotions should have been present after the morning we’d had. Even last night had been nothing but spectacular.

  “What’s wrong, Olive?”

  “I’m not looking at you like anything,” she protested, but her voice lacked conviction. I lifted my free hand to move my sunglasses to my forehead, raising a brow at her.

  She released an exasperated huff, but then closed her eyes for a moment and relented. “Okay, I am looking at you like something. I just don’t know how to bring it up. There’s nothing wrong, though. I guess I’m just confused.”

  At that, I propped myself up on my elbow and looked at her properly. When her eyes blinked open again, I made sure to maintain eye contact. “What are you confused about?”

  Apprehension tightened my gut. I didn’t like the look in her eyes or the way she seemed to be having a hard time meeting mine. The feelings of peace and tranquility I’d been experiencing vanished along with any lingering traces of sleepiness.

  I was suddenly wide awake and maybe even a little bit terrified about what she was going to say. Sitting up all the way, I shifted so I was facing her. I waited until her position mirrored mine, both of us sitting cross-legged on our towels, then took her hands in mine.

  Olive sucked in a breath that shuddered when she blew it out. “What are we doing, Rylen?”

  “What do you mean?” I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but I had a pretty good idea what she was asking. The irony was that I’d been meaning to talk to her this weekend about how I was feeling, but now that she’d asked the question. I had no idea how to answer it.

  She pursed her lips, a line appearing between her eyebrows. “Whatever it is, it doesn’t feel casual to me. We’ve never talked about it, but it feels like we’re more than just friends or people who occasionally sleep together.”

  “That’s because it is more than that.” I didn’t know exactly what we were doing, either, but I knew it was more than just hooking up. “I like you, Olive. I really do, as more than a friend.”

  “What does that mean then?” Her voice was soft, some of the vulnerability in her eyes seeping into her tone. “For us, I mean. What does that mean for what it is that we’re doing?”

  I leaned forward, holding her hands tighter. “I’ve told you that I like you, so before we talk about what we’re doing, I think I need to know how you feel about me. There’s no point discussing it if you don’t like me that way too.”

  “I do,” she practically whispered, blood rushing to the surface below her skin. “I do like you too. As more than a friend.”

&
nbsp; “Well, then.” I grinned, scooting forward until our knees were touching. “I think we have our answer. We’re hanging out, we like each other. I’d like to keep hanging out. You?”

  She nodded but didn’t say anything. I took that as a cue for me to continue. “You told me once that you didn’t want to deal with the mess that came with being in a relationship, so I’m not going to put a label on it. We don’t need to.”

  Pausing as she considered my words, her lips spread into a slow smile. “I did tell you that, yeah. I can’t believe you remembered.”

  “It wasn’t that long ago, but also, I remember everything you say.” I lifted our joined hands and pressed a soft kiss to the back of each of hers. “Instead of putting a label on it, let’s just put it this way. I’m not sleeping with anyone else and I know you aren’t either, unless you’ve changed your mind about that. Other than that, we can call it whatever you want.”

  “I’m not sleeping with anyone else”—she kept her eyes on mine, the blue in hers dancing with light again—“and I like that. I’m good with that.”

  “I can tell.” Olive had some of the most expressive eyes I’d ever come across. The moment the worry over what had been on her mind had fled, I really had been able to tell.

  I smiled, bringing a hand up to cup her face. “Since we’ve had the big talk now, I need a nap. You okay with that?”

  “Yes,” she said, returning my smile. “I think that’s a good plan. Also, you don’t need to pretend you need to sleep because we’ve had the talk. I know you were getting drowsy when I asked you.”

  “You sneaky sneak.” I chuckled, releasing her and lying back down. “Striking while the prey is unsuspecting. You really have learned a lot at your job already.”

  Olive laughed, but the sound was moving. Coming closer.

  When I popped an eye open again, she had edged her towel all the way up against mine and was in the process of sitting down. I opened my arm for her, just like I did at night when we slept next to each other.

  Without hesitating for a moment, Olive lay down on the towel with me and stayed there for the rest of the afternoon.

  Chapter 30

  Olive

  “You catch on fast, my dear,” Shane said, nodding his approval of the documents I’d spent the morning getting ready for him. “These are close on perfect. I can’t believe you’ve only been here for a week and you’re already doing these this well.”

  “Thank you.” I didn’t even try to keep the excitement out of my voice. Shane had learned quickly that I thrived on positive reinforcement and that I appreciated his knowledge and guidance.

  Thankfully for me, he gave all of it freely. Hands down, he was the best boss I’d ever had. The work was interesting, too, and the more I was learning the more interesting it was becoming.

  Shane set the agreements I’d drafted for him down on his desk and motioned me into the seat across from it. “I’m not going to need you for a couple of hours this afternoon. I have a big meeting that is bound to take up most of the afternoon. From what I gather, it’s a rather complex matter.”

  “Okay.” My eyebrows pushed together. “You don’t usually tell me things like this, so why now?”

  Shane smiled, but I could see the strain behind it. His expression was tight and reserved. “Jenna is going to come by to take you to lunch. I thought you might want to know that there’s no need to rush back.”

  “Oh wow. Thank you.” I didn’t question how Shane knew Jenna was taking me to lunch when I hadn’t even known.

  Those two were crazy close, even closer than I’d thought at first. They talked on the phone multiple times a day. It was no surprise that he knew about her plans when I didn’t.

  Glancing down at my watch, I realized I had less than an hour before lunchtime. The morning had flown by with everything I’d had to get done. “Is there anything I can do to help you prepare for your meeting before I go? I’ve still got some time.”

  He shook his head, pulling a file I hadn’t seen before closer to him on his desk but not opening it. “No, I’ve got this. I haven’t had much notice for the meeting, so I haven’t had much time to prepare myself. The client called this morning and requested to see me urgently. If there’s anything you can do on the matter, I’ll let you know later. For now, I just need some time to prepare myself.”

  “Got it.” I stood up and cast an eye over his desk for any documents I could take out with me to file. Shane’s hand shot out to cover whatever he’d written on top of the mystery folder. What the heck?

  Instead of frowning and demanding to know who he was meeting, I forced a smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to look like I was peeking. I was just checking to see if I could relieve your poor desk of any of these papers. I’m headed down to the file room before I leave anyway.”

  “I’m sorry I can’t tell you more about this client, but confidentiality trumps all else.” He sounded sincere, just like I’d become used to hearing from him. “Sometimes, especially with new clients, they specifically request that their names be kept out of even our own offices. Do you understand?”

  I nodded, but I didn’t really understand. Usually clients called the firm to make appointments, which meant they spoke to me before they got anywhere near Shane. I hadn’t made any appointments for him for that afternoon.

  On the other hand, his explanation made sense. I was new here and his clients had no reason to trust me. Perhaps it was a paranoid celebrity or something, terrified that someone within their lawyer’s own offices would sell their story to the tabloids. Anything was possible.

  “Sure, Shane. No problem. I’ll send your love to Jenna and see you later.”

  He grinned. “Thank you. I’d have loved to have joined you. Perhaps I can next time. Remember, no need to rush back.”

  “Thanks. Can I bring you some takeout? If you’re not going to be able to eat during lunchtime, I can bring you something for after.”

  He looked surprised by the offer, but then his eyes lit up. “Yes. Please. Wherever you two ladies end up going, Jenna will know what to get for me. Thank you, Olive. I really appreciate that.”

  Trusting that his beloved niece would know what I could bring back for him, I didn’t press the issue. After making sure again that he didn’t need anything from me before I left, I headed into my own office and finished a few emails before Jenna showed up.

  I looked up from my computer when I heard my door creak, smiling when I saw her standing in it. “You’re early.”

  She held her thumb and her forefinger an inch apart and nodded. “I sneaked out of the office a little bit before my break technically started. I’ve had a busy morning and I’m starving. An extra twenty minutes isn’t going to hurt them, but it might kill me. You ready?”

  I nodded, logging out of my computer just like I had been taught to do every time I left my desk, and picked up my purse. “Let me just say bye to Shane. I told him we’d bring him back some lunch, by the way. He has a meeting that’s apparently going to take up most of the afternoon.”

  A knowing grin touched her lips as she waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t even bother saying goodbye to him then. He’ll be chin-deep in paperwork. You’ll only interrupt his focus. Let’s go. I’ll choose a meal for Uncle Dearest.”

  “That’s what he said.” I shouldered my purse and rounded my desk, joining Jenna at the door. “Should I lock it? Who’s going to show the client up if I’m not here?”

  “Shane will either meet them downstairs or Beth will bring them up.” She clutched my arm and led me down the stairs. “Don’t stress about it. If he didn’t tell you he needed you in the meeting or this afternoon, he would have already made the necessary arrangements. Also, he knew I was coming by to take you to lunch, so he’d have told me, too, if it was going to be a problem for you not to be here at that time.”

  I chewed the inside of my cheek, but I knew she was right. “Sorry, I’m still not entirely sure of my role here. I’d hate to leave early if he still need
ed me around.”

  “I understand, but you have nothing to worry about.” Jenna’s tone was easy and reassuring, which made me relax. “I promise, now come on. I’ve made us reservations at the cutest little place that just opened around the corner.”

  Jenna told me about the new bistro on our way, and by the time we arrived, all of her talk about the reviews they were getting had my stomach grumbling. I had all but forgotten about Shane’s weirdly secret meeting, but after we were seated, something Jenna said reminded me about it.

  I sat forward, sipping on the complimentary bottle of lemonade the server had given each of us when we walked in the door. “So, who do you think Shane could be meeting with? It was really weird, Jenna. He was so secretive about it all.”

  She chuckled, her eyes sparkling. “Did he tell you he wouldn’t need you until late this afternoon and then refuse to let you help?”

  I nodded and leaned over farther, hoping she was about to let me in on the secret, but she just laughed. “That’s not weird for him at all. He meets with a lot of big-name clients. You’ve seen the photos in the reception area, haven’t you?”

  I nodded again.

  Jenna took a sip of her lemonade before she continued. “Well, those are only the people they’ve represented publicly. There are a ton more recognizable people who come through the firm that no one even knows about. All three of the partners have impressive client lists, but they don’t need to flaunt it, and some of their clients are hypersensitive about their privacy. Some even believe that attorney-client privilege means literally only the lawyer and the client can know anything.”

  “You mean they don’t want the staff in the office to know either?”

  She shrugged, her head bouncing up and down. “Sure. Sometimes. Celebrities and other high-profile people are often difficult and paranoid.”

  “Okay.” I enjoyed being able to talk to Jenna about my work, knowing that she understood the firm and the job even better than I did.