Judge Henry resumes the trial. I call Dr. Franklinton to the stand and he’s brilliant. The jury eats up every word out of his mouth. Reeve can do nothing to shake his testimony. Dr. Summerland sinks lower and lower into his chair, and the jurors all take turns leveling glares at him and fond smiles toward Jenna.

Dr. Franklinton does so well that by the time he gets off the stand and the judge is recessing court for the day, all of my earlier feelings of unrest have disappeared. I only have three more witnesses left, the ones who will forecast the economic damages. Then I’ll be done and Reeve will have a chance to put on his case. That will probably take another four to five days, and then Reeve and I will be arguing our cases to the jury. I’m more than halfway home. I can taste the victory on the tip of my tongue, and I’m not only excited about getting justice for Jenna, I’m excited to put this case behind me so Reeve and I can be together with no secrets or battles to wage between us.

CHAPTER 22

REEVE

This morning I was awake long before the sun rose, and long before Leary stirred next to me. Normally she’s the early riser, the one pushing me out of bed.

I didn’t get up, though.

Instead, I loosened my hold around her. Her face was turned so her cheek was pressed into my chest. One arm was curled under her, the other slung over my waist. I inched backward a bit and stared at her shadowy form in the gloom of the predawn hours.

As the sun rose, I watched as her features came into focus. The way her face was utterly relaxed, her lips slightly parted as she slept, her hair falling forward over her right eye. I tentatively reached up, pushed it back with my fingertips so I could have a completely unobstructed view of her. When my skin touched hers, I reveled in the sensation.

Then my chest squeezed in anxiety, as I was afraid our time was almost up.

I acted then on pure need, pulling her back against me. She moaned in her sleep, and when my lips pressed against hers, she opened her eyes to blink at me.

I felt the curve of her mouth against mine as it went from relaxed slumber to a welcoming smile.

I kissed her passionately, making sure she understood that this was far more than just a good-morning kiss. This had the potential to be a good-bye kiss, so I didn’t hold a fucking thing back. I poured everything that I am and will ever be into the kiss, hoping it would speak volumes and she wouldn’t doubt me later.

Kissing turned to stroking. Soft pants turned to rough gasps.

My hands wandered across her skin while hers did the same to me.

We made out like two teenagers in the backseat of a car on prom night, and when I couldn’t stand it anymore, I rolled her onto her back, pushed in between her legs and made love to her.

She arched her back, giving me access to her slender neck, where I murmured gentle words against her skin while I pumped slowly in and out of her. It was beautiful and damning all at once. The memory of how I made love to her will haunt me, I’m sure.

I’ll never forget how when I came inside her, she moaned, “I adore you.”

I answered her, “And I you,” and then I kissed her again.

“Okay, Mr. Holloway, Miss Michaels, it appears you both have concluded your cases before this jury. Are there any other matters we need to handle before we move on?”

I jerked and blinked my eyes as Judge Henry’s words penetrated my poignant memories of this morning. Leary stood up from her table and answered, “No, Your Honor. I believe that’s everything.”

Of course, she would think that’s everything. Last night she chattered at me like a little puppy, happy and relieved that all of the evidence was finished. Her case was wrapped up, and it took just a little more than three days for me to put on my expert witnesses. They, of course, gave testimony that was completely contradictory to Leary’s expert witnesses. They didn’t come off well because they weren’t as qualified and there was personal bias. I rested my case late yesterday afternoon, and Judge Henry adjourned us until this morning.

Rising slowly from my chair, my chest cramped with fear, I button my suit coat and say, “Your Honor, the defense actually has two more witnesses to call to the stand. I expect their testimony won’t take very long.”

“I’m going to have to object,” Leary says, and I don’t look over at her. I can hear the shock in her voice. “There are no other witnesses listed on the pretrial order.”

“May we approach the bench?” I ask Judge Henry, and he waves us both forward.

Leary’s head turns toward me as we both slide out from behind our tables, but I can’t even look her in the eye. Instead, I lower my gaze to the floor and motion with my hand for her to precede me.

I follow her up to the judge’s bench, feeling like I’m walking to my own execution.

“What’s this about?” Judge Henry asks me in a low whisper when we’re both standing in front of him.

“I have two rebuttal witnesses,” I murmur, the words tasting like ashes on my tongue.

“Rebuttal to what?” Leary hisses.

I still refuse to meet her gaze and instead look at Judge Henry. “Jenna LaPietra answered my requests for admissions, which were filed with the court and admitted into evidence yesterday. Request number nineteen specifically asked her to admit or deny if she had solicited and performed sexual acts on the customers in exchange for money. She denied the request. My two witnesses are prepared to offer evidence to rebut that.”

Leary is surprisingly calm when she says, “Your Honor, I object. This is highly inflammatory and prejudicial. On top of that, it’s absolutely irrelevant. It has nothing to do with the facts of this case, and Mr. Holloway is doing this to slander my client in front of the jury.”

“It’s relevant, Your Honor,” I say flatly. “It not only goes to her character but it also goes to her veracity. The jury has the right to judge those traits when determining whether or not to give credence to her testimony.”

Judge Henry looks back and forth between Leary and me while he considers our arguments. Finally, he gives a regretful sigh and says, “I’m going to allow the witnesses—”

“But Your Honor,” Leary pleads, and I hear panic in her voice.

“Your objection is noted, Miss Michaels. It’s now an issue for appeal. The testimony will be allowed. But Mr. Holloway, keep it narrow and do not attempt to go into sordid details. You’re only offering this evidence to rebut her denial of your request for admission.”

“Yes, sir,” I say quietly, not feeling like I’ve won a damn thing. Doesn’t matter if I keep the questions short and limited—the damage to Jenna and her case will have the force of a sonic boom.

We turn away from the bench, and again, I don’t have the courage to look at Leary. I’m afraid if I do, I’ll drop to my knees in front of the judge and the jury and beg her forgiveness.

Looking out into the gallery, I see the two witnesses I plan to call. The investigator originally interviewed three witnesses, but one of them called me just last night and left a voice mail that said she wasn’t going to show up. Her message was short and cryptic, but essentially she said, “I just can’t go through with it.” I took that to mean that she didn’t want any hand in the sordid actions of calling a woman a whore in front of a group of people.