Bella Reynolds
2 days till the first trial. And I am sitting here still thinking about that damn day. I can't stop cursing Devil Walton. How dare he call me grumpy?
At least he called you pretty before that. He even sat with me without asking my permission first. Does the word permission even exist in his damn dictionary?
I should have thrown my coffee at him. He gets on my last fucking nerves. I see where his brother, Aiden, got his manners from.
He even tried to sing a one direction song. It was a horrible try. I still can't believe he did that. That's not even the main point. The main highlight was him laughing after that. My whole world stopped at that moment.
The only less annoying thing about his existence would have to be the sound of his laugh. It's the total opposite of his character. Soft and gentle.
His face looked a hundred times more beautiful when he laughed. It glowed. It was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen on planet Earth.
I wonder if that is his secret to getting girls in bed. He's beautiful and all but his laugh tops everything even his Greek God looking face.
"Can you stop drinking? I don't wanna deal with drunk Bella."
My thoughts are interrupted by Amy. Amy, Aaron, and I are sitting in her cozy apartment drinking Whiskey. I am staying the night at Amy's to clear my mind. It's hard to deal with Rendell these days. He acts like an asshole. He spends most of his time with his uncle.
Earlier tonight, I texted Rendell that I would be staying at Amy's and his reply was a simple 'okay'.
He didn't even ask me to come stay with him. I know he is stressed out because of everything that's been going on for the past couple of days, but he needs to understand that I am also having a hard time. Just because I act tough doesn't mean I don't get hurt.
"It's my second glass. Don't worry too much. I won't say any mean words tonight," I assure Amy.
She gives me a confused look. "You look exhausted, Bell. I am worried about you. You have never looked like this. You look sad,'' she admits.
"She is exhausted because she is facing Adam in court. She is worried about that. She is scared to face him." Aaron says on my behalf as he takes a sip of his beer.
"Am not. Don't be ridiculous. I am not scared of Adam smooth-ass Walton," I say defending myself. My asshole of a best friend needs a slap in his face. He's asking for it by saying such nonsense.
Aaron and Amy burst out laughing. God. They are so fucking loud.
"What?" I question, looking between Amy and Aaron.
"I knew you liked his ass," Aaron tells me, still laughing.
"Am I the only one who hasn't seen this man and his ass? Bell, don't just keep Adam smooth-ass Walton all to yourself. Sharing is caring you know," Amy laughs.
"Shut up, Aaron. I don't like his ass," I yell at Aaron. "And you," I point my finger at Amy, "Stay away from Adam. He is bad news."
"Someone's a little possessive of their man," Amy jokes.
"He's not my man. For God's sake, I am married. Rendell is my man," I correct her. She needs a slap too.
"Wait, wait. Can you say that again? Say Adam smooth-ass Walton. I want to record that. David would love to see you saying that," Aaron asks, getting his phone out of his pocket.
I glare at him. What is wrong with these two? What the fuck is wrong with me? How can I say that? Adam's ass is good and all, but that doesn't mean I have to admit it out loud. These two will never let me live out of this. I am not even fully drunk and my system has started to betray me into saying nonsense.
______________________________________________________________________________
Today was the first trial of Mason's murder at the supreme court. How did the first trial go? Terrible. It didn't go how I wanted it to. Adam, however, seemed relaxed as hell.
I thought I had everything under control, but Adam was two hands above me. I presented my first witness. The supermarket cashier from where Rendell bought beer the night of the murder. I even showed the CCTV footage.
Adam somehow changed everyone's mind by saying that the recorded footage could have been easily manipulated. He had a point, but still.
Adam even showed screenshots of Rendell and Mason's text messages. It was shocking for me to see those.
Rendell: Shut the fuck up!
Mason: Don't act like you own the fucking app. I will expose your dirty little secret, asshole.
Rendell: Stop being ridiculous. Nobody's going to believe you. Besides, I have worked hard on this app.
Mason: Don't be so sure. Just wait and watch.
My whole heart sank when I read those messages. Adam's whole focus was on me as I was reading the texts. I tried to show no emotion at all. I've never seen Rendell talk like that. But this showed me a completely different story. And my first thought was 'What are you hiding from me, Rendell?'
The text messages weren't solid proof either. Before exiting the court, I glanced at Adam, finding him already looking my way. The asshole gave me his signature smirk. That predictable bastard.
The point is, the trial didn't go as planned. The other problem is, Rendell looked pissed. He looked at me like I was the problem. I mean, he should have told me earlier that he and Mason had work issues. He just plain lied to my face. It made me look absurd in front of Adam.
Rendell left with his uncle before I could even approach him. He said he would meet me back at home. The next trial takes place in 3 days from now.
Now, I am standing in the corridor waiting for Amy in my black blazer outfit. She said she was around and wanted to meet me. I am sure she just wants to see Adam.
It's like I summon Adam these days just by saying his name fucking name in my head. He's approaching me from the end of the long corridor holding a phone to his right ear. His eyes don't leave mine even for a second. I straighten my back confidently. He looks perfect in his black suit. Even his tie and shirt are black. Is he a fan of black too? Who cares.
His laugh suddenly crosses my mind. I should have recorded that. Woah. Where did that come from?
Is this his way of messing with every woman's peaceful brain? Showing them a glimpse of his perfect laugh so that she thinks about it all the fucking time. I am not going to be part of his dirty little games. I am not like other stupid women.
Adam stops at a modest distance.
"What do you want?" I ask him a little too harshly.
He ignores my tone and hands me his phone. "Lily wants to speak with you."
I give him a confused look. "Don't play games with me. Why would she call you? Is this your excellent excuse for making small talk with me?"
"Don't flatter yourself. You are making it quite a habit of embarrassing yourself in front of me," he smirks.
Oh, God. He might be right. I take the risk of looking down at the phone. Shit. I see Grandi's name on the screen. Fuck my life. Why do I always have to act stupid in front of Adam?
I know he is smirking at me so I avoid his face like the plague and snatch the phone away from him.
"Grandi, sorry I couldn't attend your call. I was busy."
"I know the trial didn't go very well by the sound of your voice. I was worried. I knew Adam would be there that's why I called him. I gave him your number too. For emergencies, you know. Come home quickly. Don't make any stops on your way," she says in a soft tone.
Wait. What? She gave my number to Adam. What is wrong with Grandi?
My eyes meet Adam's oh-so-pretty eyes. He is already looking at me with that stupid smirk on his face. He must know why I have such a horrible expression on my face.
What if he leaks my number to some weird websites?
"Grandi, let me come home, and then we will talk about your bold move," I tell her still looking at Adam.
"Sure. Drive safely."
I cut the call thinking about ways to delete my number from Adam's phone. He snatches his phone from my hand as if reading my mind.
He's about to say something but a shrill voice interrupts him.
"Hey, Bell. We will talk about you later. First, tell me where is Adam smooth-ass Walton?" She asks hastily, completely ignoring Adam.
OH MY GOD. NO, SHIT. This is not happening. Tell me it's not. This is my cue to pack my bags and move to Spain.
Adam looks confused as he says, "What?"
"Amy,-
"There's this guy, a prosecutor, and she thinks his ass is smooth," she notices Adam this time. Shit. She can't tell him that.
My legs have started to shake now. My best option is to run and throw myself in front of a truck. Amy has such a big mouth.
Adam looks at me suspiciously trying to hold his laugh in. "Oh, I see. Is that so, Reynolds?" He asks me. I am having trouble meeting his eyes. So instead, I glare at Amy.
"You know how to ruin my day, don't you?" I am ready to ruin her face with my nails.
"Oh, shit. You are Adam Walton, aren't you?" She asks him nervously.
"The one and only. You are?"
"Amy, Bella's first cousin."
Amy looks at me ready to cry. "I think I've caused you enough trouble so I better go."
"Yes, I think they are missing you back at your job," I say tightening my voice.
"Sorry, cuz. Drinks and dinner on me next time," she tries to smile but stops as I narrow my eyes at her.
"Get out of my face before I make it disappear," I warn her.
She gives one last nervous smile to Adam and mouths 'Sorry' to me. I glare at her even harder and mouth 'I hate you' at her. She runs without looking back.
Once we are alone, Adam finds an excuse to make fun of me. "So? You find my ass smooth, huh? Why am I not surprised?" He asks raising his right eyebrow and taking a step towards me.
I take a step back. "I, uh, It's not what you think," I say in my defense.
"What else do you find smooth?" He takes another step closer. God. This is so awkward. I can't deal with this much closeness.
"N-nothing."
I take another step back. Did I just stutter? Shit. He looks pleased by my nervousness. This has to be my most embarrassing encounter with him. His smirk is making me want to slap him.
He takes another step, making me step back. "So just the ass then. How disappointing," he puts his hand on his chest like he is hurt or something.
It's not too late to run and throw myself in front of a truck, is it?
I gather some confidence and explain, "Listen. I was just drunk when I said that. I didn't know what I was saying. So no need to flatter yourself."
"Alcohol is like a truth potion, you know," he tells me like a mister know-it-all, taking another step.
I don't take a step back this time. Why should I? He can't dominate me.
"I wasn't thinking straight. And can you take a step back? You are taking up all my oxygen," I say with whatever little confidence is left within me.
"So do you want it back? Your oxygen, I mean. I have great ways of transferring oxygen," my eyes widen at his bold comment. He smirks knowing well that I get what he just said.
How can he make a dirty joke with me? He has no sense of professionalism. I changed my mind. Now, I just want to throw him in front of a truck. He deserves it.
His eyes are locked with mine. I am unable to look anywhere but at him.
The way he is looking at me is different from all the other times before. It's so deep that I can't put that into words. His smirk is long gone and his smoldering sexy gaze is so intense that I might end up fainting.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Walton," I tell him. He ignores me, so I add, "And stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?" He challenges.
"I don't know. Just stop looking at me. Look somewhere else."
"What if I don't want to?" He asks, taking another step towards me our chests are almost touching. He smells so good. Focus, Bella.
"Listen," I say taking two steps back. I draw an imaginary circle around myself with my index finger and say, "This is the circle of my personal space. And you are not allowed to enter it," I make myself crystal clear.
He stays quiet for longer than a second. "Or what?" He challenges me stepping into my imaginary circle.
"God. Can you stop being a jerk? You are crowding me," panic is clear in my voice. This man has no sense of privacy.
"You can crowd me too and I won't even throw a tantrum like you," he tells me like I am some spoiled kid asking her daddy to slap a boy who accidentally threw a ball at her.
I have no words to say so I just settle with a simple, "You are unbelievable."
"With a smooth ass. Your words, not mine," he mocks me. And there I was thinking that he had long forgotten that.
"I know how to punch, you know," I warn him.
"And I know how to make someone breathless," he tells me flatly like it's normal between us to talk in double meanings. Why is he suddenly acting like that? He is supposed to hate me and ignore me.
"You are an annoying, dirty-minded jerk," I tell him harshly.
"And you are a belleza con labios tan besables," he says in another language. Spanish, I guess. His all focus is on my lips now. I didn't realize I was biting my lower lip until his gaze went there. I stop in my tracks. But damn. I don't care what he said, but it sounded so sexy coming from his mouth. It sounded dirty. His deep voice was made for Spanish or French. Focus, Bella.
"Ugh, I don't even want to know what that means," I say annoyingly.
"I'll still tell you. It means you are a badly dressed woman and not my type."
What the fuck. I can't believe he just said that to my face. I have great fashion. He and his brother just have bad taste.
"Of course. Intelligent women with great personalities are not your type. I get it," my lips purse and I force myself to remain calm.
"Who are you talking about? I don't know any woman with these traits," he acts dumb.
"Get out of my way. I don't have time for your childish games."
I try to get past him but he holds my arm. His hand tightens around my upper arm. His grip is not too rough but still strong enough to hold me in place. His eyes hold mine hostage for a second. This is the first time he has touched me. The feeling is so surreal that my whole body shivers. My heart is pounding in my chest.
The sound of silence is clear in the atmosphere. The silence is killing me. This is the first time I am realizing that there is no one in the corridor except us. He looks attractive from this angle.
Adam leans down and reaches for my ear. For a second there I thought he was going to kiss me. That sounds so fucking bad.
He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear with his other hand. His soft fingers brush my cheek in the course. I can feel his hot, minty breath on my ear. I might faint anytime now.
Before I can think further, he whispers in my ear, "Don't forget to tell your husband how you feel about my ass."
My mouth hangs open and he frees me from his grip. My knees almost tremble. I knew he was messing with my brain. What else can I expect from a devil like him?
I roll my eyes at him. He smirks in return. I start to leave but stop in my tracks to show him a middle finger.
He can go fuck himself. Damn you, Walton.