Perfect Partners(3)
Author: Carly Phillips

Without another word, she turned and walked out of the building, away from the man and the child.

Griff scowled at Chelsie’s retreating back, his gaze unwillingly fixed on the gentle sway of her hips as she walked. He grunted in disgust. There was nothing gentle about Chelsie Russell. He placed Alix beside him on the floor.

That he’d almost allowed himself to be distracted by Chelsie’s dark eyes and huskily spoken words disgusted him. He couldn’t let himself forget her attempt to separate him from his niece, a little girl she’d never given a second thought to until now.

Chelsie had never been one for family visits, and though he’d have liked to get to know her better, he hadn’t been given the chance. He’d always admired her looks, and as an attorney, he’d respected her dedication and zeal, but he’d never expected her to turn those killer instincts on him.

Thanks to her misplaced family loyalty, he’d almost lost his niece, his last link to his brother. For that, he’d never forgive her.

“Cool off, buddy. You won. Alix is safe and she’s yours.”

“Yeah. Thanks for the surveillance tape, by the way.” Proof that Chelsie’s parents had attempted to bribe Griff into relinquishing custody had undermined every seemingly credible witness on their behalf and undoubtedly swayed the judge.

“What’s a good P.I. for?”

Griff turned to watch Alix run in circles around the marble pillar. She looked so much like Jared that a lump formed in his throat. Once it lodged there, the accompanying emotional pain and memories would take time to subside.

The car accident that claimed the lives of his brother and sister-in-law had shaken the foundation of his existence. He and Alix had each other and no one else. The Russells didn’t count and for all the time she’d spent with the little girl, neither did Chelsie.

At two years old, Alix needed Griff to keep the memory of both parents alive in her heart and her mind. He would do that, even if he had to alter his entire lifestyle to accomplish it.

“Why do you suppose she takes on all those tough cases?” Ryan asked. He pulled a carrot from a paper bag and placed it in Alix’s hand. “More than half of them are pro bono, you know.”

“This doesn’t count as one of her tough cases,” Griff muttered. “And her parents don’t exactly classify as those in need of free legal counsel. How do you know all this, anyway?”

“Had to do something with my time while I kept Alix away from the theatrics in there.” He gestured towards the courtroom.

“Who the hell knows why women do what they do? Most of them want something.” Griff could understand Chelsie’s need to support family. He’d stuck by his brother all their lives. But a bright woman with an ounce of compassion would want more for her niece than to be raised by people capable of deceit and bribery. Even if they were her parents.

“Chelsie Russell’s not Deidre.”

Griff lifted one eyebrow. “No? Could have fooled me. She does a damned good imitation. She’s out to build a reputation and doesn’t care who she steps on in the process.” His gaze drifted towards the glass doors Chelsie had disappeared through minutes before. “Trust me, Ryan. She’ll get what she wants. I know the type.”

“Maybe she’s building that reputation, but seems to me it’s the other way around. Unlike some women, she gives. Doesn’t take.”

“Sure she does. You’re just a sucker for a pretty face.”

“Still bitter, huh? I guess it hasn’t been that long, but I’d say you’re better off without the witch.”

“Drop it, Jackson.” His fiancée hadn’t had the decency to wait until Griff had buried his brother before she dumped him, his new charge, and a lifestyle that didn’t fit into her plans. She’d turned out to be no better than the mother who had abandoned him as a child. Without a six-figure salary, Griff held little appeal. Deidre had stuck around only as long as he remained a partner at the largest firm in the city of Boston.

“What’s all this hostility about anyway? The lady was just doing her job,” Ryan said.

“A job that no self-respecting attorney would have taken. But hey, representing her parents must have garnered her some pretty wealthy clients.”

Who cared if her own niece suffered in the process? Not Chelsie Russell. She’d proven her priorities. Morals and ethics weren’t among them. He didn’t ask himself why he cared so damned much that she’d disappointed him.

“The old folks did a number on her, couldn’t you see that? Besides, somebody had to take their case. Everyone is entitled to legal representation. Isn’t that the first thing they teach you in law school?”

Griff mumbled an expletive and caught Alix by the back of her shirt. “Hold it, squirt.” The child stilled for all of two seconds before she took off to circle the pillar again. At least she’d stopped long enough to hand him the carrot and put two orange hand prints on his white shirt.

“Tell me something,” Ryan said, in his I-know-something-even-you-don’t tone of voice. “What’s really bothering you? The fact that the Russells dragged you through a dirty court battle or that the lovely Miss Russell played opposing counsel?”

Griff cocked an eyebrow at Ryan. “What the hell do you think? I just spent the day fighting for custody of my brother’s child,” he said in a hushed yet angry voice. His niece was young, but bright. Griff didn’t want her to remember any more of this awful day than was necessary. “I’d be furious no matter who tried to take Alix away from me.”

“Right.”

“Chelsie has nothing to do with this,” Griff said in response to Ryan’s disbelieving stare.

Then why did thoughts of dark eyes and soft-looking skin remain embedded in his mind? And why did her heated touch course through his clothing to reach somewhere inside him he’d closed off long ago?

Ryan shrugged. “You’re the boss. If you’re sure you’re not interested, I just might be.”

Griff grunted in disgust “I’d bet she’s not the dirty jeans and sneakers type.”

“Low blow for someone who isn’t interested.”

“Shut up and let’s get out of here.”

“Mommy,” Alix said.

Griff shook his head.

“Mommy,” she wailed.

“Oh, hell,” Griff mumbled as he took her little hand and walked to the door.