Read Defensive Heart: The Donnolleys, Book 2 for Free Online

a breath, he realized exactly what his problem was. He wasn’t worried she wouldn’t answer because she was busy; more that Sonja would answer only to hang up on him as soon as she heard his voice, that’s what.
    Third ring. Fourth. Voicemail. And then…her voice.
    Hello, you’ve reached the voicemail of Sonja Martin, with the law office of Bergman and Bergman. Today is Wednesday, September nineteenth, and I will be at the Midtown Community Court until five p.m. Please leave a message, and I’ll return your call as soon as I’m available. Thank you.
    Jimmy disconnected the call before the beep. “Bingo.”
    He glanced at the clock. Two thirty. Plenty of time to grab a shower and head to the courthouse. The prospect of seeing her again set his stomach into a fit of knots. Damn, he never got nervous like this over women. Get a friggin’ grip, dude. He felt like a teenager for fuck’s sake.
    Within an hour, Jimmy stood outside the six-story nineteenth-century building. The place looked carved out of the Renaissance era, complete with tan columns framing the second- and third-story windows and a limestone face on the main level. Running his fingers through his hair to ensure it still held its messy fell-out-of-bed quality, he took a deep breath and walked through the main entrance. How hard could it be to find one very tall, very beautiful blonde attorney?
    After emptying his pockets and walking through the necessary metal detectors and security screenings, Jimmy found it wasn’t hard at all. The court had one, and only one courtroom. Score. He stepped to the entryway closing off the courtroom from the main hall and listened. Hearing faint voices, he gently opened the door and peered inside.
    There she was, standing at the front, addressing the judge. Jimmy sucked in a breath at the sight of the back of her blonde head and moved quietly inside. Careful to not let the door slam behind him, he stood still, bracing it with his hands until it slid closed. Then he moved to his right and took a seat in the back row.
    Sonja’s spoke with a calculated, direct tone to the judge and her voice spread over Jimmy’s skin like a warm blanket. She sounded different than her voicemail message and also from how he remembered when they met, but then again, they had been in a loud bar. Plus, he’d been a tad intoxicated.
    Jimmy grinned, recalling what a bitch she’d been when they first met. She had the same air about her now—stunning, with a hint of the attitude he found so intriguing.
    Fire and ice.
    She wore a black pencil skirt, fitted to her knees, and a black blazer with a pale peach blouse beneath it. Her hair was pulled tight in the same twist on the back of her head she’d had in Vegas. And stiletto heels.
    Jimmy ran his palm over his chin, smoothing his goatee and smothering a groan. The heels were his downfall. Hell, who was he kidding? Everything about this woman was his downfall, but looking at her long, shapely legs perched on five-inch, black, spiked heels made his blood boil at temperatures that couldn’t possibly be safe.
    He stretched his legs out in front of him and watched Sonja-the-lawyer argue the next three cases. The first was a possession of marijuana charge, the next harassment and the final, prostitution. She debated her points with the judge on every case and got what she wanted for each client. Astounding.
    The woman had talent, and you couldn’t say it was her looks, because the judge didn’t seem to notice. The guy barely looked up from the stack of papers in front of him. She had a presence about her, an air of dominance, and strangely, a softness that commanded attention. Considering these were small-time cases, she argued with a skill rivaling his father’s. She’d be a force to be reckoned with on something bigger. Did she handle anything bigger? Jimmy wanted to know so much more about her. He wanted to know everything about her…if he could. If she’d let him.
    “Court