скачать книгу бесплатно
Legal Attraction
Jacquelin Thomas
Law Number 3: There are no secrets when it comes to love… The youngest of five siblings, Marissa Hamilton is determined to prove herself in her family’s powerhouse Philadelphia law firm. She has a close confidant in handsome and ambitious fellow attorney Griffin Jackson. But ever since the night they gave in to the passion smoldering between them, Marissa’s world is filled with lies, including one that could turn her whole life upside down.Griff has secretly desired Marissa for years before they went from colleagues to lovers. And now she’s keeping a secret from him. Will Griff be able to save Marissa before an explosive Hamilton revelation destroys the future they could have together?The Hamiltons: Laws of Love Family. Justice. Passion.
This Christmas, we’ve got some fabulous treats to give away! ENTER NOW for a chance to win £5000 by clicking the link below.
www.millsandboon.co.uk/ebookxmas (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/ebookxmas)
Law Number 3: There are no secrets when it comes to love…
The youngest of five siblings, Marissa Hamilton is determined to prove herself in her family’s powerhouse Philadelphia law firm. She has a close confidant in handsome and ambitious fellow attorney Griffin Jackson. But ever since the night they gave in to the passion smoldering between them, Marissa’s world has been filled with lies, including one that could turn her whole life upside down.
Griff secretly desired Marissa for years before they went from colleagues to lovers. And now she’s keeping a secret from him. Will Griff be able to save Marissa before an explosive Hamilton revelation destroys the future they could have together?
“Pregnancy agrees with you, Marissa. You look even more beautiful each day.”
“Where is all this coming from, Griff?”
He got up and walked around the table, moving toward her. He pulled her up and into his arms.
“I don’t just want to be a part of our child’s life. I want to be in your life, Marissa.”
He held her snugly. “This feels so right to me,” he whispered. “I want you to know that you’re not alone. We can get through anything you’re facing. We can do it together.”
She leaned back to look up at him, studying his expression.
Something stirred within Griffin, and he smiled then.
“What?” Marissa asked.
He pulled her close and kissed her lips. When her tongue met his, he felt shivers of desire race through him.
Marissa matched him kiss for kiss, and in no time he felt the heat they’d generated that fateful night.
About the Author
JACQUELIN THOMAS is an award-winning, bestselling author with more than thirty-five books in print. When she is not writing, she is busy working toward a degree in psychology. Jacquelin and her family live in North Carolina.
Legal Attraction
Jacquelin Thomas
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Dear Reader,
Lawyers, a high-profile case, romance and secrets…what could make a better story? In the third and final book of the Laws of Love series, you will bear witness to the love affair between Griffin Jackson and Marissa, the youngest daughter of Jacob Hamilton.
In Legal Attraction, Marissa discovers a long-kept family secret which threatens to tear her world apart. Just when she feels that her life will never be the same, she and Griffin find that the love they share cannot be ignored. As the evidence is presented, it is my hope that you will agree with the verdict that there is no escaping true love.
Thanks for your support!
Sincerely,
Jacquelin
Jacquelin Thomas is acknowledged as the author of this work.
Contents
Chapter 1 (#u5c07be12-4f34-51c1-a122-3e1c66228d2d)
Chapter 2 (#ua34d5946-4cc3-52e4-a7e0-b60bf000fef7)
Chapter 3 (#uac8a26e2-3879-568f-86f9-a6841b6d13aa)
Chapter 4 (#uf1d2b4c1-174e-56cd-b0ce-0e9a99d43ea7)
Chapter 5 (#u06c817a1-8014-5eb1-aef2-20f4e18ff675)
Chapter 6 (#u435de865-f9b3-55b2-ab3c-9ebf6e45f055)
Chapter 7 (#uf42f4687-b95d-55bc-a07c-b781ea9867e5)
Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 19 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 20 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 21 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 22 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 23 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 24 (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 1
“Harper, why are you just staring at me like that?” Marissa Hamilton asked, regarding her cousin with somber curiosity. She had never seen him look so stricken.
Something is wrong.
He turned and closed her office door so they would not be disturbed. “I just found out something that I think you should know, Marissa.”
“What is this about, Harper?”
He looked as if he were weighing the question.
“Harper …” she prompted.
“I guess there’s no way to say this except to just say it,” Harper muttered after a moment. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before saying, “Marissa, this is about my dad, your mother and you.”
Confused, Marissa frowned. “You aren’t making any sense, Harper. What does Uncle Frank have to do with me and my mother?”
“Dad and Aunt Jeanette had an affair,” Harper said in a low voice.
“Harper, have you lost your mind? H-how—” Marissa stammered in bewilderment. “How could you let something like that come out of your mouth?”
There was a pensive shimmer in the shadow of Harper’s eyes. “Marissa, you have to know that I wouldn’t come to you with a lie this painful if it wasn’t true.” His gaze was almost pleading. “I wouldn’t have said anything to you otherwise.”
“It’s not true,” Marissa insisted. She felt her composure was under attack and she suddenly wanted to escape Harper’s disturbing presence. “I don’t believe a word of this, but even if it were true, it has nothing to do with me.”
“Marissa…” He paused a moment before adding, “Don’t you get it? You may not be my cousin. We may be siblings.” Tears formed in his eyes. “This is so messed up.”
She swallowed hard, trying to digest what Harper had just told her. It could not possibly be true. It had to be a lie.
“My dad and your mother had an affair twenty-seven years ago,” he told her. Harper swiped at his eyes.
Marissa shook her head in denial. “I don’t believe any of this, Harper. My mother would never cheat on my father and definitely not with his brother. Where did you hear this?”
“Does it really matter?” Harper asked.
She glared at him. “I don’t get how you could believe anything like this about your dad and my mother of all people. None of this is true, Harper,” Marissa stated firmly. “Whoever is spouting this lie is just trying to destroy our family.”
“Azure would not do anything to hurt this family,” he blurted. “She got this from an anonymous source and immediately came to me with it. Marissa, I didn’t want to believe it at first either.”
Harper’s new wife, Azure, was a magazine writer and as such had numerous “sources.” Marissa folded her arms across her chest. “Harper, why are you so convinced that it’s true?”
“I know that my dad had an affair with your mother because I confronted him. He admitted that it was true.”
Marissa felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. She was about to be sick. Dizziness threatened to overtake her, causing her to sway.
Harper reached for her when it looked as if Marissa was about to faint.
She steadied herself. “I’m fine. I just need some time alone.”
“Marissa, I’m so sorry, but I thought you should know the truth.”
“Please…I just need to be alone right now. I’ll be okay,” she assured him.
When Harper left her office, Marissa navigated slowly over to the plush sofa in her office and sank down, grateful for its welcoming embrace.
She tearfully surveyed her office, the rich mahogany furnishings, the Oriental rug—she knew every inch of the law firm located in the prewar building in Rittenhouse Square in the historic city of Philadelphia. This place had been her second home since the day she was born. That familiarity suddenly seemed to diminish by Harper’s declaration that Jacob Hamilton Jr. might not be her biological father.
Jacob and her mother, Jeanette, raised five children together: Jacob III, Anthony, Marcus, Jillian and her. Marissa knew that her parents loved and respected each other. There was just no way that her prim and proper mother would have an affair with her brother-in-law.
The Hamiltons were a very close-knit family. She and her siblings were all attorneys and worked in the family firm. Frank and three of his sons, Harper, Shawn and Benjamin, were also attorneys working at Hamilton, Hamilton and Clark. Only Frank and Vanessa’s son Nelson decided to go against tradition and pursued a career in acting instead.
“I need to get out of here,” Marissa whispered.
She paused to let her assistant know that she was stepping out for a half hour or so, and would be back in time for her next meeting.
Marissa strolled out of the building and walked down the street to a tree-filled park. She found an empty bench and sat down. In about an hour, local residents and employees gathering for lunch would overrun the park. The October weather was still nice enough to sit outside in and enjoy eating with friends and family.
A small group of children playing nearby caught her attention. One little girl fell down and began to cry. A man rushed over and scooped her up into his arms.
Marissa felt her own eyes water at the sight of a father soothing his daughter and wiping away her tears. Her father…Jacob had done the same for her so many times when she was younger. He had always made her feel safe and loved.
She knew deep down that Harper never would have come to her if he did not have a reason to believe his hideous revelation was true. She also knew that Azure would not reveal the secret, but someone out there was spreading this rumor.
Marissa feared that if the information ever became public, it would have a devastating impact on her family and the firm.
* * *
Griffin Jackson was usually in his office by seven-thirty on weekdays. He liked coming in early just to spend some time reflecting over his day without any distractions. Griffin was usually the first one to arrive in the mornings and the last one to leave Hamilton, Hamilton and Clark in the evenings.
The now deceased Jacob Hamilton Sr. and Albert Clark had founded the family-owned law firm in 1960. Albert Clark was still active, although eighty years old. He shared leadership of the company with Jacob Jr. and Frank.
Griffin had interned at Hamilton, Hamilton and Clark while in law school and had been offered a permanent position by Albert Clark, who had taken the young man under his wing. Griffin had met Albert Clark when the esteemed attorney gave a lecture at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. The day after graduation, Griffin had started his career with the firm, and he had been with the company for five years.
The hours were long, leaving little time for socialization, but as far as Griffin was concerned, this was a dream come true for him and he would make the necessary sacrifices to reach his goal of making partner. He had worked hard and his legal reputation was growing. Hamilton, Hamilton and Clark paid him more money than he could ever have imagined earning.
Griffin read over a set of interrogatories, pausing to make notes here and there on a legal pad.
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes traveling to an elegantly framed photograph hanging on his wall. All of the associates had one in their office—it was a photo of the attorneys in the firm. Griffin’s gaze landed on Marissa.
