Lexie (2 page)

It was impossible to think. She turned back. Then spun to face the windows again and raked a hand through her hair. The blinking lights outside burned her corneas.

It didn’t make sense. Cameron Rowe was nationally known as a restructuring specialist, and he wasn’t afraid to do the dirty work. He went from one company to the next, slicing and dicing. If companies survived, they came out stronger.

But if they didn’t…

“Why?” This wasn’t what needed to be done. She wasn’t the weakest link here.

Was she?

He stood. “It’s not good for a company to have one person carrying all the weight.”

“So you get rid of that person?”

He walked towards her, his heavy footsteps silenced by the plush carpeting. The wolf was coming in for the kill. “Have you ever thought about going somewhere else? Striking out on your own?”

She rubbed her bare arms. “Of course I have.”

But never seriously.

“Then why do you immerse yourself in the middle of all this chaos? You could get a job anywhere. Why do you stay?”

“Why?” she said incredulously. “Because they’re my
family
.”

“But you’re—”

“I’m what?” she fired back. “Adopted? Don’t you think I know that? Don’t you think that
everyone
knows that?”

She spun away, her fingernails biting into her palms. It was the story of her life. She was forever the square peg trying to fit into the round hole. She didn’t look like the rest of her family, and she didn’t act like them. In personality, she might as well have been from another species, yet the Underhills were hers. As disparate as they were, they were the only family she’d ever known. She loved them. She was loyal to them.

But it always came back to those differences, didn’t it? Her nails cut so deep into her skin, they nearly drew blood.

Enough. She’d had enough. “I’m going home.”

She darted towards her desk, but Rowe followed hot on her heels.

“That’s not what I meant,” he growled.

He moved with such fluidity, it made her wonder if her wolf comparison was that far off. He certainly was a predator.

Shaking, she picked up one of her shoes and lifted her foot behind her to slip it on. She gasped when he caught her hand before she could tug the elastic strap over the back of her heel.

His dark eyes were hot as he looked down at her. “If you’d let me finish, I was trying to say that
you’re wasted here
.”

She glared up at him, not believing him, but found him closer than she expected. Too close.

She froze.

His size wasn’t as big as his reputation portended, but he was a presence. His shoulders were wide and his body was muscled. He didn’t tower over her, but he had a good six inches on her. It put her on eye level with his hard lips.

Lips that suddenly didn’t seem so hard after all.

As she watched, a soft expulsion of air left his mouth, and he went stock-still.

Too late, Lexie realized the sexual pose she presented. With her foot lifted behind her, her back was arched and her breasts were pressed tightly against the silk tank she wore. The slit in the side of her skirt split wide, showing a generous amount of thigh. He was standing so close, his pant leg brushed against that tender vee of skin. Yet all that paled in comparison to the feel of his fingertips against her vulnerable Achilles tendon. Firm, hot and intimate, it startled her.

She grasped for the chair to steady herself. She clutched his arm instead. He’d reached for her, his free hand catching her waist.

Tension still crackled in the room, but its focus had shifted.

He was touching her.

He cleared his throat, the sound rough. “You could do better than this, Lexie.”

Her mouth went dry. She didn’t think so.

The thought pinged around her head like a snapped rubber band, and her cheeks heated. She fumbled with the strap of the stiletto but lost all remaining air when his caress slid down to her heel.

“Let me.”

His touch traveled over the side of her foot, searching for the spot where the strap had gotten trapped underneath. Her toes pointed reflexively when an inquisitive finger stroked her arch. Her hold on his arm tightened, but he managed to hook the strap. He gave a tug and it popped loose. Slowly, he retraced his path, guiding the elastic band into place.

“Breathe,” he whispered.

Her lungs caught fire when she remembered to inhale. Oh, dear Lord. She’d known he was dangerous to her, but she’d had no idea in how many ways. Heat blazed up her leg, settling in her core. The tingle she’d felt before in her toes was nothing compared to this. Nothing.

His caress circled her ankle, his thumb still tracing that mischievous strap. His dark gaze hadn’t moved from her face. “I’m trying to do what’s best for everybody.”

And what was best for her was apparently tossing her out on her rump.

The surprising arousal she felt was quickly doused.

Talk about an Achilles’ heel. What was she doing?

The mush in her leg hardened back into muscle. Breaking his hold on her, she set her foot firmly back on the carpet. Why? Why did she have to react to this man, of all people? He wanted to toss her out like a toy that had been used and abused but was no longer shiny enough for show and tell.

She sidestepped away from his touch on her waist. “It sounds to me like you’re taking the easy way out.”

“You think this is easy for me?”

She needed to get away from him. She had to get somewhere she could think. Snatching her other shoe, she dropped into her chair to put it on herself. There was no way she could take another Prince Charming performance—only her hands were unsteady and her fingers were clumsy.

“Lexie.”

The sound of her name coming from his lips rubbed just a little too raw. The strap of the shoe was twisted as it settled into place, but she ignored the discomfort and popped out of her chair. She grabbed her jacket and jerked it on.

“Listen to me,” he said.

She’d listened enough.

She powered down her computer and snatched her purse out of her desk drawer, but paused as she looked at her stack of proposals.

“Leave them,” he nearly growled.

But…

Her chin snapped up. That might be the answer. Her idea. If it had any merit whatsoever, it could bring in more sales and a new target audience. Staff would be needed, and marketing would have to kick in immediately. She reached for the proposal, realizing it was more important now than ever.

She gasped when he caught her hand.

“No. You need a break, and we need to talk.”

She stared at her hand in his. One touch. One touch was all it had taken. For months, they’d barely spoken. Now her personal space was gone. “I just want to go home,” she said hoarsely.

“After dinner. You need to let me explain.”

Oh no she didn’t. She was a bright girl. She got it.

She tugged at her hand. “I don’t want to go anywhere with you.”

“Just a bite. We’ll—”

“I don’t trust you,” she said, hating it when her voice shook.

He went silent, and the tension in the room shifted once again. He glanced away, and that muscle in his jaw clenched. This time, it didn’t let loose. “Fine, but I’m walking you to your car.”

“I can get there.”

He turned a look on her that burned her right down to her toes that were squished back into her uncomfortable shoes. “I’m walking you to your car.”

There was no arguing with him. She didn’t dare.

He took her silence as acceptance but still didn’t look happy. He never looked happy. She knew why now.

The bastard had a bitch of a job.

She tried to tug her hand free, but he wouldn’t let her. Holding firm, he started towards the hallway. He grabbed his jacket off the chair, and she glanced over her shoulder, feeling helpless as her proposal got farther and farther from view. Her eyes stung as he inexorably led her out of her own office. Was this a preview of what was to come? He hit the overhead lights as they passed out the door.

It was only then that she realized how truly dark it was outside. Dark and still. All the other offices on the floor stood silent as they made their way down the muted hallway. In an effort to save money, all office lighting was automatically turned off each night and had to be operated manually. Workers powered down their computers and printers every day when they left, and it made the building eerily quiet.

Eerie and foreboding. Like a ghost town.

Immune to it all, Cam led her through the bleakness, his palm sealed against hers. With each rippling step, she felt his strength and the indecipherable power he held inside. For a coldhearted bastard, his touch was much too warm. Much too personal.

They finally made it to the elevator bay, and he jabbed the down button. They stood waiting, staring everywhere but at each other. Unfortunately, the stainless-steel doors acted like mirrors. Every direction Lexie looked, she saw the reflection of them together—and it was striking. Her mouth went dry. They were both dark and lean, young and sexual. With their hands laced and their bodies close, the mirror took them as a couple. It was an impossible picture, an insane combination. The hatchet man with a willing sacrifice.

But she wasn’t willing. Not even to save her family’s company. Why did she have to be the offering? What had she done wrong?

She tried deep breaths to calm herself, but they didn’t work. He seemed overwhelming this close up. Strong, enigmatic and ominous. One more time, she tried to retrieve her hand. One more time, he only squeezed tighter.

“I’m sorry I upset you,” he said. “I didn’t mean to.”

She stared straight ahead, begging for the elevator to arrive.

“I never meant you were different because you’re adopted. You’re different because you’re… Well, you’re you.”

She adjusted her purse on her shoulder. The strap of her shoe was twisted, and the hole in her chest felt like it was gaping. She’d overreacted, she knew. She was a grown woman, but it was still a sore subject for her. She usually hid it better. It was embarrassing that he knew how she felt, but he’d just come at her so strong, surprising her with his plans.

“They don’t let you forget, do they?” he said.

Her throat tightened.

“Has it always been this way?”

Looking away, she nodded.

Mercifully, the bell dinged and the doors parted. If she’d thought that was better, though, she was mistaken. Inside the elevator, the space was even smaller. And he became even quieter.

“At least think about it. New opportunities. Fresh challenges. All the obstacles you constantly come up against would be moved out of the way.”

And replaced with new ones. There were always obstacles. They’d been put in front of her her entire life. She took a deep, unsteady breath. She was committed to Underhill Associates. There was no way she could quit. She had to stay and fight, work even harder. It was what she did. “Can you hold off on anything until I present tomorrow? Please?”

She looked at him then and, for the first time, noticed the lines of stress around his eyes. The set of his jaw was stubborn—or was it resigned? Either way, he appeared as tired as she felt. From the inside out.

“Is this about that idea sitting on your desk?” he asked.

“Yes.” She stared right back into those deep brown eyes of his and did the unthinkable—she clutched his hand back. “Let me try something. I have some ideas that could be profitable.”

He glanced down to where they touched. “This better be one hell of a marketing campaign.”

“It’s more than a marketing campaign, or I think it is. Please? Cam?”

His gaze locked with hers.

Lexie licked her lips. “Let’s go back up to my office and go through it right now. I’ll show it to you, and you can make the decision.”

“I thought you didn’t trust me.”

Her courage drained right out her feet. He watched her closely, but there was nowhere to hide. How could she have forgotten how hard he was? How inflexible? Hadn’t he just gone at her weaknesses? Probed at them without mercy? Could she really ask him for a reprieve?

She had to.

“Please. For my employees?”

He turned towards her then, trapping her in the corner. “Ask me to do it for you.”

Her breath hitched.

“For me?” she whispered.

His chest rose and fell. “For you,” he said gruffly. His gaze swept over her face one more time, stalling on her lips. “But I’ll wait until tomorrow morning to see what you’ve got.”

He stepped back, and the tightness in her chest relaxed, but only slightly. The doors opened then onto the dark, deserted parking garage, yet neither of them moved. The night was heavy. Muggy. It pressed down on them, and Lexie felt the weight build right back up on her shoulders. So much responsibility had just been dropped on her. Was it too much?

Cam looked down at her, tough and world-weary. He rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand gently, but then he let go. “Just promise me you’ll be prepared.”