“I could.”He remained slouched against the chair, his arms folded over his chest and his legs crossed at the ankles, yet there was nothing casual about him.The tension she’d sensed radiating from him in the conference room hadn’t abated.
Lexie couldn’t contain her curiosity.“What differences?”
She regretted the question almost immediately.There was a lot to live up to in that picture.She didn’t have to close her eyes to remember the blatant come-on the model had presented.Maybe he thought the woman’s cleavagewasnicer or her skin was creamier or her mouth…
“The eyes.”
She stilled.
His gaze slid over her face, and she felt it as well as if it had been a touch.
“They had an edge to them that yours could never have.”
For a moment, Lexie forgot to breathe.She simply stared at the hard man sitting across from her.Felt his heat radiating towards her… Sensed his anger and frustration and…something else…
“Yes, well…” She cleared her throat.“Thank you for standing up for me.”
“Somebody had to.You certainly weren’t fighting back very hard.”
He just didn’t understand how things worked.
Her keys finally found their way into her palm.She snatched them up and pulled her purse up onto her shoulder.“Julian’s just upset.He’ll apologize once he calms down.”
“Is that the way it normally works?”
She went quiet again as the hurt and betrayal flooded back in.Pushing away from the desk, she snatched up the rest of her things.She headed for the door, but Rowe moved too.Her office hadn’t grown in the last few hours.In the small space, it was impossible to avoid one another.He made sure of it.He stopped her at the door, bracing one hand flat against it.
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“We need to figure out how this happened.”
Her jaw set.“We?”
“I can help you.I have resources you don’t.”
“I have my face.I’m pretty sure that’s all I’ll need.”
She didn’t mention her cleavage again, but she didn’t have to.His gaze dropped.Even fully dressed in a button-down suit, Lexie felt her breasts warm.
“I told Julian I’d fix this, and I will.”Finding chutzpah she didn’t know she had, she shouldered Rowe out of the way.His hard heat pressed against her side, making her breasts start to ache, and his warm breaths brushed against her hair.
“Damn it, Lexie.”He stepped back, even though he wore a scowl on his face.“I don’t like the idea of you being alone.”
“I’ve always been alone, Cam.”
Opening the door, she walked out.Underhill staff still mingled about, but if they watched her, she didn’t notice.Cam’s name tingled on the tip of her tongue as she walked towards the elevator bay.Her legs were unsteady, and her body was sensitive from where they’d touched.She felt him watching every step she took, but no footsteps came after her.
She was grateful for the reprieve.
She had too many things on her mind right now, too many problems with which she had to deal.Her father had given her the boot.Her family was looking down their noses at her, while thousands of strangers were looking up with awe, disgust or even lust.Yet things between her and Cameron Rowe had just changed.
And that might be more than she could handle.
