He opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him off. “Let’s just go.”
Jackson brushed by him and headed for the elevator. She reached the doors first and pressed the button. He shifted as they waited in silence. Was Cameron dreading the ride in this particular enclosed space, too? He loomed next to her, his bulky frame distractinglythere.
The doors opened, and she didn’t wait for any chivalrous gestures. She walked in and pressed the button for the lobby. The doors closed. She stole a glance at Cameron. He looked oblivious to her presence.
Damn him. How could he ignore what they had done together in this elevator less than twenty-four hours ago? And then there was the sex. Really, really good sex. She had never believedin all that “men are from Mars” crap, but for the first time, she wondered if men really were fundamentally different from women. Because as hard as she tried, she couldn’t just turn off her reaction to him. And he could clearly turn off his.
The elevator dinged, and Jackson stomped out. She started for the lobby doors, not bothering to check if Cameron was following.
“Jackson?”
Shestopped and turned around. “What?”
He caught up with her and stopped way too close for her current state of mind. Crap. Stepping farther away meant showing him just how poorly she was handling the “casual” part of casual sex. So she stayed put and wiped all traces of lust from her face. She hoped.
Over six feet of suit and muscle hovered only inches away. She tipped up her chin and methis gaze. Cameron was looking down at her with unexpected softness.
“We’re not going to get through dinner like this,” he said. His voice resonated inside her, quiet and intimate.
Jackson bit her lip. “You meanI’mnot going to get through dinner. You seem to be well-practiced at this.”
Cameron’s eyes hardened. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“You’re right,” she said. “Andyou know nothing about me.”
Jackson frowned. Maybe she was being a little harsh, but the gist of this conversation was right on. They knew nothing about each other. He didn’t know about Cheater Rob and his “sensitive” dick or her ten-year plan or how much work it took to get this job or anything else that had landed her here in Sydney for what was becoming a nightmare assignment. Their nighttogether was supposed to be about letting go, about fun.
And she certainly did let go and have fun with Cameron. Now why the hell couldn’t she just move on and stop drooling every time he was in sight?
Still, it wasn’t his fault that she was temperamentally incapable of just having a fling. They were working together. She had to stop snapping at him.
Jackson took a deep breath. “Look,this has all been a bit much for me. We made a mistake, and there’s nothing to do about it but move on.” She gave him a smile she hoped looked confident. “I’ll be fine at dinner.”
The corners of his mouth tipped down, but he didn’t say anything.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
They headed out of the lobby and onto the street. As the warm air hit her, some of the tension eased.While New York was cold and gray in November, Sydney’s summer was just coming into full swing. They came to the street corner, and a warm, gentle breeze blew from the direction of the water.
“The restaurant’s not too far,” said Cameron. “You okay walking?”
“Of course,” she said and stepped off the curb to cross.
A large, warm arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back just asa car swerved around the corner. Her breath caught in her throat. The driver honked his horn, and Cameron gave the guy the finger. He held her against the hard muscles of his chest for an extra beat.
“Look right, sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear. “We drive on the other side of the road down here, remember?”
Right. She had managed to make it through the previous twenty-four hours withoutstepping in front of a car, but with a giant distraction named Cameron Blackmore standing next to her, her brain was apparently having trouble multitasking.
“Thanks,” she mumbled. “Maybe you should lead.”
He chuckled and released her. She straightened up.Get it together, girl.She was about to meet Cameron’s team. She gave herself a little shake and tried to focus on the scenery.
Like in New York, tall glass facades mingled with older stone and brick buildings, but the Sydney streets felt cleaner. The whole city felt cleaner and brighter. It was rush hour, and a steady flow of people poured out of the offices and stores onto stone-laid sidewalks. Wow. She was actually in Australia.
Thank God she hadn’t worn heels. Even flats were pressing on her toes. “Not too far”clearly meant something entirely different in Australian. Or maybe it was the fact that she took two steps for every one of Cameron’s.
