She looked at him for a while, and a little of the hurt in her eyes disappeared. But not all of it.
“You were amazing today, Jackson,” he whispered.
She gave him a wry smile. “I didn’t getfired today.” Her smile faded. “But the board found out about us. I felt unprofessional. And cheap.”
“My father’s such an asshole,” Cameron muttered, hanging his head and closing his eyes. “You’re not cheap, Jackson. So, so far from that.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Besides,” he added, “the reason I picked you up that night at the hotel was because I found out the board was sendingsomeone over to get me in line. So I did the opposite. How’s that for unprofessional?” He looked up at her again. A strand of hair had escaped her bun, and she tucked it behind her ear. Damn, she was beautiful. “Well, maybe that wasn’t the only reason. You also looked sexy as hell.”
She laughed a little. “Still, it was a stupid thing to do, Cameron. It didn’t sound like Blackmore Inc. wasgoing to pass on all the details to my firm, but either way, I never want to face that board again.”
Cameron froze. “Will your firm ask questions?”
“Probably. And I’m not going to lie.”
The waitress returned with their coffees, and Cameron took a scalding drink. When he looked up, Jackson was staring at him, her eyes filled with disbelief.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, finding her cup.“It’s just...well, I really didn’t expect you to be here.”
Cameron sighed. “Me neither, to tell you the truth. After I saw the paper, I spent the day all worked up. I was trying to find a way to manage the situation from Sydney.”
“What did you come up with?”
“Nothing good. I had an assistant gather all the press you arranged, and I sent a letter to your firm praising you in detail.”
Jackson’s eyes widened. “Oh?”
“Not that kind of detail.” He chuckled.
She blushed.
Should he tell her about the other things he’d done? Cameron shifted in his chair. Was she going to appreciate the gesture, or would she think it was excessive and invasive? Heat stole up his neck and onto his cheeks. He was blushing now, too, for God’s sake.
He cleared his throat. “I...um...well,I also paid your rent for a year.”
Jackson froze. “What?”
This wasn’t going well. He had to just get it all out.
Cameron drew in a breath. “I know it’s a little strange, but I was worried you’d lose your job. Because of me. And I knew I wasn’t going to lose my job even though I had an affair at work, the same as you.” He glanced over at the deep lines in her forehead. “Look, it justdidn’t seem right. And you mentioned how expensive your apartment was now that you’d moved out from your ex’s place. And your ten-year plan...” Cameron scrubbed a hand over his face. “This isn’t sounding good, is it?”
Jackson rubbed her temples. And then she started to laugh. Just a little at first, but her smile grew. She shook her head slowly. “What the hell am I supposed to say to that?”
“Thank you?”
Jackson rolled her eyes. “You are an arrogant man, Cameron Blackmore.”
He chuckled. “I’ve got a lot worse faults than that.”
Cameron leaned forward and slipped his hand under the table, resting it on her leg. She didn’t move away.
“Anyway, I did a couple of other things that we can talk about later, but nothing I was doing felt right.” He slowly rubbed her thighwith his thumb. “Jackson, I didn’t just come to the board meeting because I wanted to help you out. I came because I wanted to be there for you. Do you see the difference?”
She tilted her head a bit, regarding him warily. No. He was going to mess this up if he didn’t hurry. He just had to say it.
Cameron leaned closer. “I’m falling in love, Jackson. With you. That’s what got me on thatplane. So I could be with you.”
She drew in a quick breath. Then, she reached over and rested her hand on his cheek. Leaning forward, she pressed her mouth to his. Dear God, that felt good. Her lips were so soft and warm, and she tasted like coffee and mint and something so right. He tilted his head for a better angle, but she was already a step ahead of him. Jackson opened her lips and tasted.And just like that, the kiss spiraled out of control. A hot, aching release of all the tension from the last few days. Her hands were in his hair and he was searching higher on her thighs.
