His response came so quickly it was clear he’d been waiting for her reply.
Being with Leander is a huge mistake. People will spread rumors about you being with a murderer.
The words hit like ice water. Camille’s fingers froze over the keyboard as confusion and disbelief warred in her chest. When she finally typed her response, she felt the room spinning around her.
What are you talking about?
His response came hot and fast again.
Leander killed a man. That probably won’t look good for you, dating a dangerous man. It will hurt your image and your family’s image.
The phone slipped from her suddenly numb fingers, clattering against the desk. Murderer. The word echoed in her mind, clashing violently with everything she knew about the man who’d held her so tenderly last night, who’d made her feel safer than she’d ever felt in her life.
Her laptop was open before conscious thought took over, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she searched for answers. The articles appeared quickly—twelve-year-old headlines that made her blood run cold.
Drake Holdings Heir Kills Father’s Attacker in Self-Defense
Business Partner’s Betrayal Turns Deadly
No Charges Filed in Drake Murder Case
Camille devoured every word, her heart hammering as the story unfolded. Leander’s father, ambushed by a trusted business partner. The attack that left both men dead and Leander scarred—literally and figuratively. The investigation that concluded he’d acted in self-defense, protecting himself when the attacker turned on him after murdering his father.
The scar on his collarbone. The pain that had flickered across his face when she’d touched it last night. Twelve years ofcarrying this trauma, this guilt, this terrible knowledge of what it felt like to take a life.
Her chest ached with sudden understanding. No wonder he was so controlled, so protective, so afraid of letting people close. He’d learned in the most brutal way possible that love could be weaponized and that trust could kill.
The blueprints forgotten, Camille sat in the gathering afternoon light, processing this revelation. She didn’t feel afraid of Leander—if anything, her heart broke for the young man who’d been forced to make an impossible choice. But she understood now why he held himself apart, why vulnerability seemed to cost him so much.
This weekend, when they had privacy and quiet, she would find a way to bring it up. Not as an accusation or demand for explanation, but as an opening for him to share what he’d carried alone for so long.
Gathering the marked-up blueprints, she made her way to his office, her mind still processing everything she’d learned. When she knocked and entered, Leander looked up from his computer with a smile that made her chest tighten with protective tenderness.
“I have your blueprints,” she said, spreading them across his desk. “Fair warning—I may have gotten a little carried away with the red pen.”
His green eyes moved across the marked-up drawings, and his smile widened into something approaching awe. “This is incredible work, Camille. These solutions—the interior courtyards, the light wells, the way you’ve reimagined the lobby flow—I never would have considered half of these approaches, but they’re exactly what the project needs.”
Pride bloomed warm in her chest. “Really? I was worried I’d overstepped.”
“You’ve elevated it from functional to inspired.” He looked up at her, his expression intense. “You belong in this world. You’re going to build something extraordinary here.”
Maybe even with you,she thought, but the weight of what she’d learned made her hesitate. There were conversations they needed to have, truths that needed sharing, before she could give him her whole heart.
Even if it might already be too late for such caution.
“Would you like to leave a bit early?” he asked, rising from his chair with fluid grace. “We could grab dinner before going back to pack for the weekend.”
“That sounds perfect,” she replied softly.
Tonight, perhaps, she would find the courage to ask about his father. To let him know that his past didn’t frighten her—it only made her want to understand him more.
The warm glow of candlelight danced across the rustic walls as Leander guided Camille through the restaurant with his hand resting possessively on her back. The touch sent electric awareness spiraling through her, and she found herself leaning slightly into his solid presence without conscious thought. Everything about being near him felt right—the way he anticipated her needs, how his green eyes tracked her every expression, and the protective energy that radiated from him like heat from a fire.
Four days. She’d only known him personally for four days, yet sitting across from him now felt like the most natural thing in the world. The rational part of her mind whispered warnings about moving too fast, about the wisdom of sleeping with her boss and moving into his home after such a brief acquaintance. But her body hummed with contentment in his presence, and something deeper—something that felt suspiciously like recognition—told her this man was exactly where she belonged.
Still, she needed to understand him better. The passionate night they’d shared had been incredible, but physical chemistry wasn’t enough to build a future on, no matter how her heart seemed to skip every time he looked at her with that intense focus.
“The Lexington project is going to be stunning once we implement your suggestions,” Leander said, cutting into his steak with precise movements.
