Her honesty disarmed him more than flattery could have. There was no calculated charm in her response, and no attempt to leverage her family connections or social status. She spoke with a quiet enthusiasm that made him genuinely want to give her a chance.
Gerri gestured between them with obvious satisfaction. “Why don’t you two shake hands? Get properly acquainted.”
The suggestion felt like stepping into a trap, yet refusing would appear childish and unprofessional. Leander extended his hand with the mechanical precision of someone performing a necessary business ritual.
But the moment their skin touched, the mate bond ignited.
Recognition slammed through him with the force of lightning, every cell in his body suddenly, irrevocably aware of hers. His lion roared approval so loudly it drowned out rational thought, primitive satisfaction flooding his system as the beast finally found what it had been searching for. The connection felt like coming home and stepping off a cliff simultaneously—terrifying and inevitable and undeniably real.
Camille’s eyes widened slightly, her breath catching in a way that suggested she felt something too, though probably not with the same overwhelming intensity. Humans experienced mate bonds differently, more as attraction than cosmic certainty.
Sheer panic hit him like a freight train. The confirmation that Gerri was right, that this woman truly was his fated mate, triggered every survival instinct he’d honed. His hand jerked back, the loss of contact leaving him feeling strangely incomplete.
“I just remembered I have an urgent appointment.” The lie came automatically, self-preservation overriding professional courtesy. “Travis will handle your orientation and show you to your workspace.”
He was already moving toward the door, desperate to escape the suffocating awareness of her presence. Proximity felt dangerously close to surrender, and surrender had always carried consequences he couldn’t afford.
“Travis is my CFO,” he added without looking back. “He’ll explain your responsibilities and introduce you to the team.”
“Thank you again, Mr. Drake.” Camille’s voice followed him, her gracious gratitude somehow making his abrupt departure feel even more foolish. “I won’t disappoint you.”
The words lingered longer than they should have, creating a quiet guilt that complicated his attempt at emotional detachment. She sounded genuinely excited about the opportunity, eager to prove herself in a field she obviously caredabout, and his cold reception must have stung even if she was too polite to show it.
Leander escaped to the elevator, his lion prowling with frustrated energy as instincts demanded he return to claim, protect, and eliminate the distance he’d just created. The primitive impulses were so unlike his controlled nature that they only reinforced his determination to maintain separation.
Outside on the busy Manhattan street, the morning air did nothing to clear his head. Gerri appeared beside him with the supernatural timing that made her so unnervingly effective, her expression carrying gentle reproach.
“That was unnecessarily harsh,” she observed, falling into step beside him as he walked toward his penthouse. “Camille is excited about this new opportunity, and you treated her like a hostile takeover.”
“I don’t have time for complications.”
“Camille isn’t a complication, dear.” Gerri’s tone remained infuriatingly patient. “She’s a gift. And if you keep punishing her for fears she doesn’t understand, you’ll damage more than just her professional ambitions.”
The observation hit uncomfortably close to home. He wasn’t cruel by nature—his success had been built on fair dealing and genuine respect for capable people. Rejecting Camille because of circumstances beyond her control would impact her dreams, and despite his current panic, he had no desire to crush anyone’s legitimate aspirations.
“Fine.” The word came out more grudging than he intended. “I’ll give her a fair chance.”
“That’s all I ask.” Gerri’s smile held the satisfied confidence of someone who’d just moved a crucial chess piece. “You might be surprised by what you discover if you stop running long enough to look.”
She disappeared into the crowd with the same mysterious efficiency that had brought her into his life, leaving Leander standing alone on the sidewalk with the uncomfortable awareness that avoidance was no longer sustainable.
Within minutes, his penthouse provided physical distance but no emotional relief. The minimalist space that usually offered sanctuary felt oppressive, every surface reflecting his inability to focus as thoughts of Camille disrupted the structured mental discipline he relied on. Her steady blue eyes, the genuine enthusiasm in her voice, the way her presence had brightened his sterile office—details that should have been insignificant refused to fade.
Travis’s call came an hour later, his tone carrying carefully controlled amusement. “Camille has settled in beautifully. Smart, organized, and already asking insightful questions about the Lexington project.”
“Good.” Leander kept his voice neutral, though his lion stirred with unwanted pride at the praise.
“I told her you’d take her to dinner tonight. Professional courtesy, you understand. Show her she’s valued.”
“You did what?”
“Leadership requires engagement, cousin.” Travis’s reasoning carried the maddening logic of someone who’d thought this through. “Hiding from your assistant would damage both business efficiency and professional credibility. Besides, she needs to understand the company culture if she’s going to be effective.”
Leander’s frustration was immediate and visceral, his carefully constructed walls threatening to crumble under the pressure of forced proximity. “This is not what I normally do.”
“It’s just dinner, not a mating ceremony.” Travis’s dry humor only deepened Leander’s irritation. “I thought it would be a good gesture to make up for you bolting this morning.”
“Text me her number.”
