He pulled her close, and she didn’t resist. She didn’t accept, either. She simply stood tense in his embrace. This close, he could finally feel it in her, the anger and the pain. Her body was practically vibrating with it. He let his cheek brush against her temple. There was the sound of footsteps, and he tensed.
“Would you two get a room already?” Roxie strode across the driveway, her stiletto heels ringing out like gunshots. She was walking hard and fast.
And trying not to cry.
Cam felt the bottom of his stomach drop out. Shit. He’d left her behind.
Moisture was in her eyes as she hurried past them, but he reached out and snagged her. She didn’t take kindly to the contact. Her hips rolled and she pushed at his forearm, but he clamped down tight.
Unable to fight him, she lashed out at her sister instead. “Nice family.”
Lexie flinched.
“Don’t you take it out on her,” Cam growled.
Yet guilt draped heavily across his shoulders. He should have pulled her out of there with him, but he hadn’t even thought of it. His main concern had been to get to Lexie. “What did they say to you?”
Roxie wiggled in his grip. “Just let me go.”
“No.”
She blinked too fast and worked her jaw in a circle. As tough as she was, the tears were starting to leak from her eyes. Cam couldn’t help it, he gathered her in. The two of them might not have gotten off to a good start, but none of this was her fault.
For a moment, her hand bit into his shoulder, but then it seemed to latch on. Crumpling against him, she gave in. He cupped the back of her head and looked at the other woman he still held. Lexie’s eyes were wide as she watched, and she was breathing too fast. She felt almost brittle in his arms.
The incongruity struck him. Roxie was crying, while Lexie had gone almost steely. It seemed backwards somehow. Roxie was tough on the outside, but things obviously affected her deeply. Lexie, on the other hand, was gentle and open—until she shut everything out.
She’d taken all that she could.
He rubbed his thumb in small circles at her waist. “Where are your keys?”
She didn’t respond.
He noticed that they were already in her hand. He took them from her grip and held them out to Roxie. “Are you okay to drive?”
Roxie’s gaze sharpened when she heard the jingle. Nodding, she reached for the set.
Lexie reached for them too. “I can drive.”
Roxie was faster. She swiped the keys and stepped away. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Sorry, sis, but I’ve had all the family I can stand. I need some downtime.”
Lexie looked dismayed. “From me?”
She flinched when the remote bleeped, signaling it was unlocking the doors, and Cam watched her with concern.
“And I thought I’d been dealt the bad hand with the foster care system.” Shaking her head, Roxie got behind the wheel.
Cam pulled Lexie aside as the silver Acura whipped into reverse. It came to an abrupt halt before bucking back into gear. With a squeal, the car shot down the private road.
Lexie watched it go, her shoulders slumped. Not even the pain was there anymore. She looked numb, and that was the worst thing for her.
Cam just wanted to hit something, mainly Julian Underhill. At least with her anger, she’d had something to hold on to.
Determinedly, he started leading her to his vehicle only a few feet away. He didn’t care where Roxie went or what she did. He was taking Lexie home. He knew something she could hold on to.
Him.
One way or another, he was going to get her to feel something.
Lexie’s hangover was back, it had to be. Her head hurt, her body ached, and her stomach felt raw. There wasn’t anything she could do about it, though. So why try?
She stared blindly through the windshield as Cam drove along Cobalt City’s streets. They were back downtown, but she didn’t know where they were going and didn’t really care.
“Have you eaten anything today?”
“No.” Food was the last thing on her radar screen.
He braked at a red light. “Are you hungry?”
She sighed. “No.”
He raked a hand through his dark hair. “Is there anything you want? Anything you need?”
Her twin. The truth. A time machine so she could go back and undo all that had been done. “No.”
“Damn it, Lexie. Don’t do this.”
“Do what?”
“Shut down.” Taking a right, he swung into an underground garage.
She looked around half-heartedly. Was this where he went when he wasn’t at work? Did he ever stop working?
He parked and grabbed his keys. “Come on.”
She got out of the passenger side and closed the door with a click. He was waiting for her near the tailgate with a hard expression on his face. She paused momentarily. What did he have to be angry about?
It didn’t matter, she supposed. She fell in beside him when he started for the elevator. He caught her hand, but she didn’t hold him back. Why should she? People always let her go eventually.
“Don’t let them do this to you,” he said as he jabbed the call button.
Hadn’t it already been done?
Pulling her inside the elevator, he hit the button for the penthouse.
Lexie looked at the glowing light. Stared at it, really. “What is it with you people and the need for the top floor?”
“I know you don’t like heights.”
Of course he did. Not much got by his attention. He was watching her like he’d watched her in the elevator the other day. Had that only been days ago? When a billboard had seemed scandalous? When a presentation had been the most important thing in the world to her?
She sighed.
“Lexie,” he growled.
“What do you want out of me?”
“Some kind of emotion.” Turning, he planted himself in front of her and braced his hand by her head. “I’m not going to let you roll over and play dead.”
He surrounded her in the tiny space, his anger and will filling the small compartment to the corners. Out of everybody, he was the one person who’d watched out for her today. The one person who seemed to care.
Why?
The elevator opened on the top floor, and skylights in the hallway made the tiny space glow. For a moment, he didn’t budge. He hovered over her, a muscle working in his jaw, but then he was tugging her hand and moving to the one door in sight. It was the only apartment on the floor.
He let them in, and she stutter-stepped over the threshold. The place was opulence personified. She’d grown up wealthy, but nothing like this. The penthouse overlooked Cobalt City, with the river snaking across the landscape. The summer sky was calm with birds catching thermals and an airplane leaving contrails as it headed to destinations unknown.
Pulling her all the way inside, Cam closed the door behind her.
And locked it.
“You live here?” She toyed with the strap of her purse.
“I’m borrowing it.” He loosened his tie and tossed his keys onto the table by the door.
“From whom?”
“A client I did some work for. A software magnate you might have heard of.”
In the Cobalt City area, that could be one of a handful of people—all of them in a realm she’d never touched. “What are you doing working with Underhill Associates?” They were a Fortune 500 company, yet for all their success, they were nowhere in the league of the companies he usually consulted for.
“There’s only one thing I want out of that company, but we’ll talk about that later.”
Lexie looked around again. It was all too much. Too much had happened. There’d been too many surprises. She rubbed her arms and moved towards the sunken living room. Easing onto a soft couch, she put her back to the view. Her purse suddenly felt heavy on her shoulder. She tucked it against the pillow beside her and smoothed her dress.
Why couldn’t he let her be? She was tired of listening to people talk. Sick of the things that were coming out of their mouths.
The lines on his forehead deepened. “Damn it, I’ve watched you do this time and time again. One of the Underhills will say or do something that hurts you, but you won’t fight back. You cover it up and act like it never happened.”
What good was fighting when you couldn’t win?
“You’ve got to let that pain out, Lexie.”
She locked her back teeth together. Pain was an understatement, but then again, she never would have taken Cameron Rowe for the psychobabble type.
He stared at her for a long moment, and the air between them became heavy. She knew what he wanted, but she just couldn’t do it. She didn’t have the energy or the inclination. What would it change?
His eyes went calculating and flinty.
“Your father split you apart from your twin,” he said, his voice clipped.
The gritting moved up to her canines. “I know.”
“Your identical twin.”
She pressed her lips flat.
He shifted on the balls of his feet, and the muscles in his thighs clenched. “He left her behind and forgot about her.”
Lexie was on her feet so fast her dress swished against her legs. “Stop it.”
Cam rose to full height in front of her. “Does that make you sad? Angry?”
“Of course it does.” Twisting, she pushed by him. He was so close her shoulder rubbed against his chest. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because you need to face it.”
“I’ve been facing it all morning.”
“Face it and deal with it.”
“I am.”
She walked across the room, but he refused to give her the space she needed. Planting his hand against the fireplace mantel, he trapped her.
“Then where are the tears?” he asked.
“I’m all cried out.”
“I haven’t seen it.”
She turned on her heel, but he cut her off at the other end of the fireplace. Reaching up, he grabbed a crystal paperweight. “Throw it,” he ordered.
Her teeth were beginning to ache from clenching her jaw so tight.
He opened her fingers and put the paperweight in the palm of her hand. “Throw it.”
“No,” she snapped. The crystal was heavier than it looked. It pulled her hand down, waking the muscles in her arm. Tempting her… She put it back on the mantel.
And took a careful breath.
He moved in so close their toes touched and her breasts brushed against his chest. “Is that anger?”
“Leave me alone, Cam.”
“I can’t.”
“Then I’m leaving.” She reached over the back of the couch and grabbed her purse. It swung on its long strap and bumped against the end table. The lamp rocked, teetering violently. It rolled on its edge, but righted itself to sit in the corner. She was already up the three steps, out of the sunken living room and into the foyer.
“You know I’ll just follow you,” he called.
Her footsteps stopped. Her thigh muscles actually froze. Slowly, she turned. “Why?”
“Because somebody has to.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Somebody has to or because Julian told you to?”
A muscle high on Cam’s cheekbone ticked, and Lexie felt a little thrill rush through her. After all his hounding, it was nice to see one of her salvos land. He’d said he wanted her to fight back, didn’t he?
“I’m nobody’s toady,” he said, lips barely moving.
“No, but you are his hatchet man.” She opened and closed her hand around her purse strap. “Am I part of the mess you have to clean up at Underhill, Rowe?”
He took a step towards her. “Don’t you dare go back to that.”
“It’s your job to do the dirty work he can’t do.”
“Damn straight, and I’m trying to fix what he’s done to you.”
“How? By pushing me? By making me go through it all over again?”
He jabbed a finger in her direction. “It’s all bottling up inside you. You won’t let yourself feel his betrayal.”
Lexie rocked her right foot back on its heel. She didn’t want to think about Julian or what he’d done.
“Or Anne Marie’s,” Cam said, pushing.
Her purse dropped from her shoulder to her forearm, and she clenched her hands tight. “Shut up.”
“Or Roxie’s.” His head cocked. “She couldn’t seem to get away fast enough.”
Lexie’s purse hit the floor, and her foot slammed down. “You bastard.”
She was on him before he could say another word. She charged across the living room, but he met her at the base of the steps. Her fists jarred against his shoulders as he caught her by the waist. “Why won’t you stop?” she hissed.
“Because I want you.” He jerked her to him. “And I want you whole.”
She pushed at his shoulders, but he kissed her. Hard. Lips tough and fierce, he went after her. He swung her off the landing and pulled her so close their bodies flattened against each other’s.
The kiss was raw and explosive. Lexie couldn’t stop him.
And she couldn’t stop herself.
She kissed him back, raking her teeth hard over his lower lip. All the rage, pain and horror came roaring back inside her. He’d been looking for an outlet for the mess inside her. Well, he’d just opened a port.
“You ruthless, heartless…”
He fisted his hand in her hair. “Cruel to be kind, sweetheart.”
Their mouths meshed again as she hooked a leg around his waist. He hitched her up, and she wrapped her thighs around him tight. Hardness pressed against her softness, and she nearly moaned.
She wanted contact. Pure, simple contact. She wanted to connect with someone, even him. Especially him.
Forcing her hands between them, she tugged at his tie. “Off.”
She wanted it all off.
He went for her zipper and tugged her dress upward. Both garments hit the floor as he carried her across the living room.
Lexie ran her hands over him relentlessly. She’d finally managed to get his shirt undone, and she pressed her lips against his mouth, his neck and his muscled shoulders. He was warm and strong, and he was here.
The sensation of skin on skin filled her senses, and her aggression turned from anger to need. Someone in this world wanted her.
He wanted her.
He carried her into the bedroom. It was a corner room, and the view of Cobalt increased twofold. Sunlight spilled across the bed, and clouds seemed to float across the ceiling as the room jutted out atop the city.
“Don’t look,” he growled.
She didn’t see any of it. The tension was building up inside her, and it needed to get out. Now. She couldn’t stand it anymore. The feelings were too sharp.
Cam sat on the bed with her straddling his lap. He reached for a remote on the bedside table, but she pushed him back onto the mattress and caught the zipper of his pants.
Twisting around her, he dove for the remote anyway. She had his pants down to his knees by the time she heard the automatic blinds clanking shut.
“The height might not be bothering you,” he said, sitting back up to kiss her, “but I don’t want any voyeurs watching in.”
She didn’t really care. He was talking too much.
Leaning down, she let her mouth follow her hands across his naked chest. He was warm under her lips, salty under her tongue. His heart was pounding when her lips brushed against his rib cage.
“Lexie.” He tugged on the back closure of her bra. He undid it but didn’t bother to take it off before sliding his hands around to her breasts. He cupped her, and she arched bac
k. His hands were bold and confident. They fondled her, hot palms and strong fingers against soft flesh.
Sensations tangled with emotions. Together, they bubbled through her veins and hissed in her lungs.
His thumbs worked her nipples into hard pebbles, and she began to tremble. The arousal was sharp and immediate. Too much. She caught her panties and pulled them down, swiveling her hips to get them off.
Cam swore under his breath. “Slow down.”
“No.” He’d pushed her, and now the momentum was rolling downhill. She couldn’t go back. She couldn’t stuff the feelings inside of her. They wouldn’t fit.
He brushed her hair away and looked into her face. His dark eyes missed nothing. They never had.
“Hold on,” he said hoarsely. “Just give me one second.”
He put her aside on the bed, but she twisted towards him. He was already standing to get the rest of his clothes off. Opening the drawer of the nightstand, he found protection. She reached to help, but her hands were shaking and she kept getting in the way.
He didn’t seem to mind. He peeled her bra down her arms, and his lips followed with hot kisses. Tumbling down onto the bed with her, he pulled her on top of him.
“Take it out on me,” he ordered. He cupped her breasts, and her hair swung as she hovered over him. “You do what you have to do.”
Gladly.
Lexie kissed him hungrily. Her power had always been meager, but today even that had been ripped away from her.
She was taking it back.
Sliding down him, she kissed his shoulders and chest. He was warm and hard. Delicious.
Sitting on her haunches, she stroked her hands over him. When she touched his nipples, his fingers dug into her thighs. It made her muscles clench and heat pour between her legs.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he said.
She didn’t want talk. She wanted action. She stroked her hands downward over his taut abdomen and lower still. She caught his cock and heard him groan.
“You shouldn’t have pushed me,” she said.
She rubbed her thumb over the head of his erection and his hips swung up, nearly lifting her off her knees.
“Not regretting it,” he said through gritted teeth.
The latex of the condom kept the contact from being skin on skin, but she pumped him, sliding her hand down to his balls and back up. He was hard and hot.
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