Alexandra remembered now that in those moments, she hadn’t felt afraid of whatever was waiting beyond her room. She hadn’t even understood what was happening but one thing that had really registered was how hard it had become to fight the way she felt around Cane.
But still, nothing seemed to have changed. Well, the security at her place was now tighter, and her dad had almost gone berserk about it when he heard the news.
“Dad, whoever it was never got the chance to get close enough. It was like he got surprised and ran off. He probably hadn’t known I wasn’t alone. So you needn’t worry; I’m well looked after,” she’d told him reassuringly.
“I shouldn’t have left,” Donel Duke said angrily. “I turn my back for a second and they come after you. I’ll make that bastard Vincent pay…”
“Dad, we don’t know for sure it was him. It could have easily been just a burglar. The police have come over and checked things out. If there’s anything they’ll let us know.”
Her father had been hard to convince; he’d wanted to leave the one week conference and fly straight back. But Alexandra had let him know she’ll do okay. She had her bodyguard. She had all the security she’d ever need. No one would get to her.
Yep, she was sewed up tight while she was home, and every time she left the house, Cane was with her. But the fact remained, nothing much had changed. He didn’t treat her as anything else but a client. He stayed professional, sometimes so aloof it chilled her to the bone.
Alexandra knew what he was doing. She understood it. He’d probably felt it too; she was almost sure he knew. Sensed that something was different between them. In a way it was so annoying that he was back to being stiff and formal after what had happened that night. She could still remember the sensation of his rigid member digging into her back, the girth and length surprising her to say the least. Also surprising was the way he’d reacted to her semi-nude body and even the words he’d confessed about her appearance causing his heart to beat faster.
Knowing that on some level, he desired her, had flipped her belly upside down. She desired him too – on all levels. Wanted him in ways she couldn’t even count. But he was her bodyguard; he had a job to do and damn him, he did it well. Sometimes she hated that he could stay so detached. She wanted him to lose it. She wanted to see his control snap, just for her. And she felt like a dumbass for wanting what she shouldn’t.
***
Malia thought she should get a man. “You need some distraction. Ever since Lame Lamar, you never got your shit together. And now you’re in close quarters with this gorgeous specimen and your hormones are imploding. Can’t blame them, can we? You need an outlet. Let’s go clubbing, partying – anything. Maybe you’ll find yourself some hunk to get your mind off your troubles.”
“So what do you suggest? I find some man and bring him back home? I just don’t see how it would work. Not with my bodyguard in the next room. The other alternative would be going over to the guy’s place and…No, it just won’t do. Ever since this crap with my dad’s business rival, I can’t even have a freaking one night stand,” Alexandra said grumpily as they met for their usual lunch appointment. Somewhere in the crowded restaurant, Cane was close, watching. She tried to remember that she was supposed to be in danger, but none of that really worried her.
What seemed to preoccupy her the most was how to stop Cane from getting to her this much. It would never work. They were too different. And it wasn’t the race thing; it was more of the fact that she could sense beneath all his detachment that he was one big ball of fire. He’d engulf her; make her lose herself. The way she hadn’t in a long time. Not since Lamar, who’d broken her heart when she found out he never really cared about her, just her money. Lamar West had been so mad when she’d told him it was over – like she’d want a damned gigolo in her life. No freaking way. She was glad she’d walked away, though even after so many months, it still hurt to think how she’d played the fool.
She wasn’t ready to make the same mistake again. There was no space in her heart for emotions. But damn, she was a woman - with needs. And just thinking about Cane reminded her how long ago it had been since she’d fulfilled them. Was she crazy to be thinking of him that way when they had this big wall standing in between them? And yet, walls could be broken down, couldn’t they?
Looked like Malia was thinking the same thing. The woman’s dark brown eyes twinkled as she murmured, “Well, there’s a saying I remember from my granny…about how you don’t need to go looking in the pond for something that’s right in your pocket. I mean, you do happen to have a red-hot man right within your reach like, um, twenty four hours a day…”