Alexandra tried to dredge up some enthusiasm for the topic. “I’m not sure…would I want to?”
Her father huffed, sending her a knowing look. “It was Noah Preston, from the security firm.” Instantly, Alexandra’s heart started to pound and her fists clenched at her sides as she strove for calm.
“Oh,” was all Alexandra could say in reply.
Donel Duke was now back behind his desk, shuffling through papers as he spoke casually. “Noah’s assisting me with a new security system I’m instituting for my head office, so we’ve been in contact. However he mentioned something that caught my attention. It seems you have shown an interest in a certain member of his staff.”
Alexandra hung her head, telling herself she knew what was coming next. Her father would give her a lecture about getting on with her life, leaving the past behind and forgetting about any silly notions she might be harboring.
Well, no one needed to tell her she was silly, calling Noah up a few days ago to ask about Cane. She’d been desperate, out of her mind. The past two months without seeing him, hearing from him had almost sent her berserk. Had he returned safely from his last assignment? Could he be back in the country? Just thinking that Cane was somewhere on the planet and she couldn’t ever see or hear from him was like a cruel life sentence.
So she’d done the most shameful thing and rang up Cane’s boss.
“It’s great to know you’re okay, Ms. Duke,” Noah Preston had said in a cheerful tone. “What you went through was in no way easy.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Alexandra had replied, though she knew she wasn’t talking about her abduction ordeal. The words of a popular song struck her as she wondered how it was possible trying to live with a broken heart. It was almost like driving with flats. It just didn’t work.
“But I was referred to a psychologist and the visits have helped me handle the whole episode better. I’m perfectly fine now,” she’d lied, right before she’d broken down and finally added hesitantly, “I was wondering…do you have Cane’s phone number? I forgot to ask him the last time we saw.”
Alexandra was mortified that Noah would actually ask why she needed Cane’s number, in which case she’d already decided to say she’d never had the chance to thank him properly.
But Noah didn’t ask, instead after a long sigh he said, “We don’t give personal details of our operatives. But I’d be happy to pass on any message you might want sent across. I can tell you though, that he’s presently working on another job.”
“Oh Okay, that’s nice,” Alexandra had said lamely, before thanking him and quickly hanging up the phone.
If she’d thought her feelings for Cane would die off after he was gone, she was wrong. They’d only shared one kiss, which had been more for comfort than anything sexual. Apart from that, Cane Hutchinson had held on to his moral code to the end. And even beyond. Wasn’t that enough to make her forget him? He obviously wanted nothing to do with her even now that he wasn’t working as her bodyguard. Looked like she’d been right and she wasn’t his type after all.
Alexandra had waited and hoped that he might call, but there was no contact and she guessed that she’d imagined all those intense moments they’d shared. Even though they’d never had sex, there’d been enough heat and power radiating around them whenever they were together. How could he have so easily walked away?
Maybe his view of her as a spoiled little rich girl or worse, as just a job had never really changed. And that hurt so much it almost made her ill.
She did try to put him out of her mind and get on with her life. She graduated successfully from FIT armed with her Masters in fashion and textile studies. Now she had so many options before her. She could either stay in New York or choose any of the other promising fashion houses who’d shown willingness to have her on. Her career could take off as soon as she wanted it and she had her whole life ahead of her? So why was she acting like something was missing?
Alexandra wondered how much her father had guessed, as she forced herself to look up and meet his shrewd gaze.
“Over the past several weeks I’ve watched my little princess struggle with an inner burden,” Donel Duke said quietly, his fingers forming a steeple beneath his chin as he regarded Alexandra thoughtfully. “I was thinking it was just you having a hard time getting over the near-kidnap. So I hired the psychologist, hoping that would help. Only you seem to be getting worse.”
“I’ll be fine, dad,” Alexandra said on a deep sigh, wishing she’d start to believe that lie herself since she said it so often.