Hero(61)

The only way not to feel like that was to have as little interaction with him as possible until I had the feeling under control.

“Here are the photocopies you needed,” I said after knocking on Caine’s door.

He waved me in. “Thanks.”

I placed them on his desk, feeling his eyes on my face. “Do you need anything else?”

“May I have another coffee?” he said, his question quiet.

“Of course.” I began to walk away, but he stopped me, calling out my name. “Yes?” I whipped around to face him.

Caine stared at me, his mood seeming contemplative. “Did you have a good Sunday?”

I was surprised by the question. And honestly I didn’t like it. It was a question that reminded me I’d woken up alone, thus ensuring that the rest of my Sunday would be utter crap. There was nothing quite like a guy sneaking out on you after sex to diminish your confidence. “It was fine.”

“Did you do anything nice?”

I wept like a dumb-ass little girl when I woke up alone, and then I spent the rest of the day curled up on the sofa feeling bloated, fat, and tired, as is normal on the first day of my period. I also ate a ton of chocolate. But that part was nice. “I did.” I moved to walk out and he called my name again.

I looked back at him, exuding calm and patience. “Yes?”

“So, what did you do?”

“I hung out. Let me get that coffee for you.”

Upon my returning with his coffee, Caine halted me again by wrapping his hand around my wrist as I placed his coffee on his desk. He seemed troubled.

“Is everything okay, Lexie?” His fingers tightened their grip.

“Everything is fine.” I shrugged and gently pried my hand from his hold.

“You would tell me otherwise?”

“Of course.” At that bald-faced lie I walked out, but I could feel Caine watching me the whole time.

By the time I got back to my desk, I exhaled, letting go of all the air I’d been holding in in his presence.

It was pretty easy to avoid Caine after that, because he was busy with a couple of conference calls. I was buried with work, which took my mind off how I was feeling. Part of me felt more in control being distant with Caine, but there was another part of me that wished my period would fuck off so I could return to my more rational, easygoing self. I had to keep reminding myself that as far as Caine was concerned this was just sex, and I’d agreed with him. Just sex meant emotional distance and I needed to get used to that.

For at least an hour I wasn’t really thinking about the state of things between me and Caine, but that all changed when Security called up to announce a Darcy Hale had arrived hoping to catch a moment with my boss. I had never heard of her, but when I checked in with Caine he recognized the name and told me to let her up.

When the tall, elegant blonde sashayed down the corridor toward me, it took everything within me not to narrow my eyes in suspicion. Everything about her was sophisticated, from her wide-tailored dove gray trousers and cream silk camisole, to the stylish black Gucci sunglasses sitting perched on top of her head. Her blond hair was pulled back sleekly in a high-fashion ponytail that accentuated her sharp bone structure.

She looked like a model.

I had every suspicion she was a model.

She gave me a cool smile as she approached my desk. “Darcy Hale for Caine Carraway.”

“Of course.” I gave her a strained smile and felt my gut tighten unpleasantly. “One moment.” After I called through to Caine I relayed to her that he would be just a few moments.

“That’s fine.” She shrugged elegantly. “I was just passing by and thought I’d pop in, so I would have understood if he couldn’t see me.” She gave me a sly smile. “Looks like I made an impression, however.”

I wanted to yank on her ponytail like a five-year-old. “And you met Mr. Carraway …?”

“On Friday at an art gala. My father is president of an investment company that sits proudly under the Carraway Holdings banner.” She smiled and this time it was surprisingly wolfish. “We had quite the meeting of minds.”

And what the hell did that mean?

Caine came out of his office to welcome Darcy inside with a gentlemanly suaveness I did not like. I looked away, catching sight of him gazing in my direction a few moments before he closed the door behind him and Darcy.

I fumed at my computer screen.

Hadn’t he said before he left for that damn gala that we were exclusive?

What the hell was going on? And what exactly did he get up to with that feline woman who was barely even a woman? She looked about eighteen!

To my relief Darcy left the building only ten minutes later. I was not relieved, however, by the fact that she looked far too pleased with herself for my liking when she did so. She’d only turned the corner at the top of the corridor, disappearing from my sight, when Caine called me into his office.