Caught on Camera with the CEO (9 page)

He slammed the door and fired the engine. ‘We're not done.'

‘I'm not going to argue with you, Alex.'

‘Good, because I'm right and you know it.'

She reached forward and turned the volume of the radio up and made a point of staring out of the side window.

Stupid, so completely stupid.

She'd known it, hadn't she? Her instincts had been bang on. Now her body was screaming chaos—wanting to cling but wanting to run just as much. Getting close to him was like volunteering to abseil into a live volcano—an adrenalin rush like no other, but with a high chance of incineration.

‘Why are you in New Zealand, Dani? Are you looking for someone—your brother?'

Dani whipped round to look at him—how did he know that?

‘I heard you on the phone last night,' he said bluntly.

The stitches holding the hurt in her heart ripped. That was her most private business, her greatest treasure, and she didn't want anyone—not even him—invading the preciousness of it. ‘You shouldn't eavesdrop on private conversations.'

‘I might be able to help.'

How? Did he have access to all those secret files? She couldn't breathe. Most certainly couldn't speak. Just stared back out of the window.

‘Look, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to,' he said softly, ‘but I know a really good private investigator.'

‘What do you need a PI for?' she asked, surprised.

‘Every family has its secrets, Dani.' His smile twisted.

‘But not every family uses a PI to find them out.'

He went quiet as he turned into the car park in the front of Lorenzo's warehouse. She knew he was waiting but she'd never told a soul about Eli. He wasn't her secret, he was her mother's.

Finally he shrugged and switched off the engine. ‘The offer is there.'

‘I'll think about it,' she lied out of politeness. She wasn't sharing that with him—way too personal. ‘Thanks,' she added as an afterthought.

He'd got out too, walked round to her side of the car, suddenly looking fiery. ‘Do you have to wear those shirts?'

‘What's wrong with my shirts?' They were beautifully fitted, hand-stitched in parts, and conservative. ‘They're not too tight.' Not like some of the numbers she'd seen around his office.

‘They
hint
.'

Hint? She frowned at a small noise. ‘Are you grinding your teeth?'

‘Now I know what's underneath…'

She looked at him as his voice trailed off, her gaze collid
ing with his. Longing tumbled over her and her legs went new-foal wobbly—she was feeling desperate for him again already? ‘I'll dig out my caftan later.'

‘Don't bother, I'll still see your curves.'

He claimed her hand with a ‘don't even try to stop me' grip. So she didn't try, because the need in her body for some kind of touch was too strong.

‘What are you doing?' And why did she have to be so breathless around him?

‘Proving a point.'

But the last word never made it out because he pressed his lips to hers, his body pushing her back against the car, his hands sweeping over her. Dani's body both melted and went bowstring taut. So much for sex snapping the tension.

 

Alex lifted his head and smiled. She was flushed, soft in his arms and unbearably tempting. ‘You'd better go in, sweetheart. You don't want to be late, do you?'

He laughed as she gave him a glare. Then he got back in his car and gunned it.

Sweet, mindless sex. Hours and hours of hard, physical, frisky distraction. That was what he needed and all he wanted. It was the one thing guaranteed to take his mind off his nightmarish family crisis. Images from last night flashed in his head—the shock he'd felt when he'd seen him: Patrick. He'd stared at him, searching for the familiar in his features. Hating himself for not having seen it before. Hating the man more for the years of lies.

Alex had worked and worked and worked for years—and for what? He had no right to the name, his mother had had no right to raise him thinking he did. No right to instil in him the sense of
duty
that had meant he'd never considered any other option—that his life had become the business.

He couldn't believe the extent of the deceit. Couldn't bear to think of the betrayal. It made him glad Samuel was dead—glad he'd never know the truth. Because it really sucked.

So Alex deserved some fun, didn't he? On tap in his own house. He wasn't going to let any stupid regrets take hold of Dani. He knew she was full of it—there weren't any joy boys. But he'd been blowing the hot stuff too—wasn't the total playboy he'd let her believe. Sure, he'd had a rampant phase for a few years there, but he'd matured. Only the occasional date had made it to first base, let alone third, recently, hardly any home runs. OK, he'd got bored.

But he wasn't bored now.

He'd help her with her search if she'd let him. He wanted her to get the answers she needed—he knew all too well how horrible it was not to have those answers. And while she might not want a relationship she was a touch romantic—with her pretty candles and lacy underwear—so he'd do some romancing. Because he wasn't letting her deny them the physical fling that he was sure would make them both feel fantastic, and let him forget everything else. Even if only for a while.

 

Cara was at her desk, her smile sly. Dani glanced out of her window—yeah, it overlooked the car park. OK, so that was embarrassing. Thank goodness Cara was too well bred to comment on anything so personal. There was a part of Dani that would have loved to share her anxiety and excitement—to have a good girly chat about it as she would have done with her mother or her old schoolmates. But she'd lost touch with those friends when her mother was so sick and her father had made it so much worse. Now her mother had gone and Dani didn't know Cara anywhere near well enough to confide.

Instead she got on with her work—sneaking time to post a
question on one of the adoption boards. She'd left messages on a reunion site for him but had no reply. What could she do next given she was unable to request his full file from the authorities?

And after Cara left in the early afternoon, Dani went back online. She wasn't into the whole online social networking thing. Even less so since she'd starred in a downloadable clip of her own. But right now she was a glutton for punishment. She typed in his name. And hers. Found the elevator kiss clip. Winced at the number of hits it had received and blushed beet red when she read some of the comments. People needed to get their own lives. She quickly logged back into the message board, hoping someone might have an answer for her. There was only one.

If he hasn't replied to the ads, there's not much else you can do without professional help. Hire a PI.

‘A
BOUT
this morning.' Dani finally broached the subject.

‘Yes?'

Dani glanced sideways at Alex, a touch apprehensive. He looked uncharacteristically stern, had been quiet on the drive home. ‘I'm not sure we should repeat it.'

‘Dani, be honest.' He served up something from the slow cooker his housekeeper had filled while they were at work. ‘It was mind-blowing and you want to do it again as much as I do.'

‘I don't want to screw up this situation even more.' She quoted his words back at him.

‘Sleeping together isn't going to do that.' He reached for another plate and ladled food onto that too. ‘You've made it clear you don't want a relationship. Well, neither do I. This is just sex. Just fun. Just for now.'

Bed buddies? That was all he wanted, wasn't it? The scenario she'd used to tease him with was the exact one he wanted from her—nothing more. While she'd known that, hearing him say it aloud made her heart beat horribly—skipping beats here and there.

He put the plate down, and the spoon, moved around the bench—and all the while didn't take his eyes off her.

‘You don't want to eat?' Her pulse hammered in her ears.

‘Not food.'

He was going to prove a point again, wasn't he? ‘Alex—'

He leant close, touching her only with his lips. It was all he needed to do. Her lashes lowered as she felt the sensations wash over her. He was right—
mind-blowing.
She stepped forward, melted into his arms. Without breaking the kiss he lifted her, carried her up the stairs. And she was happy to let him carry her wherever so long as he kept on kissing her like that. The desire to be with him dominated everything.

He set her on her feet in his bedroom. ‘Sweetheart.' He smiled as he set about stripping her, muttering more beneath his breath as her body was exposed to him. She was as keen to see him—grappled with the buttons on his shirt until he growled and got rid of it himself. When they were finally naked they stared at each other. His smile faded as he raked her body with his hot gaze. She shivered as she took in his beauty—the sculpted shoulders, defined muscles, the fine scattering of hair on his chest that arrowed down below his belly button, drawing her attention to his straining erection—his physique was sheer perfection and deep inside her a primal readying was occurring. She wanted him absolutely.

Their eyes met. His were fiery. Dani instinctively dampened her lips with her tongue and saw him tense even more. It was going to be explosive again. Good.

And with a suddenness that stole her breath he moved, tumbling her back onto the bed, lunging after her. As his body collided with hers there was instant friction, instant heat. He was so strong. She kissed him hungrily, those last little doubts in her head toppling like sandcastles in the tide. Sure it could be simple. It could just be sex.

His kiss was hot, his body strong. His lips and tongue probed, his hands swept over her shoulders, down her arms
until his fingers clasped hers. He broke the kiss and smiled at her. He lifted her arms, placing one then the other above her head. He gazed into her eyes, at her lips, at her breasts. He shook his head slightly.

‘So beautiful, Dani.' He shifted his hold on her, freeing one of his hands but keeping her wrists pinioned above her head by the other. He moved onto his side, one thigh still weighting hers but baring her body to his view.

He smiled as he gazed down her length again. And then his fingers followed his sightline. Coasting lightly down her body, caressing, teasing down her neck, her breasts, circling her belly button and then lower over her stomach, lower still…

Dani shifted restlessly, breathing faster.

‘What?' he murmured in her ear. ‘What do you want?'

She arched her spine in response, aching to feel all of him against her again. His fingers teased, twirling in her hot, wet space. She was so close to tipping over the edge—but it wasn't what she wanted. It wasn't all she wanted. She moaned, unable to stop the sound of pure frustration.

‘Isn't this enough?' His words tickled her ear. ‘Don't I just let my fingers do the walking, hmm? Isn't that what you do? Isn't this all you need? Better than a man, more reliable? Satisfying?'

She was so
unsatisfied
. ‘Alex.' Even as she complained she tried to snuggle closer, wanting more of his body against her.

‘So tell me, then, what you really want.' His fingers didn't stop teasing and she was beside herself. The ache widened inside; her body yearned to cushion his. To have him imprinted on her.
Inside
her.

But he didn't alter the slow, teasing touches—just kept them the same—keeping her right on the edge and not letting her go over.

She moved again, grinding into his hand, trying to force a
harder, faster stroke, but he just chuckled and kept it the same maddening torture.

The heat overwhelmed her. ‘You want me to spell it out for you?'

‘Yes.'

She whispered it in his ear—the same words she'd used this morning. The ones that had made him move so wickedly.

He rolled right on top of her, his knees pushing her legs further apart, and she nearly fainted with the blissful anticipation of it. His thighs were heavy, strong. She hooked her feet back over his calves. Tangling with him was irresistible. And he was so close, she could feel the head of his erection pressing against her. She only had to lift her hips the slightest and she'd have him. But he looked down at her, his eyes dark, and lifted his hips away—just enough.

His chest was squashing hers but she didn't mind. In fact, she loved the weight and the hardness of it—loved the feeling of being trapped beneath him. She arched, seeking. ‘Alex.'

‘What?' He pressed kisses to her neck, his body warming hers, his hand cupping, clasping.

‘Don't tease me.'

‘Who says I'm teasing?' His eyes glinted. ‘Sex as good as this doesn't happen that often. You have to admit that.'

She looked up at him. Surprised into silence. So this was off the charts for him too? Her excitement ratcheted an impossible degree higher.

His whole body flexed. He knew—he'd felt the tremor of response in her body. He lifted, repositioned, pressed even harder against her. ‘You know how incredible this is, Dani.'

He thrust home and every last thought fled in the warmth of feeling that engulfed her.

‘Tell me how it feels,' he asked, teeth gritted, body rigid.

She was so aware of his strength. The strength she now had inside her—barely leashed, about to burst through her. But it didn't frighten her. All the fear she'd had bottled inside for years had vanished in the instant he'd taken her, chased away by the absolute feeling of
rightness
.

‘Good.' She managed to breathe—unable to be anything but honest. ‘So good. So good.' So much better than good.

He released her wrists. She swept her hands over his back, tracing the muscles, and then stretched to clasp his shoulders, her fingers spread wide. She arched up to him—loving the heat and weight and power of him.

Staying slow wasn't something either of them could manage. The ability to form words faded, sighs sounded instead. Faster they moved. Pushing closer, rotating so the friction grew unbearable. And yet he had just enough discipline—changing the angle, watching her face, waiting those few minutes until she could no longer hold back. Her body went taut, every cell seizing, her breath caught for an endless moment. And then she convulsed—shuddering with the spasms of delight that ravaged through her.

His grip broke, his body freed to move as fast and hard as it craved to, his hands holding her so close and his groan gorgeously rough in her ears.

 

When she opened her eyes it was morning already and she was alone. Maybe she'd somehow staggered down to her own room during the night? How would she know? All she could remember was the way they'd moved together—how many times had it been? She blinked, shifting the all-too-delicious images from her head, and focused. No, this wasn't the spare room. This was his room. She slipped out of the bed gingerly, then made a dash for her bedroom. Saw it wasn't yet seven. Wow. He did rise early.

She showered, trying to soothe her still hypersensitive skin,
and dressed. By the time she got to the kitchen he was in place—breakfast half eaten. He stood as soon as she appeared.

‘I've got an omelette for you ready to go.'

‘I can't eat a rich breakfast.'

‘You need sustenance. You didn't get much sleep last night.'

Well, he'd had even less. ‘What time did you get up?'

‘I get up at five.'

‘
Why?'
Madness. Especially on a Saturday.

His phone beeped and he flashed a grin. ‘There are bankers awake in all twenty-four hours of the day. And people always want their questions answered
now
.'

Really? It was all work? She pointed at his phone. ‘You just set this up to try to impress me. Make me think you're an amazingly committed worker.'

‘You don't think I am?'

Of course she did. But she couldn't resist teasing him. ‘First impressions, Alex. First time I saw you, you were wandering around the office like a butterfly—stopping to chat and smile and make the place pretty while the worker ants got it all done for you.'

He didn't seem remotely offended, just sent a lecherous look over her body. ‘Want to know my first impression of you?'

‘No.'

‘Chicken.'

‘I'm not biting.'

‘No, that was my first impression of you. A little scaredy cat in the lift.'

She tilted her chin and called him on it. ‘You'd been staring at me for days before the lift incident. That wasn't your first impression.'

His smile widened. ‘My very first impression I can't say aloud. It wouldn't be gentlemanly.'

She flushed.

‘And, no, that impression hasn't changed. In fact, it's been enhanced.' He gave her a playful pat on the rear. ‘Now hurry up and eat—we've got to go help Lorenzo.'

Dani was sorely tempted to slap him back, but she suspected she'd end up beneath him if she did that and her body needed a couple of hours' recovery time first. ‘Help him with what?'

‘You'll see.'

Ten minutes later Dani watched out of the window as they drove out of the inner-city flash-apartment zone, through a commercial area and eventually into a much poorer residential area. ‘How do you know each other?'

‘Lorenzo?'

‘Yeah.' They seemed an odd mix. Alex was so the outgoing charming kind whereas Lorenzo was definitely the silent brooder.

‘We were at school together. Became friends there and have been ever since.'

So it was just the boys' network thing. ‘And you set up the charity together?'

‘Lorenzo had the idea but didn't want to be the public eye so much. He collared me for most of that. I wanted to support him.'

‘Why did he want to do it?'

Alex sent her a quick glance. ‘Lorenzo didn't have a great upbringing. He wants to help kids in a similar position.'

How not so great an upbringing? ‘But you were at the same school?' Somehow she imagined Alex had gone to some exclusive number that cost lots of money and she suspected that when he said Lorenzo's upbringing hadn't been so great, he meant it had been lacking—in every way.

‘Boarding school, yes. Lorenzo was a scholarship kid.'

‘Boarding?' Dani lifted her brows. Alex was an only child
whose parents had lived in the biggest city in New Zealand—there were posh private schools practically on their doorstep.

‘It was one of those boys' own schools out in the country—lots of physical endurance stuff to keep us out of trouble.'

‘Don't tell me you got into trouble, Alex,' she teased.

His grin was twisted. ‘Why do you think my mother sent me there?'

She didn't really believe him—this was Alex, the straight-up finance boss. But while he might be grinning, there was an edge of bitterness too—she wanted to ask more but he pulled the car to the kerb. ‘Here we are.'

Dani took in the scene—the tools, the wood, the sign on the building. They were building a new fence for a playgroup?

‘I'm happy to dig the last couple of holes for the side fence.' Alex slammed the door.

Lorenzo looked up from where he stood in the back of the truck, tossing out implements. ‘You got energy to burn?'

‘And then some.'

Dani stepped out of the car. OK, what was her role here?

‘You mind raking the leaves, Dani?' Alex glanced over from where he was already picking up a spade.

‘Sure.' She wasn't work-shy. Good thing too because it took her over an hour to rake up all the leaves from the paths and heap them into the green waste wheelie bins. Then she swept and pulled a few weeds. By then she was burning to make a cutting comment or two because this wasn't exactly her idea of Saturday-morning fun.

‘Where are the cameras?' She stood alongside the fence line Alex was digging the post holes for. ‘Don't you want your charity bit to be recorded for publicity?'

‘This is just a little job we're doing on the quiet. We save the cameras for the big set pieces like the dinner the other
night.' Alex leaned on the spade and drawled, ‘When we're looking our handsomest.'

Dani could argue that one. Sure, he was to die for in a tux, but in faded old jeans and a tee shirt that was now clinging to his sweaty torso, well, hell. Officially it might be autumn, but as far as she was concerned it was hotter than Hades.

He was obviously used to a bit of physical work—could handle a spade and a wheelbarrow. But she couldn't sit here and watch him all day lugging wood and digging and looking way too manly. And it looked as if they were going to be doing this
all
day. Lorenzo had put up the horizontals on the front fence—where the posts had already been concreted in.