case.
But at the moment, he appeared completely unswayed. "Why wouldn't you want your family to know about this?"
She exhaled a frustrated breath. "Because once you tell Steve about the pictures, he'll tell my brothers what's going on, and before you know it I'll be under watch 24/7; they'll be pressuring me to move back home where they feel it's safe. Joel would probably assign one of his guys at his security firm to be my constant shadow, too. Being smothered by my brothers and cousins is not an option for me, and that's exactly what will happen if they get involved."
"All our cases are handled confidentially," he said, attempting to reassure her.
Her laughter held a cynical edge. "Not when it comes to my family. You know as well as I do there is no way Steve would keep something like this to himself."
He leaned back on his barstool and crossed his arms over his chest. This time, he didn't argue her valid point. "If you want the truth, because of our…"
He seemed to struggle for the right phrasing, and she supplied it for him. "Affair?"
"Okay, affair," he said, accepting her choice of word to describe what had happened between them that past Friday night. "Because of our involvement, I don't think I'm the right person to handle this case. Conflict of interest and all that."
Bullshit, she wanted to say but didn't. She'd never been a potty mouth, and she wasn't about to start now. She also hated to resort to scheming tactics, but she was desperate to persuade him. "Fine, I'll handle this myself," she said abruptly and scooped up the pictures still spread out on the counter. "Forget I ever came by, and I'd appreciate you keeping this to yourself."
He grasped her wrist before she could shove the photos back into the envelope. Her pulse thrummed erratically beneath the press of his warm thumb, and she lifted her gaze to his. Heat and desire arched between them, and she watched him struggle to keep his reaction to her in check.
"Mia, don't be stupid," he bit out in annoyance. "You can't go off on your own with the possibility of someone stalking you."
"I prefer not to."
He groaned, knowing exactly what she was insinuating. "You always have to make things difficult, don't you?"
She flashed him a sassy grin. "You should be flattered that I came to you for help."
He lifted a brow at her attempt to manipulate him. "Flattered enough to agree to help you, you mean?"
"It's all semantics, sugar." She shrugged and started to withdraw her hand from his grasp. "But the bottom line is, you're not interested."
He tightened his grip, and her heart skipped a wild beat. "No, that's the problem," he said in a rough, gravely tone of voice. "I'm way too interested… in you!"
The honest emotion in his beautiful green eyes startled her. Many men had sweet-talked her in an attempt to get under her skirt, but never with the kind of intensity and need she'd just witnessed in Cameron's gaze. It was thrilling to know he wanted her that much, because the feeling was definitely mutual.
She licked her suddenly dry lips. "And that's a problem, why?"
"Because I don't think you and I are a good match. Outside of the bedroom, anyway." His thumb brushed gently, seductively over that sensitive spot on her wrist as if to soothe away the sting of his words. "I want you, Mia, and being inside of you that one time was nothing short of amazing, but the truth is, you're all wrong for me, in so many ways, and I just don't think you and I working together is such a great idea."
She couldn't deny that his comment hurt, though she had to admit it didn't come as a huge surprise. She'd always known she wasn't Cameron's type—outside of the bedroom, anyway. She was good enough for him to have sex with, but not good enough for him to consider a relationship with. At least he was being open and honest with her and taking her feelings into consideration, because that was the
But at the moment, he appeared completely unswayed. "Why wouldn't you want your family to know about this?"
She exhaled a frustrated breath. "Because once you tell Steve about the pictures, he'll tell my brothers what's going on, and before you know it I'll be under watch 24/7; they'll be pressuring me to move back home where they feel it's safe. Joel would probably assign one of his guys at his security firm to be my constant shadow, too. Being smothered by my brothers and cousins is not an option for me, and that's exactly what will happen if they get involved."
"All our cases are handled confidentially," he said, attempting to reassure her.
Her laughter held a cynical edge. "Not when it comes to my family. You know as well as I do there is no way Steve would keep something like this to himself."
He leaned back on his barstool and crossed his arms over his chest. This time, he didn't argue her valid point. "If you want the truth, because of our…"
He seemed to struggle for the right phrasing, and she supplied it for him. "Affair?"
"Okay, affair," he said, accepting her choice of word to describe what had happened between them that past Friday night. "Because of our involvement, I don't think I'm the right person to handle this case. Conflict of interest and all that."
Bullshit, she wanted to say but didn't. She'd never been a potty mouth, and she wasn't about to start now. She also hated to resort to scheming tactics, but she was desperate to persuade him. "Fine, I'll handle this myself," she said abruptly and scooped up the pictures still spread out on the counter. "Forget I ever came by, and I'd appreciate you keeping this to yourself."
He grasped her wrist before she could shove the photos back into the envelope. Her pulse thrummed erratically beneath the press of his warm thumb, and she lifted her gaze to his. Heat and desire arched between them, and she watched him struggle to keep his reaction to her in check.
"Mia, don't be stupid," he bit out in annoyance. "You can't go off on your own with the possibility of someone stalking you."
"I prefer not to."
He groaned, knowing exactly what she was insinuating. "You always have to make things difficult, don't you?"
She flashed him a sassy grin. "You should be flattered that I came to you for help."
He lifted a brow at her attempt to manipulate him. "Flattered enough to agree to help you, you mean?"
"It's all semantics, sugar." She shrugged and started to withdraw her hand from his grasp. "But the bottom line is, you're not interested."
He tightened his grip, and her heart skipped a wild beat. "No, that's the problem," he said in a rough, gravely tone of voice. "I'm way too interested… in you!"
The honest emotion in his beautiful green eyes startled her. Many men had sweet-talked her in an attempt to get under her skirt, but never with the kind of intensity and need she'd just witnessed in Cameron's gaze. It was thrilling to know he wanted her that much, because the feeling was definitely mutual.
She licked her suddenly dry lips. "And that's a problem, why?"
"Because I don't think you and I are a good match. Outside of the bedroom, anyway." His thumb brushed gently, seductively over that sensitive spot on her wrist as if to soothe away the sting of his words. "I want you, Mia, and being inside of you that one time was nothing short of amazing, but the truth is, you're all wrong for me, in so many ways, and I just don't think you and I working together is such a great idea."
She couldn't deny that his comment hurt, though she had to admit it didn't come as a huge surprise. She'd always known she wasn't Cameron's type—outside of the bedroom, anyway. She was good enough for him to have sex with, but not good enough for him to consider a relationship with. At least he was being open and honest with her and taking her feelings into consideration, because that was the
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