Lexie Read online

  “You’re blitzed,” he said.

  Her eyes narrowed. “What’s it to you?”

  Nothing—but he’d never seen her at anything less than full control, besides this morning. Her spine wasn’t rigid, and her lips were soft. Her eyes were still suspicious, but they weren’t as sharp. For once, that quick mind of hers wasn’t three steps ahead of him. The effect was interesting.

  The crowd shifted then, bumping up against them. She rocked again on her high heels, falling against his chest. Cam pulled her to him as his head whipped around.

  The man next to them held up his hands, a tallboy clenched in one. “Sorry, man. Didn’t mean anything.”

  “Come on, Roxie,” someone else called. “Don’t leave us hanging.”

  The brunette on the bar fluffed her hair, unfazed by the attention she received standing up there alone. “Sorry, boys. Show’s over. It’s time for you to buy more drinks.”

  She jumped down behind the bar, ready to help take orders. There were more grumbles, but most of the men reached into their back pockets for their wallets.

  Cam worked Lexie away from the crowd and found a nook against the wall by the jukebox. Nickelback was now pouring out of speakers overhead. Pushing her protectively into the corner, he braced one hand near her head. She was an expert at avoiding him, but not this time. He kept his other hand on her waist as he hovered over her. She was warm and soft and entirely too tipsy for him to leave alone.

  He slid his gaze over her, taking in her flushed cheeks and mussed hair. “How long have you been here? Why didn’t you call someone?”

  Her jaw hardened. “Who would I call? They kicked me out.”

  And the pain over that still lingered in her voice.

  “You could have called me. I’ve been looking for you all day.”

  “I didn’t ask you to do that.”

  She might not have, but he wasn’t the type of guy who could sit around twiddling his thumbs. He’d seen her expression as she’d walked away from the Underhills, and it had concerned him. She was an expert at pushing things down and not letting them show but, this time, her face had been damn near placid. It hadn’t been a good sign. The proof had been in the way she’d sparred with him in her office afterwards. Him—somebody she avoided like the plague. He’d been half out of his mind worrying about her all afternoon.

  Apparently, with good reason.

  “Have you been here all day?” he asked. How much of it had she spent drinking?

  She brushed her hair out of her eyes again. It was tumbled around her shoulders, all silky and touchable. As approachable as she seemed, though, there was fire in her eyes. “Yes,” she said defiantly. “I popped in and decided to stay when I found my sister.”

  All that stubbornness faltered when she glanced at the bar. When her gaze came back to him, the brown depths were soft and aching. “Did you see that, Cam? Did you look at her? I have a sister. A full-blooded sister.”

  The fight drained out of him. She acted so stunned, so overwhelmed and so delighted, he couldn’t stay upset with her. Besides, she’d called him by his name.

  He bent his head down closer to hers. “I can see that. It’s hard not to.”

  “We’re twins. We’ve got it all figured out.” She watched fervently as the dark-haired woman behind the bar passed out drinks. “Her name’s Roxie. She was the one on that billboard. Not me.” Her eyes narrowed again, and her chin thrust out. “Not. Me.”

  From out of nowhere, she gave him a shove solid enough to rock him back on his heels. Surprised at the spitfire side of her, Cam leaned back in, settling close. The feel of her hands on him was just too good. “I knew it wasn’t you,” he reminded her.

  “You didn’t know…” She stopped. “You did.”

  Uncertainty made her face fall, and she glanced back to the bar. “You said our eyes were different.” The uncertainty turned into a frown. “Is she prettier than me? Was that it?”

  “No, that wasn’t it.” He cupped her chin and brought her attention back to him.

  He sighed when he saw the glaze in her eyes. She wasn’t a sloppy drunk. She didn’t slur her words, and she didn’t get belligerent. Well, not that belligerent. Alcohol just seemed to break down the walls she constantly kept erected around herself. Let loose, her emotions were fighting over which could show itself first. Hurt, joy and confusion were all there for the world to see.

  With her, alcohol brought out honesty.

  Cam took a deep breath. He had to get her out of here. Sober her up and help her get things straight in her head. The misunderstanding with the Underhills needed to be cleared up as soon as possible—for her sake as well as the company’s. They’d hurt her this morning and without cause. She deserved an apology, and he was going to make sure she got one.

  This newfound sister, though. He glanced over his shoulder to the bar. She was a different issue entirely.

  He watched as Roxie flirted with a particularly ugly biker, checking out the tattoo on his shoulder. He didn’t like coincidences, and he didn’t like surprises. This woman was both, and he didn’t want Lexie around her until he had the opportunity to check her out.

  And he had the resources to do a really close check.

  He brushed his thumb against Lexie’s waist and pulled back. “Let’s go straighten things out with Julian.”

  Her breath caught audibly. Face paling, her gaze flew to the door. “Is he here?”

  Cam sighed. Damn that man. “No. We’ll go find him after you’ve had some coffee.”

  “Is anybody else coming?” She rubbed her bare arms. Without her jacket, she seemed vulnerable. Ten minutes earlier, she’d been dancing around and having fun. At the mention of her family, though, she needed her armor.

  He stroked her waist, trying to get her to relax. “You got me. Just me.”

  “Oh.”

  The emotions in her eyes tumbled again, and confusion won the battle this time. She glanced around the bar almost forlornly. Cameron braced his hand against the jukebox, wanting to punch it. She was so easy to read this way, but it was a painful read.

  “Do you really dislike me that much, Lexie?”

  “I don’t dislike you.”

  Could have fooled him. “Then what is it? You’ve been avoiding me ever since I first started working at Underhill. Are you afraid of me?”

  She shifted uneasily. She’d ventured into a biker bar and had made it her own, yet looking him in the eye seemed to be too much for her. “Kind of.”

  Cam nearly winced. That honesty was a double-edged sword. “Why?”

  “Why? You want to gut my family’s company.” Her brow furrowed. “I mean, Underhill Associates.” She shook her head, the confusion too much. “I have good workers. Smart people. They should know their jobs are secure. My job should be secure.”

  “I’m not talking about work here,” he said bluntly. “And I think you know that.”

  Her lips parted. “But work is all we…” Frustration colored her cheeks. She lifted her hands and pressed her fingers against her temples. “Argg. You’re doing it again, confusing me and twisting everything up. I couldn’t sleep last night after you did what you…and firing me…and, and cleavage…”

  He could look at her cleavage all he wanted right now, but things were suddenly getting interesting. “You couldn’t sleep because you were thinking about me?”

  She rocked her foot back onto its heel, and he instinctively positioned himself closer so she couldn’t kick him. The move put his body a hairsbreadth away from hers. She was warm from all that dancing. Her skin glistened with perspiration, leaving it damp and kissable. Lickable.

  She flattened her hands against his chest again, but this time he didn’t budge. It flustered her. She shifted against the jukebox, but he wasn’t letting her get away now—not when he finally had her talking to him.

  Her lips pressed into a straight line. “I wasn’t thinking about you, I was thinking about my proposition…purpose…my proposal.”


  Interesting choice of words.

  But the alcohol she’d consumed had her on a roll. “You made me late today. I kept wondering what you were going to do. What were you going to think? How were you going to smell?”

  “I smell?”

  “Not you. It’s just…” Her cheeks went red. “Your aftershave smells nice.”

  Her words died away, but all thoughts of taking her home to Daddy left Cam. Taking her home, though, wasn’t such a bad idea. His body felt hard and hot. He’d been stressed all day, but the tension gripping him now was another sort entirely. “What do you think of me, Lexie? Really?”

  Her gaze locked with his, and he saw something new in the dark depths. Something that made his heart rate slow down, and the thick pumps sound loudly in his ears.

  “You make me uncomfortable,” she said, her voice low.

  “Uncomfortable, how?”

  She bit into her bottom lip, and her gaze skittered away. “Just…uncomfortable.”

  The awareness he’d felt on the elevator came back, heavy and deep. It was the first indication he’d had that she saw him not as a threat, but as a man.

  He wanted another.

  But he didn’t know when he’d ever get it.

  She was skittish around him. Guarded. The closest he could get to her was in meetings. Stuffy, mind-numbing meetings. Right now, her defenses were down. He couldn’t. He shouldn’t, but he wanted to know…

  He reached for her.

  Ever so gently, he ran his fingertips down her bare arm, all the way from shoulder to elbow. As he watched, goose bumps popped up on the warm flesh. She shivered and her breath caught. When she looked at him, her gaze was a little wild.

  “You make me uncomfortable too,” he said gruffly.

  They stared at each other, the music throbbing and the air hazy around them.

  “Really uncomfortable,” he muttered.

  Closing the distance, he sank into her. He watched her closely as their bodies pressed from chest to knee. The heat was intimate, the contact electric. For a moment, she was stunned still. Then all those emotions she’d kept tempered for so long rushed forward to meet him. Her anger. Her heat. Her sweetness. He felt it in the way her body melted. He heard it in the catch in the back of her throat.

  “Lexie.” He kissed her. Firmly, fully, mouth locked on mouth. He sealed their lips tight, and the sensation was so good, it damn near made him groan aloud.

  Her lips were soft, velvety and they clung. The kiss deepened, their mouths opening wider for more contact. For a woman who was as strapped in and lashed down as she was, she knew how to kiss.

  And then some.

  That hard-on he’d gotten when he’d seen her dancing atop the bar came roaring back to life. He kissed her harder, letting his tongue slide over hers. A sound left her throat, and her fingers bit into his shoulders. He did it again, loving her heat, loving the way she responded. She moved restlessly, her body grinding against his. Softness against hardness. Heat against heat.

  Cam wanted to pick her up and carry her right out to his car. He could feel her nipples poking him and her hips rolling sexily. Her arousal was like every other emotion the alcohol had freed. Hot, immediate and right on the surface.

  What had started as an exploratory kiss was quickly turning into a blistering-hot make-out session. They were hidden together in the corner. Music pounded around them and bodies shifted nearby. They were in public. Anyone could see them.

  And he didn’t care.

  He moved closer, rocking his hips into her. She let out a soft whimper as her hands glided from his shoulders to lock around his neck. Their bodies fit together like yin and yang. Her breasts pressed tighter against his chest, and he settled his growing erection right where it wanted to be, in the warm nook at the top of her legs.

  He tangled his fingers in her hair as he nuzzled the feminine curve of her jawline. God, her hair… He clenched his fist in the dark curls. If the rest of her was this silky, he’d never last. Hungry for more, he sent his other hand down her side. His blood thundered hard when he found the not-so-professional slit in her oh-so-professional skirt.

  “You want the truth?” he whispered into her ear. “The billboard wasn’t pretty enough.”

  “Cam,” she gasped as he slid his hand around to the back of her thigh.

  But her knee bent. And she arched back against the jukebox.

  It took their weight as he caressed smooth, warm flesh, until the tips of his fingers brushed against panties.

  “Ahem.”

  The sound barely registered. Lexie rubbed the tip of her tongue against his, and Cam’s reaction was immediate. He was hard and ready.

  “Maybe I should make that ‘Hey!’” The word was accompanied with a none-too-gentle shove to the shoulder.

  Cam’s first instinct was to protect Lexie. His grip tightened on her as he turned, yet he was met with the sight of a woman identical to the one in his arms.

  “Should I get you two a room?” Roxie asked, her eyes narrowing.

  Lexie hissed. Even in the dim lighting of the bar, Cam could see the red creeping into her cheeks. She lifted her hand to cover her eyes, and he swore. It had taken him months to get close enough to talk to her. He’d leapfrogged quickly to get her into his arms, but this was not a mistake.

  “Who is this guy?” Double Trouble asked.

  Lexie’s lips moved but, as close as he was, even Cam couldn’t hear her.

  “Who?” Roxie repeated.

  “Ruthless Rowe.”

  The twin’s eyes flared. “Oh really.”

  Her gaze raked over him, from the way he was leaning into her sister to the way his hand still caressed the back of her thigh. “You didn’t mention he was hot.” One brow arched. “Or that you like his tongue down your throat.”

  Lexie’s reaction was immediate. She stiffened and pushed at his shoulders. “Get off of me.”

  Cam backed away, but he didn’t go far. It took everything inside him to remove his touch from her bare leg, but when he turned, he planted himself between the two women. He looked at the one who’d so rudely interrupted them and went straight into battle mode. “You got her drunk.”

  A second eyebrow lifted to match the first. “And you’re using that to your advantage.”

  Score tied. One to one.

  Roxie waggled her finger at his face. “You’ve got a little lipstick on you, lover boy.”

  He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. He didn’t like this woman. He didn’t like her at all. “Do you have any idea how much trouble that billboard is causing?”

  “I have to disagree with you there. It brought my sister to me. I think it’s fabulous.” Roxie tilted her head, and her right foot rocked back. She balanced her weight on her heel with her toe pointing into the air. It was a gesture so tied with Lexie in Cam’s mind, for a moment he was thrown off his game.

  “Yeah, well, reunion time is over.” He got over the similarities fast and caught Lexie’s hand. “She’s coming with me.”

  “What? No, I’m not.”

  “She is not.”

  That got a rise out of both of them. They spoke in unison, as if they’d spent their entire lives together rather than a day. Lexie tugged on her hand, and Roxie’s foot slammed down.

  “She’s not going anywhere with you.”

  A big, scruffy mountain of a man smoothly took his place at the barmaid’s side. “Is there a problem here, Rox?”

  Cam judged the bouncer. The guy had a good fifty pounds on him, but all that mass would slow him down.

  “No. Skeeter, don’t.” Lexie stepped between the two of them but lifted her hand to her forehead. “Whoa.”

  “Are you okay?” Cam asked.

  “Lexie?” Roxie said.

  Lexie wove on her feet. “I don’t feel so good.”

  “She needs fresh air.” Cam threw another glare at the barmaid. Lexie was beginning to feel the effects of all that alcohol, and not the good ones. It was going to be a lon
g night for her. He needed to get her somewhere comfortable and soon. “I’m taking her home.”

  He took a step around the huge Skeeter, but Lexie didn’t budge.

  “No,” she said, tugging on her hand.

  He looked at her face, hoping she wasn’t about to get sick.

  She wasn’t. On the contrary, her eyes were suddenly clear. “I don’t want to go back there, Cam.”

  He stilled. It wasn’t home she was thinking about, it was the Underhills. “It was a mistake, Lexie. Everybody makes them. They owe you an apology.”

  “I don’t want to go back. Not tonight.”

  There they were again, those emotions bubbling up and up. Her breaths were shortening and her shoulders were stiffening. He saw the worry in her eyes and immediately changed plans.

  “Okay, we won’t.” He wasn’t going to push her on this. “I’ll take you to a hotel.”

  “Over my dead body,” Roxie snarled.

  “I…I want to stay here,” Lexie said.

  “That’s fine with me.” Roxie wrapped her arm around her newfound sister’s shoulders and faced him, her jaw set. “She staying, Hatchet Man. That is what she calls you, isn’t it?”

  Cam felt his shoulders tighten. He’d expected a fight when he came in here, but not one like this. “This is not the right place for her,” he said, trying to keep his patience.

  “And you’re not the right guy.”

  Touché.

  He stared Roxie down, a vein in his temple throbbing. He knew her type. Cocky and hotheaded. Bold with no sense of class or respect for authority. She was everything that Lexie wasn’t, and he hated that she wore the same face, inhabited the same body.

  He glanced at Lexie, hoping to reason with her, but she was paler than she’d been only a moment before. He needed to get her out of here fast.

  “Lexie, you don’t even know this woman. She’s your sister, maybe. You need to get a DNA match to prove it, but right now you know nothing about her other than she looks like you, wears half the clothes and lets anyone driving down the I-67 get a real good look.”

  “I don’t wear that many clothes,” Lexie grumbled. She tilted awkwardly towards the jukebox as she reached for it. “Besides, we have a DNA test scheduled first thing tomorrow.”