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She was enjoying this far too much to successfully categorize it as a fling. Not that Trish had much experience with that sort of thing, but it just seemed wrong to enjoy her time out of bed with Cameron as much as she enjoyed her time in bed.
“Hungry?”
She glanced at him and smiled. “Always.”
He led her into a tiny restaurant. “This place comes highly recommended.”
They took a little table near the window so they could see the street. It was so...normal. She fiddled with her fork. Talking about work seemed like a cop-out at this point. They were past that. She wanted them to be past that. Maybe it’s time I stop fighting it and admit the truth? Trish opened her mouth to break all their rules and broach the subject of them, but the distracted look on his face had her chickening out. “Have you been to London before?”
“A few times.” He refocused on her and nudged over the menu. “How’d the day go?”
Guess we’re talking about work, after all. “It was good. The time difference means a slight lag in emails, but nothing too dramatic has hit since we’ve been gone. I set up two meetings with potential new clients for the week after next. I figured a little cushion time wasn’t a bad idea in case complications arose with the current job.”
“Trish.”
She dragged her gaze up to his. God, he was gorgeous. The square jaw that she’d spent plenty of time dragging her mouth along, and the sensuous lips and deep, dark eyes. She pressed her own lips together, sure she could still taste him there if she concentrated. “Yeah?”
“I didn’t ask how work went. I asked how your day went. Did you manage to get out and see anything or were you locked up with a computer the entire time I was gone?”
“It’s my job to be locked up with a computer during the day.” When he just stared, she sighed and relented. “I took an extra-long lunch break and went to see the Tower of London. The weather was kind of dreary, but it just set the tone.” She smiled a little.
Cameron leaned forward, a small smile tugging at his lips. “For someone who’s the personification of a ray of sunshine, you sure as hell have a lot of obsessions with dark shit.”
“I like it. It’s good to try and focus on the positive in life, but that doesn’t mean you ignore all the stuff that goes bump in the night. It’s entirely possible that Richard III had his nephews murdered in that tower. If that’s not a horror story for the ages, I don’t know what is.” She made a face. “Though, to be honest, a lot of the Tudors could have starred in their own horror show. They were pretty freaking terrible.” And she loved it. If ever there was a family that acted as a cautionary tale for the corruption of power, it was that one.
“It’s a shame we don’t have time to visit Amsterdam after we’re finished here. There’s all sorts of macabre museums and things to see there.” He picked up his menu. “Maybe next time.”
Next time.
The two innocent little words rang through her like a gong. He’d thrown them out so casually, too. As if they were a given, as if they wouldn’t rock her right down to her core. “Cameron.” She waited for him to set the menu down and give her his full attention. “What are we doing?”
“Trying to get dinner.” He frowned. “Ah, I see. You mean what are we doing.” The slightest of hesitations, so slight she wouldn’t have seen it if she wasn’t watching him so closely. “I thought you didn’t want to talk about that yet.”
“I changed my mind.” She’d gone too far to backtrack now. They’d gone too far. “I like you,” she blurted out. “I know that’s inconvenient and you were very clear about boundaries and limits, but I’ve never been all that good about following the rules, and I like you, okay? I can’t help it.”
“There are more than a few people who’d think you were crazy for that.”
She glared. “Can you be serious, please?”
“I am being serious. Are you sure it’s not the intimacy of sex that’s clouding your judgment?”
For the love of God. She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you seriously trying to talk me out of liking you? Who does that?” But she knew who did that—Cameron O’Clery. The man was nothing if not obstinate.
“No. Definitely not.” He reached out and grabbed her hand. “I’m saying this wrong... Which shouldn’t surprise you. I’m simply trying to understand the change of heart.”
It would be so easy to retreat, to agree that, yeah, she’d let the sex go to her head, and no, she wasn’t really falling for him. It wouldn’t be the truth, though. The truth was that she liked Cameron despite the fact she couldn’t see an outcome where this wouldn’t blow up in their faces. One way or another, it would end in tears. She wouldn’t stay with Tandem forever, and if she pursued the job she’d gotten a degree for, she’d be traveling. Between that kind of work and the number of hours Cameron put into the company, she didn’t see how it could possibly work.
