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“But it was your idea,” he said.
“It’s our idea,” she stressed. “Stemming from all the talks with the Mavericks and their loved ones.”
She could have rubbed her hands together with glee like a little girl. All she really wanted to do right now was work on this incredible project with Dane. Yes, there were all the day-to-day tasks that would still need to be accomplished, but she thought of all the hours they’d spend, heads together, making plans, creating something miraculous.
It hit her that she longed for all those hours together a little too much. A little too desperately.
Coming off five months of family leave, that might be a very dangerous thing.
Chapter Eight
She was smart. She was courageous. She was efficient and conscientious. She was also funny under better circumstances. And she constantly surprised and amazed him. Even as Cammie worked through her uncle’s estate, her beautiful mind was brainstorming, coming up with an idea so brilliant, so exciting that Dane’s heart pounded in his chest.
Or maybe that was just having her sitting across from him again, her scent filling the room, filling his head, filling him up.
He’d missed her. More than he could say. And he loved that she appreciated the Zanti Misfits. They seemed a fitting homecoming.
But she stared at her hands a long moment before looking at him again, as if an errant thought had been running through her mind. “I know it’s my first evening back, but it’s been a long day. Would you mind if I had dinner in my room?”
“Of course not. I’ll have Fernsby bring up a tray when you’re ready.”
“Thank you.”
He sensed a vulnerability about her. As if the last five months had suddenly taken their toll. She’d been on duty with her uncle the entire time, never getting enough rest. Then she’d pushed through settling the estate in record time.
If he could have, he would have rounded his desk and pulled her into his arms.
Instead, he watched her go.
Damn the rules that kept him from holding her the way she needed to be held. That kept him from giving her the comfort he desperately wanted to supply.
They’d lived under the same roof for seven long years after she sold Lochlan’s house and put the proceeds toward his care. Providing her with a suite of rooms in all his homes seemed like a win-win for both of them. He needed her. She was the order in his life and the heart in his work. When starting a new venture or project, she was instrumental in moving him to consider how he could help people. He’d come to rely on that. To rely on her.
That’s why he’d wanted to help with Lochlan’s care—to pay her back for what she’d done for him. But once the house proceeds were exhausted, she’d insisted on paying what she could, which was a good portion of her salary. Both he and Ava would willingly forgo any further payment, but accepting that wasn’t in Cammie’s nature.
The fact that she lived with him was an even greater reason for the rules they’d drawn up that long-ago day. Because, damn him, he couldn’t forget the satiny feel of her skin beneath his fingers, the sweet scent of her hair as he buried his face in its silkiness, the ambrosia of her kiss.
The damn rules were the only things keeping him from marching down the hall and begging her.
Except for the fact that if he pushed, she might pack her bags and leave him.
* * *
Cammie typed feverishly long into the night, barely touching the tray of food Fernsby had brought. Rex, in his doggy bed, lifted his head every so often to gaze at her.
Since the soccer game, she’d considered the talents of all the Maverick women. This merger wasn’t just about the billionaires. Their wives, fiancées, girlfriends, and family were an integral part of the Maverick group. She’d shared her thoughts with Dane, and he’d jumped on her ideas, wanting to talk to each one.
Brainstorming ideas had gotten her through those last dark days with her uncle. The video chats had kept her spirits from plummeting after he died.
Now she had work to get her through. She’d already started a document, adding to it after every meeting, but tonight she dropped in all the ideas floating through her mind. And they just kept coming. God, how badly she wanted to be more than just an assistant on this new resort project. Could she actually run it? With help, yes. But that was the rub—she still needed help.
The thought didn’t dampen her enthusiasm, and with every new concept, she wanted to run down the hall to Dane’s room and tell him.
Which, of course, she couldn’t do.
It was even harder not to think about that night. After all this time, she should barely be able to recall it. Yet she remembered each detail so vividly. His taste, his touch. The things he did with his lips, his mouth. The way he’d stolen her breath with that very first kiss.
