Merry and Bright(57)

The article went on to raise the question of whether such a thing could happen right here in Blue Eagle.

The official resigned, leaving everyone in every department unsettled and nervous. Cami’s haven—work—had become a nightmare.

In a hastily called meeting, Matt stood before all of them, cool and calm, effectively outlining a plan of attack to face the public and an inner plan of attack to find out what the hell was going on. Afterward, he stayed around talking in his easy way, making everything seem okay, when Cami knew it wasn’t.

She had to admire how he handled himself, how he eased everyone’s mind with just a few words. Which didn’t explain why she didn’t feel eased, but . . . revved. Every time she inadvertently caught his eyes, her body hummed and zipped, like it had when he’d touched her. She was a walking-talking live wire, and any minute now she was going to snap. It was hard to maintain her composure like that, but she was the master of control, so she managed to fake it.

After the meeting, she stood in the break room, waiting for the coffee to brew, ignoring the mistletoe some poor sap had hung over the doorway in hopes of getting lucky. To keep her hands busy, she was compulsively straightening up, putting the filters and mugs in their places, refilling the pitcher of drinking water on the counter. Not that it would all stay that way, but the motions calmed her. Organizing always did.

It was the kiss that was unnerving her, she knew that. Just thinking about it infuriated her because there were so many other things to be obsessing over—the newest scandal, the fact that there were only two shopping days left until Christmas, that she didn’t have a boyfriend to shop for . . .

She poured herself coffee and stood there stirring it, wishing things could be different. But Matt had only been playing with her, she knew that. She must have just imagined how good it’d been, how hot—

“I could show you again.”

With a gasp, she lifted her head and looked into Matt’s amused, aroused eyes.

“Yeah,” he told her. “You said it out loud.”

Groaning in embarrassment, she brought her hands up to her hot cheeks, but he pulled them away. “Don’t,” he said in that voice that Cami was certain could coax a nun out of her virginity. “Let me show you that you didn’t imagine a thing.”

“No. No way.”

“Okay, then.” His hands slid to her hips, and her body quivered hopefully. “Then how about you prove me wrong?” he murmured, and pulled her close.





4


It was sick of him, he knew, but Matt loved the way he could shake Cami’s composure. Loved even more the way she shoved her nose so high in the air she became in danger of getting a nose-bleed.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said in a frosty voice he was coming to realize meant her control was slipping as well. The interesting thing was she didn’t push him away. “I’m not going to kiss you again just to prove there’s nothing between us.” She added a laugh that didn’t fool him any more than her voice had. “We’re grown-ups. We’re professionals. We’re—”

“Hot for each other,” he said.

When she only glared at him, he laughed. “You know I’m right. Come on, admit it. You’re dying to kiss me again. You’re thinking about it. Hell, you’re talking to yourself about it—”

“I am not going to dignify that with a response.”

Leaning in until their noses nearly touched, he grinned right into her eyes. “I double-dog dare you.”

“Please,” she said with a sniff. “I don’t feel the need to take every single dare that comes my way.”

“Then I win by default.”

Steam nearly came out of her ears at that, which was fun, too. So was the sparkle of life in her eyes. Never mind that it was an angry sparkle—he liked it. He liked her.

A lot, as he was discovering.

Then, the break room door opened. Adam walked in, took one look at the two of them in such close proximity, and raised a brow as he reached for a mug. “I didn’t realize you two guys were knocking it out.”

Matt went from amused to pissed, and so did Cami by the looks of her.

“Probably it’s why you approved Cami’s open-space amendment for North’s Landing,” Adam said, oblivious. “Too bad I don’t have a vagina, or I could get my own agenda passed, too.”

Before Matt could say a word past the red haze now blocking his vision, Cami stepped toe-to-toe with Adam, tipping her head back to glare into his eyes. “Watch out,” she said very quietly. “Your knuckles are dragging.”

Adam snorted as he walked past her and sat at the employee lunch table. “All I’m doing is calling it like it is. Now I know all I have to do is sleep with Matt.”

Matt took a step toward him, not exactly sure what he was planning on doing, but his fingers itched to encircle Adam’s neck. Cami beat him to it, picking up the pitcher of water on the counter and emptying it into Adam’s lap.

Adam yelped and surged to his feet, doing the cold-water-in-the-crotch dance.

Cami shot a glare toward Matt, making him very grateful he hadn’t been the one to place the last straw on her back. Then she swept from the room.

Matt leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, watching Adam yell and swear and hop around like an idiot.