had hired her as their head of PR.
But Leo Hunter only hired the best. And Iain could vouch for that as Leo had pursued him relentlessly to get him here.
She lifted her head and gave her hair a shake, catching him with her blue eyes and winking. ‘Gotcha!’
He couldn’t stop the instant smile that appeared on his lips. Even this late at night, after pursuing him all day, she could still joke with him.
She slid off the chesterfield and moved over towards him, folding her arms across her depleted shirt. ‘So, Iain McKenzie, your mission to avoid me has failed. Resistance is futile.’
He raised his eyebrows. Surprised by her knowledge of his favourite TV show. Lexi Robbins did her homework.
‘You’re going to have to agree to the interview and to me shadowing you for a few days. I mean, after all, some people could be very upset about being mishandled.’
He sighed. ‘Ms Robbins, are you trying to blackmail me?’
She gave a perfunctory nod. ‘You bet I am.’
He shook his head. ‘Lexi, find someone else. Some happy, shiny person who likes doing this kind of thing. I just want to do my job.’
‘And so do I. Believe it or not, Ethan Hunter is even more difficult than you. Would you call him happy and shiny? Because he’s my other potential interviewee.’ She raised her eyebrows at him.
His head was spinning. She’d moved closer and he was getting a waft of that perfume again. Predator perfume. At least that was what his brain was telling him.
It was making him uneasy, on edge. Or maybe it was just reminding him of how up close and personal they’d just been.
When was the last time he’d been up close and personal with a woman?
He didn’t even want to think about that. He’d known from the second he’d laid eyes on her that Lexi Robbins meant trouble for him. His body reacted in ways it shouldn’t when she was around. The sound of her voice, the smell of her distinctive perfume, even the sound of her stiletto heels clicking along the corridor were enough to send his imagination into overdrive and remind him of why he’d been avoiding her at all costs.
He rubbed his sleep-heavy eyes. Maybe his nightmares had taken a new turn and an alien was about to burst from her stomach and eat him alive. Nope. She was still there. Still staring at him with her big blue eyes and pink lips.
She held out her hand towards him.
‘What?’
‘Let’s go, Iain.’
For a second he was confused. ‘Go where?’
She shot him a dazzling smile. ‘Home. I’m going to take you home.’
SHE WAS TRYING not to show her nerves. Trying to pretend that this was an everyday occurrence.
But Iain McKenzie wasn’t helping. His brow was wrinkled, deep furrowed wrinkles that marred his handsome complexion.
She leaned forward and grabbed hold of one his hands, bending down in front of him. ‘Iain, I’m worried about you. You spent hours in surgery today, then you spent another few hours avoiding me, and now I catch you here …’ she held up her other hand ‘… fast asleep in another office.’ She looked up into his face, seeing tiny lines of exhaustion around his eyes that instantly tugged at her heart. ‘It’s not good, Iain. You are one of our greatest assets. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t take you home.’
The confused and uptight expression on his face relaxed a little. Oh, no. What had he thought she’d meant?
She patted his hand. It was meant to be reassuring, motherly. But it wasn’t working for her, and she doubted it was working for him. It was only making her sluggish veins pick up tempo and send the blood flowing more quickly back to her heart.
The long day had obviously caused her brain to become fuddled. The sooner she got Iain McKenzie home safely the better.
He stood up next to her and she was instantly swamped by his large athletic frame. ‘Don’t be silly, Lexi. You’re not going to drive me home. My car is down the street. I’ll go and get it.’
That accent. That Scottish burr sent shivers down her spine. She could happily listen to it all day. And she could bet that potential clients could too. She had to persuade him to take part in the publicity campaign. Iain was pure gold.
It was time for a firm approach. ‘Iain, I meant what I said. From what I can gather, you’ve put in a sixteen-hour day so far. You were sleeping soundly before I disturbed you.’ Then she wrinkled her nose. ‘And, truth be told, I’d already staked out your car. It looks as if it’s got a flat. There’s no way you’re changing that at this time of night.’ She gave a little laugh. ‘Not in the dark anyway, with those surgeon’s hands. How much are they worth?’
She saw his shoulders sag a little and it gave her a spurt of hope. Maybe tomorrow he could forgive her little white lie? In the meantime, she had to use her best tactics to persuade him to take part in the publicity.
He gave his forehead another rub and arched his back. ‘Okay, Lexi. Thanks for the offer. I guess spending the night in the clinic isn’t ideal.’ He bent over and picked up his jacket, which was lying across a chair, then held the door open for her.
She gave a little nod, straightened her blouse and jacket and slipped her feet back into her shoes. It only took a few minutes to reach her car, which she’d moved near the clinic entrance.
He nodded in approval. ‘Sports car? Nice, Lexi. Did you pick this yourself?’
She gave an embarrassed shake of her head as she pressed the button to open the doors. ‘Not exactly. It was a birthday present.’
He let out a sigh as he sat down in the passenger seat, folding his long legs into the small footwell. ‘That’s some birthday present. From a man?’
The question hung in the air between them. Was he curious about her love life, or was he just making small talk? The air in the car seemed to instantly close around them as she slammed her door. Iain McKenzie was a big man in the small space. The sleeve of his jacket was brushing against hers.
Her brain was ready to drift back to the office. To the feel of the hard planes of his chest against her firm breasts.
She pushed the gearstick into reverse and looked at him sideways. ‘The car was from my father. I’d like to think he spent hours thinking about it, but the reality is his PA probably picked the make, model and colour and all he had to do was sign the cheque.’
She pulled out into the street. It was practically empty at this time in the morning and her natural instinct was to floor it. Talking about her parents brought out the worst in her.
Iain surprised her. He let out a deep, hearty laugh. She glanced over, raising her eyebrows in surprise.
‘So
