Page 20 of The Wrong One

I nodded. “I did.”

“You’re dealing with a complete upheaval,” he said. “You’d be crazy not to have the occasional breakdown.”

My heart squeezed. It had been a long time since someone stopped what they were doing and really listened to me. Really took the time to understand me. Emmy was a great support system, but I knew she had a lot on her plate. Ramsey was a good big brother and was very supportive, but Cam just sat and listened. He didn’t try to tell me what to do.

“Thank you for being so kind,” I said. “And for understanding and not just running in the opposite direction. Thank you for not making me feel like a burden.”

“You’re not a burden,” he said. “You don’t have to thank me. I was just doing what any normal person would do.”

I smirked. “Not really. You could have tossed a box of tissues at me and run away. You could have told me to get my shit together and walked away.”

He laughed. “Don’t act so surprised. I’ve always got your back. Always have and always will. Just say the word and I’ll charter a jet and go deal with your problem face to face.”

“Thank you, but that isn’t necessary,” I said. “Besides, I think you’ll have to get in line behind Ramsey.”

“If you want to take the day, go ahead,” he said.

“No.” I quickly shook my head. “I want to be here. I need the distraction. Going home and sulking is not going to help anything.”

“Okay,” he said. “That works for me.”

“What are you working on today?” I asked.

“I’m working on some final tests,” he said. “I’ll show you.”

His eyes sparkled with excitement as he began detailing the lab tests he had been conducting. He gestured wildly while he talked about what led him to this moment. His technology aimed to uncover the elusive markers for genetic illnesses, the hidden clues that could unlock a brighter future for countless individuals. It wasn’t exactly a unique idea. It was something scientists from around the world were working on. There were already a lot of successes, but I could see Cam’s technology being the best.

I listened to him talking and felt his passion come through his words. He talked about the intricacies of DNA sequencing, algorithms that meticulously scoured the genetic code for the illnesses people wanted to find. His voice resonated with determination.

I listened intently, my admiration for his brilliance growing with every passing moment. It was hard not to be attracted to his brilliance and his looks. He talked about the work that required tireless dedication and long nights spent hunched over microscopes, analyzing data with unwavering focus. The magnitude of his work was not lost on me. I knew what he went through. I had many projects that took every ounce of my soul, but nothing I worked on was quite as important as what he was doing. I couldn’t help but think of the lives that could be saved and the suffering that could be alleviated.

“I know it sounds far-fetched, but I think it will work,” Cam said.

His eyes were flashing with excitement. He was such an attractive man. It wasn’t that I didn’t know he was attractive but watching him talk about his work tickled something inside me.

“It has worked so far,” I told him. “Right? That’s what all of these samples prove.”

“Yes.” He nodded. “But that’s here in the lab. I want to run a hundred tests and make sure it is a hundred percent. We can’t push this out if there’s even a hint of faulty results. Can you imagine the liability if we tell someone they have some horrific, terminal disease and they don’t?”

“I understand,” I agreed. “The tests are positive. There’s always going to be a risk of error. Nothing is ever a hundred percent.”

“True,” he said.

He went back to talking about his project. I watched him but I wasn’t really hearing him. Not anymore. I was focused on him. I watched the tendons in his hands, the muscles in his forearms, and the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. His brows bobbed up and down as he talked. He gestured and talked animatedly as he explained some of the successes he had thus far. He was exactly what I needed. He was giving me the chance to really see him. It was my first time seeing him at work. While I knew Cam from our childhood and him hanging around Ramsey, this was a new side of him.

He was gorgeous. I loved seeing the passion in him. Growing up, he was cocky and always acted like a womanizer. Both he and Ramsey partied a lot and dated a lot of women. He was the guy who had a different woman on his arm every weekend. I never really looked at him as a serious guy. But now, as I watched him talk about his work, I saw a different side of him. The intelligence and passion he had for his work was evident in every word he spoke. It was a side of him I had never seen before, and it made me realize that there was so much more to him than just his looks and his reputation.

I couldn’t help but feel drawn to him. I wanted to know more about him and to see him in a different light. I wondered if he felt the same way about me. I had always been attracted to him, but I never thought it was mutual.

As he continued to talk, I found myself getting lost in his voice. It was deep and smooth, and I could listen to him talk for hours. I felt a flutter in my chest, and I knew then that my attraction to him was more than just physical. I wanted to get to know him on a deeper level. I wanted to see what made him tick and what drove him.

“Tell me what you need me to do,” I said. “What can I do to make it easier for you?”

“Do you have that research?”

“I do,” I answered. “I’ll get it together right now.”

“You don’t have to do it right now,” he said.

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