Free The CEO's Surprise Family by Teresa Carpenter Page B

void existed in her heart because she missed her so much.
    Twenty-six minutes. Time had never moved so slowly.
    Seriously!
    She dug into her pants pocket for her cell phone. Where are you? she texted him. You can’t say we need to talk and then leave me hanging. Send. And then, for good measure, I’m going to start rearranging furniture if you don’t get here soon. Send.
    Pushing away from the desk she sent the chair swirling round and round. Light and dark flashed before her eyes to an accompanying beat in her head. It started as a tapping of her toes, a roll of her shoulders, and then she popped to her feet unable to deny the urge to dance, to put her frayed emotions into actual motion.
    * * *
    In the elevator on the way up to his office Jethro stared at his phone. Rearrange his furniture? Crazy woman. What kind of threat was that? An effective one actually. He liked things a certain way. Not at an OCD level, but he didn’t care to have people messing with his things.
    â€œWhat is it?” Clay asked.
    â€œNothing.” Jethro slipped his phone into his pocket. “Lexi is in my office and she’s getting impatient.”
    â€œWell, we didn’t expect to go by Child Protective Services.” The elevator stopped and Clay stepped forward. “Do you want me to go back with you this afternoon?”
    â€œMaybe, I plan to take Lexi. If she agrees to my terms. If not, then I’ll give you a call.”
    Clay nodded and exited the elevator. “Good luck with the wild child.”
    Wild child? Yes, it fit. The elevator went up two more floors and dropped him on the top floor. Hopefully he made it to his office before it sported a new decor.
    â€œWhat’s she doing in there?” he asked when he reached his assistant’s desk.
    â€œWaiting,” she replied without looking away from her computer screen.
    â€œYou haven’t checked on her?”
    â€œNo. She’s not four.”
    â€œAre you sure?” he muttered and opened the door. All thoughts of his furnishings fled at the sight that greeted him.
    Lexi moved to a tune only she heard. Arms, legs, body, she threw herself completely into the dance. She wore black pants and a short-sleeved tank that clung to her curves. Emotion thrummed through every movement whether she flung her arms wide or ducked into a crouch where she held herself close and then rolled into a full stretch reaching for something just out of grasp.
    Her performance reached right into his soul and grabbed hold. He’d already decided to give her Jasmine. But seeing the power of her commitment, the depth of her emotion reflected in her dancing, he was reassured on an elemental level.
    With a flick of long legs she knelt and then flowed to her feet and then to her toes, arms outstretched to encompass the world. Finally, slowly Lexi wound down—she rocked back on her heels, her arms coming in so her wrists crossed over her heart, her head dropped forward and she was still.
    He detested seeing such despair in someone usually so filled with life. It made him want to wrap his arms around her, offer comfort. He resisted. “It’s going to be okay.”
    She slowly lifted her head. “How can it be if we have to talk? You’ve changed your mind, haven’t you? You want to keep her.”
    â€œI haven’t changed my mind.”
    She swung to face him. “Does that mean you’ll let me adopt her?”
    The urge to touch won out this time. He ran his thumb over the silk of her cheek wiping away a bit of moisture. He hadn’t noticed the tears until now, doubted she’d been aware of them at all.
    Curling his hand into a fist, he turned his back on her. If this was going to work, he needed to maintain his distance. No more spontaneous acts of comfort.
    â€œThat’s what we need to discuss.”
    He glanced around the office, looking for his visitor’s chairs. She hadn’t so much rearranged his furniture