meeting.” I look at my watch and then to Kate pointedly. “In eight minutes.”
“Be a few minutes late. I need to talk shop.” Shop equals he needs something from me.
“I can’t. It’s an urgent deal I’m in the middle of. I need to tie it up this morning. Call Helen and get on my schedule.” I turn to Kate and nod before stalking to the elevator bank.
“Kate Monroe is here to see you,” Helen’s voice flows through the intercom.
“Send her in. And hold my calls.”
“I thought I was going to call you tonight so we could talk?” Kate says as she enters my office.
“Change of plans.” I shut the door behind her and deadbolt it. The loud clank of the lock clicking shut captures her attention. She turns to look back at the door and then to me.
“Are you locking people out, or me in?” She arches an eyebrow.
“Both. Come here.” I crook my finger.
“You really are bossy.”
“Does that bother you?” I close the safe distance she’s left between us.
“It depends.”
“On what?” I brush the hair from her face.
“On what you’re bossy about.”
I lift her hand and kiss her knuckles. “Just about you.”
“Just me?” The challenge in her voice softens as our eyes meet.
I nod. “Kiss me.”
“Bossy.”
“Difficult.”
“I’m not diff …” She doesn’t get the chance to finish her protest before my mouth is sealed over hers.
“Wow,” she says when I release her a full five minutes later, and it makes me smile. I noticed she’s said it after each time I kissed her. Almost as if the effect it has on her takes her by surprise. “You’re really good at that.”
“No. We’re just really good together,” I say. “I can tell already.”
I pull her to me and hold her tightly against my chest. Neither of us says a word for a few minutes.
“Cooper?” Her voice is quiet, but the simple two-syllable word tells me she’s about to bestow news I don’t want to hear. I tighten my hold on her.
“Hmmm?” I kiss the top of her forehead.
“We need to talk.”
chapter eight
Kate
“I really like you. I do … but …”
Cooper holds up his hand. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t give me the I really like you speech.”
Well, there goes what I spent half the night planning to say.
Cooper folds his arms across his chest. “Sit.”
“Bossy,” I mutter under my breath, but sit anyway.
“Is it the show?”
I nod.
Cooper paces while he speaks. “Is quitting an option?”
Regretfully, I shake my head.
“I’m not sure I want to hear the answer, but I’ll ask anyway. Do you have feelings for him? ” He rakes his fingers through his hair and says the word him with harried disdain.
“Who? Dickhead?”
Cooper’s mouth twitches at the corners. “Yes, Dickhead.”
“He’s really nice.” His jaw clenches. “But that’s not it.”
“You’re locked into a contract?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll talk to Miles. He owes me one. Or a thousand and one. I’ve lost track.”
“No. You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I need to stay on the show.”
“Do you want the exposure? I’ll tell him you need to stay on the show, but that you aren’t living up to whatever the terms his warped mind has conjured up.”
“I don’t want the exposure.”
Cooper stops. “Then what is it?”
“I need to win.”
“Why? If you don’t want the prize?”
“It’s not the bachelor that I need.”
“There’s a financial incentive?”
I nod. Suddenly, I feel like a whore.
The clock ticks by, long seconds where the silence hangs thick in the air, neither of us saying a word. Finally, I speak. “I can’t see two men at once. I need to keep my focus, and I won’t be able to do that if we keep this up.”
When I see the disappointment in his face, my chest feels like someone stepped on it. “How long does the show have left?” he asks.
“Seven weeks, two days.” Not that I’m counting.
He blows out a thick stream of air, nods, holds me
“Be a few minutes late. I need to talk shop.” Shop equals he needs something from me.
“I can’t. It’s an urgent deal I’m in the middle of. I need to tie it up this morning. Call Helen and get on my schedule.” I turn to Kate and nod before stalking to the elevator bank.
“Kate Monroe is here to see you,” Helen’s voice flows through the intercom.
“Send her in. And hold my calls.”
“I thought I was going to call you tonight so we could talk?” Kate says as she enters my office.
“Change of plans.” I shut the door behind her and deadbolt it. The loud clank of the lock clicking shut captures her attention. She turns to look back at the door and then to me.
“Are you locking people out, or me in?” She arches an eyebrow.
“Both. Come here.” I crook my finger.
“You really are bossy.”
“Does that bother you?” I close the safe distance she’s left between us.
“It depends.”
“On what?” I brush the hair from her face.
“On what you’re bossy about.”
I lift her hand and kiss her knuckles. “Just about you.”
“Just me?” The challenge in her voice softens as our eyes meet.
I nod. “Kiss me.”
“Bossy.”
“Difficult.”
“I’m not diff …” She doesn’t get the chance to finish her protest before my mouth is sealed over hers.
“Wow,” she says when I release her a full five minutes later, and it makes me smile. I noticed she’s said it after each time I kissed her. Almost as if the effect it has on her takes her by surprise. “You’re really good at that.”
“No. We’re just really good together,” I say. “I can tell already.”
I pull her to me and hold her tightly against my chest. Neither of us says a word for a few minutes.
“Cooper?” Her voice is quiet, but the simple two-syllable word tells me she’s about to bestow news I don’t want to hear. I tighten my hold on her.
“Hmmm?” I kiss the top of her forehead.
“We need to talk.”
chapter eight
Kate
“I really like you. I do … but …”
Cooper holds up his hand. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t give me the I really like you speech.”
Well, there goes what I spent half the night planning to say.
Cooper folds his arms across his chest. “Sit.”
“Bossy,” I mutter under my breath, but sit anyway.
“Is it the show?”
I nod.
Cooper paces while he speaks. “Is quitting an option?”
Regretfully, I shake my head.
“I’m not sure I want to hear the answer, but I’ll ask anyway. Do you have feelings for him? ” He rakes his fingers through his hair and says the word him with harried disdain.
“Who? Dickhead?”
Cooper’s mouth twitches at the corners. “Yes, Dickhead.”
“He’s really nice.” His jaw clenches. “But that’s not it.”
“You’re locked into a contract?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll talk to Miles. He owes me one. Or a thousand and one. I’ve lost track.”
“No. You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I need to stay on the show.”
“Do you want the exposure? I’ll tell him you need to stay on the show, but that you aren’t living up to whatever the terms his warped mind has conjured up.”
“I don’t want the exposure.”
Cooper stops. “Then what is it?”
“I need to win.”
“Why? If you don’t want the prize?”
“It’s not the bachelor that I need.”
“There’s a financial incentive?”
I nod. Suddenly, I feel like a whore.
The clock ticks by, long seconds where the silence hangs thick in the air, neither of us saying a word. Finally, I speak. “I can’t see two men at once. I need to keep my focus, and I won’t be able to do that if we keep this up.”
When I see the disappointment in his face, my chest feels like someone stepped on it. “How long does the show have left?” he asks.
“Seven weeks, two days.” Not that I’m counting.
He blows out a thick stream of air, nods, holds me
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