by Kendall Ryan
With a sigh, I glanced up at Quinn again. “Have you talked to Coop about this?”
“Only about his running the company while we’re gone, but not about Emma. I thought it would be better if the two of you discussed it between yourselves.”
“Right. Let me think about it.”
“Think quick. They’re already prepping the plane for our departure.”
I nodded and Quinn slipped from the room, clicking the door shut behind him.
In truth, it felt cruel to ask Cooper for a favor like this. As much as I didn’t want to think about it, his feelings for Emma were just as real as mine. And when it came to women, Cooper had never had the layers of brick and cement I put between my heart and the women who shared my bed. He always laid his heart on the table, almost like a dare.
It was something I’d never understood about him. How he could fall in love so hard, so deep, over and over again, and never show the scars of all the times he’d been hurt before?
Gritting my teeth, I wondered if that was what I would have to do with Emma—tear down every bit of armor until she saw everything. Until she had all of me.
Shaking the thought away, I got up from my desk and headed down the hall until I reached my younger brother’s office. Gently, I knocked and waited for him to tell me to come in. When he did, I stepped inside, taking a seat before he bothered to offer it to me.
“Quinn already told me about the trip. You have special instructions?” Cooper asked, not looking up.
I shook my head. “No, nothing like that. I wanted to talk to you about Emma.”
“What about her?” His gaze snapped up to mine.
“I can’t leave her alone after the incident. Not yet.” I shifted in my seat and blew out a sigh. “I know this is a big ask, but I was wondering if you could look after her while I’m gone. Make sure nobody hurts her.”
Cooper stared at me for a long moment, his gaze searching mine while his lips tightened into a thin line. Slowly, he let out a low hiss and nodded. “Of course I will. Just because she didn’t choose me doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be devastated if anything happened to her. You have my word. I’ll look after her.”
“Great.” I stood to leave, but as I reached the door, I turned around. “And thanks, really.”
Cooper offered me a small smile. “Anytime.”
As I made my way back to my office, I fished my phone from my pocket and dialed Emma.
“Hello?” She sounded busy, almost frantic.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Fine. It’s story hour in a few minutes, and someone misplaced the crayons.” There was a long pause before she continued. “Is this what you’re going to do now? Call me every ten minutes to make sure I’m still okay?” she asked, a smile in her voice.
I chuckled and raked a hand through my hair. “No, no, I have bad news. I have to leave for DC in a few minutes, so I can’t spend the night with you. But Cooper is going to come and look after you.”
“What do you mean?” Her voice was breathy.
“We got invited to sit with a big news outfit, and we can’t decline. But I don’t want you alone, so Coop is going to come and make sure you’re okay.”
“No, no, I’ll be okay, really. That seems—”
“Fine,” I finished for her. “It seems fine. Cooper had no problem with it.”
“I can stay with my friend. She—”
“Can’t protect you if someone breaks in. Cooper will stay with you. It’s settled, Emma.”
She let out a sigh, and silence filled the line. I thought she was going to continue fighting me on it, but she didn’t.
“Okay, fine. God save me from you three alpha brothers.”
I bowed my head and said a silent prayer of thanks. “Great. I’ll call you when I land.” I said my good-byes and ended the call so Quinn and I could head to the jet hangar.
As always, I kept an emergency bag in the back of my limo for occasions like these, and Quinn hauled his own down to the car.
“Do you have talking points?” I asked.
“Of course,” Quinn said. “We’ll go over them on the flight.”
While we were in the air for the next two hours, Quinn grilled me on the details of the scandal and on our company policies. But all the while, my head was swimming with thoughts of Emma.
If I had things my way, we’d say fuck it and head straight back home. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Cooper—I did, even in spite of everything. It was just that I didn’t want to trust that she was safe. I wanted to know it. I wanted to have her in my arms and never let her go.
Because the truth was, Emma owned me. She meant more to me than my company, more than my own life. And if something were to happen to her?
That was one tragedy I would never, ever recover from.
Chapter Twelve
Emma
Bethany tapped the doorjamb to my office and peeked around the corner. “It’s five thirty,” she sang.
“I know. Go ahead without me,” I said, distracted by my work and glad for it. It had been a long day thinking about everything that had happened, and I didn’t know what to expect tonight.
“Huh-uh. I’m not letting you work late with all this freaky shit going down.” She crossed her arms over her chest and took another few steps into the room.
I was busy looking over the latest catalog of books for the children’s section, but even if I explained what I was doing, I knew Bethany would have none of it. Especially since, truth be told, I was a terrible liar. She and I both knew the order for the kids’ section wasn’t due for a few weeks. Still, I’d needed something to keep me preoccupied. Something to keep my mind off of what my inevitably awkward night would be like with Cooper.
For a second, I tried to weigh which was worse—the bag of bloody animal parts, or the thought of that heartsick look on Cooper’s face. Even now, it was a toss-up.
Bethany leaned over to see what I was looking at, then shut the book on my hand.
“Ouch! God, what’s gotten into you?” I pulled my hand away and shook it for effect, although it barely hurt.
“I have a date tonight, and I’m not going to risk getting trapped in this library with you and brutally murdered before I get laid one last time.”
As she chuckled at her own awful joke, I blinked and then rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. Look, whatever happened, it was days ago. Nothing else has happened since. We all need to stop making such a fuss.”
That, at least, was what I told myself whenever I snuggled down to sleep at night. And without Gavin beside me, holding me in his strong, protective arms tonight . . .
I suppressed a shiver. We were all being silly. It had probably just been kids playing a prank, or some neighbor mad because I’d taken their preferred parking spot again.
“Emma, come on, what else is going on?” Bethany asked. “You’re not yourself, and if it’s not the threat, what is it?”
I shook my head. “It’s fine.”
“Don’t lie to me.” She jabbed a finger into my chest. “You know that’s one of my things.”
I nodded with a sigh. “Yeah, yeah. Lying and snakes. Your two least favorite things.”
“Exactly.” She offered me a coaxing smile, then plopped into the uncomfortable chair across from my desk. “Now, spill. Is it because Gavin is away?”
“How did you—”
“I saw him on the news this morning. He did a good job.”
“Good,” I said, pushing a pencil across my desk.
I’d secretly watched him myself on my cell, but was glad that Bethany agreed with me. Bethany, who was currently staring at me impatiently.
Knowing there was no way around it, I caved. “Okay, yeah, it has a little to do with him being gone.”
“You can stay at my place, you know.” She shrugged. “You’d be cutting in on my possible booty call tonight, but for you, I’ll make the sacrifice.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s not that. It
’s, well, I’m not going to be alone tonight. That’s sort of the other issue.”
“Okay.” She quirked her lips into a confused half smile. “What do you mean?”
“Cooper is staying with me tonight.”
“Ah.” Bethany gave me a knowing nod and trilled, “Awk-ward.”
“Yeah. I mean, we talked about it and he said he understood everything and forgave me, but I still feel, I don’t know, weird about being alone with him after everything that happened between us. It’s not like he just stopped caring about me. Or me him, for that matter. Just not the way he wanted me to. What if we’re eating dinner, and I look up and he’s sad or something?”
“Right.” Bethany sighed. “Yeah, that sucks. No arguments here, sister.”
“I knew I could always come to you for sage wisdom,” I said, offering her a teasing smile.
She shrugged. “What do you want me to say? It does suck. What are you going to do?”
“Pretend I have the flu and confine myself to my bedroom?”
“A good plan.” Bethany nodded. “Except, of course, if you had so much as a sniffle, Gavin would come flying back here in a heartbeat.”
I laughed. “You’re probably right. I guess I just have to be brave and trust that neither of us is going to let this be awkward, and that our friendship is strong enough to weather this.”
“And if it isn’t, you have my number on speed dial. I’m an excellent third wheel. Ask any of my sisters.” Bethany winked, and I laughed.
“Right. Okay, I’ll keep my phone close by.”
The bell on the door to the library jingled and Bethany bolted from her seat, thudding down the hall until she reached the little lobby area.
From my desk, I could hear her saying, “I’m so sorry, sir, the library is closed for the night. You can, however, use all our online services—”
“No, I’m sorry, I was just looking for Emma. Is she here?”
When the familiar deep voice reached me, my chair scraped the floor as I moved to grab my bag and jacket. “It’s okay, Bethany,” I called out. “That’s Cooper.”
I walked down the hall to find Bethany smiling up at him, her neck practically craning to see all the way to his face.
“Are all you Kingsleys so tall?” she asked in awe.
“It’s one of our many talents.” Cooper grinned, then turned his attention to me. “Hey, are you ready to go? I’m sorry to surprise you like this, but I thought it’d be best if I walked with you to the car.”
I nodded. “Sure, but you didn’t have to come all this way.”
Cooper shrugged. “I’ll know for tomorrow. For tonight, I thought we could grab burgers for dinner.”
My stomach rumbled at the idea. “Sounds great.”
And so far? No awkwardness. Just a good, warm feeling at being around someone I genuinely liked. It was nice, but I willed myself not to get used to it. The night was young.
We said our good-byes to Bethany. When everyone had left the building, I locked up behind us and we made my way to Cooper’s car. Unlike Gavin, he hadn’t opted for a driver, but slid into the driver’s seat of a silver Porsche himself after opening the passenger door for me. I guessed my driver had the night off.
I clicked the door shut and buckled myself in as the car purred to life and classic rock hummed through the speakers. “Are you sure you want to pick up greasy food in a car this nice?”
He laughed. “Life is for living. I’m not going to worry about little stuff like that.”
We got carryout from my favorite burger place before making our way back to my brownstone. As we approached, Cooper checked the windows and front door for signs of a break-in, just as Gavin had done in the days prior. Once he was sure all was clear, I unlocked the door and let us both inside.
Without asking, Cooper unpacked the food in the kitchen. He grabbed bottles of water from the fridge, then found plates in the right cabinet on the first try.
“So,” he said, setting the plates down on the kitchen table, “I want you to do whatever you would do on a normal night. I’m just here to make sure you’re safe, not to be entertained.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not going to make you watch House Hunters.”
“Damn shame. Although, not much point anymore. They always pick house number three anyway,” he teased, then picked up his burger and unwrapped it.
I laughed, surprised again by his easy, laid-back demeanor. He seemed so . . . normal. Even if he realized he’d been mistaken about his feelings for me, surely I deserved some anger? But nope. Nada. Cooper just didn’t have it in him.
Then again, I should have known better than to think a Kingsley brother would do anything I expected him to do.
With a growing easiness between us, we tucked into our food, and I savored every greasy, comforting bite as ketchup oozed from beneath the bun and onto my fingers. Closing my eyes, I sucked the salt from a fry and ate it like it was the first thing I’d had after months at sea.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone who looks like they love food the way you do,” he said with a low laugh.
“I don’t think anyone loves food the way I do,” I replied with a grin before popping another fry into my mouth.
After we polished off our dinner, we moved to the living room, where I flipped the channels until we found an old classic on TV—Singin’ in the Rain. It was just at the beginning, and since Cooper hadn’t seen it before, I explained to him what he’d missed before grabbing a blanket and snuggling in for the rest. He stayed on his side of the couch and I stayed on mine, but it felt good. Easy.
I smiled to myself, making a mental note to tell Gavin this when he got home, and then glanced at Cooper again.
Maybe this brotherly thing could actually work after all. In spite of all our history, it could be something good for both of us.
The music over the ending credits drifted into the background as the movie segued into another, and my eyes grew heavy.
“Come on, princess. Slumber party’s over. Time for bed.”
I jolted upright. Bed. God, why hadn’t I thought this through? Where was Cooper going to sleep? My guest room held a treadmill instead of a spare bed. And his six-foot-four-inch frame was way too much for my dainty couch.
I stood, turning to face him. “I’m sorry. I can grab you some pillows and blankets, but I—”
He shook his head. “I’ll figure it out.”
As I readied myself for bed, I tried not to worry. Cooper took one last look around my home, making sure everything was secure before coming to stand in the hallway outside my bedroom.
This was more than a favor. Him sleeping on the floor was the antithesis to the way he should have been treated. But Cooper, being Cooper, wouldn’t hear any of it. He tucked me into bed, sitting on the edge of it and patting my back dutifully.
“Good night, princess. Sleep well.”
“Night, Coop,” I murmured, my eyes already falling closed.
• • •
The next thing I knew, sunlight was shining brightly in my eyes. I stretched, yawning long and deep. Cracking my eyelids open, I spotted Cooper sitting in the armchair in the corner of my room, his large bare feet resting on my floral-pattered ottoman.
His lips curled into a lazy smile as he woke, and he ran a hand through his tousled hair. “Morning,” he croaked.
“Good morning,” I replied, stunned that he’d slept in the chair all night.
I glanced around, looking for my phone and finding it on my nightstand. “Shit,” I murmured. “I’m so late. My driver is going to be here any minute.”
“I’ll drive you this morning,” he said, rising to his feet and stretching.
I shook my head. “You’re already late for work as it is. I don’t want to get you into any trouble with your brothers.”
Cooper nodded appreciatively. “You’re catching on to us.”
“Already caught on,” I shot back with a wink.
I hurried to the bathroom and
took the world’s fastest shower, then brushed my teeth before slipping into a pair of black pants and a red cable-knit sweater. Quickly, I shoved my hair into a bun on top of my head and jogged down the steps to find Cooper waiting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea for me.
I snagged the cup and thanked him, taking a long sip and closing my eyes while the warmth poured through my body. “Thank heaven for a good cup of tea.”
He nodded.
“Want coffee?” I offered.
He shook his head. “I’ll get some at the office. Ready to go?”
I nodded, and together we made our way out the door and down the steps to the street.
“Thanks for, you know, looking after me,” I said before Cooper reached his car.
He offered me a warm smile. “Anytime, princess.”
I grinned, breathing a sigh of relief as I made my way around his car and slid into backseat of the sleek sedan. My driver mumbled a brief “good morning” before pulling away.
A short time later, we arrived at the library and the car rolled to a stop. I stepped out into the brisk morning air, realizing that I’d forgotten my jacket in my haste to get out the door this morning. I looked both ways, and when I was sure everything was clear, I closed the door behind me and began to cross the street to the library.
Bethany stood waiting for me just outside the entrance, and I waved to get her attention. She waved back and opened her mouth to speak, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying over the sudden roar of an engine revving.
Time seemed to slow as I watched Bethany turn from her spot on the curb, her eyes growing wide and frantic. She turned back to me in slow motion, pointing at something behind me.
“Emma!”
But her cry was too late. I turned just in time to see a red vehicle barreling at me, just yards away.
Air whooshed past me as I spun around and bent slightly to launch myself out of the way. Just as my foot left the ground, the metal frame of the car plowed into me, and my body rolled onto the hood of the car like a rag doll.
Tires squealed as the breath left my body, a white-hot pain shooting through my sides. I fell to the asphalt in a heap, the dim sounds of Bethany’s screams ringing in my ears. Footfalls rushed toward me, but I didn’t move to see where they were coming from. I couldn’t.
