by BJ Harvey
“Yeah?”
“Make sure you keep Cohen on his toes. It keeps life interesting.” And just like that, he’s gone.
I drop my phone on the bed and slump back down against my pillows, Jamie’s parting words repeating in my head.
I don’t even know what he means by that. Has Cohen said something to him? Co is one of the most closed-off guys I know. He’s locked up tight, whereas I’m an open book. If he’s thick, sludgy oil, I’m the clearest, cleanest water.
That’s not to say I won’t take Jamie’s advice to heart. Even if it’s just his way of messing with his brother—like all of the Cook siblings do—it’s definitely something I plan to continue doing.
Because there’s one thing I know. If Cohen Cook is off-kilter, it makes life interesting, and given the recent—and ever-growing—sexual tension sparking between us, there’s no telling what he might do if he’s tempted and his resolve cracks.
I just want to be the woman he needs to work it all out of his system with.
Preferably naked.
Preferably ending in mutual orgasms.
And, most importantly, preferably soon.
An hour later, I’ve yoga-ed, showered, and dressed in a pair of denim shorts I made from an old pair of my favorite jeans, a City of Chicago Fire Department tee I stole from Luca a few years ago, and a well-worn ball cap.
I knock on the door to flat two and a few moments later, it swings open with Jax on the other side. “Finally, another free thinker arrives,” he says.
“Um… usually, I’m just called crazy.”
His lips curve up, and he winks at me. “Me too, but I don’t let that stop me, and neither should you. Come on.” He tips his head back towards the animated discussion coming from inside the apartment. “Ezra and Jase are ganging up on me for wanting to knock out the kitchen wall.”
I step inside, and he closes the door behind me. “Why wouldn’t you want to open the place up? Everyone is all about multi-tasking these days. Being able to fix dinner and see the TV is a must.”
Jax swings an arm over my shoulders and leads me down the short hallway and into the large main room. Jamie, the construction manager Jase, his business partner Matt, and Cohen are standing around a foldout table, all of them focused on the spread-out building plans.
Then, like a line of dominoes, they turn their heads our way and straighten. Jase and Matt, the contractors, both nod by way of a greeting.
“Hey neighbor,” I say with a grin, taking a place between Jamie and Cohen and giving the latter a shoulder bump.
Ezra’s gaze switches from Cohen to me and back again, his lips twitching ever so slightly when Cohen gives me his standard chin-lift.
One look at my best friend, and I recognize that this is closed off Co, not the irresistible flirt who had me tempted to jump him in front of his family on Friday afternoon.
This is back-to-normal Co, must-behave Co, in-denial Co, or maybe wishes-he-could-travel-back-in-time Co.
With a rare weekend off, I opted to give him space, figuring he’d want time to get settled in and enjoy the freedom of living alone again.
Jamie looks around the group. “I’ve invited Skye along to give us any input on project timing and any suggestions she might have in terms of the design of flat three.”
“Not that I’m an architect or anything,” I blurt out, earning a snort from Ezra, a smirk from Jax, and slight smiles from the rest of the group. Still, I feel the need to qualify my previous statement. “I mean, I know what I like, and what I think works, and what would be on my must-have and would-like-to-have lists, but in terms of what wall to knock down and checking if it’s weight-bearing or anything, you’ll need to defer to the experts…” I point to Jase and Matt, who are out-and-out chuckling. “Which is why I guess you have these two.”
“Well, it’s not because they’re nice to look at,” Cohen quips.
I turn and lock eyes with my partner. “Ah, so that’s why I’m here.”
“Well, you’re a hell of a lot hotter than anyone else in this room,” Ezra replies. My head snaps his way, his wide smirk not aimed at me but at Cohen, who grumbles under his breath beside me. What’s going on there?
“Aren’t we lucky I have a brain too,” I say in my best dumb blonde routine. I catch pride in Jax’s eyes, mirth in Ezra’s, and amusement from Matt and Jase. Jamie simply clears his throat, curtailing the conversation.
“Right, so Skye, I don’t want to keep you and Co for too long since you’re both working tonight, but I just wanted you to see the final plans Ez and I have come up with for your apartment.”
Jax leans in and thumbs through the plans, pulling one out from the bottom and placing it on top of the pile. “Voila,” he says, waving his hand over the table like Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune.
I giggle, which makes Jax’s smile widen. Then there’s heat at the small of my back. Willing myself not to react, I look down at the plans. Cohen leans into my side and brings his head close to mine.
“What do you think?” he murmurs quietly, his hand resting lightly on my back. “Anything you don’t like, say so.”
Somehow, I don’t think he’s just talking about the plans, but given we’re in a room with three of his friends and two of his brothers, I’m not about to ask him.
I concentrate on what’s in front of me, the planned new layout of my flat, the changes making It look like a whole new place.
“Wow,” I breathe, picturing in my mind exactly how great it will look when it’s done.
I feel Cohen’s chuckle against my arm before I hear it. ”I think she likes it.”
Tipping my head, I meet Ezra‘s eyes. “This is so different…” His brows knit together, and I quickly rush to elaborate. “But good different. Amazing. Are you sure it’s the same building?”
That gets them all laughing.
“Yeah, Skye. Same building, just a bit of an upgrade, that’s all,” Ezra replies.
I straighten, and Cohen’s hand falls away. I quickly bite my lip to stop myself from showing any sign of disappointment.
“A huge upgrade,” I announce excitedly, looking around the group. “How is this even possible?” I stage whisper.
“Well, this isn’t our first rodeo, and we’re lucky these old buildings have good strong bones,” Matt replies.
“Now, is there anything you don’t think will work, or is there something you feel is missing?” Jamie asks.
I study the plans, pressing my finger gently on the paper, and methodically working my way through the apartment. I envision walking in the front door, along the proposed hallway, past a newly assigned closet, and into the giant living space. There’s a kitchen with an island delineating it from the rest of the room, the sink and counter beneath a new double window looking out over the back of the property. There seems to be cabinets galore and a dishwasher, making me think that there might have been some female consultation somewhere along the line in this design.
“We got the wives to give their opinions on the kitchen,” Jamie says. I knew it. “But a lot of this open-plan design was Cohen’s suggestion. We said he’d been living with Mom too long, but he wasn’t wrong. April and Ronnie thought you’d like having the window. It would be a waste if you couldn’t look out into the backyard while standing at the sink.”
My head snaps toward Cohen. His eyes are guarded, but his features relax when I shoot him an appreciative smile. “That’s very thoughtful of you.”
He rolls his eyes and nods at the plans. “Just wait until you see it finished, brat.”
“Okay, okay, give a girl a minute to fantasize,” I say. Cohen makes a garbled choking sound. I spin my body sideways to face him, swinging my arm around and patting him between his shoulder blades. “You all right there, Cass?”
“Yeah, Cass. It’s been a while since you heard a woman talk about her fantasies?”
Cohen narrows his eyes at his smirking brother, and I can’t help the snort that escapes my lips.
“Maybe it’s because he doesn’t see me as a woman,” I say, quirking a brow at my partner. His eyes lock with mine, surprise, lust, and an edge of caution swirling in them. He opens his mouth to reply, but Ezra beats him to it.
“Maybe it’s cause Co has always been a bit of a girl himself.”
“Damn, Ez, you’re really asking for trouble today,” Jamie says.
I force myself to break my stare-down with Cohen, turning back toward the group.
“Ezra is trying to stir up trouble, but then again, how many alimony payments are you making right now?” I ask, quirking a brow. Ezra throws his head back and bursts out laughing.
Jax’s smile is a mile wide. “Damn, girl, you can tell you grew up with brothers.”
Jamie snorts. “You’re just like Abi. She didn’t let us get away with shit when we were growing up either, even though we were mostly older, but all definitely bigger than her.”
“What are you talking about? Abi still rides your asses, especially her husband’s,” Jase says, the room going quiet for barely a second before what he said registers, and we all start laughing.
I return to my imaginary apartment walk-through, admiring the bigger master bedroom with a small walk-in closet and en suite, then back out to the living room and to the main bathroom. I smile when I see Jamie kept his promise of giving me a bathtub. But then I pause because in adding a third bedroom like they wanted, the entire balance of the floorplan seems off.
Running my finger around the outside line of the blueprint, I come up with another alternative. I reach back and tap Cohen’s side with my fingers, hoping to quietly grab his attention.
Again, he leans down, his chest pressing against my arm. “Yeah?”
“Can you look at the whole floorplan and tell me if it seems off-balance?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like, we’ve got the third bedroom now, but the larger master seems out of proportion with the rest of the place. With the en suite, wardrobe, and then the bedroom itself, it’s almost the same size as the lounge, dining, and kitchen combined. So, with the main bathroom bigger now too, the second room has lost size, and the last bedroom hasn’t got enough room to swing a cat, let alone fit a double bed.” His eyes roam over the plans as I talk, and I appreciate the fact he’s listening to me.
“Okay, what if we moved this wall out here?” He points to a line between the living room and the master. He drags his finger to a line on the opposite side of the page. “And bring this one out to make the third bedroom bigger.”
I nod. “That would work. Do you think they’d be able to do that?”
Co looks up. “Hey, guys. Skye had an idea.” He goes on to explain what we just talked about. I hold my breath as everyone switches their focus to the plans in front of us. My eyes are glued to Ezra, and I hold my breath, hoping I haven’t offended him.
“I really like it, but I think having that bedroom slightly larger wouldn’t affect the overall concept too much. I’m not trying to tell you how to—” I say.
Ezra looks at Jamie. “She’s right, you know. You want the rooms to be multi-purpose, and since Jase, Matt, and I went through here and checked the load-bearing walls, it won’t be too much of a hassle to move those two. It’s actually really smart.” He grins at me. “You aren’t just a pretty face.”
“That’s what my mama always told me,” I say proudly.
“Can you modify these and resubmit them for the permit?” Jamie asks Ezra.
“Won’t be a problem.”
“Okay, and until then, we’ll just get started on the demo,” Matt adds.
Jamie lets out a breath and nods. “Sounds like we’re set then.” He turns to me. “We also wanted to check whether you’re okay with us completing this level first, then moving you in here while we do yours.”
“And if there are any issues, I’m just downstairs,” Cohen adds.
I look his way and clutch my hand over my heart, batting my lashes like a swooning starlet. “Aww. My work husband and friendly neighborhood super.”
He flashes me his best panty-dropping grin. Well, what I imagine would melt any female underwear within a mile’s radius—those who are wearing them anyway.
“Okay, I won’t keep you any longer,” Jamie says, his gaze switching between Cohen and me. “I’m really glad we got you down here, Skye. You were obviously the best person to show these plans to. Since you’ve said you plan to stay on after we’re done, I figure it’s a win–win. You get exactly what you want, and we get a well-designed apartment that comes with a tenant.”
I pull back my shoulders and shoot him a beaming smile. “One who just happens to be awesome, good-looking, and smart.”
“Humble too,” Cohen remarks with a smirk.
“Don’t push me, Cass. I might just become a pain in your ass.”
He quirks a brow. “More than you already are?”
“Oooh,” Matt says.
Jase laughs. “Burn, bro.”
Ez, Jamie, and Jax just chuckle, and Cohen looks mighty proud of himself.
I roll my eyes and turn back to Jamie. “Let me know if I can be any more help, and don’t worry about work hours. If we don’t get to sleep during our shift, nothing will wake me up once I’m in bed. So long as it’s not a jackhammer right under my room, I’ll be fine. Co and I work the same shifts all the time anyway.”
“Sounds good, Skye. I’ll get the schedule from him then. Thanks again,” Jamie says, holding out his arm and shaking my hand.
Cohen’s hand presses into the small of my back. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
“Bye guys,” I call, waving before leaving the room, Cohen by my side. He opens the front door and steps outside with me.
“You want a ride to the firehouse later?” he asks.
I shrug. “If you want. Only if I can drive, though.”
Co shakes his head and snorts. “Have I ever let you get behind the wheel of my baby?”
I shoot him a smirk. “There’s always a first time.”
“And let’s just wait a while for that to happen… maybe fifty years?”
I feign hurt. “And here I was thinking you trusted me.”
“Oh, I do. But I don’t let anyone drive my car.”
“I’ll wear you down one day,” I say confidently.
“Can’t wait to watch you try, brat.”
“Okay, well, I better get upstairs and do my laundry for the week.”
He tilts his head and shoots me that swoony smile of his again. “Want to do mine?”
“Did your mother not teach you how to be a self-sufficient male?”
“She did.”
“Then you can do your own,” I retort.
“One day, I’ll wear you down,” he says, repeating my own words back to me.
Two can play at this game. “Can’t wait to see you try, Cohen Cook.”
“Full-naming doesn’t work on me.”
“The first time she met me, Marcy told me it was the only way to keep you in line.”
He leans in closer, his eyes lowering to half-mast. “She did, did she?”
“Yep,” I say, accentuating the P and drawing his attention to my mouth. He huffs out a breath, the warm air fanning across my lips, which I instinctively lick.
That seems to snap him out of it, and he leans back, but there’s no missing the spark of heat in his eyes as they bore into mine.
“So I’ll call you when it’s time to leave?” he asks.
Whoa. Talk about conversation whiplash. “Yeah, or send me a text, and I’ll meet you downstairs.”
“Sounds good. See you then.”
“Okay,” I say, turning around and moving up the first few steps.
“Can I say one thing, though, for next time?” I stop and look over my shoulder.
“Okay…”
His eyes are intense. It’s the only way to describe them. He drags his gaze down to my bare legs. “You can’t wear those shorts again.”
My head jerks back. I
turn around and lean my hip against the railing. “And why not?”
“They’re far too distracting.”
“What if I want to distract you?”
He looks me up and down, then meets my eyes again. “You do that without trying, brat. That’s the problem.”
Before the meaning of his words sink in, he’s gone, the only sound in the stairwell is the clicking of the apartment door shutting behind him and the thump of my heart in my chest.
If you think it’s a problem now, Cohen Cook, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
7
Cohen
It’s been just a little over a week since I moved out of my parents’ place and into the three-flat building we’re flipping, and I’m feeling lighter than I have in ages. It’s freedom, it’s change, and it’s like I’m not as stuck as I used to be anymore.
I wasn’t expecting it to happen so soon, but being in my own space again for the first time in five years was definitely well overdue. It’s got me thinking that there are other things I should take a chance on too.
“Any issues with the demo noise yesterday? I know they’re going pretty hard out there at the moment,” I say, my eyes locked on the road as we drive away after a call-out.
“Nope. I sleep like the dead. If I’m worn out enough, there’s nothing that can wake me up. Why’s that?” Skye replies.
I shrug. “Thought I’d check.”
She reaches out and bumps my shoulder gently. “Are you asking as my friend, co-worker, building owner, or a person considering wearing me out in other ways?”
I wasn’t, but I am now. Not needing to be thinking about that while driving—or working—I opt for distraction. “How was your date with Penny?” I ask, remembering Skye telling me she’d had a girls’ night planned with her four-year-old god-daughter last night.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see her turn to look at me, a smirk playing on her lips. Thankfully, she lets me get away with it.
“It was fun,” she says. “It’s always fun with the princess.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “Are you still teaching her to be a strong, independent girl?”