Understanding gleamed in Robert’s gaze. “Ah. One of my favorites. An early work of mine. You have good taste,” he murmured with a smile. “If you’ll both excuse me, I must mingle.” He clasped Taylor’s hand and shook it. “I look forward to reading your article about the show.”
As soon as Robert was out of earshot, she asked, “What are you doing here?”
He pulled her into an embrace and placed his lips at her ear. “I called your office earlier but you had already left. Emily told me you were here. Good thing I arrived just in time. That guy was all over you.”
Was that a hint of jealousy in his voice? The smile he wore didn’t reach his eyes. “He was not. He was just being friendly.”
“A little too friendly, asking you out for a drink.”
“Cooper—”
He kissed her. Right there in the middle of the crowded gallery. It wasn’t a brief peck on the lips, but a full-fledged kiss that stole her breath. Her eyes fluttered closed and it took a moment before the sound of conversation around them penetrated her consciousness. Weak and breathless, she tore her lips from under his and buried her face in his neck.
“We’re in front of a crowd of people,” she protested softly.
“I don’t care,” he whispered back.
She sighed. “Robert Dodd is harmless.”
“He was eating you up with his eyes.”
Choking back a laugh, she shook her head. “You’re crazy.” She wrapped her arms around his middle, snuggling close. She’d missed him.
“He needs to know you’re not available.”
“I’m not even going to respond to that. It must be a man thing,” she retorted, pulling him along the display. “He really is talented. His work is amazing.”
“He is,” Cooper agreed grudgingly. “The Matador is a fine example of that.
She threw him a teasing look. “See? You already like his work.”
“Doesn’t mean I have to like him,” he muttered under his breath.
Taylor pulled him to the last painting hanging on the far wall. It was of a young girl frolicking in a field of flowers. The stunning profusion of colors done in bold brush strokes was breathtaking. “This is my favorite. It’s alive and vibrant. You can almost feel the wind in your face.”
Cooper was looking at her instead of the painting. “You like this.”
“Hmm.” She sighed. “It’s very soothing, in a unique way. It’s a little girl enjoying the innocence of life. It’s beautiful.” She stared one last time at the painting that for some reason tugged at her heartstrings before lacing her fingers with his. “How about we get out of here so you can stop scowling at poor Robert?”
He brushed his lips over their clasped hands. “How about dinner?”
“You’re on.”
Cooper Hathaway and Mystery Girlfriend Spotted at Local Art Show.
Taylor’s stomach twisted in knots as she skimmed the article posted on a tabloid website. The picture had been taken at the art show last night at the moment Cooper kissed her. There was another one of them with their arms around each other. God, she should have been more careful. This was a nightmare. She glanced at her phone. There were several missed calls with voice mail messages, a couple of them from Emily.
She slammed the screen of her laptop down and stood up to pace, wishing she was back in her own apartment and hadn’t spent the night here at Cooper’s house. She’d been so careful not to be seen in public with Cooper. Oh why did he have to show up at the gallery anyway?
Anxiety rose to her throat, threatening to choke her. Taylor swallowed. It was only a matter of hours before the picture would be picked up by more mainstream media, even newspapers. Damn it. She could just imagine it. Reporters were going to dig into her life in a bid to outdo one another for the scoop about the woman with Cooper Hathaway. It wouldn’t be long before they identified her. Inevitably, her parents’ sensational divorce would come up and be talked about repeatedly. The thought was nauseating.
“Taylor.” Cooper appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, looking calm and unruffled.
She faced him, trying to control the feelings rioting inside her. How could he stand there as if nothing had happened? “We’re all over the internet. Everybody knows.”
“Is that so bad?”
“I wish you’d stop acting like it’s not such a big deal. I value my privacy. From the get-go, I told you I didn’t want to be part of some media circus.”
“And you think I don’t value my privacy? Do you think I like my life being splashed all over the news like I owe the public an explanation for my actions?”
“I don’t want to be fodder for gossip,” she shot back tightly.
“You can’t control what people talk about. So what if they gossip? I don’t give a fuck what they do.”
She flinched. “I do.”
“Make me understand why you’re so upset that people know we’re sleeping together. What the hell is so wrong with being with me?” he demanded, his tone harsh and unyielding. “This is a fucking joke. I’m with you and you seem ashamed to be with me.”
Hot color crept under her skin. “I am not ashamed to be with you.” She crossed her arms. “This wasn’t part of our agreement. I thought we understood each other from the beginning.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“What do you mean?” Sudden anxiety squeezed her lungs. “Changed your mind about what?”
“Fuck the friends-with-benefits situation. I’m done with that bullshit.”
She swallowed, unable to speak through the lump that lodged in her throat.
“This is not a game to me. Sure, at first I thought what the hell, sex without commitment sounds great. What guy wouldn’t like that?”
She winced. Put that way, it seemed so…cheap.
“But the joke was on me,” he scoffed. “I enjoyed being with you. You’re different. I’ve been with enough women to recognize it. I’m trying to figure things out, to work my head around it. At least I’m willing to do that,” he said pointedly.
His words washed over her, giving rise to a host of conflicting emotions. But why should she be surprised? Cooper was direct. He waded through the mess and got to the bottom of things. He was rational, while she was a seething mess of confusion.
“What you went through with the mess of your parents’ divorce and everything else that happened because of it was unfortunate. Nobody should ever go through that, much less have the whole sordid mess play out in the press.” His gaze was direct, unwavering. “But that was a long time ago. You need to get over it.”
The words were harsh but also true. Taylor was honest enough to admit that, but it still didn’t make it any easier to hear it. “You’re one to talk. You’ve been driven by revenge this whole time. Revenge against your father, against Bettina.” Anger rode her hard, and the words spilled out before she could stop them.
His jaw tightened and he gave a tight nod. “True. That was my motivation to succeed, to be able to reclaim the company that my mother poured her heart into. Because if I didn’t, it would only have been a matter of time before Bettina ran it into the ground. I promised myself I would get it back somehow.”
He jammed his hands in his pockets. “Was I ruthless in pursuing Hathaway Publishing? Damn right I was. Do I regret it? Hell no. And I would do it again in a minute. You and I both have demons to deal with. But I’m at peace with what I did.” He paused. “You can’t live your life carrying that baggage,” he finished.
God, he was so unforgiving, his words so brutal. Cooper called things like they were and was completely rational. He expected her to do the same. In contrast, she was upset, and even more so now in the face of his logic. “Or I could just leave and find a guy who isn’t a press magnet,” she challenged recklessly.
Cooper froze. “Is that what you want?”
A sudden chill descended over the room. She shivered, afraid she’d gone too far. When she didn’t answer—truthfully, she couldn’t—he turned on
his heel and walked out.
As soon as she was alone, Taylor slumped down on a chair and buried her face in her hands. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What the hell possessed her to say all the things she did? She felt like shit for hurting his feelings. The look on his face…
Her heart twisted.
With Cooper’s words echoing in her mind, she turned the situation over and over in her head. She breathed deeply in an effort to calm down and look at things without being upset.
She’d been living with baggage that should rightfully be behind her. As a child, she’d had no control over the events that happened. It was unfortunate and sad, but it wasn’t the most important thing in her life. Her concerns seemed so petty now, so inconsequential. Cooper certainly hadn’t taken it easy on her. He’d been brutally honest. He made her step back and look at things as they were in reality, not as blown out of proportion as they were in her mind.
The bottom line was she wanted Cooper, and all that came with being with him. It was just that simple. When it was just the two of them, he shed the persona of the hard-hitting businessman. He was no longer aloof and reserved. Less guarded. The Cooper she knew was irresistible. So easy to fall in love with.
She couldn’t ever remember a time when she’d been this happy, this content with a man. He had a dry sense of humor that made her laugh. Intelligence shone through in every word he said. Whenever she asked his opinion, he gave her an objective point of view. In bed, he slayed her. One look from him was enough to set her on fire. She looked forward to being with him at the end of the workday. He was smart and unbearably sexy.
Oh. My. God.
Was she already in love with him?
Taylor blinked. There was no panic choking her. She didn’t feel like running for the hills, screaming in fear. Certainty tightened around her heart like a vise. She was in love with him and had been for quite some time. She just hadn’t recognized it before. But now it was right in front of her. She wanted to be with him, no matter what.
He was right. She was wrong.
She stood up and went in search of him. Propped against the wall outside of his study was a large, square parcel, wrapped in brown paper that had the imprint Claret Gallery all over. Taylor looked at the small card that was attached near the top. It read “To Taylor. With Love, C”.
Tears welled in her eyes. She knew, just knew, that it was the painting that she’d admired last night at the gallery. Somehow, he’d managed to arrange the purchase and had obviously picked it up this morning. With love, C. The words swam before her eyes. He loved her? Wiping her eyes, she gripped the doorknob and pushed the door open, hoping it wasn’t too late for both of them.
Cooper sat on the couch with his eyes closed, cradling a glass of scotch in his hand. He was having a hell of a time sitting here, trying to calm down, when all he wanted to do was take Taylor to bed and fuck her until all thoughts of leaving were gone from her mind.
He knew he’d been hard on her but he didn’t know of any other way to deal with the matter. When he’d found out that their pictures were all over the internet, he knew he had to deal with the problem head on. The best defense was to go on the offensive. Tackling the issue was the only way to go. No messing around. No skirting around the issue. Now he wasn’t so sure his strategy had worked.
It was a fucking cosmic joke that he wanted to be with a woman who wasn’t enamored of the supposed glamour of his life, who wasn’t attracted to his money, who wasn’t with him to get her face and her name out there in the papers. Instead Taylor had been singularly determined to keep their arrangement a secret. She’d turned down his dinner invitations so many times he’d finally stopped asking. It was galling at first, but he’d adjusted. He’d known he’d have to be patient. But their photographs taken at the gallery had forced his hand. The time had come to confront Taylor and this silly friends-with-benefits situation he’d initially agreed to. Things had evolved. He was ready for it. But was she?
The door opened and shut quietly. He found Taylor in front of him, looking unsure. His heart skipped a beat as he waited for her to speak.
She bit her lip and took a deep breath. “I think we just had our first fight.”
Long seconds passed before he spoke. “Fighting implies we have a relationship, that we’re more than just fuck buddies. According to you, we’re simply that.”
Taylor flinched at the crude words he used to describe them. “I deserve that, I suppose.” She shoved her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, which thrust her succulent breasts into prominence. Her eyes were soft and luminous. “I overreacted.”
He forced himself to look away in an effort not to be distracted.
The urge to haul her in his arms was overwhelming but he resisted. They needed to hash this out and hopefully start over with a clean slate. The fact that she was still here was very encouraging.
“I apologize.” When he didn’t answer, she bit her lip and looked crushed. “Maybe we can talk later.” She turned to leave.
“Taylor.”
She paused with her hand on the knob.
Cooper went to her. He couldn’t let her go. There was too much at stake. “Do you want to be with me?”
Her beautiful eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
“Being with me means you have to endure the media attention. Good and bad.” He had to force this out into the open. It was now or never. “I don’t seek it. I don’t want it. It’s just there. I do believe that they will tire of me as soon as the next media sensation comes along.”
There was nothing more in this world that he wanted to do than touch her. But that would only provide a distraction they didn’t need. “But I’m done hiding. I want everybody to know you’re mine.”
He held her gaze, willing her to see what he felt.
“I would never willingly seek public attention and I would never ever let anybody hurt you.” Unable to stand the distance between them, he enclosed her in his arms.
Taylor looked him directly in the eyes. “I love you.”
His heart swelled with emotion. “I love you.”
“I know what to expect,” she said softly. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“I know. I wish it could be different.”
“Me too. But it’s not enough to drive me away,” she stated firmly.
“Are you sure? It’s not going to be easy.”
“I’m sure. If that’s what it takes to be with you, then I’ll have just to grin and bear it.”
Happiness bloomed in his chest. “They’ll tire of us soon enough, when they see us as a boring couple. They’ll move on to the next juicy scandal.”
“Promise?”
“Oh baby, you can bet on it.” Cooper kissed her, secure in the knowledge that all was right in the world.
Epilogue
Summer decided to come early. Memorial Day was warm, the sun shining high overhead. The Sinclairs’ backyard was dotted with tables and chairs. The delicious smell of barbecuing meat wafted in the air. Emily McKay waddled over to where Taylor sat, sitting with a heartfelt sigh.
“I feel as big as a house,” she complained. “Tay, I can’t see my feet over my tummy.”
Taylor laughed. Emily was blooming and she knew it. In a couple of months, she was going to give birth to her first child and Taylor couldn’t wait. She’d gone through the pregnancy with Emily, nursing her through her morning sickness at work, and had squealed with excitement at the sonogram of her baby. “Devlin worships you and that’s all that’s important.”
Emily smiled with pleasure. “True. He’s awesome with foot rubs. He won’t let me do a thing for myself. He wants me to just sit down all the time and relax and,” she lowered her voice conspiratorially, “pregnancy has made me more…”
“Horny?” Taylor supplied.
A flush covered Emily’s cheeks. “Yeah. Weird, huh?”
“Totally natural,” Taylor declared. “I don’t hear Devlin complaining.”
“No, he isn’t.” She snappe
d up a sweet roll from a nearby tray and munched on it. “He’s enjoying it way too much.”
Taylor glanced across the yard as Cooper stood with the McKay and the Sinclair men. They had accepted him into the fold as if he were one of their own. Taylor’s heart swelled with love. They’d been together for a year and she had never been happier. These days, the media rarely covered Cooper, only when he was attending a charity function or when it was about business. Taylor had developed a tolerance for the occasional picture in a magazine or newspaper. Other than that, their life was pretty quiet. He’d asked her to move in with him and she had agreed.
“No regrets?” Emily asked.
Taylor smiled. “Not one.”
Devlin called everybody together as the meat finished cooking. There was good-natured ribbing as the guys jostled one another to get food. Soon all the chairs were taken up as everyone began to eat. Cooper watched Taylor as she fixed plates for both of them and made her way across the yard to him.
“Marry me, Taylor.” His words rang loud and clear across the distance that separated them.
She stopped in her tracks. Conversation ceased as everyone turned to stare at her. Emily elbowed Devlin, who had sputtered and choked on his beer.
Her heart clenched with emotion. Incredible happiness suffused her entire body and tears welled in her eyes. Her hands shook. “Yes.” It was all she could say.
Cooper had a broad grin as he walked toward her. Somebody, she didn’t know who, took the plates from her nerveless fingers and placed them on a nearby table. She ran to him and jumped into his arms.
“Man, what is it with this family and marriage proposals?” Alex groused.
Eric slapped him on the shoulder. “You’re probably next.”
Riley rolled his eyes. “Shit’s contagious.” He jerked his head toward his younger brother Jake. “It could be you next time.”
Jake shook his head vehemently. “Hell no.”
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