by Kendall Ryan
“Fuck.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling the stirrings of a headache.
“What does that mean? Did something happen?”
Blowing out a frustrated sigh, I lifted my eyes to his. “Ugh. Yeah. Sort of.”
And by sort of, I mean I nearly pulled out my cock and forced it into her pretty mouth. Jesus.
“Talk, man. I’ve got a conference call starting in three minutes.”
“When you said gift …” I wiggled my eyebrows. “And I saw a pretty young thing sitting in my office …”
He wasn’t catching on. I was going to have to spell it out for him.
“I thought she was there for sex—to help me blow off some steam.”
“Jesus, Cooper,” Quinn growled. “Tell me you didn’t proposition her?”
I looked down at my newly shined shoes.
“Fuck,” he roared.
“It was a mistake. But honestly, dude, you never said the words you’d hired me an assistant, you said you’d gotten me a gift. Think about it …” I raised my eyebrows again.
But Quinn was shaking his head. “You’re here to work—not to blow off steam—or whatever you call it. I assume that’s what you spent the last six months doing on the beach.”
“Again, my mistake.”
“So what happened?”
“Well …”
“Don’t fuck with me Cooper. What happened exactly,” he annunciated each word as though it was its own sentence.
“I propositioned her for sex and she ran from my office crying.”
“God damn it.” Quinn rose to his feet, stalking toward the windows where he gazed down on the traffic below, his hands in his hair.
“I’m going to fix it. I just wanted you to know.”
“Good. Then what are you still doing in my office?” he asked, turning to face me once again.
I nodded and rose to my feet, wandering back to the door and wondering if Alyssa had coaxed Corinne from the bathroom yet. And if she had, exactly what I was going to say.
The deep rumble of Quinn’s voice made me pause at the doorway.
“And Cooper? You can find women to fuck on your own time.”
“Understood.”
He nodded. “Now go make this right.”
I would. I had to. I couldn’t live with myself if Corinne quit because of my disgustingly chauvinistic behavior. That wasn’t me. It wasn’t who I was. I’d always been the nice guy women could trust—the one that made them feel safe and comfortable and even cherished. I certainly wasn’t some creeper only interested in sex.
When I approached Alyssa’s desk, Corinne was there—looking incredibly delectable in her fitted skirt that accentuated her curves and made my knees go weak. She had a body built for sin, and the caveman in me wanted to drag her back into my office and show her how amazing those God-given curves could be used, devoured, worshipped.
My brain may have thought that I was still nursing a heartbreak over losing Emma—but my body? My body had moved on—quickly cataloging the differences between the two women and deciding which was superior. First there was Emma who was slender and delicate—and my brother’s fucking wife—my subconscious supplied. She was graceful, beautiful even, but she sure as hell hadn’t ever gotten my blood pumping like Corinne had managed to do in the few minutes we’d spent together.
Corinne was well, in a league of her own. Her body was thicker, healthy in a way that was biologically pleasing to me as a man on the most basic level. Ripe, heavy breasts, a slim waist but luscious hips and a juicy ass that I was already in love with. Fuck. The things that I would do to that ass…
She looked as though she was meant to birth children and nurse them, nourish them and procreate, and at the most base level, I wanted her, wanted to fill her with come and …
My thoughts slammed to a halt.
Shit.
Pull yourself together, Coop.
I wasn’t supposed to be fantasizing about her, I was supposed to be plotting a way to reassure her and keeping her on my team. For work. Nothing more.
Jesus. I needed to get a hold of myself.
I drew a sharp inhale, noticing the way the skin on her neck was blotched pink. She was upset, had only just stopped crying by the looks of it.
“I messed up. Can I speak with you for a moment?” I asked, my voice soft.
Alyssa gave her an encouraging smile as if to say, don’t worry, despite his aggressive behavior, he’s not a rapist. Promise.
Corinne nodded and headed into my office. I followed a safe distance behind her and left the door open.
“I am sorry. So fucking sorry. That was a misunderstanding,” my words came out in a rush. “My brother said he’d gotten me a gift. I read into it. It was a massive mistake on my part.”
Corinne looked me over, suspiciously. “Do your brothers often give you women as gifts?”
I shook my head. “No. Never. I’m just a little fucked up right now, after some past … relationship stuff. And when I saw you, I thought maybe they were trying to cheer me up.”
She sniffed again, eyeing me warily. “I see. I’m sorry I freaked out like that.”
I shook my head. “Don’t apologize. You had every right to.”
Corinne looked down at the chair in front of my desk.
I gestured for her to sit, and when she did, I took the chair next to her, rather than the one behind my desk. I thought it might seem less threatening to sit beside her, rather than across from her, but I hadn’t counted on the close proximity this would force us in to.
“You’re not going to quit are you?” I asked.
Corinne shook her head. “I need this job. The pay is great. The health benefits are amazing. And last week, well, I really enjoyed it.”
Last week—as in, before I’d gotten in to town.
“That’s good. I just want to make sure you’ll be comfortable working with me.”
She nodded. “I’m not going to break from one pick-up line. I’m actually pretty embarrassed at how I reacted.”
That was interesting. It was the last thing I expected her to say. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
She gave me a shy smile. “Thanks.” Then she let out a shaky breath and her gaze drifted from mine. “Should we get to work, or?”
“First … and tell me to fuck off if I’m out of line here, but I’d like to know why when I came on to you, you looked scared. But you also looked curious.”
She mumbled something incoherent and her gaze drifted to the floor
“I saw it, Corinne. And I’m just … care to tell me why?”
Her lips parted in surprise, but she didn’t respond. Several tense moments ticked past.
“Tell me to fuck off, Corinne. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Any more uncomfortable than I already have.
She raised one hand, holding her palm toward me. “No. It’s just, I’m … it’s a fair question.”
“Please enlighten me then.”
“You have to know the affect you have on women.” She waved a hand in my direction. “You’re…”
“I’m what?” I couldn’t help the smile playing on the edges of my lips. This felt a lot like flirting, and as out of practice as I was—she had all my attention.
She straightened her shoulders. “Attractive. And I guess I was … the tiniest bit flattered by your offer. I haven’t … been with a man in that way in a very long time. Haven’t felt desired.”
“I see.” Her words made my pulse spike and my desire to claim her raged even brighter. “Why haven’t you been with a man? Because excuse me for being so blunt, but you’re fucking stunning, and surely you don’t lack for offers.”
Her cheeks brightened and she looked down at her hands briefly before meeting my eyes again. “I have some … hang-ups when it comes to sex. God, I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”
“Don’t be embarrassed. I just had my heart forced through a shredder, and I admitted that to you within the first few min
utes of us talking.”
She picked at the polished edge of her thumb nail. “I’m not sure what it is about you—talking to you—that makes me feel like I can open up.”
“You can,” I assured her. It was crazy, but I knew just what she meant. We weren’t shy or timid around each other like two people who’d just met ought to feel. Instead, our eye contact was direct and our words were honest and bare.
I decided to press her. Leaning closer, I asked, “What kind of hang ups, Corinne?”
She swallowed, her delicate throat working. “Just nerves more than anything. Not only am I out of practice, but the experiences I had early on weren’t … healthy.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She shook her head. She didn’t want my pity. I knew that feeling.
I rose to my feet, offering her my hand to draw her up with me. “I’m sorry that you were ever treated as anything other than a goddess. I’m sorry that you haven’t found someone special to make you feel good, to bring you pleasure, to erase those sour memories.”
She nodded, her gaze locked on mine. And Christ, if I didn’t know better, I would have thought she wanted me to kiss her. Her lips parted and her tongue darted out to wet her full bottom lip.
Clearly my ability to read a woman’s signals were off. Like way fucking off. I shoved my hands in my pockets and forced myself a step back.
Order Your Copy Here: http://amzn.to/2xZiR6w
Also in This Series
Dirty Little Secret
Torrid Little Affair
Tempting Little Tease
Naughty Little Scandal
Acknowledgments
A massive thank-you to the following people for helping this story come to life:
First, to my amazing publicist and right hand in all things, Danielle Sanchez. When I mentioned this story idea I had for three brothers who owned an escort agency, and you said, “Ohhh, you should write that next,” your enthusiasm was the reason I did.
Author Rachel Brookes, thank you for believing in my alpha asshole brothers, and for loving this story. It means the world.
Thank you to GoodReads diva extraordinaire Sue Bee for taking the time to beta read this book. Your feedback and guidance helped tremendously. I was so happy when the queen of fictional alpha males told me that I had nailed Gavin, and that his hot-and-cold personality was perfect.
For Natasha Madison, thank you for loving everything I write.
A huge thank-you to Sarah Hansen for my lovely covers for this series, and to Michelle Tan for designing such beautiful graphics.
To Alyssa Garcia, you deal with my crazy on a daily basis, and I’m so thankful to have you as my executive assistant. It only seemed right to name Gavin’s assistant after you.
Thank you to all the wonderful reviewers, bloggers, librarians, booksellers, and readers who requested early review copies. We were overwhelmed by your excitement for this series.
A huge tackle-hug and a glass of fizzy champagne to all the readers who waited patiently for book two. You are the reason I get to continue bringing my stories to life, and I truly hope you loved this one as much as I did. I can’t wait to bring you more in the story, including more books about Cooper, Quinn, and a naughty little surprise in book five that’s already shaping up to be my favorite.
About the Author
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over two million books, and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller list more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in publications such as USA TODAY, Newsweek, and In Touch Magazine. She lives in Texas with her husband and two sons.
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Website: www.kendallryanbooks.com
Facebook: Kendall Ryan Books
Twitter: @kendallryan1
Other Books by Kendall Ryan
Unravel Me
Make Me Yours
Working It
Craving Him
All or Nothing
When I Break Series
Filthy Beautiful Lies Series
The Gentleman Mentor
Sinfully Mine
Bait & Switch
Slow & Steady
The Room Mate
The Play Mate
The House Mate
The Bed Mate
The Soul Mate
Hard to Love
Reckless Love
Resisting Her
The Impact of You
Screwed
Monster Prick
The Fix Up
Sexy Stranger
Dirty Little Secret
For a complete list of Kendall’s books, visit:
http://www.kendallryanbooks.com/all-books/