Page 33 of Bedding the Biker Next Door

Cole and Luke settled into a table in the corner to talk. “I just wanted to let you know everything’s under control. We’ve taken a couple of new jobs, and I had a meet-and-greet with an actress’s manager. She’s headed out of town for a shoot in a few weeks.”

“Which actress?”

“Katherine Bailey.”

Cole whistled softly. Kat Bailey was currently one of Hollywood’s biggest rom com princesses, with trademark red hair and the unfortunate honor of being part of one of last year’s most talked about scandals. She’d been half of a Hollywood power couple, dating Ray Hamilton, the director from one of her past movies, when a college intern claimed she’d slept with Hamilton. For a week, Bailey stood by her man’s side, insisting the intern was lying. Then the tabloids published photos, not only of Hamilton frolicking on a beach with the intern, but nude ones of Bailey that the intern claimed were leaked by Hamilton himself. Publicly, Bailey had handled the scandal as gracefully as possible, but then she’d gone underground, avoiding reporters and the tabloids like the plague.

“So tell me about her,” Cole said.

“I haven’t met her yet, but I don’t think we should take the job. She got a few threats from fans unhappy with how she handled the breakup with Hamilton, but she’s not sold on protection. Guarding a body that’s resisting being guarded, especially an uppity actress? No thanks.”

Cole frowned. “I agree. Playing games means unnecessary risk.”

“Right. And it’s not like we’re hurting for business. Still, I’m going to research the threats. Maybe talk to her manager again before making up my mind. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Great.” Cole ran a hand through his hair as his gaze found Jill. She was laughing at something Gabe was saying. When Gabe reached out and touched her arm in a friendly gesture, Cole was shocked to feel himself stiffen with jealousy. What the hell was that about? They were just talking and it wasn’t like Cole had any claim on Jill. Still…

He turned back to Luke. “If that’s all, I’d like to have Jill to myself for a while.”

“I’m surprised you lasted this long,” his friend said. “I’ve never seen you like this with anyone.”

“She’s amazing, Luke. I want to spend as much time as I can with her before I get back to work and things get crazy.”

“Right,” Luke said, though it was obvious he was holding something back.

“What is it?”

“It’s just…what we talked about before, Cole. It still applies. You’re unentitled to some time off. To figure out what you really want in life.” Luke’s gaze deliberately found Jill before returning to Cole.

“It’s not like that, Luke. I just met her.”

“But it could be like that. Are you staying open to that possibility, or are you so busy planning the move to San Francisco that you can’t see anything else?”

“You told me to take time for myself. To travel. To see the world. Jill’s a daycare teacher who loves her job and her life here. Those aren’t things that go together.”

“No they don’t. Unless you’re willing to find a way to make them.”

Ten minutes later, Jill was saying goodbye to Luke, and Cole took Gabe aside. “Look, I know with Eric MIA, things aren’t good. I’m here for you. You want to talk, don’t hesitate. I’ve already told Brianne the same thing. I don’t know what’s going on with Eric, but we’re going to get through this. Together.”

Something flickered across Gabe’s face when Cole said Brianne’s name but it was quickly gone. “Thanks, Cole.” They returned to the table. “It was wonderful to meet you, Jill. I hope we’ll see each other again.”

“Likewise, Gabe.”

Gabe turned to Luke. “You want to stay a bit longer?”

Luke raised his mug. “Sounds good to me. Take care, you two.”

With a final wave, Jill and Cole headed out and got settled on his bike. Cole thought about what Luke had said about opening himself up to the possibility of a future with Jill. He didn’t come up with any solutions, nothing that seemed realistic anyway. But because his mind was focused on work and Jill and responsibility and passion and whether it was possible to balance all of them, he suddenly thought of another place he wanted to take her.

* * *

When they’d left the bar, Cole hadn’t told Jill where they were going, saying only that he wanted to surprise her. Soon, they were in front of a large, three-story glass building with a sign that read: Frontline Security.

It was his office, she realized.

They got off the bike, and Jill slipped off her helmet, shaking out her hair. “So, this is your building, huh? It’s very nice. Did you and Luke discuss something about work that you need to attend to?”

“Something like that.” He pulled her in close, and they stood on the side of the busy street and kissed. When Cole pulled away, she was completely breathless. “I’ve always had this fantasy about making love to a beautiful woman in my private office. I was wondering if you’d be interested in helping me out with that?”

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