Page 16 of The Most Perfect Wrong

“Yeah, I think so, about mid-March,” I say grinning. She grins back, and God, her smile.

“What a small world.” Genevieve turns to Cooper. “Ryan’s the VP of VantageSphere. His team works across this floor, so you’ll probably run into each other a lot. Since you’ll be collaborating on a few projects, I thought it’d be good for you two to connect early.”

Holy shit, this is insane.What are the chances that, six months later, she’d end up working not only in the same building, but on the same floor as me? I have no idea what to make of it.

I find myself staring at her because fuck, how can I not? She looks incredible—just as gorgeous as I remember. She rubs her lips together. God, her lips—her body, her smell.Jesus, what am I doing?

She glances up, catching me staring, and I quickly look away, pretending to focus on Genevieve’s words. I nod and respondwhen necessary, but I’m not really listening. My thoughts are completely consumed by that night we spent together in Newport.

I’ve replayed it over and over—the way we clicked, the morning after—wondering why she didn’t stick around.

We had a great time together—I’m sure she felt it too.

I sense her eyes on me and shift my focus just enough to catch a faint smile. My pulse quickens.Hell yeah, she’s still attracted to me.

“So, if you have any questions about that, you can always ask Ryan.” Genevieve looks at me expectantly, and I realize I have no idea what she’s talking about.

“Right,” I say, nodding like I’m totally in the loop. “My office is always open.” I smile and extend my hand again. “Well, Cooper, it was great seeing you again. I look forward to catching up and working together.”

Cooper takes my hand. “Yeah, me too. It’s great seeing you.”

“Thanks, Ryan. I’ve got to get Cooper over to Jason so she can start training for the day,” Genevieve says, ushering Cooper down the hall toward one of the smaller conference rooms.

I slip back into my office and slump into my chair, swiveling back and forth as my mind races. Cooper Bradley. What are the odds? What the hell does this mean? I tap the end of my pen against my chin, deep in thought.

I left Newport without answers, and now she’s here, right in front of me. But everything is different now. My life’s a goddamn mess. I feel a mix of nerves and excitement, but reality hits me like a club to the head.Newsflash, Ryan: she’s your coworker now.

Hell, I couldn’t sleep with her again even if I wanted to.

I stare at my computer screen, the endless list of to-dos piling up, taunting me. No distractions, I tell myself. But mythoughts drift back to her—her smile, the way she flirted with me, and her fucking adorable laugh.

Jesus.Who am I kidding? I’m already distracted.

* * * * * ?* * * * *

“Beth?” I call out as I walk into our four-bedroom townhouse in Lakeview—about a twenty-minute drive from downtown, assuming the traffic isn’t horrendous. I fight the urge to toss my things onto the couch and instead stop to hang my jacket in the closet, setting my backpack at the bottom of the stairs to take up later.

“I’m in here,” she calls from the kitchen.

I make my way through the living and dining room to the kitchen. Beth’s at the stove, cooking.

“Hey,” she says, glancing over her shoulder. “How was your day? You hungry?”

“Yeah, I’m starved. My day was fine. How about yours?”

“It was fine… Had lunch with my mom—you know how that goes.”

I chuckle, making my way over to her. She stops what she’s doing to embrace me. I hug her tightly, kissing the top of her head. “How are you feeling today?”

“Oh you know, I’m just tired.” She goes back to the stove while I sort through the pile of mail at the end of the counter.

My mind drifts back to the day—back to Cooper. I still can’t believe it. It’s been hours, and I can’t shake the way seeing her made me feel.

“Hey,” Beth says loudly.

I look up. I can tell from the look she’s giving me that she either said or asked me something that I didn’t hear. “Sorry, what?”

She shakes her head. “Never mind. You seem distracted. What’s going on?”

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