Page 30 of The Most Perfect Wrong

Her long hair is down, one side tucked behind her ear, the other falling around her face. We have a pretty chill dress code, but management positions are expected to keep it slightly professional. Cooper always does. She’s in a tight white dress that shows off every curve. Her arms are toned, just enough to give them that sexy shape.

We work for a solid thirty minutes, mostly in silence, with only the occasional question or comment. We’re on our second drink when she shifts in her seat, bumping my leg under the table—giving it a playful kick. “God, get your long-ass legs out of here,” she teases. “You’re in my personal space.”

I can’t help but smirk. “Your personal space? You’re the one trying to play footsie.”

She kicks me again, more firmly this time. “Footsie? What am I, twenty-one, trying to flirt with my boss? Get them out of here!”

“Ow! Is that a fucking heel?” I laugh, giving her a gentle kick back. “Maybe that’s exactly what you’re doing, and you just don’t know it yet.”

Her eyes narrow, then she raises an eyebrow, her tone turning unexpectedly bold. “Trust me, if I was flirting, you’d know.”

There’s an intensity in her voice I wasn’t expecting, and suddenly, the room feels hot. Anddamnif it doesn’t do something to me.

I lean back, pretending to be unaffected. “So, this isn’t flirting?”

She rolls her eyes, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. “Not even close.”

I raise an eyebrow. “So what does flirting with you look like, then?”

She bites her lip, as if considering how to respond, her gaze meeting mine. “I guess you’ll never know, huh?”

I chuckle. “Oh, I highly doubt that.” I cross my arms confidently, then lean forward on them, resting on the table.

“I wouldn’t hold my breath, Ryan… unless you’re planning to stay single forever.”

I grin. “So you’re telling me there’s a chance.” I say, mimicking Jim Carrey inDumb and Dumber.

She laughs at that. “Well, lucky for you that we spend so much time together.” She leans back. “Plenty of time to wait and see, I guess.”

“I guess so,” I reply, eyes locked on hers.

She scoffs. “You really need to get laid.” My heart skips a beat. She lets her eyes roam over me, like she’s remembering what it was like to be the one to do that, and it catches me offguard. This is definitely getting interesting. If nothing else, it’s making work a lot more fun.

“Who says I’m not getting laid?”

She raises an eyebrow. “Are you?”

“Why? You jealous of all the women I’m sleeping with?”

She snickers. “Please.” Her eyes shift from her computer screen back to mine. “You’re such a liar.” She shakes her head, like she’s trying to convince herself I’m bluffing—almost as if she’s jealous, and that thought sends a surge of satisfaction through me.

“Think what you want—but I’m more than satisfied with my sex life. It’s not that difficult to find someone to sleep with. You remember, right?” I hold her gaze confidently, not giving anything away. She doesn’t need to know the truth—that the only other woman I’ve slept with in the past year is Beth. It’s been months since I’ve had sex, and it’skillingme.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” She laughs softly, not looking up.

I turn my attention back to my computer, though my eyes keep drifting to her. It’s annoying, how she can take up so much space in my head without even trying. A few minutes later, she scowls at her screen.

“Hey, can you take a look at this property in East Austin? I’m trying to figure out if the zoning would allow us to add another floor if we buy it. Does that seem possible?” She turns her laptop toward me, but I get up and move to her side, leaning in to look at her screen. My arm brushes against hers as I peer at the map.

“Let me see… It looks like it’s in a mixed-use area. We might be able to go up another floor, but I’m not sure about the exact limits here.” I point to a section on the screen. “Hmm. I could run this by Leo to be sure—he knows all about these kinds of regulations.” I click on a link to read more. Cooper’s no longer looking at the screen—her eyes are on me, and it makes theblood in my veins run hot. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s possible, but I’ll check with Leo.” I pull away from the screen, turning to meet her gaze.

She smiles. “Okay. Thanks for looking.”

For a moment, I’m transported back to Newport, lying across from her, staring at each other. I swear, for a second, her eyes flick to my lips and back. I swallow hard, my pulse racing.

“Cooper,” I start, glancing at her mouth, but before I can say another word, she cuts me off.

“I should probably get going,” she says. She closes her laptop and starts gathering her things, hurriedly. “It’s getting late. I need to call Brad before he goes to bed.” She stands with her stuff in hand. “Do you want to walk down with me, or are you going to stay a bit longer?”

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