Page 8 of Collateral Damage
“Could you relax and let me lead?” he gripes into my ear, his mouth a little too close for comfort.
I pin him with my gaze. “Maybe if you did a better job of leading, I wouldn’t have to make up for your lack of dancing skills.”
His eyes narrow. “Are you determined to be a pain in my ass, or does it come naturally?”
That’s rich coming from him. “You were the one who asked me to dance. I was fine with Perry.”
He tugs me in tighter, and I try not to think too hard about the way my breath catches in my throat or the hard plains of his broad chest. He’s bigger than I remember.
“There’s something I need to discuss with you,” he says. “You’re not an easy woman to get a hold of.”
True. I’ve been screening his calls.
“Do you blame me after the way you behaved on New Year’s Eve?”
“That was…” His hand twitches against the small of my back. “I’m sorry. It was my first night out with this new prosthetic, and everyone was staring like they expected it to fall off. I got drunker than I should’ve, and honestly, I don’t remember much, but I know I embarrassed myself, and I’m sorry.”
I blink, a little shocked by the confession and apology. It’s enough for me to dance longer, but notmuchlonger.
“What do you want to talk to me about? You only have about a minute left in this song, so make it quick.”
Four
Sybil
Present - Age 27
It’s obvious and heartbreaking Cooper is not the man he used to be. Not even close. Every time I think I can see the Cooper I used to know underneath this new version, he does or says something to remind me the boy I adored doesn’t exist anymore.
New Year’s Eve was the perfect example.
Thanks to Arden and Ethan, we all ended up at the same party. After a botched attempt at checking on him—in which he bit my head off—I had spent the night avoiding Cooper, catching up with old friends and making new ones. By the time midnight rolled around, I’d been cozy with an attractive man, my New Year’s kiss for the night in the bag. I can’t remember the guy’s name now, but he was sexy and single and funny and safe and exactly the kind of guy I like to hook up with.
The countdown was about to begin, and I was locked in on this man when Cooper grabbed my wrist and tugged me to him, claiming we needed to talk. I knew exactly what this was. He was trying to ruin my evening.
He did exactly that.
I told Coop to fuck off when the guy I was interested in found someone else to kiss at midnight. Cooper laughed at me, said I was predictable and needed to have higher standards. We ended up in a heated, embarrassing argument, I stormed out, and Arden and Ethan took Coop’s drunk-ass home.
That can’t happen again. Not here. Not tonight.
“What do you want, Cooper?” I demand. “Spit it out.”
“Have you received your trust fund yet?”
I blink once, then twice. Why would he ask that? I haven’t talked openly about my trust fund with anyone. What’s done is done.
“My finances are none of your business.”
Truthfully, my inheritance was released to me after my father’s death. He was lost at sea, but enough people witnessed him going into the bloody, shark-infested waters that the state of Massachusetts released his death certificate. The lawyers and trustee took care of the estate, and I was given more than enough. I’ll never have to work again if I don’t want to, but that’s not me. I love my work with the foundation, and I studied at Harvard for a reason.
A frown pulls at the corners of my lips. “I don’t want to talk about this, Cooper.”
“Can you humor me for a minute? This is important.”
I sigh. “Fine.”
“Were you given ownership in Laurence International?”
