Page 16 of Spy With Me
“I’m glad you’re serious. Devi’s great. You should knowthough that Kala loves her cousin and if you fuck her over…”
“She will kill me. I’m cool with that. I have zerointentions of fucking Devi over. I’m going to get to know her.”
Cooper stepped back, shaking his head. “I do not know whoyou are right now. It’s the smile.”
He rolled his eyes. “I smile, asshole.”
Cooper shrugged. “I mean is it a smile?”
He smiled. Sometimes. He intended to smile way more.
“I’m heading over to pick up Kala before we go into work.She’s a beast without a pitcher of coffee and a chocolate croissant,” Coopersaid. “You need a ride?”
This was something they should discuss. “Nah, Devi’s pickingme up in half an hour. We’re going to some brunch place she likes and thenshe’ll drop me off. We were talking about maybe seeing a movie or somethingtonight. I should get a car.”
Cooper shrugged. “Why?” Then his brows rose. “Are youtalking about renting something or buying a car, because you pretty much don’tneed one in DC.”
Dangerous ground, but he was feeling like pushing his lucksince it seemed to have changed the night before. “Well, that is something Iwanted to talk to you about.”
“I am shitty at buying cars,” Cooper admitted. “I’m acomplete walk in the door and pay whatever they want because haggling seemsrude. But if you take Kala with you, they’ll give you a deal just to shut herdown. She can be brutal, and she knows way more about engines than you thinkshe does.”
He knew a lot about them, too, but he wasn’t supposed to bethat smart. Like they didn’t realize he spoke a couple of languages. He was themilitary grunt. They didn’t need to know he was actually a hell of a hacker andhad fooled Tristan Dean-Miles a couple of times. Kala’s best friend and theteam’s resident tech expert, Louisa Ward, thought he was a moron who couldbarely turn a computer on, and that was the way he needed it for now. “Well,then I’ll have to ask her to go in with me. I might not need a car to getaround DC, but Dallas is another story. If I want to go anywhere outside thecity, I need a car.”
“Seriously? But Zach that would mean…” Cooper left thestatement open ended, as though trying to figure out if Zach actually knew whathe was saying.
His himbo cover worked way too well. “I’m going to talk toBig Tag soon. I know they want active military to work with these teams, butlike Tristan, I don’t want to spread my focus too much. It gets messy. I canstill liaise with military even if I give up my active status and work strictlyfor the Agency and for our team. Which means I would move to Dallas andprobably have a cover job with McKay-Taggart. I hear they’re always looking forbodyguards.”
Cooper sighed and seemed to consider the problem for amoment. “I think your timing is impeccable. I was wondering how I was going tojustify staying here without a roommate. It’s kind of a big house. You lookingfor a place to stay?”
This was actually happening. Everything he’d wanted wasright in reach. “I was hoping you would say that. It is a good time becauseafter that scene last night, I think those three are going to figure it out.Eventually, but don’t Tris’s parents own this place? Are they willing to be ourlandlords?”
“Serena actually bought this place a couple of years back,”Cooper explained. “She was clear that I could stay as long as I want, and she’sopen to me buying her out over time. I like it here. It’s comfortable.”
More importantly Kala liked it here. She’d mentioned acouple of times how much she liked what she called the boys’ place. Of courseshe’d also mentioned one of the reasons she liked it was the backyard hadplenty of space for a pool.
Yeah, he knew what that meant. “Then I would love to takeone of the empty rooms. Let me know what my share of rent is and I’ll starthandling half the bills until you bring in someone else.”
There were four bedrooms in this big rambling house, thoughCooper had only ever had two roommates. Tristan and Aidan once had rooms here.Nate Carter was supposed to move in, but he’d only been around for a week or sobefore he ended up engaged to Daisy O’Donnell and living at her place.
“The only person I might invite is my brother if he needs aplace to stay, but he seems happy in my parents’ pool house for now. I thinkthat might change when he finishes up his masters and goes to work. But hecould surprise me and move states for all I know. He promised my dad he wouldget his education and then he could roam around the world for a while. So itmight not happen. He might be like our sister and never come home again.”
Vivian McKay lived in London, and he knew Coop felt thedistance. He loved his siblings.
It made him wonder what it had been like to grow up withAlex and Eve McKay as parents. In that big comfy house with a brother andsister and a found family that never let him down.
“Hunter’s a good kid. I wouldn’t mind at all. I promise I’llbe a quiet roommate with very little drama.” He would be Cooper’s steadfastbrother even if he never knew.
Coop nodded and pulled his cell out. “See that you do. Andthe room is one hundred percent yours. Maybe when we get back from the Montrealop we can find you a car. I need to go. You’re sure you don’t need a ride?”
He’d already gotten three adorable texts from his sub. Oh,they didn’t have a contract, but she was his sweet sub and he was going toenjoy it. “She’ll be here soon. And just so you know we’re going to a showingof old-schoolStar Warstonight. Devi’s only seen the prequels.”
Coop’s eyes lit up. “You know Kala lovesStar Wars.She mentioned something about it. If you two don’t mind, we might tag along.Like a not double date since we won’t mention that I’m dating her without heracknowledging it.”
“A not double date sounds great.” Everything was fallinginto place. He wasn’t even tricking Devi into a double. Last night she’d beenthe one to mention Kala loved old-school Star Wars, and wouldn’t it be fun toshow her how nice it was to date. She loved her cousin, knew her cousin lovedCooper, and was trying to make it as easy as possible for Kala to fall into arelationship.
Kala could be complex.
“Then I’ll see you at the office where I’m sure we’ll get ashit ton of lectures on how to protect Carys and Aidan,” Cooper said with agrin.
