Cooper was mine, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with that yet.
31
COOPER
IT WAS AMAZING how a night of taking out your frustration inside someone could relax a man, but it had done wonders for Lachlan.
Usually he paced during a work call, but at the moment he was lounged on one end of the couch, his bare feet kicked up on the coffee table as he spoke with the VP of his company.
And how did I know that? Because I’d asked. And he’d answered.
As a matter of fact, he’d been a hell of a lot more chatty, for him at least, and I was taking full advantage of his loosened-up state to get a little closer.
On the other end of the couch, I mimicked his position, only I had my legs spread out along the cushions. At some point during the call, Lachlan rested his arm across my ankles, and that simple move that he probably didn’t even realize he’d done tightened my chest.
It felt possessive, made me feel wanted in a way I couldn’t ever remember feeling, and that was when realization hit, hard and fast.
I was falling for Lachlan. And I had a crazy thought that he felt the same way, even as he was trying to fight it.
His fingers trailed along the top of my foot absently. “If anything else comes up, I trust you to handle it… That’s fine… No, don’t contact me for that… Right. I’ll be in touch.” He ended the call and tossed his cell on the table before leaning back with a sigh.
“A man in demand,” I said. “But that’s where you thrive, isn’t it? Being the boss.”
“Not always the boss.”
“Maybe not in name, but you don’t seem to listen much to him either, do you?”
Lachlan snorted out a laugh, surprising me, and I grinned. He knew it was true. Bossy, independent, insubordinate—all things that were blatantly obvious after days with him, but that I couldn’t help but find super hot. Especially when all that protective, dominating energy was focused my way.
Well, maybe I’d had a moment of being pissed that he thought I was some helpless guy he had to take care of, but that had been put to rest pretty damn fast last night.
After all, a guy like Lachlan wouldn’t have anything to do with someone they considered weak. He’d all but spelled that out for me.
“You,” he said, running his thumb along my ankle, “are entirely too observant for your own good.”
“Which gets me in trouble, yeah, yeah, I know. But that’s where you come in, right? When I go too far?”
I was teasing, but I couldn’t help but hold my breath for his response. What if he said hewouldn’talways be there? That would tell me he viewed what was happening between us as temporary, and I really didn’t want to hear that.
Instead, he reached for my hand and pulled me forward until I straddled his lap. A strong hand gripped the back of my neck, but his thumb grazed my jaw as dark eyes stared into mine.
“You like to try my patience,” he murmured.
“I didn’t know you had any,” I shot back.
“I have enough to rein you in when need be.”
“And who’s there to reinyouin? Wait, let me guess.”
Lachlan cocked a brow, waiting for me to take my best shot.
“Alessio,” I finished.
He scoffed and shook his head. “Like I said, you’re far too observant.”
I shrugged off his words, but I had to admit, the compliment made me want to puff out my chest a little. “It wasn’t that hard to figure out.”
“No?”