Page 39 of No More Spies

“There was no ‘it’ to fall apart, Cooper,” Kala repliedsoftly. “And don’t think I sit around thinking about the fact that you turnedme down that night. You were right. Everyone was right. I was too young, and weweren’t good together. I was a kid, and I had this insane notion that I was inlove with you.”

There was the ache he felt when they talked about highschool. “But you don’t have that notion now.”

“No. I’m not the kind of person who falls in love,” shereplied with a surety he prayed wasn’t real. “I am the kind of person who ispractical. We don’t spend a lot of time in the normal world. Well, the last fewweeks not withstanding we don’t. It’s been a long time since I had anythingregular. Sex wise. You might be getting it every night for all I know.”

“I haven’t had sex in two years, Kala. Not since I joinedthe team.” He couldn’t say it flat out, couldn’t tell her he loved her and hewasn’t about to fuck around with anyone else. Not when they had an actualchance this time. They weren’t kids anymore. They knew what they wanted. Well,he did. He got the feeling she was going to do a lot of hiding behind thosewalls she’d built.

Now that he was settling into this conversation, the shockwas wearing off. He watched her. She wasn’t relaxed. Anyone looking from theoutside would likely miss the tight set of her eyes and how she cocked her headslightly. Sure signs she was nervous.

What if she was looking for another tether?

“I’m surprised to hear that. I assumed you were living it upon the nights you spend at The Club.”

The Club was the BDSM club he’d trained at. He still wentand worked a dungeon monitor shift when they needed someone and he was in town.“I tend to work on the nights I spend at The Club, though I’ve played a coupleof times. Gabe’s dad pays well. Trust me, I’ve thought a lot about what I cando professionally after my Agency days are done, and being Julian Lodge’sprivate pilot wouldn’t be a bad life.”

“I thought you meant you considered being a professionaltop,” she replied.

He shook his head, all the possibilities threatening toswamp him. He’d made the decision to push her after nearly losing her. What ifthis was her way of doing the same? Kala wouldn’t ever come right out and tellhim what she wanted. Not when it came to emotions she would deny having.

Why had he gotten Ian Taggart in a sexy-as-fuck womanpackage?

He was just lucky he supposed.

“I do this because I enjoy working with you. I have zerointerest in topping subs on my own.”

She considered him for a moment, and he let her brain startto make connections. “You take all the classes. You do a lot of work aroundtopping subs.”

“I enjoy it, but I don’t need it the way you do, so I’m hereto help out my friend. Who is you,” he said with what he hoped was a blandsmile. He hoped whatever expression was on his face didn’t convey what he feltat the moment. Like a wolf who knew he was going to finally get to pounce. Hewasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what was going to come out of her mouth next. Abargain. A practical,hey, as long as we’re both herebargain. “Soneither of us has a lover right now.”

Her nose wrinkled.

He was using the wrong words. He had to remember he was theromantic one in this relationship. “Fuck buddy.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I think maybe being around the rest ofthe team, and they’re all fucking like bunnies, we might be at a disadvantage.It’s not like we have a lot of time to go out there and get some.”

She could walk out of this door and find ten guys willing totake her to bed right now. They would kneel at her feet or offer to top her.They would take her any way she requested and come back the next night formore, but sure, she struggled to find a couple of minutes to get off. “I feelyou. It’s hard. And can Lou and TJ, like, take a break every now and then?”

Her jaw dropped as she nodded. “I know. I thought oncethey’d done it a couple hundred times they might be chill, but no. I can’t walkinto most rooms in our place anymore. And I can’t get any sleep because TJconvinces Lou it’s normal to wake up and have sex. He’s loud. I can’t sleepthrough it.”

Oh, TJ would kiss his feet if he managed to get Kala tosleep in his bed instead of sneaking into Lou’s. Because she had bad dreams,and it was a comfort from childhood.

He intended to become her comfort. “Don’t forget yoursister.”

“She and Dare do it at work,” Kala said. “Dad walked intoDare’s office and… Well, he did the I-can’t-see thing for two days. It was kindof funny. All my siblings embarrass my father when it comes to sex. Seth sleepswith any woman with a pulse. Travis forgot to wear a condom. Tasha humps aCanadian on a regular basis, and Kenz really wants to. Though a differentCanadian.”

“Your dad loves Dare.” Big Tag was a character. So was hisdaughter. “I think Parker is a different story, although the man bought a lotof goodwill with all of us. He didn’t have to save you.”

She put a hand up. “I can’t talk about that tonight. I talkabout it too much. That’s what I’m saying. I need a distraction. I need sex. Ifyou also need a distraction and need sex, then I think we should discuss havingsex together.”

So intellectual. So practical. He needed to be the same. Hewas sure his mother would tell him he should sit down and talk to her, get alltheir feelings and emotions laid out on the table. But oh, she’d tried to talkto him once and he’d shut her down. He was certain she told herself thatrejection didn’t matter now, but it did. There was still a vulnerablefifteen-year-old girl in there, and he wasn’t about to disappoint her again. Ifshe needed him to play the stud for a while, he could do it. But they didn’tneed a bunch of talk.

His heart threatened to clench even as his dick hardened tothe point of pain.

He was finally, finally getting his hands on Kala Taggart.He had his chance. He wasn’t going to blow it.

“I think that sounds like a plan. Let’s start now.”

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