Page 48 of No More Spies

“And what’s that?” Ian asked.

This was the crux of his problem when it came to sex withthe woman he loved. “Top her. I know she identifies as a Domme, but she needs atop, Ian.”

“I would say she’s actually more of a switch,” Ian said,proving he didn’t have a problem talking about sex. “But there’s a wall shecan’t break down on her own. So you might have to be sneaky. You already are.You think I don’t see you manipulate her?”

“It’s not manipulation.” Cooper didn’t like the word. “It’sabout figuring out how to get her what she needs when she doesn’t think sheneeds it. Things like affection and taking care of her. So if I stop by abakery on my way to work, I pick up a chocolate croissant because she’ll tellherself she doesn’t need the carbs. But if I paid for it, she doesn’t want towaste the money.”

Ian shrugged. “All right. I’ll give you that, but it’s stilla way to top her. A sneaky top. Now you have to figure out what will make hercomfortable in bed. And you need to do it fast, son. If you give her a coupleof days, she’ll talk herself out of it. But if it was right there and presentedin a way she understands, then maybe…”

Oh, he had his thinking cap on. Big Tag could come up with aplan. “What are you planning?”

A smile hit the big guy’s face.

An evil smile. Cooper sighed because this was absolutelygoing to be embarrassing.

* * * *

Kala stepped out of the conference room, ready to prettymuch run and hide. A cowardly thing to do, but here she was. She’d tried to dipher toe into the ocean, and now she felt like she was drowning.

And she definitely hadn’t known how to swim.

“Hey.” Her sisters moved in, Kenzie taking the lead, butTash close behind. “I think we should talk.”

The last thing she wanted to do was talk. She was so donetalking. Talking was what got her in trouble in the first place. Or maybe sheshould have talked more to Cooper and then she would have realized it wouldn’twork.

It hadn’t worked. It was an actual ache in her gut, and shefinally understood how much she’d been counting on having a few weeks with him.A month or two. A year, tops. She could have sunk into it, guarding herself, ofcourse. She could have put off making decisions.

“I don’t think Zach has a reason to bomb Dr. Walsh, ifthat’s what you’re asking.” She knew it wasn’t, but she wasn’t doing this here.“We’ll know more when Lou gets a look at the bomb. Way to get yourself a freetrip to Stockholm, bestie.”

Lou was coming out of the conference room, TJ behind her.She looked at Kenzie and Tasha, obviously taking in the scene. “You guys, youknow better than to corner her. She’ll talk about it when she’s ready to talkabout it. You’ll do way better offering her late-night waffles. Somewhere inthe middle of her third she might drop a moment of truth.”

Her bestie knew her way better than anyone else. Even hertwin. She and Kenzie loved each other but didn’t always understand the other’smotivations and actions. Like Ben Parker. Ick. She did not get the attraction.He was cold and ruthless. He was an obvious playboy, an agent who used hislooks and magnetism to get what he wanted. She would always have to questionhis intentions. Cooper was earnest. A woman tended to know where she stood withhim.

Shit. She was like Parker. It was an opposites-attractthing. Coop was the Kenzie in this situation.

Damn. She was always the bad guy.

“I’m afraid I’m not hungry tonight.” Kala started down thehallway. She wanted to get home and get to bed and be alone. The only problemwas she’d come with Lou and TJ. She needed to be less dependent. She was theirconstant third wheel, and it had to grate. The last thing she wanted to do wasfuck up her best friend’s relationship.

Why hadn’t Cooper come out of the conference room? Sheglanced back and her mom was exiting, talking to Tristan. The door closed andKala stopped, waiting for it to open again.

Shit and balls. There were only two people left in thatroom. Cooper was in there and so was her dad, and the chance that they weretalking about the op was zilch.

“Who told Dad?”

Everyone seemed to take a step back as though she could takethem out with a mere glare.

Her mother stepped in. “It wasn’t your sisters. They won’tgive me anything. It was him.”

She pointed Tristan’s way, and he paled. “I didn’t. I saidsomething offhand because it’s…I…okay, I might have mentioned in a casual waysome of the events of the evening. It’s not like he wouldn’t find out. But likeI said…”

She punched him. Right in the nose. Let Aidan set thefucker. He was somewhere in the building. Tristan had two people he could counton, and both of them had MDs. He didn’t need to go around tattling on her likea fucking toddler.

Tristan groaned, putting a hand over his nose. “Damn it,Kala. You can’t expect to sleep with Cooper after five thousand years and nothave anyone talk about it.”

“I told you,” a feminine voice said, and then Aidan andCarys were moving toward their Dom. Carys was in street clothes and had an icepack in her hand. Like she’d expected the violence.

Aidan chuckled and looked Tris over. “Just had to gossip,didn’t you? You had to tell Big Tag, let him know you knew something he didn’t,and now here we are.”

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