Page 52 of Boss Me

“I’m a predator, Ben. I’ll call HR tomorrow. They’ll need a statement from you, too.”

That lush mouth of his thinned and hardened. “I’ll give my statement in person when we get back to the office.”

“Fine. You can leave first thing tomorrow morning.” I stood, and the water cascaded from me. I didn’t have to worry about what I looked like in my clinging underwear. My dick had gone soft, the opposite of my heart.

Ben stood, too. “I’m not leaving this island without you, Mr. Fallon.”

Did I say I was soft? Because as soon as the word Mr. left his lips, I stiffened. I sloshed out of the pool and kept my back to him. “I’m not going back. I—I can’t. I’ll email a statement to HR. The jet will be ready to take you back by eight tomorrow morning.”

“Is this because of Jackson?” His voice cracked on my friend’s name.

“It is.” Synergy wouldn’t be the same without my best friend. What was the point of all the wealth I’d amassed if I hated going to work every day? “I’ll ensure your job is safe.” And that you’re safe from me.

“Fine.” His voice vibrated with anger. I heard his whispered, “Fuck you, Cooper Fallon,” just before his feet slapped away on the pool deck.

Good.

Perfect.

Just what I wanted.

And the next day, to keep myself from thinking about what I’d lost, I’d go to the next town over where they didn’t know not to sell me whiskey.

19

BEN

Fucking Cooper Fallon.

How dare he? How fucking dare he kiss me and then use that gorgeous mouth of his to talk about his feelings for Jackson Jones? I scuffed my Converse, and a shell went pinging off a tree trunk.

Fucking Jackson Jones. He had a brilliant wife and two wonderful kids, a shit-ton of money, a job where he could do exactly what he wanted. And he had Cooper’s heart.

He didn’t even fucking want it.

But I did.

Fuck me.

My wet underwear lodged in my ass crack. I hadn’t noticed it when I’d floated in Cooper’s pool and kissed his soft lips and felt the barest brush of his erection against my hip. He tasted like mint, and he smelled like the fulfillment of my every wish. But I noticed the irritation as I trudged along the shell path, humiliation crushing my lungs as my wet clothes clung to my skin.

He’d kissed me. And it meant nothing, just like when he’d kissed Marlee.

He’d kissed Marlee? I’d known when I started that she thought she was in love with him. I’d also known he wasn’t the slightest bit interested in her.

I loved Marlee, but, God, she could be so dense sometimes. Cooper was all wrong for her. And now I’d been just as dense. I’d thought he cared. He’d proved me wrong.

I was done making a fool of myself. I was going to pack my shit and wait at the airport. As soon as Emily was ready to go, I’d take my ass back to California. Why the fuck did I care what Cooper did with his stock shares? He was a grown-ass adult and could take care of himself.

And even though I’d acted like a teenager with a pathetic crush, I was a grown-ass adult, too. I’d pick up my bruised heart, rub some dirt on it, and be fine.

Eventually.

Coco growled.

I stopped on the path because he’d stopped, too, facing back toward Cooper’s place. “No, buddy. We’re not going back there. You don’t have to growl at him anymore. We’re done with him.”

In fact—fuck. I squatted on the path and stroked Coco’s fur that still smelled like chamomile, no matter how many times he’d tried to roll it off on the sand. “I can’t take you with me. There’s probably some paperwork and shots and shit, and, besides, Mimi’s allergic, and her place doesn’t allow pets.” I cleared my throat and rubbed behind his ears the way he liked. “You’d better trot off now.”

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