Taking What's His(27)

“Fucking prick,” Holt supplied. “Loser. Asshole. Scum of the fucking earth.”

“Yes, all of those,” she said, nodding. “And more that I can’t think of right now because I’m all worked up.”

He cupped her cheek, his touch tender. Apparently the rules didn’t stop him from touching her all he wanted. “We can write them all down so you remember for next time.”

“There better not be a next time. I never want to see him again.”

“You won’t.” His jaw flexed. “Not if I have anything to say about that.”

Her stomach twisted hard to the left, and it was then that she realized she was cradled in his lap, and he was holding her close. Close enough that she could feel his erection pressing against her butt, and smell the manly scent of his cologne. Close enough that they both froze, breaths held, as they became aware of one another.

It made her want to forget all about his words. Forget all about being friends. She had enough friends, damn it. She desired him. But he didn’t want her. And she had to respect that. Had to respect him. So, she cleared her throat and wiggled free. As she slipped off his lap, he let out a small groan. She hadn’t meant to rub her butt up against his erection…but she totally had.

“Jesus, Lydia.”

Her cheeks heated. “Sorry. So sorry. Uh, thanks for the rescue, by the way. You’re a good friend to have around.”

“Any time, Lydia.” He stood up awkwardly, tugging on his khakis. “Any fucking time.”

Leaning down, he cupped the back of her head and kissed her temple. When he pulled back, his lips hovered over hers. So close, and yet so freaking far. “I have to go to work now, but don’t open the door for any strange men. Especially me.”

She swallowed hard. “I’ll always open the door for you. If you don’t want me to let you in, then don’t knock.”

His fingers tightened on her hair. “I wish it was that easy. I really fucking do.”

With that, he let go of her and left without another word. The second the door closed behind him, she collapsed against the couch, her fingers pressed to her lips.

What did that even mean?





Chapter Nine

On Monday morning, Holt glanced at the clock for what had to be the millionth fucking time. All day long, Lydia had been on his mind. Her smell. Her laugh. The way she’d clung to him, all fiery and pissed off at her douchebag of an ex. But mostly, he’d been thinking about how close he’d been to fucking her the other night, and how he never should have stopped.

Sure, she deserved better. But in his opinion, most women deserved better than the men they were with. It was always that way, because men were dicks by nature. Maybe it went against his DNA to admit that, but what the fuck ever. It was true. So, yeah, he was a dick.

But so was every other guy out there.

If she had to be with one of them—if she refused to be sensible and join a convent—why couldn’t it be him?

A knock sounded on the door, and he glanced up gratefully. Today had to be the longest day in the history of all mankind, so he’d welcome the distraction. Any distraction. “Come in,” he called out.

Cooper Shillings popped his head in, scanned the room, and walked inside. “Hey, man.”

“Hello.” Holt sat up straight and tugged on his shirt. He’d been slouching, damn it. His boss rarely came into his office, so he hadn’t expected him to do so today. “How can I help you?”

“Have you talked to Gordon lately?”

Holt blinked. “Yeah, Friday. Why?”

“I want to do something for him, because of that whole princess thing.” Cooper waved a hand, his green eyes brighter than normal, and sat in front of Holt’s desk. “Apparently, when I fell in love with Kayla, I became a fucking softie and want everyone else to be happy, too.”

Holt choked on a laugh. “Okay. What do you want me to do?”

“He’s listed as private and is unsearchable in the databases, so I want to send his address to the queen. Just in case.” Cooper paused, then pulled a file out of his lap. “This is her information. Just see that she finds it in her phone, or on her laptop somehow. But he can’t know we did it. Neither can she.”

Holt blinked. “Let me get this straight. You want me to hack a queen’s phone, give her Gordon’s number, and then back out of it and act like I never did it?”

Cooper nodded once. “Yep. Exactly.”

Exactly the distraction he needed. “Perfect.” Holt grinned. “I’m on it.”

“Thanks, man.” Cooper stood and tugged on his suit jacket. “It means a lot to me, and him, even if you’ll never get the credit.”