Sweet Texas Charm (22 page)

He reached for her hand and kissed a finger and then another one. “I’ve been thinking of growing a beard.”

“Like Coop?”

He pulled her close, pressing her into his erection while his hands unhooked her black satin bra and removed it from her shoulders. “Let’s not talk about Coop tonight.”

That was fine by her. Grayson cupped her breast, causing her to arch her back and let out a moan. She reached for his boxers, moving them down and wrapping her hand around his hard length.

He let out his own sounds of pleasure before kissing her harder this time. “Do you even know what you do to me?” he asked while running his fingers through her hair.

Yeah. She was starting to get the idea, and the feeling was more than mutual. “I’d like to find out,” she whispered while rubbing against his erection.

He kissed her again before leaning over to his nightstand. She took that moment to sit up and massage his broad shoulders while he opened the drawer and grabbed a foil package.

How was any of this happening? She was about to have sex with Grayson Cooper. She smiled widely, knowing he couldn’t see it.

As he maneuvered to the side to put the condom on, she couldn’t resist running her hands down his backside, resting on his soft hips.

Did he have love handles?
Not that she minded—at all. But he was known around town for his solid abs. Maybe he’d overindulged on this vacation.

She smiled as he turned and slid back on top of her. She knew one way she could help him get rid of them if he was interested in restoring his six-pack.

He palmed her breasts, taking one into his mouth and then the other. She grabbed onto his back, needing him inside her. “Grayson, now.”

He took that verbal cue and slid off her panties. With one motion he entered her, their bodies syncing in no time as waves of ecstasy slammed into her over and over.

When they both finally hit the pillows, she stared up at his dark ceiling. “Wow. That was …”

“Yeah, it was.”

She turned, and he brushed her bangs to the side before giving her a soft kiss. “I’m going to go grab us some water. Can I get you anything else? Chips and guac?”

“I’m good.” She bit her lip, checking out Grayson’s fine, naked butt as he left the room. She grinned and grabbed his pillow, wrapping her arms around it. They still needed to talk, but helping him work off those vacation love handles seemed like a much better way to spend the rest of this evening.

• • •

Grayson flipped over the blueberry pancake, unable to stop smiling. Light footsteps upstairs indicated his beautiful guest had awakened and would be joining him soon.

He’d let her sleep in because after the evening they’d had, it was the least he could do.

Last night had been awesome, leaving them both spent. Yeah, he’d been pretty confident that they’d end up exactly where they did, but what he hadn’t expected was how absolutely perfect it had been, and not just the sex, although that had been off the charts. Cuddling with her afterward had been new for him, and he couldn’t wait to do it all over again.

He slid a spatula underneath the finished pancake, flicking it onto a stacked plate next to him. While she laid asleep in his arms, he realized he was falling hard, and if he had any chance with her, he was going to have to be honest about not only the research but the disguise, as well. He wasn’t sure how exactly to explain it in a way that wouldn’t cause her to bolt for his front door again, though. Reaching for his knife, he pushed it through some margarine and buttered each pancake.

“What is that amazing smell?” Becca entered the kitchen. He loved that she was dressed in the white T-shirt and boxers he’d set out for her. He wasn’t ready to see her back in her dress and boots, leaving his condo, just yet.

“Only the best breakfast in all of Sweet Ridge—besides anything on Betty Lou’s menu, of course.” He pulled out a stool, motioning for her to sit. “Orange juice?”

She smiled and brought her messy, wavy hair to the side. He was more than a little responsible for those sexy tangles, unable to stop running his hands through them last night.

“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble, Grayson.”

“It’s no trouble at all.” He reached over and touched her cheek with his knuckle. He needed her to know that last night was more than a one-night stand. At least it was for him. He hoped she felt the same way. Grabbing the syrup bottle, he turned it upside down on her plate, giving it a squeeze. “My mom’s recipe. Enjoy.’

Becca picked up a fork and took a bite, closing her eyes. “These pancakes are incredible.”

“Thank you. My mom liked to cook, but she died in a car accident when I was young so I didn’t learn from her. She left recipes, though. Our nanny showed us how to make most of the meals in this box.” He reached for the small blue recipe container that his father had given him years ago. “It’s dumb, but making those recipes I think helped. Like Mom was right there with us.”

She set her fork down and reached for the box still in his hand. “I don’t think that’s dumb at all. Plain objects can hold many memories.”

“You think so?”

She nodded. “I really do.”
“You know, my dad left us boys small objects.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. Not exactly what we were expecting. Gavin was left a pair of reading glasses and Gage a key. I got a key chain. We’re not sure why he gave us each of those items, but Gage thinks tha—”

Becca’s phone buzzed, interrupting their conversation. He took a sip of his orange juice and attacked his own pancakes while she took the call.

When Becca ended her call, she slid her phone back in her purse.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. A couple of guys called in sick. We’re going to be short for the afternoon deliveries. I probably should get going.” She winked, pushing off the stool. “Some of us aren’t on vacation.”

He pulled her into an embrace, kissing her lips, loving the taste of the maple-blueberry mixture. “Last night was amazing.”

She smiled, looping her arms around his neck. “I couldn’t agree more.”

“Although …” He grinned and rubbed her back.

She released her arms, her eyebrows furrowing. “Although, what?”

“Sleeping with a majority shareholder could be a major conflict. Might even get me fired. I mean, one night maybe, but if it were to happen again … in, say, ten minutes or so, that could be a different story.”

“I see where that could be a problem.” She laughed, and he loved the sound of it. There were a couple of other sounds he’d heard out of her last night that he’d like to hear again, too.

And that thought made him hard. He scooped her up in his arms like he’d done last night, taking her back upstairs.

“Grayson.” She nipped at his earlobe as he carried her down the hallway toward his bedroom. “We really should stop. You know, I can’t take the day off.”

He might have believed her protest if her tongue hadn’t plunged into his ear. “Oh, we’ll be working.” He carried her in and shut the door with his bare foot. “Closed-door meeting that’s going to pretty much take all morning.”

Becca grinned, watching Grayson as he attempted to keep up. The poor man. The guys operating the machines were messing with him a bit this afternoon, speeding up the conveyor belts, slowing them down, then speeding them back up. She should probably go tell them to knock it off.

She adjusted her plastic cap, feeling more than a little embarrassed that he’d see her wearing it, but rules were rules. If she was on the floor, it was on.

“Well, look at you, checking out the new guy.” Tangie came up beside her, offering her a yogurt pretzel from the small bag she held.

“He is pretty cute.” Becca reached in for a pretzel and took a bite. She’d filled her BFF in this morning that Grayson had cooked her a celebratory dinner last night, leaving out the more intimate parts of the evening, but her friend was no fool.

And that gorgeous man had given her the best sex of her life. It’d been the perfect morning after a night she wouldn’t soon forget.

She didn’t really know where this thing with Grayson was heading, but the last twenty-four hours had been incredible, and she hoped they’d be doing the same thing again tonight. Maybe Jack had been on to something by pairing the two. Although, how could he possibly know that she and his son would have such intense physical chemistry?

She smiled to herself just thinking about their romp this morning and grabbed another one of Tangie’s pretzels.

While Grayson held her in his arms, he’d told her that he had big plans for today. She didn’t realize he’d meant working again in the factory, but when she finally made it in, she found him already on the production line, chatting it up with Franco and her other workers.

The only thing they didn’t do last night or this morning was talk about the research he supplied for the proposal. She did want to hear his explanation. He’d said he had one, and after last night she believed in her heart it had to be innocuous enough and couldn’t possibly involve him misleading her.

He’d suggested dinner at the Silver Spurs; she’d bring it up then. Get it out in the open, and then they could move on.

“Oh my God.” Tangie dropped her pretzel bag, her mouth wide open.

“What’s the matter?” Becca bent down to retrieve it, handing it to her friend. She glanced in Grayson’s direction. Grayson had his hands clasped behind him, arching his back into a stretch.

 “That’s my move.” Tangie pointed at Grayson.

“Your move?”

“Yeah, my yoga move.” She lowered her voice and brought her hand down. “He’s doing
my
signature move.”

Becca raised an eyebrow. “Stretching is your move?”

“When it’s done while bouncing on your toes. Look at him go.”

Tangie was right, and he looked so cute doing it. “So what? Maybe his back is a little sore.” She didn’t doubt that it might hurt a bit from her nails digging into it. Maybe after work, she could pick up some massage oi—

“Becca.”

Tangie tapped on her shoulder, interrupting all thoughts of rubbing oil into Grayson’s back. “What?”

“That’s my signature yoga move that I’ve been showing all the guys over the last year. I taught Coop how to do it correctly last week.” Her hand flew to her mouth as her eyes widened. “Holy f—” She stopped herself and grabbed Becca’s arm. “Your office. Now!”

Once there, she shut the door and began to pace.

“What has gotten into you?” Becca studied her friend for any signs of having lost it. Maybe she should let her knock off work a couple of hours early.

Tangie stopped and shook her head. “Okay, this is going to sound nuts. Trust me. I know I’m going to sound crazy. I can’t believe I’m even going to suggest it.” She began to pace again. “Maybe I have lost my mind.”

“What are you talking about?” Becca was getting more than a little agitated at Tangie’s inability to spit out whatever it was she was thinking. She grabbed her arms, anchoring Tangie in place. “And would you stand still?”

Tangie glanced out the window toward the production line.

“Well?”

“I think Coop was Grayson.”

Becca let go of her friend’s arms. Wow. Her friend was completely off her rocker. “What do you mean, you think Coop was Grayson?”

“I think Grayson was wearing a disguise.”

“You think Grayson was pretending to be a factory worker. That’s just silly. Why don’t you clock out now, go home, and get some rest? You might be seeing things.”

“Becca, I don’t need a nap, and I’m not crazy. Think about it. Remember when I said there was something strange about his hair? I bet it was a wig. And now Grayson’s doing moves on the floor that I’ve never showed him before.”

“It’s just not possible. I spent so much time with Coop after hours working on our proposal. I think I would know if it was Grayson in a disguise.” Becca dismissed Tangie’s wild theory, gazing out the window. Grayson was laughing with Franco as they continued to lid. “Maybe Coop showed him the stretch.”

Tangie side-eyed Becca. “Because men show each other yoga postures when they hang out together,” she said sarcastically. “Look at him. He’s the same size and weight as Coop.”

Tangie had a point. In his jeans and black shirt, he did look a lot like Coop from the neck down. “So what if they’re the same height?”

All of a sudden the image of Coop wearing Grayson’s avocado socks popped into her head. Tangie couldn’t be right. Could she?

Could Coop Jackson be Grayson Cooper?

Coop Jackson.

Coop … Jackson

She lifted the strawberry key chain Coop had given her off the hook. Grayson had said this morning that Jack had left him a key chain. Was this it?

Oh God.
Could
Coop
be short for
Cooper
?

“Oh fuck.” A wave of nausea slammed into her, and she took a seat, trying to recall every interaction she’d had with Coop.

He’d been so confident that Grayson would approve of their business plan. Tangie’s idea would explain how he’d known all the research.

And it would also explain how Coop had magically appeared when she’d needed an immediate replacement on the line, as well as his sudden departure.

Of course he’d have to quit before their presentation. Coop and Grayson couldn’t be in the same room if they were the same person.

Anger bubbled up inside her. Why had he created such an elaborate plan to deceive her? Was this a scheme to get her shares?

“Becca, what are you thinking?”

That she was a complete idiot. That Grayson had deliberately deceived her. That she’d been betrayed by this man. She let out a slow breath. “I think you’re right. I’m such a fool.”

Tangie came up beside her, leaning on the desk. “He fooled all of us. Do you think we’re on that reality show, the one where bosses go undercover?”

Becca highly doubted it. For one thing, there hadn’t been any cameras around. No, she suspected there was only one target for this horrendous deceit, and it was her.

Becca stood and stared out the window, anger pulsing through her as she watched Grayson showing off his Apple watch to Franco and another line worker for a few minutes before they all resumed lidding dip. How could he do this to her? Had last night also been part of his plan, seducing the shares out of her?