The KISS Principle (Erotic Romance) (11 page)

Flipping her hair back and playing with her earring?
Jesus.
Cooper’s stomach felt empty and the thought of food was
revolting.
This was such a bad idea.

The waiter brought their sandwiches. “Mustard or
ketchup for either of you?”

“Mustard please. Dijon if you have it,” Brian answered.
He popped a fry into his mouth, looking across the room again. “Oh, okay.
Weird.”

“What?”

“Allie just downed the rest of her drink. Ian doesn’t
look very happy.”

Fuck. Now what?
“Can you be a
little more specific?”

“Hold on.” Brian flattened his hand on the table, keeping
his sights on the other side of the restaurant. “Oh, okay. No.” Brian frowned.

“You’re literally killing me,” Cooper said.

 “Shut up. I’m doing the best I can.”

“Then please tell me what’s going on.”

“Ian is smiling again. He just patted her on the
shoulder. Allie is running her fingers up and down the stem of her glass.”

Jesus. She does that when she’s flirting with me.
I’m going to make myself crazy.

“Anything else?” the waiter asked as he clunked the
bottle of mustard on the table.

“Yes,” Cooper answered. “Can you wrap this up? We need
to go.”

* * * * *

 Taking the elevator up to her office, Allie
couldn’t recall the last time her ego had taken such a beating. She’d used
every trick in the book on Ian and none of it worked. To be fair, it only
failed in terms of getting out of the lawsuit. That part of her plan had belly-flopped.
In terms of soliciting Ian’s attention, that had been a home run. Too bad that
was the last thing she wanted.

Ian had flirted with her during their lunch, more so
after half of his single malt scotch was down his gullet. At first, it felt as
if the eye contact and self-satisfied smirks meant she was on the right track.
He let out a few syrupy things, even saying that he wondered if he’d done the
wrong thing by leaving her. Allie let that one slide by downing the rest of her
martini.

Trudging down the hall, she considered turning around
and not even going into her office. “Marcy, no calls please. Unless it’s
urgent,” she said to her receptionist while grabbing her mail, which was only
bill after bill after bill.

On cue, the phone rang. “Flynn Agency,” Marcy
answered. “I’m sorry. She’s not available right now. May I transfer you to her
voicemail?” She winked at her boss.

At least Allie had her rock-solid staff, even if her
company might be DOA by the end of the year. She began to walk away, but Marcy
stopped her.

“Uh, Ms. Flynn, I was hoping to speak with you real
quick. I have some news.” Marcy twirled a lock of curly red hair around her
finger. “I’m pregnant. I’m due in December.”

Allie blinked, her brain on a delay. “Pregnant. Wow.
Congratulations.” She smiled, eager to show enthusiasm for Marcy’s happy news,
however much it had to be forced at that moment.

“Oh, thank you. It was a big surprise with Joe in grad
school, but everything happens for a reason, right? So, I guess you’ll need to
tell me what I need to fill out for my maternity leave.”

Allie battled the tears that stung her eyes. “Uh,
you’ll be our first so we’ll have to work that out. Don’t worry. You’ll get
everything you were promised in the health plan.”

Allie plopped down at her desk once she reached her
office. A headache had seated itself behind her eyes, pain that would go
nowhere when she was so stressed.

Ian had been so ruthless. He’d let her sit there for
nearly two hours, working the entire time, sucking up to him, building up his
ego, offering her thoughts about several compromises she’d devised. He seemed
to hang on every word, as if he were carefully considering each scenario, only
to pull the rug out from under her with a definitive, “Sorry, darling. The
lawyers are proceeding as planned. But thanks for lunch. I had a fabulous
time.”
What an asshole.

And Marcy—sweet, loyal, irreplaceable Marcy.
What would she do if the Flynn Agency shut its doors? That would mean no health
insurance, no paid maternity leave, no job to return to after the baby arrived.

“I’m going to check email and then I’m going home,”
she muttered to herself, watching as the number on her inbox steadily rose.
Much of it was stuff she could easily put off until Monday, but then she spotted
the message from the people at Valeti Cookies. After reading the first few
lines, she simply shut the lid of her laptop. Things couldn’t get any worse.
Valeti had rejected every single idea in her campaign proposal. Every last one.

* * * * *

 Allie collapsed on her bed when she got home,
still unsure about what to tell Cooper. She didn’t want to let her pride get in
the way, but he’d been so adamant that it wouldn’t work and she’d fought back
just as hard. It stung like crazy to realize she’d done something so stupid and
naïve, everything Cooper had called it.

The ring of her cellphone woke her. “Hello?” she
croaked.

“Hey, it’s me. Are you still at the office?” Cooper
asked.

“No. I came home after my meeting.”

“I was worried. You didn’t call to tell me what
happened.”

“I’m sorry. I had a massive headache and I needed to
lie down for a while. Where are you?”

“At your door. I knocked but you didn’t answer.”

“Shit.” Allie scampered across the bed and rushed to
let him in. She looked at him through bleary eyes, sinking against his chest as
soon as he was in the apartment.

“That bad, huh?” he asked, caressing her back. “What
happened?” His voice was soft but unsteady.

She’d considered trying to put on a good face and tell
him that she and Ian were still working things out. Warmth radiated from him,
his presence washing away her day. Even a white lie wasn’t an option. “I sat
there like an idiot for two hours and he still shut me down. They’re going
forward with the lawsuit. You were right.”

Allie winced at the admission that she’d made such a
foolish mistake. When they were together, Ian had always been so quick to point
it out when she was wrong. She didn’t expect the same from Cooper, but her
reflex was still there. Just as she’d hoped, he rolled his knuckles along her
spine and shushed her when her shoulders shuddered and she finally broke down.

“It’s okay. You’ll figure something out. We’ll figure
something out.” He slid his hand beneath her chin, encouraging her to look at
him. “You know what? It was a crazy idea, but it was ballsy. I have to give you
credit for that. Not a lot of people would have had the guts to do what you
did.”

Allie sniffled, peering into his warm and comforting
eyes. Everything about him was so real and generous. He could have rubbed it in
if he’d wanted to. Instead, he only wanted to bolster her, help her back up.
“You’re so good to me,” she whispered, quiet tears returning. “I’m sorry about
this morning. I should have listened to you.”

Dropping her defenses was her last inclination. Every
wall she’d built had a purpose and she’d kept them all in place when she and
Cooper were merely having fun. But as every day went by, he chipped away at her
heart a little more without even knowing it. She could see now that her entire history
with Ian had been based on putting up barriers, insulating herself from what
she’d worried he would eventually find a way to do—hurt her.

Her relationship with Cooper was all about stripping
those things away. It was a scary idea to leave herself, her heart, so exposed.
But there was something liberating about it as well. She could be Allie, leave
her faults on display and it didn’t matter. He still loved her. He still cared
for her.

 Cooper raked his fingers through her hair before
smoothing it down. “I just need to know that you’re okay.”

Chapter Eleven

Cooper didn’t sleep much that night, even after he and
Allie had stayed up late watching old movies. She fell asleep on him before the
end of
Casablanca
and he relished the near-silent moments after he’d
turned off the television, when all he could hear was the gentle rush of her
breaths.

At least she’d been able to get some rest after her
hellish day. He was another story, feeling sick about the stunt he and Brian
had pulled. It had accomplished nothing. It only underscored how great a hold
Allie had on his heart. He was apparently willing to do even the most inane
thing to protect her.

It was no secret that Allie was all about trust and
he’d broken it by going to the restaurant. He remembered how upset she’d been
with her sister for snooping on her boyfriend’s phone. She’d later admitted
that her father had always been suspicious of her mom, questioning her at every
turn.

He lay with his eyes closed as sunlight filtered into
the room and Allie stirred behind him. He was about to turn to face her when she
cupped her body around his. The tight peaks of her breasts grazed his back. Her
slender legs met his. She hummed and her hand slowly traveled around his waist
to his chest. Anticipation quickly took hold as she slid her warm palm down
across his abs. She wrapped her fingers around his cock, forcing a sudden groan
of pleasure from his lips.

Allie giggled. “Somebody’s excited to see me this
morning,” she mumbled against the back of his neck with heated breath.

Goose bumps prickled his upper body. He stretched his
legs as she began to gently stroke. “It’s morning.”
Jesus.
“I can’t help
it.” A smile spread across his face.

“So it has nothing to do with me. What if I do this?”
Her thumb swirled over the throbbing skin of his head. Then she coiled her
fingers around him, pumping with a touch so provocative that his hips bucked.

He inched forward and flipped to his back. “Come
here.” He held his arms in an open embrace but she moved away.

Allie shook her head, shifting up on to her knees. “Relax.
Let me take care of you this morning.” Her fingers splayed on his thighs as she
maneuvered between his legs. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his
belly. The brush of her silky, shiny brown locks on his chest sent a sizzle
straight to his groin. She tossed her hair back and flashed her eyes before
lowering her lips to his cock.

Cooper propped himself up on his elbows to watch as
her mouth skimmed his length. It was as if everything he saw was on a delay,
the primal pleasure of her motions registering first with a tightening of every
muscle below his waist. She bobbed her head, moaning, making him even more
appreciative when he wasn’t sure he could be any more grateful.

Her tongue swirled around his head and she took a
moment to flick at the sensitive ridge, teasing his balls with the tips of her
fingers. A flush came to her cheeks as he groaned when she increased the
suction. He loved feeling her effect on him, seeing his effect on her.

She wrapped her especially hot fingers around the base
of his cock, pumping with an even pace while she quickened the downward passes
of her lips. The sides of her cheeks became concave, the tender wet skin inside
her mouth causing the pressure in his gut to build. His balls constricted
against his body, his pelvis tightened. Allie’s hair bounced on his abs and
tension gathered in his belly. She flattened her tongue with such force that
his body sharply clutched before giving way with waves of rapid-fire release.

Any tautness in his body melted away as she let him go
and waggled her eyebrows.

She wiped her mouth on his bare stomach before
crawling closer and brushing his lips with hers. “Good morning,” she muttered
before collapsing next to him.

Cooper laughed, embracing the contentment as it
settled in his bones. “That’s one hell of a wake-up call.”

“You deserve it. You’ve been taking such good care of
me.”

He drew her closer with a curl of his arm and kissed
the top of her head. “Isn’t that my job?”

Allie cleared her throat. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She popped up to her elbow and swept his hair from his
forehead. “I wanted to be the first to say it. You’re always beating me to it.”
An electric smile came across her face and she kissed him again. “I was going
to throw in a load of laundry. Do you want me to wash your jeans from last
night? That chocolate sauce you dribbled on them isn’t going away on its own.”

“I wouldn’t say I dribbled, but yes, that would be
great. I’ll make coffee.” He watched as she scooted to the end of the bed and
plucked his pants from the floor. “Are we doing our normal Saturday routine?”

“If you mean snuggling on the couch while I read and
you watch sports, then yes.”

Cooper took a pair of his pajama pants off a hook in
Allie’s closet. He’d started keeping clothes at her place a few weeks earlier.
Running up and down the stairs had become a real pain.

In the kitchen, he put coffee on and drank a glass of
water as rich aromas filled the room.

Allie walked with purpose into the kitchen. Her
forehead was creased, her eyes pinched in confusion. She placed some change, a white
plastic wrapper and a pale yellow crumpled receipt on the center island. His
heart plummeted into his stomach.

“I pulled these out of your pocket. Did you go to
Miller and Main recently?” She poked at the mint wrapper imprinted with the
well-known restaurant logo. She’d left the receipt that would give away the
exact date and time of his transgression.

I’m such an idiot.
He swallowed.
They were in such a good place right now. It felt as if his brain were the shiny
silver ball in a pinball machine, rolling everywhere with a path impossible to
truly control.
What do I say?

Allie didn’t blink. “It isn’t a difficult question,
Cooper. What’s going on?”

He raked his hands through his hair. “I have to tell
you something. I went to Miller and Main. Yesterday. With Brian.” He couldn’t
believe the words as they came out of his mouth.

“At lunchtime?”

“Yes.”

“When I was there? With Ian?” She spoke as if she were
being choked.

He went to her and she crossed her arms, turning her
shoulder, saying everything with body language.
I have to explain myself.
“Yes, at lunch. I was so worried about you and I hated the idea of you leaving
yourself so exposed to Ian. I don’t trust him at all.”

Allie’s heart hammered at the base of her throat.
Trust?
How can he talk about trust when he did this?
“You don’t trust Ian or
you don’t trust me?”

“I trust you. Of course I do. It’s Ian. He’s such a
sleazebag.”

“I don’t understand. Where were you sitting? Were you
actually hiding?”

He groaned and rubbed his forehead. “We were on the
other side of the restaurant. Brian watched you guys and told me what was
happening.”

“And then what? You ordered lunch? You had beers?
What?”

“Jesus, Allie. I’m sorry. It was really stupid. What
do you want me to say?”

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, but it did
as much good as shaking up a blizzard in a snow globe. “You spied on me.”
I
can’t believe he would do this.

Cooper groaned. “Don’t say we spied on you. That makes
it sounds worse than it really was. I would think part of you would want me to
worry about you.”

 “What exactly did you think was going to
happen?”

He buried his head in his hands. “I have absolutely no
idea. It’s just that I love you so much. All I want to do is protect you and
keep you safe.” His voice cracked as he searched her face, his own devoid of
its usual warm color.

“I’m not a china doll to be kept in a cabinet. I’m not
a possession. I’m a grown woman and totally capable of taking care of myself.” Her
blood slowed in her veins. Her limbs numbed. Her skin grew icy as the betrayal
washed over her. “This is supposed to be a relationship. An adult, grown-up
relationship that has no room for jealousy or distrust or, or…” She scoured his
face, disbelieving he could do any of the things he’d said he had. “Spying,”
she said with a groan of disgust. “This is something high school boyfriends do.
I can’t believe you would do something so juvenile.”

Cooper’s mouth gaped, his eyes darting back and forth.
“Juvenile? High school boyfriend? You just can’t let go of the age thing, can
you? It always comes back to that.” He threw up his hands.

And there it was. She hadn’t realized it when she’d
said it, but she’d brought it up. The one thing she couldn’t get past was
permanent. There was no erasing it, no making it better. “Our age difference
will always be there.” Her voice buckled from the weight of her words.
This
is never going to go away.

“Precisely. We can’t do anything about it. It is what
it is. Why do you insist on making a big deal about this?”

“Twelve years, Cooper. Think about it. I’m making a
big deal about it because it is a big deal.”

“Not to me it isn’t. I never think about it. I don’t
understand why you can’t let it go.”

As angry as she was, she looked at Cooper and saw the
man she loved, smart and funny and handsome, with so much to share. “I don’t
think you realize that someday it might not be enough to be a bachelor. You’re
going to want to settle down. You might want kids. And you’ll be stuck with
someone who’s probably beyond that point in their life.” She felt as if a black
cloud loomed overhead. “I think we need to realize that even though we love
each other, this isn’t going to work long term. Our age difference is just too
great.”

“What are you saying, Allie?”

Her heart felt as if it were an open sore.
He can’t
see it. He can’t imagine ever feeling differently, but it could happen and then
what?
“It’s only going to be more painful if we wait to end it. We would
just be prolonging the inevitable.”

He shook his head, his eyes ringed in pink. “Don’t do
it. Don’t say what I think you’re going to say.”

“We need to think about what we’re doing.”

“I already know what we’re doing.”

“I don’t think you realize the ramifications. You need
time to think about what you really want.” She sucked in a breath, hoping to
soften the words she didn’t want to say. “I think we need to take a break.”