Chapter 14 #2
Was she missing him as much as he was missing her?
“Not until Thursday. I have an early flight that morning. My brothers and I decided to stay a few days longer and hang out with the folks. They love it when the three of us are here together. And now that they have their first grandbaby and a new daughter-in-law, Mom is going all out. She is preparing all our favorite meals.”
“That sounds nice.” She sounded wistful.
“I’m sure it will be. Mom is the best cook in the world.”
“So, what’s your favorite meal?” she asked.
“Mac and cheese. She still uses her grandmother’s recipe. No shortcuts or deviations.”
“I bet it’s delicious. I can almost feel my mouth watering now.”
“It is delicious. Nobody makes it as she does. You’re going to have to try it one of these days.” He hadn’t realized what he was insinuating until the words were out of his lips.
“Maybe I will.”
At that moment, he knew that one day she would. “How about dinner Thursday night when I get back?”
“Dinner sounds nice.”
“Great. At my place. Mom gave me a new recipe I want to try out.”
“You cook?” she asked.
“On occasion.”
“Then I’ll look forward to dining with you on Thursday.”
“I’ll send a private car for you.”
“That’s not necessary, Cobra.”
“It’s something I want to do, so humor me.”
She didn’t say anything for a minute, and then gave in. “Okay.”
“Good. I’ll see you on Thursday around five.”
“That will work. Goodbye, Cobra.”
“Goodbye, Desiree.”
Cobra released a deep breath. He had just done the one thing he’d sworn that he wouldn’t do—invite a date to his home. The only thing that kept him sane was knowing she would not spend the night. At least not for another few months.
***
A short while after her phone call with Cobra, Desiree picked up the book she had been reading, but put it aside moments later. She couldn’t get back into it. Cobra said he had called because he was thinking about her, and he had invited her to dinner at his place.
She had been thinking about him, too. A lot.
After their lunch date on Wednesday, how could she not?
Her breasts would never be the same. She might be imagining things, but at the sound of Cobra’s voice, her nipples began to tingle mercilessly.
It was as if they had recognized the voice belonging to the man who had brought them so much pleasure.
Whether she liked it or not, Cobra had gotten under her skin.
And that was something, considering she’d been so fed up with selfish men that she’d decided she could do without male companionship.
The last thing she had needed was to allow another one to tear down her hard-won confidence and self-esteem.
For her, abstinence was one way of escaping the negative emotions Aimery had tried to make her feel.
She would always appreciate Camille, who had been there for her and offered free psychological sessions on their couch.
She had refused to let Desiree blame herself for Aimery’s actions.
In fact, Camille had even found out what a few other people who’d been with Aimery—usually actresses—thought of his skills in the bedroom.
The consensus was that he was lousy in bed.
Most of them had honed their acting skills by faking their orgasms so as not to make him mad, since he was known to lavish his lovers with expensive gifts.
That revelation had made her feel better about herself, but still, she felt that abstaining for a while, giving herself time to heal, was a good idea.
Aimery’s words had been intentionally cruel, and for him to call another woman over to his place before Desiree could fully get dressed and leave had felt worse than any slap in the face.
It had hurt her deeply. But she was over it now. Thanks to Cobra.
She couldn’t believe Aimery had had the gall to show up at her office and tell her that he would have put up with her so-called ‘sexual shortcomings’ had he known Richard Sharpe was her grandfather. All because he wanted something from Richard. How low was that?
She regretted now that she had essentially accused Cobra of the same thing, for wanting something from her grandfather.
She now knew she was wrong about that. Although she hadn’t said a lot during their shared dinner that night, she’d watched her grandfather and Cobra interact with each other.
They had a genuine fondness for each other.
They had the kind of relationship she was just beginning to understand.
Very few people gave Richard Sharpe any pushback on anything, but Cobra would disagree with him to his face.
And another thing... Cobra had pretty much destroyed Aimery’s claim that she was sexually inadequate. After all, if Cobra could give her so much pleasure with just his kisses, she could barely imagine how good it would be when they finally shared a bed. And they would. She knew it in her bones.
He’d said he wanted them to get to know each other better, and she wanted that, too.
But she had no idea how to turn down the heat that was already blazing out of control, between them.
She wanted him and knew he wanted her. But there was that bet with his brothers keeping them apart.
A bet that he was obviously determined to win.
And a part of her wanted him to win because that was what he wanted.
She didn’t understand the concept of sibling rivalry, but she did know she was on Cobra’s side.
And so she refused to do anything to hinder his chances of winning…
even if it meant using her boytoy in the interim.
That was something she hadn’t done in years, but desperate need called for desperate measures.
Her vibrator didn’t come close to giving her the pleasure Cobra had, but it was better than nothing.
And he had invited her to dinner at his place on Thursday, where they would be alone. She would have to take his word that he had complete discipline over his body. She certainly hoped so, because she tended to lose all control.
When her phone rang, she recognized the ringtone she’d set for Camille. She had texted Desiree to let her know she had arrived in Zurich, but Desiree hadn’t heard anything from her since. Hopefully, no news was good news.
Grabbing her phone off the nightstand, she clicked it on. “Cam? How are things going?”
“Things are going great. The cabin is nice, the Alps are beautiful, and Dre is being a perfect gentleman.”
“Hmm…does that mean you haven’t jumped his bones yet?”
Camille released a giggle. “No, but there have been moments when I could almost taste the chemistry between us. But he’s determined to ignore it.”
“Don’t let him. Sometimes, you just have to go for it.”
“Are you trying to give your personal therapist advice?”
She laughed. “Is it working?”
“It might be. Does this mean you and Cobra Masters have moved beyond kissing?”
“Not yet, but I know it’s because of the bet he has with his brothers. But that’s okay. I am willing to wait. He’s a man worth waiting for, Cam.”
“Sounds like Cobra has grown on you, Rae.”
“If only you knew. We’re still getting to know each other, but I must admit, I am enjoying the process.”
“Then I am happy for you.”
“Me, too. But hey, listen to this. Would you believe that Aimery is in New York, and that he came to my office?”
“What! You’ve got to be kidding. Why would he look you up after the way you guys ended things?”
Desiree proceeded to tell Camille everything.
“Wow, Rae. I’m so glad Cobra showed up when he did. I wonder how Aimery felt at getting told off by a real man. He is so full of himself, but there’s nothing to back it up. I blame all those women who allowed him to think that he’s all that.”
“Well, enough about Aimery. What do you plan to do about Léandre? You’ve been there for almost a week.”
“I know, but…”
“But nothing, Cam. If you love him—and I know you do—you have to tell him how you feel. This is the perfect opportunity.”
“Yes, but now I’m getting cold feet.”
“Then put on socks to warm them up.”
Camille giggled again. “Okay, I will give that move some consideration.”
“You’d better. I love you. I want you to be happy.”
“I love you, too, Rae, and want you happy, as well.”
“Hey, it’s not that way with Cobra and me. We’re just hot for each other. There’s nothing more to it than that.”
“I don’t believe that. I believe there could be more between the two of you, Rae…if you let it.”
“Good sex I could use, but anything beyond that is off the table.”
Rather than get into an argument with her friend, Desiree said, “Listen, don’t worry about me.
I’m fine. I want you to concentrate on that handsome hunk that you have loved forever.
You’ve always told me that a person is the architect of their own joy, so make yours happen, Cam.
And if there are fireworks, that’s even better. ”