Chapter 6
RYAN
October
“Right. We want this to be mutually beneficial, so let’s adjust the percentage to give both sides some room to breathe as we integrate. I’ll send over the revised terms, and we can aim to finalize everything by Friday.”
As I finish speaking, I notice Genevieve peering through my office windows, mouthing something to me. I give her a quick wave, inviting her in. She steps in quietly, waiting for me to wrap up the call.
“Yep. Appreciate the conversation, Paul. Looking forward to wrapping this up. Let’s reconnect later this week. Talk to you soon.” I disconnect the call and remove my earbuds.
“Hey, Genevieve, what’s up?”
“Hey, Ryan. I have a new employee I’d love for you to meet when you have a minute.”
“Great. I’ll be right out.”
“Okay, we’ll be in the lounge.”
I jot down a few notes from my call with Paul and fire off a quick email, my to-do list growing longer by the second. Grabbing my water jug to refill while I’m in the lounge, I head out to meet Genevieve.
I spot Genevieve as I turn the corner, her back to me, standing next to a blonde. I hate to be that guy, but I can’t help checking out this woman’s ass. Her long hair falls past the middle of her back, and her pants show off her body in all the right ways. I do what any guy would do—I look.
“Genevieve,” I call out.
Both she and the blonde turn around, and my heart stops dead in my chest.
“Hey, Ryan. I wanted you to meet our new Project Manager, Cooper Bradley,” Genevieve says professionally.
I freeze for a moment. Cooper and I lock eyes, and I can tell she’s just as surprised as I am. Before the awkwardness sinks in, I grin and extend my hand. “Cooper. It’s been a while.”
She hesitates, then takes my hand, smiling. “Yeah, it has. Nice to see you again, Ryan.”
“Wait… You two know each other?” Genevieve’s surprise is nothing compared to the shock that I’m feeling.
“Yeah…” Cooper speaks slowly. “Ryan and I met in Newport back in…” She turns to me. “Oh, when was that? March?”
“Yeah, I think so, about mid-March,” I say grinning. She grins back, and God, her smile.
“What a small world.” Genevieve turns to Cooper. “Ryan’s the VP of VantageSphere. His team works across this floor, so you’ll probably run into each other a lot. Since you’ll be collaborating on a few projects, I thought it’d be good for you two to connect early.”
Holy shit, this is insane. What are the chances that, six months later, she’d end up working not only in the same building, but on the same floor as me? I have no idea what to make of it.
I find myself staring at her because fuck, how can I not? She looks incredible—just as gorgeous as I remember. She rubs her lips together. God, her lips—her body, her smell. Jesus, what am I doing?
She glances up, catching me staring, and I quickly look away, pretending to focus on Genevieve’s words. I nod and respond when necessary, but I’m not really listening. My thoughts are completely consumed by that night we spent together in Newport.
I’ve replayed it over and over—the way we clicked, the morning after—wondering why she didn’t stick around.
We had a great time together—I’m sure she felt it too.
I sense her eyes on me and shift my focus just enough to catch a faint smile. My pulse quickens. Hell yeah, she’s still attracted to me .
“So, if you have any questions about that, you can always ask Ryan.” Genevieve looks at me expectantly, and I realize I have no idea what she’s talking about.
“Right,” I say, nodding like I’m totally in the loop. “My office is always open.” I smile and extend my hand again. “Well, Cooper, it was great seeing you again. I look forward to catching up and working together.”
Cooper takes my hand. “Yeah, me too. It’s great seeing you.”
“Thanks, Ryan. I’ve got to get Cooper over to Jason so she can start training for the day,” Genevieve says, ushering Cooper down the hall toward one of the smaller conference rooms.
I slip back into my office and slump into my chair, swiveling back and forth as my mind races. Cooper Bradley. What are the odds? What the hell does this mean? I tap the end of my pen against my chin, deep in thought.
I left Newport without answers, and now she’s here, right in front of me. But everything is different now. My life’s a goddamn mess. I feel a mix of nerves and excitement, but reality hits me like a club to the head. Newsflash, Ryan: she’s your coworker now.
Hell, I couldn’t sleep with her again even if I wanted to.
I stare at my computer screen, the endless list of to-dos piling up, taunting me. No distractions, I tell myself. But my thoughts drift back to her—her smile, the way she flirted with me, and her fucking adorable laugh.
Jesus. Who am I kidding? I’m already distracted.
* * * * * ? * * * * *
“Beth?” I call out as I walk into our four-bedroom townhouse in Lakeview—about a twenty-minute drive from downtown, assuming the traffic isn’t horrendous. I fight the urge to toss my things onto the couch and instead stop to hang my jacket in the closet, setting my backpack at the bottom of the stairs to take up later.
“I’m in here,” she calls from the kitchen.
I make my way through the living and dining room to the kitchen. Beth’s at the stove, cooking.
“Hey,” she says, glancing over her shoulder. “How was your day? You hungry?”
“Yeah, I’m starved. My day was fine. How about yours?”
“It was fine… Had lunch with my mom—you know how that goes.”
I chuckle, making my way over to her. She stops what she’s doing to embrace me. I hug her tightly, kissing the top of her head. “How are you feeling today?”
“Oh you know, I’m just tired.” She goes back to the stove while I sort through the pile of mail at the end of the counter.
My mind drifts back to the day—back to Cooper. I still can’t believe it. It’s been hours, and I can’t shake the way seeing her made me feel.
“Hey,” Beth says loudly.
I look up. I can tell from the look she’s giving me that she either said or asked me something that I didn’t hear. “Sorry, what?”
She shakes her head. “Never mind. You seem distracted. What’s going on?”
I furrow my brows. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just a bit of a weird day.” I’m not about to tell her the woman I slept with six months ago now works in my office.
She narrows her eyes, searching my face. “Weird how?”
“Just work stuff,” I say, brushing it off. “What are you making? It smells good.”
“Fajitas.”
“That sounds great… You know you don’t have to cook for me, right?”
She gives me a soft smile. “It’s no problem, Ryan. I’m cooking anyway, and I’m happy to cook for you. I like cooking for you.”
“Well, thanks. I know you’re probably not up for it, but I appreciate it.”
* * * * * ? * * * * *
Later that night, I half-watch a football game, a beer in one hand and the other tucked into my joggers. My thoughts drift to Cooper. An escape. A way out of the swirling clusterfuck my life has become. But the more I think about her, the more conflicted I feel.
I scowl at the TV. Why can’t I stop thinking about her? Because I’m horny as hell. That night with her is all I’ve been able to think about for months. I’ve jerked off to the memory of her more times than I care to admit—and now I’m going to be seeing her every day. Great.
“Hey,” Beth’s voice interrupts my thoughts. “I’m going to bed… goodnight.”
“Night.” My attention shifts back to the television as I hear her ascend the stairs. I let out a long sigh, running a hand through my hair. My life has done a complete one-eighty over the past year—and not in a good way.
* * * * * ? * * * * *
My eyes keep drifting to Cooper as Jason speaks. She’s wearing a tight dress, and I can’t stop fidgeting with the pen in my hand. My mind slips into an alternate universe where I’ve got her alone in my office. She’s undressing for me, just like she did in Newport. I’m about to bend her over my desk when I realize she’s scowling at me.
Oh, shit. I’ve been caught.
Her lips press together, fighting back a smile. She quickly shifts her attention back to Jason, but I keep mine mostly on her.
Our early morning meetings bring both companies and their department heads together. It’s Cooper’s third day here. I barely saw her yesterday, and it was probably for the best. I’ve got so many meetings, the busyness keeps me from thinking about her too much. But right now? With her sitting right in front of me? She’s all I can think about.
Jason turns the rest of the meeting over to me, and as I wrap things up, I scramble for any reason to talk to Cooper. My mind comes up blank. There's nothing pressing we need to discuss, and she’s still glued to Jason most of the day with her training.
“Alright everyone, great work here. Let’s have a productive day.”
As the others gather their things, I’m about to head out when Cooper approaches me.
“Hey, Ryan,” she says.
“Hey,” I reply, surprised. Okay… she came to me. This is good . “I’ve been meaning to come find you, but I’ve been slammed with meetings. How are you liking your first week?”
She shrugs with a playful smile. “It’s been good so far… a little surprising,” her eyes glance over me. “But good.” She bites her bottom lip, and something in her tone feels very flirty.
I can’t help but smirk. “Anything in particular surprising you?”
“Mostly just you… And it’s been the change I didn’t know I needed.”
“That’s great. I’m glad you’re enjoying it. And yeah, seeing you here on Monday was… well, unexpected, to say the least.”
Her eyes light up. “How long have you worked here? I thought you lived in Arizona.”
I cock a brow, amused. “I don’t remember us talking about where we lived. How’d you know that?”
She shrugs, grinning. “I took a peek at your driver’s license before I snuck out. Okay, maybe a little creepy,” she adds, laughing. “But I honestly didn’t think I’d ever see you again, so I figured… why not?”
I chuckle. “You did a little research, huh? I’m flattered.” I lean in slightly, teasing her. “I thought you didn’t want to know anything personal about me.”
She smiles. “I didn’t… until I did.”
Her eyes meet mine, and it’s as if no time has passed at all. I’m right back there, in that bed with her. The bow of her lips, the freckle by her eye—still sexy as hell. I swallow. “You know, you could’ve just asked me before disappearing like a ghost.”
Her cheeks flush. “Yeah, well, that wasn’t exactly part of the plan.”
“So, what was the plan?” I ask, raising a brow. “Why did you leave?”
She hesitates, fidgeting slightly. Her fingers twist a strand of her hair, and that’s when I notice the giant ring on her finger, catching the light like a punch to the gut. My stomach knots. How did I miss that?
I force a casual tone. “That’s… a nice ring.”
My mind races with questions.
The tension between us shifts, something heavier settling in. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before—probably didn’t want to. I scoff, feeling like a fool. “So, what? You’re married?” The words slip out before I can stop them.
She shakes her head. “No,” she says a little reluctantly. “I’m engaged.” She clasps her right hand over her left, as if she can hide the fact that she’s engaged—that she slept with me and was just now flirting with me.
Engaged. My mind races. It doesn’t add up. Six months isn’t long enough to meet someone new and get engaged… unless she wasn’t single back then.
I smile softly, trying to mask the ache of disappointment. “Right. Well, you should probably get back to Jason. I’ve got a meeting.”
I head toward the door.
“Ryan, wait,” I hear her call out, but I don’t stop. I go straight to my office and close the door.
I drop into my chair. What the fuck? The walls feel like they’re closing in on me, and I scold myself for getting my hopes up. She’s not available. God, no wonder she snuck out while I was sleeping. Did she cheat on him? The thought makes me cringe. I’ve been cheated on before—I know how that shit feels, and I never thought I’d be the guy to play any part in it.
I can’t help feeling slightly disappointed. We had great chemistry. But dammit, it wasn’t just the sex. There was something about the way we clicked, the conversation, the flirting—the teasing.
And now, seeing her every day is going to mess with my head.