Page 81 of Boss Me
“Okay. See you tomorrow. Love you, man.”
It was his standard good-bye. But this time, it didn’t twist into my gut like a knife.
“Me, too.”
28
BEN
Cooper held my fingers tight when all I wanted to do was run. He’d talked with his best friend, and he hadn’t mentioned our relationship. And then he said he was going back to San Francisco. Not we’re going back. I’m going back.
If Cooper Fallon thought he was leaving me on the island as a placeholder, he had another think coming.
He set his phone on the table and turned toward me so our knees touched. Then he looked up, apology in his eyes, and said, “I have to go back.”
I tried to keep my tone light. “What disaster has Jackson gotten himself into now?”
“It’s the entire company.” He took my other hand. “Jay was light on details—he and Weston aren’t exactly confidants—but Gurusoft people have been in the building, and Weston’s called an emergency board meeting for the day after tomorrow. Maybe they’ve cobbled together a hostile takeover offer.”
Poor Marlee. My phone had buzzed while Cooper talked to Jackson, but I’d been too engrossed in listening to Cooper to pick it up. “Do you think Weston supports a takeover?”
“No. He’s a good guy. He probably got so caught up in doing work I should’ve been doing, he…” He frowned.
“It’s not your fault, Cooper.” I reached up and lightly touched the crease between his brows.
It didn’t smooth out. “Actually, it is. I sold those shares.”
“I guess we have to figure out what’s going on and how to react. How would a buyout work?” I wished I could have made it all go away for him, but Cooper thrived on problem-solving. The best thing for him was to work through it. I could help with that.
He circled his thumb on the back of my hand, staring at it like it was one of his spreadsheets. “They couldn’t have purchased enough stock to take over outright. I still have a good amount, and Jay has his. Weston has a strong position, too. It’s possible they’ve accumulated a significant minority, enough to influence board decisions. I’m guessing Weston wants to bring the board together proactively to determine our response strategy.”
I tightened my grip on his fingers. “I’m going with you.”
“I promise I won’t be gone long. A couple of days at most. And it’ll be easier if you don’t.” He looked down at our joined hands.
My body went stiff. We hadn’t figured out our future, but I thought we were on our way to something permanent. “Why would it be easier?”
“It’s such a short trip. You wouldn’t have to deal with the jet lag. You could stay right here and relax without any distractions.” He leaned in for a kiss, but I turned so he caught only the corner of my mouth.
“And what about you?” This time, my tone turned snarky. “Is Jackson Jones going to be a distraction?”
He backed up, and even though I was pissed, I missed the connection with his hands. He smoothed down the legs of his shorts. “It’s not like that. It’s never been like that.”
“You mean your attraction is one-sided? Because it’s definitely like that.”
“Jay is straight,” he said, his voice flat. “He’s never felt that way about me. And I never wanted to endanger our friendship by telling him how I felt. Dr. Pradhi said I had those feelings for him because he was safe. Unobtainable. Maybe she was right.”
Safe? Jackson Jones was the farthest thing from safe. He was gorgeous and rich and Cooper’s best friend since they’d been teenagers. The only thing Jackson could be relied on was to fuck things up, and this time, his fuck-up might destroy what Cooper and I were building together.
Jackson Jones had big, broad shoulders, and I felt them wedged between us. I could already feel Cooper’s affection for me diminishing as he problem-solved his way back into Synergy.
I’d done exactly what I’d told Mimi I wouldn’t do. I’d given him my heart. But now that I’d resigned, it would be Jackson in the office with Cooper instead of me. I’d known him only six months, and our relationship was less than two weeks old. He and Jackson had a whole history I’d never match. When he reconciled with his friend, would there still be space for me?
Not if I didn’t tell him what I wanted. What I needed. We’d built something special, too. It might be new, but it was worth fighting for.
“Listen to me.” I waited until he met my gaze. “We’re going back together. I’m not your executive assistant anymore, but I want to help with this. Because I care about you. Because I—I love you.” My heart stopped because I’d ripped it off the outside of my chest and laid it out in front of the man it beat for.
He blinked at me. “You do?”
