Against All Odds (4 page)

I sit there until the water runs cold and chills pierce my frame. Then I get up, dry off, slip into bed, and cry myself to sleep again. Only this time, I cry not only for Kayla, but for Cooper. I hurt the person I love with everything in me, and the damage could be permanent.

A sharp knocking shakes me out of my thoughts. Startled, I get up to see where it’s coming from while holding my pounding head. “Jesus Christ, chill out. I’m coming.”

I throw open the hotel door and look into the eyes of my bestie and assistant.

“Rough night?” She smirks and holds up two piping hot cups of Starbucks coffee.

“You could say that.” I grimace.

Laughing, she hands me a cup and walks in. “Think you could have gotten dressed before you opened the door, Kylie?” She grins, closing the door. “I mean, you’re hot, but anyone could have gotten a show of nipples and black thong.”

I smile. “Shut up, I knew it was you. You’re the only one who would pound incessantly at my door.”

“True,” she says, taking a sip of her coffee. “Wanna put a robe on?” She raises her brows and a comical look sweeps her features.

Calia is stunning. Blonde. Blue eyes. Tall. A man’s fantasy, and she’s just like me. She uses it to get what she wants. She’s the perfect wingman, and she never judges. She just accepts what is and works with it. I love her.

“What? My rosy nips not working for you?” I giggle and go grab a robe in the bedroom, leaving her in the living room.

“Seriously, Coco, why aren’t you ready?” she yells. “You know Coop’s going to be pissed if you’re late.”

Coco is her nickname for me. When Calia and I started working together, she noticed my addiction to all things chocolate. After being sent out repeatedly for hot cocoa, iced mochas, and brownies, she decided I needed a nickname and it’s stuck. Of course, since she gave me a nickname, I decided she needed one too. When I look at Calia, I think Cali girl. So that’s what I’ve always called her. My Cali girl. It just fits.

“Screw Cooper,” I say. “That bastard can wait.”

“Well, get your shit together, girly. We need to leave in thirty.”

I peek out of the bedroom and smile. “Fine, I just need to hop in the shower. Make yourself at home.”

She laughs and shakes her head. “Go, go! Hurry up. And don’t think you’re getting out of telling me what went down last night.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I yell over the running water.

Great, just what I want to do—rehash my crazy night with a sexy stranger and an angry husband. One I really don’t want to face this morning. One who didn’t show up to our room last night. One who probably screwed Blondie’s brains out and then snuggled her. One who couldn’t care less about me.

Yep, that sounds like something I want to do… not.

I feel good walking into the conference room. After getting cleaned up, I paired a black pencil skirt with a coral blouse and turquoise peep-toe pumps. I left my black hair in loose curls to cascade down my back and threw on some diamond earrings. I decided if I had to face Coop, I would do it looking hot. I unbuttoned the top two buttons of my blouse to give a subtle glimpse of cleavage underneath. Calia decided to head down early and get some last minute paperwork ready.

As soon as I walk through the door, I catch a glimpse of Cooper. My heart starts to beat furiously as my eyes devour him. His head is tipped down, his honey hair playing along the collar of his blue shirt as he flips through some paperwork. He looks sexy in a custom-fitted black Armani suit. I itch to touch him, to run my hands up his toned abs and into his perfectly styled hair. I know that wouldn’t be well received, so I gather my confidence and stride into the room.

As I get closer to him, I inhale and shake out my nerves. “Well, good morning, sweet husband.” I cringe, knowing I sound bitchy.

“Ah, well, look who decided to show,” he says, distant and irritated. “Did you enjoy yourself last night?”

I smile wickedly, wanting to get his blood pumping. I watch his eyes flare and bite my lip. “More than you’ll ever know.”

“I fucking doubt that,” he spits, anger lacing every syllable.

“Don’t get pissy with me,” I spit back. “I could ask you the same thing. Did you have fun with your bottle blonde? Did she give you what you need? What you can’t seem to get from me? Because I definitely found what I needed, and it was long, wide, and
very, very
hard.” I shouldn’t poke the lion, I know this, but he pisses me off. The sick thing is, I want his emotions. I want them directed at me.

I don’t care… good, bad, ugly, or indifferent, I crave them.

I
need
them.

“You can be such a bitch.” He tilts his head back and takes an angry breath, trying to regain his control. His body stiffens, before he exhales. “We need to stop this right now. We can’t do this here. I don’t want to talk about anything but work. People are going to be here in forty minutes, and that’s the only thing we should handle today.”

The way he shuts me out, choosing other things over me, hurts and makes me angry. It sucks that he can do whatever he wants, whenever he feels like it. Yeah, this meeting is huge, but would it kill him to take a minute to talk to me?

“Do you know why I’m so mad?” My blood pressure rises as I get in his face. I look at the man I love so much and take a quick breath. Words tumble out of my mouth like bullets, assaulting him. “Where were you last night? You never came to our hotel room. I made sure I did. Where were you?” I accuse, hurt dribbling from my body. “Did you forget your own golden rule again? You promised me, Cooper.”

He swallows and scrubs a palm over his frustrated face. “I know, okay? Things with Jessica got out of hand. It won’t happen again. Jesus Christ, what difference would it have made anyway? We had to be here early, and I didn’t
finish up
with her until after four.” He drags a hand through his hair, tousling it, and smirks.

It freaking sucks when you get what you give. I know that was directed toward me. That was meant to hurt me after I jabbed at him about “finding what I needed.” And now I know her name… Jessica.

“Screw this,” I mutter. “You’ll never get it. We just keep messing this up. Our rules, the way we live, it’s all so fucked up.” My voice goes from angry to pained, almost resigned.

“Look, this is not the place to talk about us.” His tone is stern. He wants to get away from me; I can see it in his posture and the way his eyes avoid mine. “You wanted this. You wanted to open our marriage. You can’t complain. Let’s just get this deal locked in. This is important, and then we can talk about our usual bullshit, okay?”

I decide to let it go. He can be infuriating and painful. Everything with us feels like a losing battle. I can’t get through to him. I don’t know how. I walk away, breathing deeply, and go find Cali.

Just as I’m heading to the door, she pokes her head in. “Here are the docs.”

“Thanks, Cali.” I smile weakly and grab the papers.

“Hey, hang in there.” Her concern is the only thing that brings me joy. She loves me through everything.

I nod, expelling a deep breath. “What’s that?” I look at the extra papers in her hand.

She looks down and then back at me. “Cooper asked me to copy them for him.”

“Where’s Layla?” I ask, wondering where Cooper’s assistant is. She usually follows him around like a lost, pathetic puppy.

“Couldn’t make the trip.”

“Oh. What would I do without you?” I question, knowing I would be lost without her. She’s always on top of everything.

“You’d die.” She laughs.

“True story,” I say with a giggle.

Forty minutes later, everything’s set up, and the men we’ve been waiting on saunter through the door. The energy in the room changes when I see the males who have graced us with their presence.

“Gentlemen.” Cooper’s voice booms through the space. “Thanks for coming.”

A small grin pulls at my mouth when I lock eyes with Grayson Walsh, Cooper’s best friend and future investment partner. Grayson is well… Gray. He and Cooper go way back. They’ve know each other since they were two years old. They went to high school and college together and have never lived more than twenty minutes apart. Gray’s not only Cooper’s friend, though. He’s mine too.

We share something different, something very special that only began to blossom when Kayla died. He’s been there for me every step of the way, and he’s become my best friend. He knows all the gritty details of my marriage. He knows about the women, the men, the animosity, and he loves us both. He never tries to fix me. Like Calia, he just accepts it for what it is. Does he like it? No. But what can he do? Nothing. Cooper and I are the only ones who can fix the mess we’ve created.

“Guys, I want you to meet my partner, my wife, Kylie Bailey.” Cooper smiles.

I hate the fake warmth in his voice when he introduces me. Everything feels so forced, and I hate it. He could care less where I’m concerned. He tortures me by withholding his love at every turn. I never know whether I’m coming or going.

Swallowing the irritation, I shake hands with Lindin Peterson. The guy’s the size of a linebacker. He has a warmth and sweet swagger that makes me feel instantly at ease. His looks aren’t striking, but his smile makes me smile. His size and aura seem to be at odds with each other. Next, I meet an incredibly charming guy named Jason York. He’s stunning, and his eyes are so bright they’re intoxicating.

“Nice to meet you, Kylie.” He grins, pulling my hand to his soft lips. “Cooper’s a very lucky man.”

Jesus…
The testosterone he oozes is so thick, I have to blink and glance away. My cheeks feel warm. He hasn’t said anything crazy, but I know, I just know, he’s dangerous, sexy, and probably combustible in bed. After I take a second to compose myself, I glance back at all the guys in the room. I see Lindin smirking, Cooper mildly annoyed, and Gray strangely uncomfortable.

Cooper clears his throat. “We’re waiting on one more. Why don’t you guys have a seat and get comfortable? Is there anything Kylie can get you to drink?”

He’s always taking a shot at me.
Is there anything Kylie can get you to drink?
I shoot daggers at him, and he just smirks, knowing he’s crawling under my skin.

The three of them refuse drinks, and we all take our seats, waiting on the CEO of Accelerated Investments. Our conversation is light and friendly, and I think the meeting is going to go superbly. Then the door opens and in strides the man of the hour.

I don’t get up or move to see who he is. I decide to wait for Cooper to make the introduction. This is huge for him, and I don’t want to do anything to mess it up. The CEO is not my responsibility. My job is to sweet talk his right-hand guys, to plant little seeds they can take back to their boss.

“Hey, you made it.” I hear the nervousness in Cooper’s voice. “Thank you so much for coming, Mr. Richards. I know your time is valuable, and we really appreciate you flying out.”

They talk for a minute while I pretend to be busy with papers. I hear Cooper walk up behind me. He places a hand on my shoulder. I take a quick breath, before turning and plaster on the fakest smile I have. The moment I see Mr. Richards’s face, mine falls.

“Kylie, this is Nathaniel Richards, the CEO of Accelerated Investments.”

My heart stops, and the blood flowing to my organs freezes up. I feel as if I’ve been kicked in the stomach as I look into the very knowing eyes of the man who fucked me senseless last night.