Okay, I’d played with the dogs that were too young to do much training yet.

  Cooper had done some more serious training with the older dogs while I’d goofed off with the young puppies.

  After that, he’d taken me to his waterfront home in La Jolla for a change of scenery.

  He had an amazing house that was so close to the ocean that you could feel it, touch it, smell it, and listen to the sound of the waves hitting the beach.

  After spending the entire afternoon at his place, I’d almost hated to go home, but I had returned to my condo.

  However, I hadn’t seen the last of Cooper.

  Every day, I’d gotten another text giving me the food menu for that evening so I could choose what I wanted.

  He’d spent every evening at my condo, arriving there with our food so I could keep my foot elevated.

  Fortunately, I was now able to bear weight on the ankle, the swelling was gone, and I could actually walk again.

  I hadn’t expected to hear from Cooper this weekend since I was now mobile again, but he’d texted me earlier to ask me if I wanted to meet him at a fantastic Mexican restaurant for dinner.

  He’d had me at the mention of great Mexican food and the opportunity to spend more time in his company.

  ME: I’m done here. I’m on my way.

  I’d just finished up all of my translation, so I got up from my desk at the FBI offices and grabbed my purse.

  God, it had felt good to get back to work after being idle on my couch for nearly a week.

  I waved at the only other translator still in the office on a Friday evening and glanced back down at my phone as it pinged.

  COOPER: Take your time and be careful.

  I grinned like an idiot as I made my way outside.

  As of yet, Cooper had never ended a text without telling me to be careful.

  He either cared about my safety or he was thoroughly convinced I was the most accident prone woman he’d ever met.

  Luckily, the restaurant was right down the street from the FBI offices, so I didn’t even have to take my car out of my parking spot.

  COOPER: Strawberry margarita?

  ME: Yes, thank you! I think I’ve just decided you’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met.

  COOPER: Just because I got you a drink?

  I snorted. “No, you silly man,” I whispered to myself. “Because you were sweet enough to think about ordering one for me.”

  I’d been around Cooper long enough to realize that he did nice, thoughtful things without really thinking about them.

  He had no idea how endearing that quality was to me.

  ME: I’m pretty fond of strawberry margaritas.

  The restaurant was busy when I walked through the door, and it took me a minute to locate Cooper.

  My heart beat faster and my breath quickened as I made my way to his table.

  Just the thought of being with him the entire evening without being laid up on my sofa made me ecstatically happy.

  I felt…free.

  I felt…happy.

  And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel quite so alone.

  Cooper and I had talked more over the last several evenings than I’d ever communicated with another guy in my entire life.

  Maybe my eagerness to be with him had something to do with the fact that he always seemed eager to hear what I had to say.

  He let me decide what details I wanted to share about my kidnapping. He never pushed. He just waited until I brought something up before he asked questions.

  Cooper was insightful that way.

  Sadly, he hadn’t touched me again, but I felt his warmth in everything he did for me.

  “I’m sure a handsome guy like you has a date for tonight,” I said as I stopped right behind the booth. “But would you mind if I join you until she gets here?”

  Our eyes met the moment he looked up at me, and my heart fluttered.

  Heat flooded my entire body as he shot me a panty-melting grin. “It’s about time you got here,” he said in a sexy baritone. “And I’ll stop you if you try to leave. You’re not a substitute. You’re exactly the woman I’ve been waiting to see.”

  I slid into the cushioned bench seat across from him as I asked, “How was your day?”

  God, he looked amazing.

  In a navy-blue custom suit, he looked every bit the wealthy and powerful man that he really was, and he wore that persona extremely well.

  There were many facets to Cooper’s personality and every one of them was attractive. This wealthy businessman was just one more.

  His striking appearance tonight made me happy that I’d put on a skirt, a pair of boots, and a bright red sweater instead of my usual blue jeans.

  “It was good,” he said nonchalantly. “But it’s a whole lot better now that you’re here. Did you finish your work at the FBI?”

  I nodded as I picked up the margarita the waitress had just delivered. “It was good to get back to work. I’m not good at doing next to nothing all day, and it’s nice to actually be out in a restaurant with you.”

  He lifted a brow and skewered me with his gorgeous, assessing eyes. “Happy to see me or to see your margarita?” he joked.

  “Both,” I teased back. “I’m really glad you decided to give this whole friends thing a try.”

  “Me, too,” he answered huskily as he handed me a menu. “I’m having the fajitas. What about you?”

  “That was fast,” I said with a laugh. “Did you even look at a menu?”

  He grinned. “I’m pretty sure I’ve tried everything on it already.”

  “Then please lend me a little of your knowledge, my Obi-Wan of Mexican food. How are the enchiladas?”

  “Definitely recommended. If you like spicy salsa, I’d try some of the salsa verde.” He nodded at the chips and salsa on the table.

  I grabbed a chip and scooped up some of the salsa. “You’ve heard enough about my travels to know that spicier is always better in my opinion.” I popped the chip into my mouth and closed my eyes as I savored the spicy flavor of the salsa.

  “That’s one of the things about you that I find particularly fascinating,” Cooper said thoughtfully. “When you traveled, it really sounds like you didn’t just see the locations and take pictures. It’s obvious you embraced the culture.”

  I swallowed and opened my eyes. “That’s the best thing about traveling for me,” I explained. “Immersing myself in a different place with people who don’t do the same things, eat the same food, or have the same traditions as Americans. Not that I don’t love being an American, but when I’m somewhere else, I want to experience life the way they do for just a little while.”

  “I haven’t done as much traveling as you have,” he explained. “Not for fun, anyway, and not to places I’d really like to visit.”

  I frowned at him. “Didn’t you tell me you have a private jet?”

  He nodded. “I do, but I mostly have it for Last Hope and Montgomery Mining when I need to travel to one of our mine locations. We rotate whose jet we use for every mission with Last Hope.”

  “But you don’t use it for personal travel?” I asked, astounded.

  “I suppose I would if I needed it.”

  I released an exasperated breath. “Cooper Montgomery, you’re one of the richest men on the planet, you have a private jet at your disposal, and you’re trying to tell me it’s never occurred to you to just hop on that jet and let it take you to someplace different?”

  He shrugged. “I guess it really never made sense for me to go somewhere for no reason.”

  Okay, so there was a point where a person could be way too rational and pragmatic.

  “There is a reason,” I assured him. “It’s called pleasure, and I think you could definitely use a little of that. One of these days, when I get brave enough to travel again, I’m going to hijack that plane of yours.”

  The frostiness over those light blue eyes of his completely melted as he asked in a husky tone, “Are you planning on taking me hostage? I think I might like that. Also, I think you’re already one of the bravest people I’ve ever known.”

  “You know that’s not true,” I said.

  I’d already shared all of my lingering fears with Cooper. My anxiousness about some things that had never gone away after my kidnapping.

  He reached out and took my hand and squeezed it. “Bravery isn’t the absence of fear, Torie. Being brave is moving past that panic even though you’re scared. You’ve done that. You keep doing it every single day.”

  His words and the supportive look in those gorgeous blue eyes warmed my entire soul. I blinked back tears as I replied, “I’d never consider stealing your jet without taking you hostage.

  He grinned. “That certainly gives me something to look forward to.”

  I sent him a hesitant smile right before our waiter stopped to take our order.

  Sadly, I knew that particular hostage-taking event would never take place.

  Oh, I’d be ready to travel again someday, but not with him.

  No matter how much I enjoyed my banter with Cooper, the two of us were just friends.

  There was no possible way we could travel together without me wanting to be so much more than just a travel buddy.

  My attraction to Cooper just kept getting stronger. Not only was I not afraid of him, but I was ready to climb his body like a tree and stay up there for as long as possible.

  Not possible, Torie. Just keep being grateful for his friendship.

  For now, and forever in the future, my threats to hijack both Cooper Montgomery and his private jet would have to remain a very pleasant fantasy.

  Torie

  “Thank you for dinner,” I told Cooper as we walked toward my vehicle after we’d finished eating. “It was delicious.”

  “Glad you enjoyed it,” he replied. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

  I didn’t have any majorly exciting plans, which was sad since I was single and tomorrow was Saturday. “I was planning on checking out some of the information the university gave me about their open position as a language program manager,” I shared.

  “So you’re going to give it serious consideration?” he asked. “I think if you decide to take it, you’ll do an incredible job. They’d be lucky to have a director that’s as skilled as you are in so many different languages and cultures.”

  “I have a communications degree, too, so it’s kind of right up my alley,” I confessed.

  He grinned. “You neglected to mention that.”

  “I didn’t want to sound like I was bragging after telling you about all of my language degrees, but if anyone can understand being an overachiever, it’s probably you,” I teased.

  “But we’re not talking about me,” he reminded me. “And that’s seriously impressive. No bragging needed. Do you think the position would make you happy? Not that you have to decide immediately since it wouldn’t start until the fall.”

  “I think I’d like it,” I said. “It would be more of a challenge. Doing only translation gets a little bit tedious sometimes.”

  “If you need any help deciding…” He left the thought hanging. “Never mind. I doubt you need me to lay out all the possible pros and cons of the position.”

  It was no secret to me that Cooper could weigh a gazillion different scenarios against each other and come up with the right option in record time.

  I laughed. “I have no doubt you could give me the rational choice in ten-point-two seconds, but it’s not strictly a business or logical decision. Although I might pick your brain when the time comes about some of the business duties involved.”

  “I’m at your service whenever you need me,” he answered graciously.

  “So tell me why you wanted to know my plans for tomorrow,” I requested.

  He shrugged in that somewhat bashful way of his that I’d come to adore. “I was trying to decide on a fun hiking excursion we could do together if you’re up for it.”

  “Are you sure? You may get tired of seeing my face every day. If you’re going to the training center in the morning, I’d love to come help out if I can. Now that I can move, I’m sure there’s something I can do.”

  “I’d never get tired of seeing your face,” he proclaimed as he moved closer, trapping my body between his and my vehicle. “And yeah, I’ll be at the center in the morning if you want to come by before we leave to hit a trail somewhere.”

  “Thank you for tonight,” I said nervously as I reached up to stroke my finger over his beautiful silk tie. “Thank you for all of this. For trying to be a friend. For listening to me talk about the kidnapping. For hanging out with me every night to keep me company.”

  I’d told him nearly everything else about my two-week ordeal. I might never share the gritty details about my sexual assaults, but otherwise, there was little he didn’t know.”

  “I’m not doing a damn thing,” he argued as he gently moved an errant lock of hair from my cheek and tucked it behind my ear. “Being with you isn’t a hardship or a favor, Torie. It’s good for me, too. I’m not sure I realized what a lonely, cynical bastard I was turning into. I look forward to every moment we spend together. And I will never, ever get tired of looking at your beautiful face. You have the most extraordinary eyes I’ve ever seen. Were your mother’s eyes amber like yours?”

  My heart began to race, but I cautioned myself against trying to make more out of this intimate moment than what was intended.

  I nodded. “The color is rare and inherited. My brothers got my dad’s eyes. I got Mom’s. And I’m not sure how extraordinary you’d think they were if they started glowing in the dark. It freaked my college boyfriend out. He started screaming that I was a succubus, ran away, and never came back.” I let out an embarrassed cough. “I thought he was being a little more dramatic than necessary.”

  The look on Cooper’s face was incredulous as he said, “He was a moron. He obviously wouldn’t recognize something sexy if it bit him in the ass.”

  I snorted. “Please don’t tell me that you think my weird eyes are sexy.”

  “I can’t not tell you that, because it wouldn’t be the truth. Your eyes are breathtaking. It was the first thing I noticed about you,” he said in a genuine tone. “I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.”

  My heart skipped a beat as our gazes locked.

  “For a man who claims that he’s not charming, you can be a silver-tongued devil when you want to be,” I said breathlessly.

  He shook his head. “I’m just telling you the truth and the way I see it.”

  And…I had to believe that because Cooper was probably the most matter-of-fact person I’d ever known.

  In that particular moment, I suddenly realized that Cooper wasn’t totally immune to the chemistry I felt between the two of us every single time we saw each other.

  He was…attracted to me.

  I knew it.

  I could see it in his possessive, covetous gaze, and it was the hottest thing I’d ever seen.

  “One kiss, Torie,” he growled.

  I knew what he meant.

  One kiss.

  One embrace.

  One chance to taste each other and discover that our attraction didn’t burn as strongly as we thought it did.

  We weren’t supposed to feel this way.

  We were supposed to be friends. Just friends.

  I grasped his tie and pulled him closer as I breathed, “Yes. Show me. Prove to both of us that all we really want is friendship.”

  Maybe this was what I needed to get my brain back on track when it came to Cooper.

  If there was no spark, then the unrelenting sexual tension I always felt between the two of us would definitely fade away.

  He cradled the back of my head before his mouth came down on mine.

  Instantly, I wrapped my arms around his neck and savored every damn second that our bodies were fused together like they should have always been that way.

  I moaned against his soft, voracious lips as we tried to devour each other whole.

  Finally, I gave into the urge to spear my hands through his hair and luxuriate in having those coarse strands between my fingers.

  I ran my short nails down the back of his neck, relishing the sensual movement and the way he reacted to it by kissing me even more frantically.

  All I wanted to do was touch him. I wanted his naked skin beneath my fingers, and my equally naked body plastered against his.

  “Torie!” Cooper growled as he finally pulled his mouth from mine so we could breathe. “Jesus Christ!”

  He came back again and again, his teeth first nipping at my lower lip and then soothing it with his sensual embrace.

  “Cooper,” I moaned as his wicked mouth started to explore the tender skin on my neck. “God, yes.”

  Neither one of us could get enough, no matter how many times our mouths and bodies came together.

  It was sensuous.

  It was incredible.

  It was raw and passionate.

  And it was frustrating as hell because I wanted so much more of Cooper than I could get right now.

  “Shit!” Cooper cursed as he backed off and scraped a hand through his usually perfect hair. “We can’t do this. Proving we didn’t really want this was a major fail. Go, Torie. Leave before I fuck this up even more.”

  I hesitated.

  I wanted to tell Cooper that I was okay with our relationship changing.

  Problem was, he apparently didn’t want something more, even though we were definitely attracted to each other.

  Friends, dammit! We’re supposed to just be friends.

  At the moment, I’d actually be totally willing to do friends with benefits if that’s what it would take to get closer to him.

  The torment I’d heard in his voice was the only thing that motivated me to fumble for my keys and slip into the driver’s seat of my small BMW crossover.

  As I started the car and backed out of the parking space, I wondered who in the hell I was kidding.

  I could never do friends with benefits with Cooper Montgomery.

  Because of the intensity of my emotions for Cooper, a relationship like that would chew me up and spit me out.

  He was an all-or-nothing guy for me.