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He finished his glass and set the empty on the table in front of him. “So, your plan for tonight was to come clean, apologize, and confess you have feelings for me?” His jaw moved as he ground his teeth together.
I nodded.
“No. Fuck no. This is”—he got up and began to head for the door—“bullshit.”
I placed my glass next to his and followed him. When I caught up, I pulled on his arm, positioning myself between him and the door. “Don’t go. We’re not through here. There’s still so much to say.”
“Oh, we’re fucking done. There’s nothing to say.”
I tried to look past his eyes, to a spot deep inside, where I knew he was holding the truth. “My feelings aren’t nothing, Cooper.” My voice was only a little above a whisper, but I knew he heard me.
Because I watched the words hit his face.
I watched him process.
I watched his expression intensify.
“This”—he traced the air between us—“cannot and will not happen. The two largest hotel brands in the country are merging. Even if I forgave you for the lying and manipulation, I can’t even think about dating a goddamn partner, Rowan. Not now, not ever. Do you have any idea how my family would react? Walter just started to like your father again, but this would send him into a spiral I don’t want to experience.”
There was a mask he was holding up; I could see it perfectly.
But I also saw something else.
A touch of softness around the outside of his eyes that told a far different story.
“But you want to.”
His brows shot up. “Are you listening to what I’m saying?”
“Yes.” My voice was the opposite of his. “I’m hearing every word. And what you’re telling me is that you can’t. But what you haven’t said is that you don’t want to.”
“I don’t have to say it, it’s a given,” he roared.
“But is it?” Still holding his arm, I lowered my grip to his hand. “It doesn’t feel that way.” The edge returned to his eyes, making sure I saw nothing inside him. “And before I walked into the Daltons’ conference room, I was positive that something was happening between us. You can’t make me believe that it wasn’t.”
He scanned my eyes. “What are you doing?”
I knew I had limited time.
Limited words.
Limited chances to convince him.
Nothing I could say would take away his anger. That was eventually something that would die down. The only thing I could concentrate on was what existed between Cooper and me that extended far past Canada.
“I’m telling you that I don’t care what our last names are or our families’ past or that we’re about to be partners. This feeling I have for you, I can’t make it go away, Cooper. I don’t want it to go away. And now that you know the truth about me, I can finally be honest about how I feel.”
He pulled his hand away from mine. “Do you realize what you’re saying? What you’re asking?”
“Yes.”
He gazed up at the ceiling, like his patience was dripping through his body and going out his toes. “I didn’t come here to start something with you. I came here to end it.”
“I’m asking you not to.” I put my hand on his chest. “Don’t shut us off.” I waited until his eyes met mine again and then said, “If you need time, fine. If you need to keep us a secret until this all blows over with our families, I’m okay with that too. But don’t end us when there’s a chance we could turn into something amazing.” My head tilted as I recalled that special conversation we’d had at the bar. “Something both of us have always wanted and never had.”
“How dare you.” His chest rose several times. “You have no idea what you’re even asking for.”
I nodded. “I do.”
