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7
Taran watched Corey’s face mirror her own confusion before he walked away without a word, leaving her lips still wet from the shocking kiss he’d just given her.
What the hell was that?
Every molecule in her body still tingled, like somehow Corey had jump started her electrical system, leaving it charged and ready to go. She’d thought this part of her was forever broken; it had been years since she’d felt anything like this.
In all honesty, it had been years since she’d experienced feelings without effort. It took a focus on her part to engage. Silent chants of today is a happy day: smile, laugh, joke. Forcing herself to feel was sometimes exhausting. It was just easier not to. Except, with Corey, the playful banter came naturally; the smiles that pulled at her lips were real when he was around. And whatever just happened with that kiss.
She hadn’t meant to respond.
At first, she had simply grabbed onto his shoulders so she wouldn’t fall, but then once his lips had moved against hers, something inside her just took over. The brush of day-old scruff rough against her cheeks and chin, the feel of soft, strong lips dominating her own, the pressure of his calloused hand against her neck—her body had just reacted. Her heart sped up, her stomach flipped, and an ache rocked through her.
And man alive, who knew the asshole could kiss like that?
“What the Sam Hill was that?” Sydney asked from the doorway to the backyard. Taran had no idea how long her friend had been standing at the door. She and Erin had been sitting and chatting while Erin tossed the salad for dinner when Corey came in, and suddenly her entire body was abuzz with everything Matthews.
“I don’t know.” Taran doubted either woman would believe that because she had just finished telling Erin how there was absolutely nothing going on with her and the great Corey Matthews.
The knot that had long ago disappeared tightened her stomach. The burning ache locked her jaw, and once again, she felt shaky; she felt lost. And yet the urge to walk out the door and follow him was undeniable. Unwilling to process any of it, she pushed it aside, refusing to be thrown off by a stupid kiss.
Instead of questioning her further Sydney turned to Sean and Mike who stood at the opposite entrance to the kitchen. Sydney said nothing as she tucked her long blond hair over her shoulder and stared at the two men.
“He fired us.” Sean answered her unasked question but he was still staring at the door Corey had just walked out of—like he was shocked he was gone. “Technically he didn’t fire your husband. I think Austin’s side of the business might be okay. Since our contracts are somewhat separate, we might be able to make it work. He’s worth hundreds of millions. I don’t think we can just let that go.”
Taran shook her head. She never thought that making up one little lie about Clayton would turn into this, but it also confirmed what she’d always known about journalism. A reporter can’t ever dance a line of integrity, because it never leads anywhere good. And she knew she had. Never in a million years would she actually blackmail someone for a story.
She sighed.
“I’m sorry, Sean. I didn’t realize this stupid thing was going to blow up so bad.” She hopped off the counter and headed out the front door after Corey. She would fix this.
Surprisingly, Corey was still outside. She walked up to his window and knocked twice. Corey startled before the window came down silently.
“You don’t need to tell me that what happened between us was a huge mistake. I’m well aware,” Corey said, glaring like she had done something wrong. Although she wasn’t the one who’d initiated the kiss, she couldn’t deny that once he’d gotten the ball rolling, she’d jumped on without any hesitation. Not that she could explain that.
Taran frowned. “I wasn’t going to,” she assured him, although she didn’t entirely disagree either.
“Then what do you want?”
“Don’t fire Hot Shots. It’s not their fault that I made a stupid decision to go around them to get a story,” Taran said. Leaving out that the story she was trying to get was actually about the man himself.
Corey’s lips dropped into a tight line, and he cracked his neck left, then right. “Why do you think I fired them?” he finally asked.
“Sean didn’t say, but I feel like it’s my fault.” She kicked her foot repeatedly, the white rubber of her Converse sending pebbles across the stone driveway. She glanced down until he spoke.
“Maybe indirectly, but why on God’s green earth would I want to employ people to look out for my best interests and have my back when they don’t even think I’m good enough to date their friend?” Corey’s gaze cut straight through her, almost like he was challenging her to tell him he was wrong.
Taran cocked her head and paused. “Wait—what?”
“Taran, I fired them because they don’t believe in me, or trust me, if they don’t think I’m good enough to date you…” Corey sighed again. “Look, I don’t know why I kissed you or why you jumped on it like you haven’t gotten laid in years.”
“Excuse me?” she spat.
“We were both there, Taran.” Corey frowned at her.
Where did he get off? Every other sentence out of his mouth was offensive. And he intended them to be. She crossed her arms and glared. “You are such an asshat.”
A dimple popped right above the scruff of dark blond beard. “Your go-to insult.”
