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“Hey, I get you,” Hunter said and put his fist up to Corey.
Corey’s eyes cut to Taran and then back to Will at the bar. Taran got the silent message. Will needed him.
“Nice meeting you both,” Taran said.
“I hope we see a lot more of you,” Mel said.
Corey’s hand on her back guided her away.
“Is he okay?” Taran asked.
“Yeah, she just makes him miserable, and yet he keeps coming back for more. Women make men stupid.” He shook his head.
“I make you stupid?” Taran chuckled as she grabbed her purse from the table.
Corey threw on his navy suit jacket and cracked a teasing smile. “Probably.” With his palm on her neck, he tipped her chin up with his thumb. His eyes softened, and the smile faded from his lips. “But you also make me better.”
Her heart stuttered at the open truth in his eyes.
“I have a big ask.”
“What?” Taran sounded breathless.
“You know how I said we’d have to leave separately?” Corey asked.
She understood—he didn’t want them photographed walking into the hotel together. It made sense to her. She didn’t want it either. If Wayne saw those photos, he’d question everything about the article. She’d convinced him to let her deal with Corey after she got back from Guatemala. Getting Edgar DeLeon had been a big win, especially since he was giving her a detailed look at the school he’d set up in his hometown. It was the first look into the place he’d spent the last two years working on. So Wayne was A-okay with her focusing on that and turning to Corey in August, giving her the time she needed to figure out how to tell him.
“I get it, Cor, it’s really not a big ask to take our own car service.” Her breath caught when he shook his head. Did he want her to leave with him? She couldn’t do that. She swallowed hard.
His gaze shot back to Will. “He just downed his fourth shot in twenty minutes. It’s going to hit him hard. I can’t drag him into a hotel drunk in front of the cameras. He coaches kids.” Corey’s jaw locked. “When I walked into a bar with Marc after Mel and I broke up last year, social media blew up, claiming Marc and I were dating. Will doesn’t need the attention.”
She remembered that desperate plea for clicks that a few outlets used last year. It had been ridiculous. But at the same time, there was a reason it worked.
“I don’t know if anyone has ever said this, but your stance on giving outlets nothing does cause some of the drastic attention you get.” Taran tried to be careful with her words, but Corey went rigid. His eyes hardened, and he flexed his jaw. “Corey, I wasn’t saying—”
He held up his hand, and his body relaxed. “I know you mean well. I’ve heard it before. I’m not testing the theory by dragging my drunk best friend into a hotel.” He cracked his neck left and then right. “But maybe you could give me some pointers or ideas this week when we’re back home.”
Her entire being jumped. Did she hear that right? Might he be more open to the idea of a story than she thought? But he thought she was coming back to Jersey?
“Wait—you remember I’m going to my parents’ in Katy and then down to work on Edgar’s article, right?”
“Shit.” Corey pushed his hand through hair. “So, another three weeks apart. Why don’t you seem bothered by this?”
Taran shrugged. “I am, but I’m used to it. Jeremy and I spent months at a time apart. Between being at two different colleges, his BUD/s training, then his active duty deployments, we were apart a lot.”
Corey wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. “Well, I hate it. Are you still in Houston next Friday?”
“Katy, but yes.” Her voice was mumbled because of his jacket.
“We’re playing the Astros. I could get you tickets.”
“As long as you don’t care that I’ll be wearing my Astros hat and cheering against you.” She glanced up to watch him roll his eyes.
“Of course you will, chipmunk.” Corey’s chuckle cut off when Taran pinched his waist. “Ouch, that hurt.” He pulled back.
“Then stop with the rodent nonsense.” Taran raised an eyebrow at him.
“Unlikely, but back to my big ask, which seems even bigger now that I remembered you’re leaving again.” His tone held so much complaint it was hard not to smile. “Can you get Will to our hotel room? He needs a place to stay. Knowing him, he’ll let Genni lock him out of their room even if it means he sleeps at the airport. And if he stays here, she’s just going to keep causing a scene.”
Taran’s eyes cut to the gorgeous woman in question currently chatting up an older man.
“He’s a producer, but she’s just trying to get Will to give her a reaction.”
She nodded. “Go ahead. We’ll see you in a bit.”
He kissed her before heading out. She watched him go, wondering if he’d really implied that he’d be open to some media attention. Although Will staying with them meant she couldn’t talk to Corey about the article tonight, maybe if they chatted about her other articles while she was gone, it wouldn’t be the blow she was expecting. Perhaps he’d even be okay with her writing his story.
Just before he walked out the door, he turned back and sent her a heart-stopping smile and a two-finger wave. For the first time, she wondered how she would write his feature piece, because that man had become so much more to her than a story.
