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“Nothing’s wrong with it,” he said, circling her. “That’s why the world as I know it has come to an end. You look female.”
He was in rare form for a man willing to put his life in danger by meeting up with a powerful prince who could be holding a big grudge, but every time she tried to apologize for getting him into such a dangerous situation, he became more annoyed, so she gave him the once-over instead. “More than anyone, you should know I look very female.”
“Not with your clothes on. At least not most of the time.”
She appreciated his insight. “I know how to put clothes together, the same way I know how to cook. I just prefer not to.”
“Thanks to Duke Dove.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Out of curiosity, did he ever mention that you’re pretty?”
“Why would he?” She didn’t like the way he was studying her, as if he saw something she couldn’t. “I have to look at least a little like I could be one of your playmates. It’s a stretch, I know, but—”
“Not that much of a stretch.”
The conversation was making her jittery. “These are strictly work clothes, and I expensed everything, so it’s all yours when the job’s done. Except for my sandals. And the bracelets are from an old boyfriend who didn’t know me nearly well enough.”
“Obviously not.” He sniffed the air as if he’d smelled something odious. “Are you wearing perfume?”
“Magazine sample.”
“Leave it between the pages. You smell great without it.”
And so did he, even after his workout. Male sweat on a clean body. She wanted to strip that sweaty T-shirt right off him and drag him into the bedroom.
He looked thoughtful. “If I own that dress, that means I can rip it off you anytime I want, right?”
“I suppose so. Although I’d appreciate it if you’d wait until the job is over.”
“That,” he said, “is going to be hard.”
She dipped her gaze. “So I see.”
He smiled, but the guilt she was carrying dampened her own amusement. She should have come up with a way to help Faiza without involving him.
His irritation returned. “Stop it, Pipe. You didn’t make me do anything I wasn’t willing to do.”
“I know that,” she said, way too vehemently.
He arched a brow at her, reading her mind in a way no one else had ever been able to.
She picked up his cell. “One of the prince’s people called while you were gone. About a launch to take us out to his yacht tomorrow.”
He stripped off his T-shirt. “Unacceptable. There’s no way I’m letting that jerk control when we get on and off that boat.”
“Exactly. I’ve already hired our own launch.”
“Of course you have.” He lifted her off the floor so her sandaled toes dangled over the top of his sneakers. His long, deep kiss destroyed most of her makeup, and her hot-pink dress soon landed in a puddle on the floor. He wanted to take her into the shower, but she dragged him into the bedroom instead.
They made love—no, not love. And—although she wasn’t averse to using the well-placed F-word—what they were doing wasn’t that either. Instead, they . . . had sex—lots of sex—in a bed with a sweeping ocean view that transformed the room into an aerie over the sea. She wanted to stay naked for the rest of the night. Apparently, he did, too, because she had to kick him out of bed.
If his teammates were surprised to see Coop with a woman who’d never been on TMZ, they didn’t show it. He openly introduced her as an investigator he’d met when he’d hired her to look into employee misconduct.
It was an entertaining group. She was comfortable with men like this, and the women, who were openly curious about her, made an effort to draw her into their conversations. Since most of them were mothers, the talk centered on their children, but Piper enjoyed seeing the cute kid photos on their cells. At the same time, she was more than grateful that she didn’t have any photos of her own to pass around. When maternal genes had been distributed, she’d been hanging out at the bar.
Coop touched her frequently, looping his arm around her shoulders, touching her earlobe. She liked it too much. It made her wonder . . . when this affair ended, was maintaining their friendship completely outside the realm of possibility? Maybe they could meet up for Mexican food sometime or catch a Blackhawks game. She knew she’d miss the best sex she’d ever had, but what if she missed the friendship even more?
