The Bad Boy

Since Sara always seemed to be around, he’d initially been concerned that she’d dog his every step. But the housekeeper, Helen—Alexander’s mother, no less, still working for the McCoys as a glorified servant—had told him the first night that Ms. Barnes lived in a quaint apartment above the carriage-house–style detached garage. He supposed that qualified as a “little house.”

If he hadn’t seen firsthand the adoration for the McCoys shining in her big green eyes, he would assume her loyalty stemmed from a desire to keep her cozy digs. Which happened to be located a little too close for Cooper’s comfort and did absolutely nothing to help him sleep.

But thinking about her silky hair beneath his cheek, the sweet, cinnamony smell of her breath—he jerked his gaze to the candy dish and smiled—beat the hell out of remembering the feel of Joseph’s hand on his shoulder and the warmth in the old man’s eyes. A look he’d never seen once from his mother’s father.

His smile faded and the twinge became a twist that had him clenching his jaw.

Right up until his death eleven years ago, Ned Anders hadn’t had the bank account, Swiss or otherwise, that Joseph McCoy had, though, so being stuck with another mouth to feed hadn’t endeared Cooper to Ned any from the get-go. Joseph could afford to haul in a hundred strays to play grandpa with. If Marcus had lived longer, Joe might have had to.

Cooper would have to remember to hoist a cold one to a certain grizzly bear the next time he visited what he considered “the office.” Marcus had had his quota of lives to mess up.

Cooper leaned forward and placed his palms flat on the cool, smooth surface of Sara’s desk, his arms spread wide. This particular stray wasn’t about to come crawling in on his belly, wagging his tail in gratitude for the scraps finally thrown his way. This stray had teeth, and every intention of using them.

Thanks to the new designer suits Joseph had procured for him, the McCoys would never see his bite coming. He sarcastically wondered if the county jail had been kind enough to relay the size of the orange jumpsuit they were going to outfit him in if he hadn’t made bail. Hopefully, he looked as though he was trying to make the best impression he could, not ferreting out the best way to strike a blow to the company that had allowed Marcus McCoy to charm everyone into trusting him. Everyone who didn’t happen to know the truth, that is; then his true nature would come out.

A noise from the doorway jerked him from his thoughts and he looked to where Sara Barnes, briefcase in hand, stood poised just inside her office as if the sight of him had stopped her in her tracks.

The sight of her stopped his breath in his lungs.

The sun shining through the big, tinted windows behind him really brought out the chestnut tones in her hair, which she’d styled in soft curls that made her far more tempting and far less “all business” than she’d seemed previously. Though her cream linen suit was unarguably professional, the nipped-in waist of the long jacket and above-the-knee length of the skirt drew attention to her curves like a red neon arrow with the words hot babe flashing over her.

But the suit had nothing on the pointy-toe cream pumps on her feet that added height to her petite frame and gave her an aura of class, power and confident sexuality. He had to work to swallow. How could he have ever mistaken her for a corporate drone? Or even a personal secretary. Sara Barnes looked every inch the high-powered boss lady.

Except for the fact that as her gaze traveled over him in return, her eyes grew huge and her jaw went slack. He hadn’t consciously sat behind her desk to make a statement regarding his place in the grand scheme of her apparently limited world, but the fact that he clearly had was a bonus. Every little reminder would aid him in achieving his goal without her misguided interference.

He sat back in her chair and folded his arms over his dark blue tie. “Well, good morning, Sara.”

His greeting seemed to snap her out of whatever had derailed her. But instead of frowning fiercely at him for dodging her at the house and making himself at home in her office, she smiled brightly at him. The force of her appeal hit him like a sucker punch in the gut.

“Good morning!” She came farther into the room and put her briefcase down on one of the chairs facing her desk. “I’m so glad you’re already here. Any problems finding your way?”

He opened his mouth to remind her that everyone within a twenty-mile radius knew exactly where the corporate headquarters of McCoy Enterprises was located. And the main-floor receptionist had been quite capable of directing him to this particular office, but Sara didn’t give him a chance.

“I came to The Big House this morning and waited for you, with the thought of bringing you here myself today. It being your first day at work here and all.” She shrugged, her smile impossibly brighter still. “Guess I missed you.”

Cooper regarded her with suspicion. She had to know he’d slipped out the back. Several of the staff, Helen included, had seen him do it. Helen, seemingly unflappable, with her only slightly graying short dark hair always curled and her white blouse and dark blue slacks pressed, had called to him that Ms. Barnes was waiting for him in the foyer, but he’d blown her off. She had to have busted him to Sara.

But Sara’s smile struck him as genuine, warming her green eyes until they matched the dairy-cow pasture behind him, which looked too perfect not to be maintained as carefully as a high-end golf course. Not that she’d appreciate the comparison.

He uncrossed his arms and rested his elbows on the arms of her chair so he could tent his fingers in front of him. Until he could figure out her game, he’d reply with a noncommittal “Hmm.”

This was, after all, the same woman who’d done her best to clip him from behind for threatening her beloved McCoys before Joseph had cut her off. Not exactly a car-pool-buddy candidate.

At his continued scrutiny, her smile dimmed a little and the color rose in her cheeks. Inhaling so deeply her distracting breasts lifted beneath her smart little cream linen jacket, she gripped her hands in front of her. “Okay. I know we didn’t get off to the best start, you and I, exactly—”

“Something about me being a two-faced, lying…” He tilted his head and considered her with a challenging, one-sided grin. “What, exactly?”

Her knuckles whitened. “Snake, I believe.”

His admiration for her notched upward at her close-to-the-mark insult.

She rushed to add, “But that was then. I no longer feel that way.”

Yeah, right, babe. No doubt she had some great property in Florida for sale, too. He rocked back in the chair. “Really. Why’s that, sweet cheeks?”

She loosened her grip on her hands, only to wring them. An action severely at odds with her appearance.

And one that had him rethinking the ornery tack he’d taken with her.

“Well…after talking to Alexander—”

The mention of his newfound brother—half brother—sent Cooper to his feet and moving around the chair to stare out the window. As much as he would like to watch her face for clues to what was really going on in that beautiful head of hers, he preferred not to let her see how much the mere mention of Alexander affected him.

To know he had a sibling of any sort, let alone one who was a Real McCoy, weirded him out. He and Alex had nothing in common once they’d hopped out of the gene pool. How could Cooper ever hope to form any sort of connection with the guy? The sort that would have been nice to have when he was younger, where the big brother yanks his little brother back by the collar and saves him from his own stupidity.

Besides, what Cooper was up to now would always be a wall between them. An ache that had become annoyingly familiar thudded in his chest.

Sara paused for a beat, then continued. “I think I have a better understanding of why you said the things you did in front of the jail.”

“And the post office. Don’t forget what I said in front of the post office.” Though admitting to his hatred of all things McCoy and his plan to ruin the company to her had been a serious “oops” moment, when they were alone there was no point pretending it hadn’t happened.

“Not likely.”

Her tight tone made him turn enough to look at her. She’d pressed her lips together just as she had in Joseph’s office. While nothing more than a casual poker player himself, Cooper knew Sara would be fleeced in a heartbeat with such an obvious “tell” that she was fighting to maintain control. Clearly, all was not forgiven.

At his curious look, she pulled her hands apart and lowered them quickly to her sides. “But after talking to Alexander and seeing the same frustration and hurt—”

He quickly faced her. “Hold it right there, hon. Save the psychobabble for your girlfriends, all right?” He rounded the desk and moved toward her with slow intent. “You do have some, don’t you? Girlfriends, that is?”

She admirably stood her ground and raised her chin. “Probably not as many as you at any given time.”

Even though she was way off the mark, at least regarding recent years, he shrugged. “You can’t blame a guy for being popular.”