Final Lap (Fast Track #8)(34)
Author: Erin McCarthy

At least that eliminated the problem of what to do with the bra. Now he didn’t have to worry about why he found it necessary to keep it. Nor did he have to glance at it longingly when he stepped into the closet, like a teenager with pilfered lingerie. It wasn’t doing anything for his ego, that was for damn sure. He packed quickly and took his bag back downstairs, holding it up for Harley to see.

“Done.”

“That was six minutes.”

But she gave him a smile that was so damn sexy Cooper felt his dick harden. She didn’t mean to be sexy. She just was. Which made it even sexier.

It was killing him.

“That’s all you’re taking?” MJ asked. “That’s insane.”

“Where is your bag?” he asked.

“Bags. In my room. They’re too heavy for me to carry down the stairs.”

“Wonderful.” He accepted the plate of food that Harley was holding out for him. “How is it that a girl as tiny as you needs two suitcases? I could roll your jeans to the size of a carrot.”

“I need to be prepared.”

She was their mother’s daughter in some ways, that was for sure. “How about you, Harley?”

“By the back door.” She pointed to a small black carry-on bag.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about.” Again, he felt the urge to kiss her. It just seemed like he should. Like they should be together. They were living together. Sort of. It felt real in many ways. It seemed like a natural correlation that he should be entitled to touch her.

He wondered what she would do if he actually leaned over and put his mouth on hers.

Quit. That’s what she would do.

He needed to work this thing slowly, seductively. He couldn’t just attack her out of left field. Or make assumptions. Women hated when men made assumptions. It was all about the slow approach.

“Have I told you today, Harley, how much I appreciate you?” he asked, as they sat down at the kitchen table. “Because I do.”

Her eyes widened and she gave a nervous laugh. “Thanks.”

“Gross,” was MJ’s opinion.

Cooper suddenly wished that Harley were anything but his sister’s nanny. Why did every single encounter with her have to be while a tween was spouting her opinions around them? When he and Harley had watched that movie together and he’d helped her rock-climb, he’d enjoyed how relaxing it was. He wanted that, all the time. The right to massage her feet.

But if she weren’t MJ’s nanny, she wouldn’t give him the time of day anyway.

“I’m glad y’all are coming with me. I get lonely on the road.” Then he realized immediately that his words were an invitation for MJ to make a snarky remark about Holly or other women, so he turned and pointed his finger at her. Her mouth was already open. “Nope. Uh-uh. I don’t want to hear it.”

She froze, clearly busted. But then she shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The hell you don’t.” What were the odds MJ would fall asleep on the plane?

His sister wiggled on her seat and sucked down a soda.

Slim and none. Those were the odds.

Chapter TEN

HARLEY couldn’t believe she was sitting in a private jet. Talk about feeling like Cinderella. Yes, she was still just the hired help, but it was hard to remember that with Cooper. He treated her like an equal. In fact, he deferred to her opinion almost entirely when it came to Mary Jane and the household issues. She was falling into a comfortable pattern in his house of homeschooling, enrichment activities, cooking, and relaxing with Cooper in the evenings after Mary Jane went to her room to do whatever she did online. It was like they were together, and that was a dangerous thing to be lulled into feeling.

It was the strangest unnatural relationship ever, if you broke it down. They were platonic, employer/employee, yet they ate together, hung out, shared thoughts, and hit the grocery store together. She had no idea what to do about it, other than brazenly pretend there was nothing remotely odd about what they were doing.

Mary Jane was lying on the couch in the plane on her back, headphones in her ears, as they flew south. Cooper had been working, handling business calls and e-mails, while Harley had read a book. But now he seemed done, and he stood up and moved to the seat next to her. She was aware of his knee brushing against hers, and the fact that he was looking at her, reading over her arm.

She read the same sentence three times, totally distracted by Cooper. He smelled good, his cologne the same one he’d worn that night at the Biltmore. Her fingers ached to shift to his leg, to stroke him to arousal. She wanted to tilt her head and nibble on his ear, rub her lips over his beard shadow. It was a challenge not to change her breathing. She felt very aware of the rise and fall of her chest, the rush of air through her nostrils, the way his jeans rustled against hers. Her body was responding to his presence, clearly an imprint of their night together wreaking havoc on her pheromones.

It took every ounce of self-control she possessed to sit still and not ask him what the hell he wanted. He had every right to sit wherever he wanted on his own private jet.

Finally he spoke. “Are you actually reading? You haven’t turned the page in five minutes.”

Harley felt her cheeks flush. “I was daydreaming. What are you doing?”

“I’m bored.” He gave her a smile. “Play with me?”

Now there was a question that went straight to her no-nos. But obviously that wasn’t what he meant. He didn’t want to play with her. Though if she wasn’t mistaken, there was some good old-fashioned lust in his eyes as he showed her his iPad.

She had to be wrong. Cooper didn’t want to have sex with her.

Which was confirmed when she glanced down at his tablet. “Words with Friends? You want me to play Words with Friends with you?”

“Please?”

Like she could say no. “I’ve never done it before. I usually say no to game requests.”

“But you like me better than all of those other people, right?”

Yes. She did like him. At first, it had been purely a physical crush on a man she didn’t know. On his public image. Now the crush was on the real Cooper. The man who had been so tender in bed with her. Who cared about his kid sister. Who massaged her feet.

But she couldn’t let him know that. “You’re overselling this.”

Cooper laughed. “Should I mention how highly intelligent I think you are?”

“Please don’t embarrass both of us. I’ll play with you.”