Temporarily Yours (Shillings Agency #1)(39)
Author: Diane Alberts

“I don’t want your good wishes, damn it.” He cupped her face, his grip firm yet gentle. His gaze clashed with hers. “I want you to believe me. I want you to let me be yours. And I want you to be mine. I just panicked for a second, and I pushed you away. I’m begging you not to do the same thing to me. Don’t push me away.”

“Kayla, is everything okay?” Uncle Frankie asked, his voice hesitant.

They both turned to him at the same time and shouted, “Yes!”

He stumbled back, blinking rapidly. “Okay, then.”

And then they were alone again. Kayla covered her face and took a shaky breath. She couldn’t do this. Couldn’t do any of this. She wanted so badly to believe him, the same way she’d believed him when he promised he’d stand by her through the wedding. And then he’d bailed.

And now he was back.

And he was still holding her.

“Let me stay, Kayla. Give me another chance. Please.”

She was tempted. So damn tempted. But could she trust him?

“I’m sorry, Cooper, but I need a man that will face his fears…not run from them. I can’t do this. I can’t be yours.”

And then she left.

Chapter Twenty

Cooper watched her go, feeling more frustrated than ever before. He needed to find a way to get her to listen to him without interruption. If he could only get the words out without someone running to her side, breaking up their conversation, she might listen. Maybe then she would realize he didn’t want or need the stupid job overseas anymore.

He knew that now, even if she didn’t.

As he scanned the crowd, searching for her blue dress amidst the partygoers, desperation clawed its way over his chest, choking him. This was his last chance to prove he wanted to be with her and not in the f**king desert, and he couldn’t mess it up.

Not this time.

When he finally spotted her, she was already halfway across the room. He would never make it to her side before she disappeared in the crowd, even if he shoved little kids out of his way to get there. “Kayla!” he whispered brokenly.

“You’ll never catch up to her,” Susan said, grabbing his elbow and dragging him in the opposite direction of Kayla. “Sorry, I was listening. What you said was great, but you need more power of persuasion—and you need it fast. Get on the stage and take the mic.”

Cooper’s heart stopped. And his stomach roiled. “I…I c-can’t.”

“Sure you can. I don’t mind.” She shoved him toward the stairs. “Go get her.”

“I…I…” He racked his brain for another option—any other option—or for another way to get her attention before he lost her again. “Shit. I can just chase her down.”

“No. It has to be a grand gesture if you want her to swoon.” Susan shoved him again. Christ, the girl was stronger than she looked. “Haven’t you ever watched a romantic drama? There has to be a grand gesture.”

Grand gesture his ass.

He hadn’t realized he’d muttered the words. Undaunted, the determined bride said, “Look, ditching my sister the night before my wedding was a shitty thing to do. So, yeah, you’re going to have to counter with something just as big—except this time in a good way—if you want to win her over. A grand freaking gesture.”

She had a point.

But Cooper feared the only gesture Kayla would get from him going up on that stage would be of him fainting like a f**king pansy in front of everyone in this room. But if that’s what it took, then he had to find a way to give it to her.

His gaze fell to the microphone on the stage, and he swallowed hard. Could he get the nerve to go up there? To give her a sign he wasn’t f**king around? That he was here to stay?

Hell yeah, he could. And he would.

His heart racing, he climbed the steps two at a time, not allowing himself to dwell on the fact that every single eye in the crowded room would be on him—that he was about to do the thing that terrified him most. Second only to losing Kayla.

He whispered a quick explanation in the DJ’s ear, and the man looked at Susan for confirmation. At her nod, he killed the music and held the mic out to Cooper. “Go for it. Good luck, man.”

Grabbing the mic with sweaty palms, it slipped out of his grip and clanged on the stage. A deafening boom filled the room and everyone grabbed their ears. As the crowd turned to see what caused the racket, he kept his focus on Kayla.

She hadn’t turned around like everyone else. She was heading for the bar, her steps a little bit unsteady but obviously not from drinking. He could tell she was upset.

So was he.

Bending down, he grabbed the microphone with a firm grip, the other hand holding his knee for support. If he tried to stand up straight, he might pass out. “Kayla, d-don’t take another step.”

She stopped and spun on her heel, her eyes wide. “Get down from there,” she called from across the room.

“Not until you listen to me.”

“Cooper…” With a helpless expression on her face, she looked at Susan, but Susan just grinned at her—at least until the bride gestured for him to start talking.

Go on, Susan mouthed.

Shit. It was now or never.

He held the microphone in a death grip and forced himself to stand straight, despite the dizziness making his head spin. “You told me you wanted a man who would face his fears. Well, I’m doing it. I’m up here, ready to talk to you.”

The whole room watched, frozen like elegant ice statues, no one daring to do so much as cough. Kayla walked toward him, her steps slow. “So talk, then.”

“I’m going to start at the beginning and tell you the truth about that flight. I didn’t have a first class ticket. I was supposed to sit in coach, but I paid an extra three hundred dollars to upgrade at the last minute after I met you.”

She finally reached the floor directly in front of the stage. He tried to ignore everyone else. It was just the two of them—and he was not up on the stage. It was an old military trick of his. He needed to act as if nothing else existed but his target—and this time, his target wasn’t the enemy. It was Kayla.

He took another deep breath. “I wanted to sit with you. I saw how nervous you were and knew you would be alone on the plane, with no one to help you forget about your fears. But it was more than that. I wanted an excuse to keep talking to you. I couldn’t figure you out, and if I sat next to you on the trip…I would have hours to get to know more about you before we landed. I needed to know more.”