Torrid Little Affair (Forbidden Desires #3)

And that’s how I’d ended up here that same evening, waiting on my doorstep for Alyssa’s car and thinking over every last detail of what Cooper had told me about Emma.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

The idea that he had had feelings for her in the past? It shouldn’t have bothered me, especially when we had no expectations in our own relationship, but I couldn’t help feeling . . . jealous. It was so stupid, but it was there-deep in my gut and impossible to ignore.

When Emma and Alyssa finally did arrive, I felt even more so. I was a whole foot down on the attractiveness totem pole. Emma was slim with perfect plum-sized breasts, and her formfitting dress did nothing to hide the fact that her body was one worth showing off. There wasn’t an ounce of fat anywhere on her. I tugged on my silk blouse, hyper-aware of how these skinny jeans showed off every curve and the thickness of my thighs. As I climbed into the backseat, I forced a smile I very much didn’t feel.

I’d never been so aware of my ample curves in my life, and as I glanced at her again, I wondered how it was possible Cooper had ever looked at me twice compared to her.

“Hey!” Emma said, her smile appearing genuine. “This was a fun idea. I was so glad when Alyssa called me. So, we’re going to this place Gavin took me a couple of months ago. It’s a little loud, but the bands are always good.”

“Sounds great,” I said.

“I hope you don’t want any quality time with me then, because I will be dancing,” Alyssa said from the driver’s seat.

Emma and I grinned at her, and together we chatted casually about work and how I was adjusting to my new job. Emma was really nice, and by the time we got to the bar, I was feeling like a royal brat for this plan to use her to get information on Cooper.

As Alyssa handed over her keys to a valet, I vowed to reassess my reasons for being here. I needed to let go of the idea that I was vetting the competition or using her to get information. This was going to be a fun girls’ night, and that was that. But if Cooper came up in conversation . . .

Jeez, Corinne. Play nice. She’s not the competition. Emma chose his brother-and she’s happily married now.

Shutting those thoughts down, I followed Alyssa and Emma to a table near the back of the club.

“We need something strong to get us started,” Alyssa announced, thumbing the drink menu. “A round of cosmopolitans and some shots of tequila too, please,” Alyssa called to the waitress before offering me a not-so-sly wink. Emma made no motion to protest, and when the waitress returned, we all downed our shots with a toast to Forbidden Desires.

Then, drink in hand, Alyssa flitted off onto the dance floor, bobbing her head along with the music as she moved. I laughed as she nearly tripped, but then Emma’s voice caught my attention.

“Alyssa tells me you’re curious about Coop,” she said, a tiny smile curving her perfect lips.

I froze with my martini glass halfway to my mouth and winced. “Alyssa has a big mouth.”

Emma laughed. “Not when it matters, usually. Is there something going on between you and Cooper?”

She didn’t seem angry or annoyed in the least. Just curious, and my nerves settled some. As irritated as I was at Alyssa for blowing my cover, I had to admit this felt better. Less sneaky.

I shook my head. I had no idea how much to tell Emma. The truth seemed like too much. I’d just met her. “Alyssa thinks there is. She’s just trying to help.”

Emma shot me an affectionate glance. “It’s okay, Corinne. You can trust me. I won’t try to cause any trouble for you. At work or otherwise, with Cooper.”

“Thank you.”

My gaze wandered to Alyssa, who had now found someone to bob alongside her to the beat.

“So, what do you want to know about Coop?” Emma asked, sipping her drink tentatively.

I shrugged. “I’m not really sure,” I said honestly. Everything hardly seemed like a good response. “What should I know?”

“Well, if you’re asking because he’s your boss, I would say you need to know that he loves his company. And for as awful as the woman was who did your job before, she was very good at it. They’ll likely be watching you closely to make sure you stack up.”

I considered this, then took a sip of my drink for courage. “And what if I was asking about him not as my boss? More like . . . as a man?”

Emma pursed her lips and seemed to consider that for a long moment. “That’s a tougher question. He loves and he loves hard. He’s loyal and sweet. I think he wants what he never got growing up.”

The “loves hard” part stung, but I refused to dwell on that part. If Cooper said whatever he and Emma had was over, I chose to believe him. I was more interested in the latter part.

“What do you mean by that? What didn’t he get growing up?”

She shifted in her seat, looking a little uncomfortable now. “Gavin doesn’t like people to know about their story, so I typically don’t tell it.”

“And Cooper? How does he feel?” I asked.

Emma sighed. “He’s always been more open than the other two brothers. And if you’re asking about him as a man, I’m going to assume it’s because you care about him.”

She considered her drink for a long minute, then looked me squarely in the eye.

“I think the best I can say is that they were raised in a tough situation in a rough neighborhood. Their mom spent her time with unsavory people, and she had an equally unsavory job. That’s shaped all of them in its own way. But at the end of the day? They all want to protect the people they care about. And Cooper, most of all, wants the kind of love between a man and a woman he never got to witness as a child.”

A knife slipped between my ribs at her words, then twisted as I noted the way her eyes softened as she spoke about him. It might be over, but damn it, she loved him. Maybe not in the way he’d wanted her to, but she did love him, even if it was now only a brotherly love. I would have to deal with that, even if Cooper and I were only going to be lovers for a short while.

More than that, though, I had to deal with the fact that this woman knew him in a way I didn’t. They shared a bond that he and I didn’t. And suddenly, I wanted that.

Desperately.