years, always wondering…
There were other people with him, all draped with backpacks and gear, but they didn’t register. I only had the capacity to process the fact that Cameron Cooper was here. Back in my life.
He was still handsome, beyond belief, but the-little-boy-lost-in-the-woods look was gone. His hair was buzzed back, but not too severely. There was still a little cowlick that flopped onto his broad forehead. And those eyes. Damn. Blue on blue on blue. With freaking dark lashes. It simply wasn’t fair.
His body had changed the most, I noticed on a visceral level. Where he’d been a healthy, athletic kid, well, now… Wow. Muscles on muscles. They rippled even as I watched.
And then I glanced at his face and I saw it. His shit-eating grin.
He’d known I was watching and flexed just for me.
The realization threw me from a simmering sea of lust into frigid ice bath.
No. No. No. No. No.
I was not going there again.
Why was he here?
He’d broken my heart way back when. Cracked it right in half.
I’d recovered, of course. Naturally. And now here I was, a professional and remote woman preparing to work with him again, armed with the knowledge that, if given the chance, he could break my heart all over again.
Ergo, I would remain professional and remote. With the focus on remote.
This was difficult to manage when he pulled me into an enthusiastic hug I had not expected, and was not ready for. It enrobed me in his unzipped camo jacket. The heat of his tee-hugged chest seared me. His heart thudded so close to mine I could feel it race. Our cheeks brushed, just for a second, making liquid heat well within me as the bristle of his beard scraped every nerve.
The hug was over almost before I knew it had happened, which caused a riot of regret and relief. His scent, however, clung. It sent me into a sensual spiral. He’d worn the same aftershave back then. I wanted to sink into it.
“I hope you meant what you said, Vic,” he murmured, almost in my ear. The whisper of his breath on my skin sent annoying little quivers rippling down my neck.
So, of course, I stepped back, crossed my arms so he wouldn’t be inclined to hug me again, and tipped up my chin. “And what did I say?”
I had to ask, because, generally, I say a lot.
“You said everyone who walks through that door is welcome here. I hope that means me too.” He grinned charmingly and even winked, but I wasn’t moved. I needed to focus on my work. I needed to herd these staff-kittens. I needed to pull off this very high-visibility Visit. The last thing I needed was to grapple with my feelings for a guy who’d broken my heart long ago and never looked back.
“Technically…” One of the guys with Cooper spoke up. “She said, everyone who walks through that door is a celebrity.”
Coop frowned at him. “Close enough, Mungo.”
“Not close, really. Not close at all.”
“True.” I felt the need to pipe in. “Not close at all. But…” I patted Coop on his way-too-wide shoulder. “Nice try. Why don’t you introduce your team?” Ha-ha. See how remote and professional I can be? “We were just discussing preference sheets. Please. Have a seat.”
I could tell from his put-out expression, he didn’t like me taking charge, but whatevs. I was the boss, after all. I was pretty sure Grant had told him so.
Being an obedient puppy—for the moment—Cooper introduced his team. Giz was a chill guy with rock hard guns who specialized in mountain climbing, Christie was their too-perky riggings expert, and then there was Mungo, the over-sized, long-haired, scary-biker-dude-with-the-heart-of-gold. One assumes.
However, one also assumes it’s dangerous to assume such things.
“Do you all have weird names?” Jed asked when Mungo was introduced.
Mungo met him with a grim gaze. “Yes,” he said. “Yes, we do.”
“And you can call me Rocky,” Coop said, completing his circle.
Laughter spurted out of my nose just then. Not sure why.
Oh, hell, I knew why, but no one else did. They looked at me as though I were nuts, but I didn’t care. I was the only one who knew where that ridiculous moniker had come from. But I wasn’t telling. It was wise to ration your ammunition. Instead, I gathered myself, cleared my throat to telegraph to all that I was ready to continue, and—
A snout appeared between Coop’s legs.
My brain took a sec to catch up to my eyes. Yes. It was