She gave him a questioning look, but followed when he took her hand and led her to the living room. “What is it, Cobra?”
He sat on the sofa beside her. “We admitted tonight that we were wrong in our assumptions about each other’s motives regarding Richard, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, when I wasn’t sure of yours. I needed to understand why you had returned here after all this time.”
“I told you. Granddad sent for me,” she said
“Yes, and I believe you. But just because he summoned you, that didn’t mean you had to come. I felt something wasn’t right about your actions.”
She frowned. “Something not right, how?”
“There was too much about you that didn’t add up. I felt you had to have another motive for coming back, something other than Richard’s request.” He paused a moment and caught hergaze. “That hunch pushed me to order an investigation on you, to see what you were doing in Paris before you came here.”
He opened the drawer under the coffee table, pulled out the packet that had been delivered last week, and placed it on the table.
***
Desiree picked up the packet, stared at it, then tossed it back on the table. She stood, her eyes blazing in anger. “How dare you have me investigated. What I did in Paris is my business. So why did you invite me over tonight? It’s not like you need to find out anything. You already know everything about me—more than you have a right to know.”
“That’s not true, Desiree,” he said, standing as well. “If you would notice, that packet is still sealed. I did not read it.”
“But you planned to. Otherwise, why order it?” she snapped.
“I told you why I did it, and you’re right. I had planned to read it, but I couldn’t. I wanted you to be the one to tell me what’s in there. It’s your story, and you should tell it. I want you to be the one to share what your life was like in Paris with me.”
“It’s a little late for that now. Since you paid for the report, go ahead and read it for yourself. I’m leaving.”
When she turned to leave, he grabbed hold of her wrist and brought her back closer to him. She glared at him. “Let go of me, Cobra. Nothing you can say or do will change my mind. Please call a car for me, or I’ll call an Uber on my own. Release me!”
He let go of her wrist. “That packet will remain sealed, Desiree. I promise I won’t read it. But I want you to share what’s in it with me, and I can wait until you’re ready. I don’t want there to be any secrets between us.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, and her glare deepened. “No secrets? Really? So, when were you going to tell me about the bet you made with your brothers? And that you’vedeliberately gotten me hot and bothered all those times, even though you never intended to take things further. You’re nothing but a big tease.”
A muscle jumped in his jaw. “How do you know about that bet?”
“I overheard two women talking about you in the ladies’ room.”
“When was this?” he snapped.
“My first day at the Sharpe Corporation,” she snapped back.
He took a step toward her, anger narrowing his eyes. “And you never mentioned it.”
Desiree couldn’t stop the fury that spread in her stomach. “I was waiting for you to say something to me. I didn’t care if you wanted to be celibate. Hell, nearly three years ago, I decided to go the celibacy route myself. I doubt that information is in your investigator’s report,” she lashed out.
“That’s beside the point,” he growled.
“For us, there is no point, Cobra.” Turning, she grabbed her purse off the table and headed for the door.
Over her shoulder, she called out, “Don’t bother calling for a car. I’ll take a taxi home.” The door then slammed shut behind her.
CHAPTER 17
Cobra stood at his office window and gazed out at the Manhattan skyline. Five days had passed since the incident with Desiree, and he didn’t want to admit to missing her, but he did. He went to bed thinking about her and woke up every morning with her on his mind as well. More than once, he had reached for his phone to call her, but changed his mind. She was the one who had walked out on him—not the other way around.
Landon had warned him that the report might come back and bite him in the ass. And it had. Desiree hadn’t wanted to hear anything he had to say, although he’d admitted that he hadn’t read it. Well, what about her knowing about his bet with his brothers? She hadn’t said anything to him about that. Nor had she admitted that she’d gone without sex for a long time too.
