Beauty and the Billionaire (Billionaire Boys Club #2)(52)

“Mmm, did you miss me?” Gretchen asked sleepily, her backside snuggling up against his front. “It was a long evening without you.”

“I hope you got a lot of work done,” Hunter told her.

“Eh.” She didn’t sound enthusiastic.

“That’s too bad,” he told her, and bit lightly at her earlobe, a small move that he was starting to figure out that she enjoyed very much. Her sucked-in breath confirmed it. “I don’t plan on letting you get much sleep tonight.”

“Don’t you?” she asked, her voice a mixture of playfulness and sleepiness. “Aren’t you tired?”

“Not when I’m around you.” His fingers slid to her nipple and he caressed it, eliciting a moan from her. “You bring me back to life.”

It was true. He felt alive when he was with her. Nothing else mattered anymore—his face, his loneliness—nothing. All that mattered was what Gretchen thought of him.

For the first time in his life, Hunter Buchanan was in love.

***

Gretchen paced in the library, her hand pressed to her forehead. “No. I promise. I need my apartment. I really do. I’m just doing a project on location at the moment.”

“Your rent is one week overdue, Ms. Petty,” her landlord said into the phone. “And we haven’t seen your check.”

“What if I give you a check today?” Gretchen kept her voice bright and cheerful. “I’ll call a taxi and head into the city. I’ll give you a check and I can date it for next week. I should have my contract payment by then.”

“Next week? Your rent was due last week.”

“I know! But I have the payment. I can pay the rest of the entire year with my next check, which should be in any day now. I promise. I can get my agent on the line if you don’t believe me, and she can confirm the dollar amount.”

“Your contract with us states that rent is due on the first. Not when you get paid.”

“I know. It’s just—”

There was a knock at the library door and Eldon came in, giving her a dour look. “You have a guest.”

“I . . . what?” She looked at him in surprise.

“A guest,” he enunciated, exaggerating each syllable as if she were some sort of nitwit. “A visitor.”

“Um, okay.” Into the phone, she said, “Can I call you back in five minutes?”

Her landlord hung up.

Well, shit. Surely they couldn’t change the locks in the next five minutes. She’d just call back after she got rid of whoever this was and explain that she could pay a big penalty fee if they’d just give her another week or so. Gretchen pocketed her phone and followed behind Eldon, who was already heading back down the hall.

Cooper stood in the front lobby of Buchanan Manor, a box in his hands. He was staring at the lofting ceilings and spiraling staircases of the entryway as if he’d just walked into a foreign land. It kicked her amusement into high gear. Had she looked as bug-eyed as he did when she’d walked in for the first time? How funny. “Cooper, what are you doing here?”

He lit up at the sight of her and set the box down. “Hey, Gretchen. There you are.” He held his arms out for a hug.

She moved into them and patted his back, returning the hug awkwardly. At any other time, she would think nothing of his hug. Now that she knew he was in love with her? It made things . . . strange.

“Audrey said you were having a hard time with your project. She said you’re behind on your deadline and was going to bring you a few things to help out. I told her I wasn’t busy and I’d stop by, and I thought I’d bring you a little care package from the Cuppa while I was at it.”

Had he held the hug for a little longer than was necessary or was she imagining things? Gretchen pulled out of his arms and smiled. “You’re a good friend, Coop. Did you bring me the brownie fudge mocha latte flavoring I love?”

“Of course.” He chuckled and picked up the box again, handing it to her. “You look great, by the way. How are you doing?”

“I’m awesome, of course,” Gretchen said cheerfully, juggling the box. “You want to come hang out in the kitchen for a bit?”

“I wouldn’t mind a coffee,” he said, and took the box from her. “Here, let me get that for you.”

She refused to release it, fighting annoyance. “I can carry my own boxes, Coop.”

“Yes, but men carry things for ladies.”

She snorted. “Who are you and what have you done with my friend?”

He laughed at her teasing, throwing his hands up. “Fair enough. At least I tried.”

The box was deposited on the kitchen counter, and Gretchen put a pot of coffee on. When it was brewing and Cooper had taken a seat at one of the stools at the kitchen island, she opened the top of the box, peeking in. There were two smaller boxes inside, one with the Cooper’s Cuppa logo. She reached for the other, glancing at Cooper. “This is from Audrey?”

He nodded, though he couldn’t stop staring at their surroundings. “I can’t believe you’re staying here for an entire month. It’s like a castle.”

“Oh, I know,” she said, setting the box down and pouring herself a cup of coffee. “Complete with creepy butler and everything.”