Coda Books 04 - Strawberries for Dessert (MM)

was fun and casual and completely uncomplicated.”
    “And that’s what you’re proposing?”
    “If you’re interested,” he said, smiling flirtatiously at me. My type or not, he really was incredibly cute. And our time in the bedroom had been a lot of fun. Not that sex was ever not fun. But things between us had been easy and natural. Why in the world would I not be interested in what he was suggesting?
    “That sounds perfect,” I said.
    “Good. Then I’ll call you when I’m back in Phoenix.”

Date: May 3
    From: Cole
    To: Jared
    Have you heard, darling, that global warming is actually nothing more than a myth? That’s the only explanation I have for the fact that there apparently was an unusually cold day in hell last week. And let just me say, thank goodness! Dry spell over, and none too soon. I’m back in Paris now, but at least I have something to look forward to when I get home. It’s all thanks to you, Sweets. I would kiss you for it, if that big bad boyfriend of yours would let me.

    I WASN’T surprised when Julia showed up at my house that afternoon.
    “So,” she asked teasingly as I let her in the door, “how was dinner?”
    “Really good. He’s an amazing cook. You should have stayed.”
    “Yeah right,” she said as she sat down on my couch.
    “How’s Tony?” I asked. The thing was, I didn’t actually care how her brother Tony was, and Julia knew that. It was a weak attempt to change the subject, and she didn’t bite.
    “Cole seems like a keeper!” she said.
    “Julia, it’s nothing like that. Dinner and sex, yes, but it’s not like we’re dating.”
    “Let’s see,” she said, ignoring me. “He cooks. He’s thoughtful.”
    She was ticking the points off on her fingers as she talked. “He’s super cute.”
    “He’s really not my type.”
    “And he’s rich.”
    “How did you know that?”
    “Only a guess,” she said, and I rolled my eyes at her. “That’s like the trifecta. Plus one .”
    “So what?”
    “ So , you’d be an idiot to let him get away.”

    IT TURNED out not to matter that Cole was out of town. The next few weeks were so busy I wouldn’t have had time to see him anyway. I only managed to spend a handful of nights in my own bed. The rest of the time, I was in Vegas, converting a major casino to our software. I owned a condo in Vegas, which was a little more personal than a motel room. But it still wasn’t home.
    It was almost a month before I heard from him. It was seven o’clock in the morning, and I was just headed out the door of my condo for another long work day when he called.
    “Hello, muffin. How have you been?”
    I couldn’t help but smile. “ Muffin ?”
    He ignored me. “I’d like to see you. Are you free any time this week?”
    I sighed. “No. I’m stuck in Vegas.”
    “You’re working? Isn’t it the weekend?”
    “There are no weekends in the hotel industry.”
    “You’re such a killjoy. How long will you be there?”
    “Several days, at least. Are you back in Phoenix?”
    “I am, actually. But it will be terribly boring here without you.”
    “It’s pretty boring here, too.”
    He was silent for a moment, and then he said, “I could change that, you know.”
    “You could make transitioning accounting data more interesting?”
    “Goodness, no. I’m fairly certain that’s not even possible. But I could at least make your evenings worthwhile.”
    “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
    “I’m sure I don’t know, muffin. I dare say I can’t read your mind when we’re in the same room, let alone when you’re two hundred miles away.”
    “Are you offering to come to Vegas?”
    “Yes, if I won’t be in the way.”
    “I’ll be working during the day.”
    “I believe that’s already been established. I assure you, I’m quite capable of entertaining myself until you’re free.”
    I found myself smiling again. The idea of a few more days in Vegas suddenly seemed infinitely less dreary. “I would love to have some company.”
    “Good,” he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “I’ll be there in time for dinner.”
    He called me a few hours later, when his flight got in, and I gave him the address to my place and the key code to get in. I wasn’t able to get away from the casino until after six. When I arrived back at the condo, I found him waiting. He was barefoot, wearing slim dark pants and some type of loose-fitting white shirt that accentuated the rich tone of his