Page 44 of The Tycoon

Chapter11

The ride in the elevator to the apartment was silent, thick with tension.When they arrived, Cole barreled out of the door and over to the apartment’s doors.He put in his code and entered, leaving her to trail behind him.

By the time she’d closed the door, he was over at the bar, his bowtie undone and the top two buttons of his shirt open.

“Would you like a drink?”His voice was steady.

But she heard the barely controlled anger there.

She could saynoand just go to bed, but she probably wouldn’t be able to sleep, anyway.“Yes, bourbon on the rocks.”She sat on the sofa facing the west windows.The mountains were magnificent in the twilight, with the sun not quite down behind them.

Cole lifted his eyebrows at her order, then he just nodded.When he was finished, he brought her drink over and then sat next to her on the couch.

“Here you go.”He handed her the cocktail and stared at her.He released a pent-up breath and then breathed a deep one in.“Dang it, Regan.I don’t want to hurt you or use you.I care for you a great deal.I respect you.Who else do you think I would have slept on top of the covers for?I would have charmed my way into their bed.”

Was he not that attracted to her despite what he said at the country club?“Why didn’t you try to charm me?Not that you would have succeeded, but why didn’t you at least try?”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.“Because you were different…are different.I want more from you than just a night or two in bed.”

“I wouldn’t give you a night or two in bed.I’m either all in, or I’m not.Are you all in, Cole?”She took a sip of her drink, it was smooth for bourbon.And yet she felt the burn all the way to her stomach, while he thought about his answer.

He ran his left hand through his hair.“I don’t know, Regan.I can’t give you a definite answer.I want to be, but I just don’t know if I can be.I don’t know if I’m that guy.”

She set her drink on the coffee table and stood.“When you know the answer to that, come see me.In the meantime, I’m going to get some rest.Tomorrow, we start looking for Jerry Sykes in earnest.Since he made bail, he could be anywhere now.”She walked off down the hall to her bedroom.She wasn’t sure what she was feeling.Disappointment?Anger?Relief?Whatever it was she needed to sort it out before tomorrow morning.She would not let her feelings for her boss, that were clearly not returned, sabotage her job.

Cole watched her go,cursing himself for not being able to ask her to stay.Why was it so hard to admit that he wanted more?That he might want it all…with her?What was it that made him hold back?He knew without thinking too much about it.

Erin.

She’d been the love of his life, or so he thought.Until he heard her on the phone with her mother.

“Yes, Mother.I think he’s going to pop the question.I hope he gets me one of those seven-carat stones like I saw on that actress, Natalie Johnson.She got to keep that ring even though she didn’t end up marrying the man.”

Silence.

“I know I could probably stay and marry him, but I love Paul.The ring is just what we need for a nest egg.”

Cole still felt as if the small box was in his jacket’s pocket.The ring was exactly as she described it.Just over seven carats and absolutely clear.The nearly flawless stone had cost him close to one-million dollars.But it would never see the light of day now.I can’t believe she played me and that it was so easy.I fell for every lie she told me.I will never get close to a woman again.Thank God, I didn’t give her grandmother’s ring.

The following morning,Regan’s problems now were double.What to do about her feelings for Cole and how to find Jerry Sykes?The police had already released Jerry and, if he was smart, he was in the wind.And since he was an engineer for oil well platforms, he was definitely smart.But he’d made mistakes, too.Maybe she’d get lucky.

She went out to the kitchen and saw Cole reading on his tablet.“Good morning.”

He looked up and smiled.“Good morning.”He set down the tablet.“I wasn’t sure you’d be speaking to me after last night.”

She shrugged.“Last night is behind us.We need to work together to find Sykes and stop these attacks.Someone could get hurt or killed and not just you.I’m not saying he’d deliberately kill someone else, but they could be collateral damage.He’s lucky no one was killed on the platform.”

“I agree.I’ve got a call in to find out what the police know.”

“I would guess not much more than we did when we left.”

Cole nodded.“You’re probably right.But they might have contact info that myfriendcan get.”

Regan lifted one eyebrow.“Yourfriend?”

He chuckled.“A kid, er, man I went to college with.He was my roommate for a while.He joined the force after college, and I went back to the ranch.Then we hit it big with our video game apps, and I guess the rest is history.Now, I concentrate on oil exploration.Anyway, I expect a call from him at any time.Then we’ll see if we can find Sykes.”

She poured herself a cup of coffee and smelled the rich aroma wafting off the cup.Regan sighed…heaven.“I think we should go to your ranch?—”