Wolf with Benefits
Page 94

Its called a GPS, Reed. Its already built into the car.
Get in, smart ass.
Giggling, she did as he said, for once not bothering to argue. For once.
Seven in the morning and Coop walked downstairs to get in some practice before the rush began. The grand piano hed ordered had been placed in the main ballroom. The one everyone was fighting over. But when he walked in, the piano was gone and Kyle was over in the corner on a stepladder, chipping away at his marble while Oriana used the rest of the space to dance. A special flooring had been laid over the originalbut damagedwood so that she could use her pointe shoes without problems.
Good, Novikov said, coming to stand by Coop. Youre here. He handed a printed sheet of paper to him. This is the schedule. Learn it. Know it. Live it.
Coop didnt even glance at it. Instead he stared up at the more than seven foot tall hybrid and said, You made my piano go away. Did it insult you?
Novikov stared at him. Youre weird. Your sisters less annoying.
Which one?
All of them. He handed Coop another sheet of paper. I moved your piano to the basement.
When?
An hour ago.
I didnt hear a moving crew come in.
Moving crew?
Coop leaned back a bit. You moved my grand Steinway to the basement by yourself?
I needed to get things done. Your brother and sister needed to use this room by six thirty.
Good God! Where was Toni when he needed her? Because this shit was the highest level of comedy, and the only one who could truly appreciate it was Toni!
Is the piano in one piece?
Of course it is. Theres not a scratch on it. Oh, and your nervous little sister . . .
Cherise.
Yeah. She says acoustics are great down there. Shell be practicing in another room in the basement. So youre both set.
Great. Excellent planning.
I know. Not done yet, but were almost there.
Were not done yet?
No.
As abruptly as hed appeared, Novikov turned and walked away.
Shaking his head, Coop studied the pages hed gotten. One was the schedule, as Novikov had said, and the other was a breakdown of who got what room and for how long per day. It was unbelievably organized.
A small hand tugged on Coops jeans. Freddy looked up at him with eyes just like his own.
Whats wrong? God, he hoped it wasnt Delilah again. Toni would blow an artery.
Its handwritten, Freddy whispered.
What is?
He pointed at the sheets of paper Coop held.
Glancing down, Coop shook his head. No, buddy. This is from a printer. Its been typed.
No. It hasnt. Me, Denny, and the twins watched him do it for like an hour. He wrote out each one. By hand. We had to leave when Zoe began to cry. She was completely freaked out. Freddy leaned in a little bit more and again whispered, I think if shed stayed any longer, she would have stabbed him to death. And I dont think the rest of us would have tried to stop her.
Coop crouched in front of his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. Thats because you know OCD when you see it. Youre seeing Troys future. Fear that.
Oh, Freddy said, eyes wide, I do, Coop. I really do.
They parked a bit away so they could walk to the lake.
Believed to be the oldest and deepest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Baikal was one of the most amazing places Toni had ever seen. The water was clean and clear, the land lush and green. Not remotely what shed think of when someone mentioned Siberia.
Ricky Lee stood next to her, both of them silent for several long minutes. Both of them taking in the scenery and the lovely land they were lucky enough to have visited.
This is beautiful, Ricky finally said.
Yes. It is.
But I cant really enjoy it because all I can think about is getting you back to the hotel and naked.
Thank God! Toni exploded. I thought it was just me. Ive been asking myself, How can you not enjoy all this beautiful nature? She looked directly at him and admitted, But, you look so damn good naked.
He took her hand in his, stared deeply in her eyes, and said, We both do. And how are we supposed to focus on anything else when we both look so dang good naked?
Toni laughed. Youre ridiculous.
No. My baby brother is ridiculous. Im just a little goofy. A fine mix between Reeces ridiculous behavior and Rorys uptight lifestyle. He tugged her hand and had the audacityaudacity!to tip his head down and look up at her through his rather long eyelashes.
Come on, darlin, he coaxed. Lets go back to the hotel, get naked, and be all awed about how good we look.
But were in Siberia, Toni whined. Its not like we get out here every day. We should be exploring or something. Something touristy.
Ricky didnt say anything, but he tugged her closer and closer . . . until he could slip his arm around her waist. Then he slowly brought her up against his body and Tonis skin went hot. She might be sweating.