Cooper (Wild Boys After Dark, #4)(11)
Naked. Their inside joke for black coffee, a term they’d coined because they’d drank their first cup of coffee for the day while they were naked together in the hotel room. She trapped her lower lip between her teeth to keep from grinning as heat rushed to her cheeks.
She took the coffee, trying to calm her rising hope. “Thank you.”
Remembering Tegan’s warning, she cleared her throat and attempted to chase away the swooning girl inside her and become the strong mother she needed to be.
He stood close enough that she could smell soap on his skin, which reminded her of the shower they’d shared in the middle of the night and all the naughty things they’d done in it.
“I missed you this morning,” he said, leaning in to kiss her.
Be smart, be curious, be Tegan. She repeated the mantra at warp speed as his lips neared hers, but no matter how many times she said it, the only person she wanted to be was herself, right now, stepping forward to meet his lips in a tantalizing kiss that made her want much, much more.
***
IT HAD TAKEN all of Cooper’s strength to leave Cici earlier that morning and return to his hotel room, but he knew that they’d both have emotions to sort through, and he didn’t want to suffocate her with his presence. What he hadn’t realized was how overwhelming those emotions would be. He’d tossed and turned, not just reliving their lovemaking and how incredible it had felt to have Cici back in his arms, but talking about his father’s death had unearthed feelings he’d been avoiding dealing with for years. He hadn’t expected to share that with her so quickly, but when he’d felt her pulling away, he’d known that honesty was the only thing that would keep her close.
He reached for her hand as they entered the elevator, and she glanced up at him with caution in her eyes.
“Cooper, what happened last night…”
No. Hell no. “Please don’t say it was an accident, because accidents are when you do something without meaning to, and I think we both wanted last night to happen.”
She lowered her eyes as the elevator stopped and a couple stepped on. He moved closer and whispered, “Talk to me, but just don’t tell me that.”
“It wasn’t a mistake,” she said sharply. “It was just something that happened too fast.”
“We happened fast, Ceese. It’s who we are.”
The elevator stopped at the lobby and they stepped off. Cooper touched her arm, keeping her from walking away. “Talk to me, please.”
She sighed, her eyes shifting from her coffee to him, to the lobby, and back to him again, making his stomach clench tight. “It’s just, I have a lot of things to consider, and four years is a really long time.”
“Agreed. We need to talk. I thought we were going to do that tonight?” He pressed his palm to her cheek. Drawing her eyes to his, he read the determination in them, and he hoped to hell that he hadn’t already lost her for good.
“Sweetheart, I don’t think for a minute that what we did last night negates the hurt I caused you or the years of silence between us. But the emotions between us last night? They were as real as the ground we’re standing on. You can’t deny that.”
Her gaze softened. “I’m not denying that. It’s hard to explain, Cooper, but now’s not really the time. I need to get my equipment from my car.”
They hurried toward the lobby doors. “You left your equipment in your car?”
“Thanks to you, yes. I was a little busy last night and forgot to get it.” She smiled, and her cheeks pinked up. “God, Cooper. It’s so hard to be cold toward you.”
“Then don’t.” He reached for her hand, and thankfully, she took it with a sigh.
“What is it about you?” she asked, squinting in the bright morning sun as they exited the hotel. The air carried the salty scents of the bay, and they both inhaled deeply.
“It’s that I adore you,” he answered, “and regardless of how long we went without seeing each other, that has never changed. If anything, it’s grown stronger.” They rounded the building, and Cici stopped abruptly. Her grip tightened on his hand.
“Oh no.” Her eyes were riveted to a blue sedan parked at the edge of the lot. The back window was shattered and the trunk was wide open. Tears sprang to her eyes as she ran for the car.
Cooper beat her to it, his eyes sweeping over the car, anger brewing in his gut. “Shit. This is yours?” The radio was intact, and the glove box hung open. Glass littered the backseat, and the trunk was empty. His first thought was thank God she hadn’t been anywhere near the car when it had been broken into. His second thought was that he wanted to kill whoever had done this.
“Yes.” She threw open the driver’s side door, grabbed something that was hanging from the rearview mirror, and shoved it into her purse. “Goddamn it. Who would do this? What am I going to do? All of my equipment is gone.” Angry tears filled her eyes. “I need this gig.”
“You have insurance, right?” He took out his phone and texted Jackson to let him know what was going on. Then he texted his assistant back in New York to make arrangements for equipment to be sent for Cici to use.
She rolled her eyes as she sank down to the driver’s seat. “Of course, but a lot of good that’s going to do. If I don’t get these pictures this weekend, I earn nothing.”