Cooper (Wild Boys After Dark, #4)(13)
There weren’t many men like Cooper Wild.
Everything he did was intense, focused, and sincere. He read people like others read books, and when one of the police officers initially treated the report as if it were an everyday occurrence, he’d made sure that the police officer understood that this was anything but an everyday occurrence in Cici’s life and that he took the matter seriously. When she’d felt vulnerable about someone rifling through her things, he hadn’t made her feel weak. He’d made her feel protected and cherished. It had been a long time since she’d felt cherished. Since the last time she was in his arms.
He caught her looking at him and smiled. “Like what you see?”
She rolled her eyes, secretly loving his playful nature. She hadn’t dated much over the years since Melody was born, and now, as Cooper placed a possessive hand on the small of her back and stepped in close, turning his full attention to her, she knew why. Her heart had never given up on Cooper, even if her mind had.
“Are you holding up okay?”
“Yes. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me today.”
They were standing among two hundred photographers and hundreds of fans behind a roped-off section of road in front of one of the theaters. People were talking and shouting, and the air buzzed with energy as the crowd anticipated the arrival of the rich and famous. And here Cooper stood, his face a solemn mask of concern for her state of mind.
“No need to thank me, but don’t be surprised if the weight of what happened this morning doesn’t hit you until later today. If you feel like you need a break, or want to chill, just let me know.”
She smiled and thanked him again. It would be easy to pretend like the last four years hadn’t taken their toll, or hadn’t upset her, and allow herself to accept him for all his faults and all his talents. But Tegan’s voice sailed through her mind again, and she knew that for Melody’s sake, she couldn’t afford to be a lovesick girl anymore. She’d spent every minute of every day since Melody was born making careful, smart decisions, so that Melody would have a safe and stable life. And she couldn’t afford to mess that up now. She needed to get answers to the hardest questions she might ever have to ask, whether she wanted to upend their happy little reunion or not.
The crowd exploded with shrieks of excitement as limousines began arriving, one after another. Stars stepped from their cars and posed, perfectly practiced smiles in place. Photographers pressed forward, vying for the best angle, and fans begged for autographs. One stunning picture could make a star of the lucky photographer. Cooper maneuvered the camera above the crowd, expertly twisting the extension pole and clicking the remote shutter as Cici snapped pictures of the beautiful people at ground level. He didn’t watch her with the equipment he’d lent her, or make her feel like she’d inconvenienced him in any way, and that made her feel more comfortable in accepting his generosity.
The afternoon passed in a flurry of activity, her need for answers kept at bay. After taking hundreds of pictures, they returned to the press lounge to upload them.
“Is your editor here?” Cooper asked, looking around the busy room.
“No. My sister does my editing. I’m going to Dropbox these to her now.” Things would move much quicker if Tegan had come with her, but their mother had been away for the weekend, and Cici would never leave Melody with anyone other than family. Tegan would go through the pictures and then send them to her employee and friend Marlow, who would work the sales angle.
“Tegan?” he asked as he uploaded his images.
“You remembered?” Her stomach did a somersault.
“Of course I remembered. Just because I went numb for a while doesn’t mean my memory was wiped clean.”
She didn’t know if that made her feel better or worse. Did that mean he purposely hadn’t contacted her? Ignored her phone calls? Of course it did. What did she think? That he’d literally become too numb to reach out? She knew better than that. He’d still worked. The swirling in her stomach turned to a dull ache.
Cooper’s phone vibrated with a message, and he pulled it out to read it. “It’s Jackson. He and Erica got a lead on the hottest parties tonight. So we’ll be able to get some great pics before dinner.”
“That’s great.” She turned back to the computer and sent an email to Tegan, mulling over the painful reality of being shoved to the side by Cooper. She felt guilty, angry, and upset, all at once, and she didn’t know what to do with those emotions.
Cooper moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pressed his scruffy face to her cheek, and good Lord, he smelled delicious enough to devour.
“Your ‘that’s great’ sounded more like ‘whatever.’ Want to talk about it?”
She closed her eyes for a beat, loving and hating that he was so tuned in to her needs. She turned toward him, and within the confines of his arms, and with photographers, editors, and reporters milling around them, she couldn’t even begin to figure out how to respond. This wasn’t the time or the place to get into a discussion about their past. And when his lips curved up in a sexy smile, she felt her resolve begin to soften again. She didn’t want him to be sweet and handsome and loving right now. She needed him to be a jerk, to say something mean or self-serving and piss her off so that the uncomfortable feelings inside her wouldn’t seem so out of place when she was near him.