Chapter 10 #2
My breathing quickened, my heart thumping. I tried to act unfazed, but my shaky hands were making a liar out of me. I swallowed back the lump in my throat as my alcohol buzz battled it out with the buzz from the chemicals charging between us. “Ask away.”
Grinning, his eyes gleamed with flirtation. “Truth or dare?”
The chemicals were winning; they were definitely winning.
I chugged the rest of my sangria, then squeaked out a timid, “Truth.”
He finally pulled away to take another sip of his beer before leaning against the counter beside me. Our shoulders were touching as he turned to face me. “Is it true you talked to Maya about me?”
I sucked in a breath, struggling for a coherent response. Luckily, the sangria was making a comeback and it gave my tongue a spark of courage. “Obviously,” I said, with as much teasing as I could muster. “You rescued me from unspeakable evil. You play a big role in my True Crime Drama of a life.”
“I guess you’re right.” He nodded, rubbing a hand along his bristled chin. There was still a glimmer of flirtation dancing in his hazel eyes. “So, what’s my role in this TV drama? You’re clearly the sexy lead heroine.”
Oh.
Well.
My heart basically tapped out at that.
When my gaze flicked to his, I instantly regretted it as tension hummed between us.
Jokes. Make jokes.
It was my go-to whenever I needed an out.
“The bumbling sidekick,” I said. “I thought it was obvious.”
“Ouch.” Cooper placed a fist to his chest like a dagger, his grin broadening. “I was hoping for the brooding hero or something.”
Perhaps the love interest?
Yikes. Nope.
That response would stay locked away in my ever-growing notebook of “Shit Abby Shouldn’t Say Out Loud.”
“Well, maybe I’ll promote you,” I opted for.
Kate came bounding into the kitchen then, successfully breaking into the banter. She halted in her tracks when she spotted us. “Jesus, the unresolved sexual tension in here is so thick, I’m practically choking.” She made dramatic coughing sounds for effect. “Need a room? I’ve got a spare.”
I cleared my throat and stepped away from the counter. “Your hospitality is unmatched.”
“Right? I’m awesome.” Kate breezed over to the refrigerator, shooting Cooper a pointed look as she pulled out another pitcher of sangria. “Did you want to go to the bar before or after you and Abby work through that tension?”
Cooper shook his head and tossed his empty beer bottle into a recycling can. “I’m ignoring the second part of that question. We’re going to the bar?”
“Yup.” She poured a substantial amount of sangria into her cup. “James is sober. He’s driving.”
“What happened to game night?”
“Marky happened,” Kate said matter-o-factly. “Lyle and Shannon took him home, and now I’m bored. I need live music and free shots. Are you in or out?”
I shared a look with Cooper. Music, dancing, alcohol, sexual tension. Sounded like a prime opportunity for questionable decision-making. “Sounds good to me,” I told her.
Cooper shrugged. “Yeah, okay.”
Kate clapped her hands together. “Hell, yeah. Abby, we’re going to get our freakishly impressive dance moves on.” She tipped her head back and inhaled the entire glass of sangria, then made a whoop sound. “Ready?”
She raced out of the kitchen.
Cooper followed, his enchanting gaze and lingering scent making my head spin.
I was very much not ready.
Cooper
The music was loud, the shots were rolling in, and the girls were, indeed, getting their freakishly impressive dance moves on.
I leaned back against the bar, my eyes aimed at the tiny dance floor. More specifically, at the enticing blonde who was brimming with sangria-infused vitality and a strange mix of innocence and sex appeal.
“Cooper! What can I get ya?”
Lana’s chipper voice interrupted my unabashed perusal of Abby on the dance floor.
I twisted around with a friendly smile, my own alcohol buzz starting to fade.
Normally, I’d be fine with that, but James was driving, so why not enjoy this rare night off?
“Hey, Lana. Three shots of Fireball and a Coke.”
“Coming right up,” she said cheerfully.
I glanced down at the opposite end of the bar and noticed Henry sending a stone-cold stare in my direction.
What a bastard. I hated him for sleeping with Maya while we were still married, but mostly, I hated him for breaking my sister’s heart.
Also, his face. There was just something about his self-righteous face.
I pulled my eyes away and returned my attention to Lana. “Mind bringing them to the table?”
“Of course, Boss.” She winked at me, then got to work on the shots.
I sauntered back over to the table we’d secured, noting James’ line of sight was directed at Kate.
I’d sensed a bit of chemistry between them during game night and wondered if something was going to come of it.
The thought of my sister with any man made me want to hurl, but if it had to be someone, I was glad it was James.
“I sense trouble with those two,” James teased. “They’re firecrackers.”
Chuckling, I eyed the spectacle. Abby was glistening with a light sheen of sweat, her hair half-stuck to her face. The thin spaghetti strap of her tank top had fallen off her shoulder, but she didn’t seem to care. Her body moved and swayed in perfect rhythm, and I was momentarily entranced.
I knew I had pushed my boundaries with her earlier, but the beer was coursing through me and—goddamn—she looked good. The attachment I’d formed from working so hard on her case was slowly weaving into something else as attraction spiraled to the surface.
Fuck me.
It was a terrible time to be feeling that shit. The woman at the center of this inconvenient revelation was the last person I should be attracted to.
Lana appeared with the round of shots, and I wondered if alcohol was the smart choice. But before I could debate too long, the girls rushed over to the table like moths to a flame.
“Ooh. Sweet cinnamon goodness,” Kate said, snatching up one of the shot glasses and holding it up. “Here’s to new friends.”
I raised my glass to Abby, our eyes locking. She had a faint smile on her face as she leaned over the table, her camisole top hanging dangerously low off her petite frame. I bit down on my tongue as if that might, somehow, keep my eyes from dipping to her chest. Didn’t work. “I’ll drink to that.”
We clinked our glasses together.
“You guys are my new best friends,” Abby declared. She sucked down the shot in one swallow then grimaced, sticking her tongue out with revulsion. “Ack.”
She was definitely buzzed, and it was cute as hell.
I finished my own shot and watched as Abby moved to my side of the table, pulling over a chair as close to me as possible. She sat down, her balance unsteady, and faced me with a grin.
“Did I ever tell you you’re my hero?”
I leaned back in my chair, trying desperately to ignore the way she smelled like sweat, cinnamon, and very bad things. She moved in closer, her wild hair tickling my arm, and I swallowed back a thousand replies that didn’t seem at all appropriate. “You’ve mentioned it once or twice, Bette.”
She stared at me as the reference took a minute to seep through her whiskey haze. Then she burst out laughing. “Wow, I can’t unhear that now.”
I twirled the empty shot glass between my fingers, willing it to refill itself with more liquor. Smiling at her, I was about to respond, when a familiar voice pierced through our fog of flirtation.
“Don’t you two look adorable.”
We both whirled around to see Maya standing before us with a daiquiri dangling from her hand, and a snide look on her face.
Ah, hell.