Chapter 17 #2
Cooper sauntered up beside me. “What now?”
“I was asking if you guys hooked up during the paint sesh,” Kate said. “Abby’s acting like I’m out of my mind for thinking it, despite walking in on you two practically humping each other in the middle of the room.”
I held up a hand. “I tripped into his arms, okay?” Then my brows furrowed when I realized how absurd that had sounded.
Kate groaned. “Right.”
James strolled up behind Kate, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll give you a ride,” he offered before turning to Cooper. “You ready, McAllister? If not, I can come pick you up later.”
They had driven together.
I glanced at Cooper, waiting for his response.
Was he ready to go? If he wasn’t ready, what did that mean?
I held my breath.
Cooper stuffed his hands in his pockets with all the nonchalance in the world. “I’m good. I’ll walk home later.”
My heart nosedived off a cliff.
He wanted to stay.
With me.
And not “go there.”
Why?
James nodded. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow, then.”
I nudged Kate with my elbow, cocking my head toward James with an ensuing eyebrow waggle. “Yeah?”
Kate smirked. “Oh, yeah.” Then she mimicked my elbow jab, nodding at Cooper. “Yeah?”
I looked over at Cooper and caught him staring at me with his eyebrow raised.
“You know we’re both standing right here,” Cooper said. “You’re not being subtle.”
“Okay, leaving now.” Kate sent a few dramatic winks my way. “You two have fun.”
James and Kate disappeared out the front door, abandoning Cooper and I with the not-subtle remnants of their exit.
Folding my arms, I spared Cooper a quick glance. The silence enveloped us, making me feel nervous and jittery. “Are you hungry? I can cook something.”
Cooper shifted on both feet, hands still in his pockets. “I was thinking, while you have me here, I could do some more house projects for you,” he offered. “I’m sure I didn’t exactly instill confidence with my painting skills, but I’m going to blame the day-drinking for that.”
“Oh…that’s really nice of you.” A genuine smile bloomed. “There’s not much left to do, except for renovating my photography space. I’m turning the garage into a studio and then building a carport. I have some professionals coming out this week to work on it.”
“Can I see it?”
I beamed, excited that he was interested. “Sure. There’s not much to see yet. It’s kind of a mess.”
He didn’t seem to mind, so I led him outside through the back door.
The pre-dusk air was balmy as I drank it in.
Cooper walked beside me, his eyes thoughtful, and I wondered what he was thinking.
I was sharply aware of his proximity while we walked in similar rhythm, making our way to the two-car garage.
There was no electricity in the space yet, so the only source of light was the setting sun and my cell phone flashlight.
I shined it into the garage, pointing to a few different corners and explaining my vision.
“I still need to order my lighting equipment and backdrops. I’ll need soft boxes and props, too.
There’s a lot that goes into it.” I stepped inside, enjoying the smell of sawdust wafting around me.
It was the scent of possibilities and new dreams bursting to life.
“I’m going to make a little office space over there,” I said, pointing to the left.
Cooper trailed behind me, taking in the scene. “There’s a lot of potential here,” he said with a smile. “I’m impressed.”
I grinned, biting my lip. “Well, thanks. I’m impressed that you took down an armed gunman yesterday, then showed up to help me paint today.”
Sidling up beside me, he leaned in until our shoulders kissed. I couldn’t help but notice.
“Not my first time doing that, and probably won’t be my last.”
I looked over at him and tucked my phone back into my waistband.
He was so calm, so at ease. Cooper continuously put his life on the line to help people—he risked being shot, stabbed, beaten, or worse.
The thought caused a tight knot to lodge in the back of my throat.
When Cooper sat outside my house watching over me, he did so with the intent of diving into the line of fire if my kidnapper happened to show up.
He anticipated it. He was prepared to fight for me, even if it meant endangering his own well-being.
The realization was staggering.
I couldn’t help my hand from drifting toward him and clasping with his. I saw him staring at me in my periphery, tilting his head with curiosity, but I kept my gaze fixed on the wooden beams ahead. Our fingers entwined, and I inhaled a rickety breath. “Thank you,” I whispered. “For everything.”
Cooper was silent for a moment, and only the sound of singing cicadas filled the space. The garage was dark and musty, so I clung to Cooper’s hand, waiting for him to say something.
He finally did. He tugged me by the hand, catching me off guard. “You never need to thank me for caring about you,” he said softly.
I stared up at him, unable to let go of his hand or break away from his heated gaze. My heart drummed against my chest. I didn’t know how to proceed. All I wanted to do was kiss him, but I couldn’t bear to be rejected again.
Words fluttered from my lips before I could think them through. “What is this, Cooper? What are we doing?”
He swallowed. “I don’t know.”
I supposed I could appreciate his honesty, but it didn’t answer my questions or subdue my racing heart. I gazed up at him, hardly able to make out his handsome features in the dark.
Cooper’s free hand lifted to curl around my waist, and I sucked in a breath. I felt his eyes burning into me, making me squirm. He pulled me closer.
Oh, God.
I melted against him, my legs struggling to keep me upright.
My cheek burrowed against his chest as I allowed him to hold me.
Inhaling his scent, I waited, unsure what else to do.
His hand cupped the back of my head, fingers twining through my hair, and I couldn’t help the tiny moan that escaped my lips.
Cooper took my face between his hands and tilted my head up. The sun was peeking through the cracked door, just enough so that I could see the desire in his eyes. It made me weak, made me tremble.
It made me want to beg him for something he’d already said he couldn’t give me.
I kept my mouth shut, refusing to go there. I couldn’t. If he denied me again, it would break me.
Cooper leaned in. I was certain he was about to kiss me…
But then he faltered.
Cheeks flaring with heat, I thought history was repeating itself. I thought he was building me up, only to shoot me right back down. I squinted, trying to see him through the shadows. Trying to understand.
His grip on me loosened as he stood up straight. “Did you hear that?”
“What?” I was still in a daze. Confused, addled, turned on. “Hear what?”
He pulled back fully, snatching me by the wrist and shoving me behind his body. “Stay close to me.”
“What is it, Cooper?” All I’d heard was my heart beating out of my chest. All I’d felt was lust throbbing between my legs. I held on to his arm as he moved forward and carefully opened the side door of the garage.
“Shit, my gun is inside. I left it on your dresser.”
Fear pricked my skin. “What did you hear?”
“Footsteps.”
Following him outside, I looked around the yard, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. “It could have been an animal.”
Cooper shook his head. “It wasn’t.”
A breeze swept through, feeling decidedly chillier than it had felt earlier. I remained glued to Cooper, almost stepping on the backs of his feet as we approached the front of the house. I couldn’t help but notice how protective he was, holding me tight, making sure I was secured behind him.
My fingers squeezed him a little tighter.
Cooper glanced around the front of the house, sighing when nothing seemed out of place. “I know I heard footsteps,” he said.
He relaxed his hold for a beat as we made our way up to the door.
Then he halted in his tracks.
I pushed forward, trying to see what had caught his attention. My gaze skated over the porch until my eyes landed on the front stoop. A gasp fell out. My heart leaped into my throat.
Lying on the step was a dead bird with a knife stabbed through its tiny chest.
This was a message from Cappy.
A gift.
And it was meant for me.
Little Bird.