Chapter Fourteen
I open the door to the mansion, anticipation of seeing Cooper again after a very long day making my hands a little shaky on the knob.
My tummy tickles are somewhat quieted when I walk into a giant smoke cloud.
“Cooper?” I ask, coughing through the fog.
I duck down below the smoke line, squinting toward the kitchen, expecting to see giant yellow and red flames.
“It’s all good!” he calls back.
“I’m cool, I got this.”
The high-pitched chirp of the smoke detectors go off, and I slap my hands over my ears as I wade through the thick cloud.
Cooper jumps up to press the alarm off, dishtowel thrown over his shoulder and a questionable stain on his blue button-down.
I rush over to open a window, then quickly unlock the back patio doors and spread them wide.
Cooper takes the towel draped over his shoulder and uses it to direct the smoke outside.
As it dissipates, I catch the open oven and a full stove top.
“Didn’t want to hire a chef either, huh?”
His nose wrinkles.
“I don’t suppose you’d like to help me out?”
A smile creeps onto my lips, and I slither past him to see what the damage is.
“What were you trying to make?” I lift a brow at the blackened indiscernible food.
“Chicken parmesan.” He runs a hand through his blond locks.
“Apparently it was a little too advanced for this bachelor.”
“Oh, but you aren’t a bachelor right now.” I give him a pointed look as I test several different drawers before finding an apron.
His eyes watch me with careful concentration as I tie it around my waist. I’m extremely thankful that it fits.
How embarrassing would that be if I couldn’t get the sucker into a bow while attempting to look all domestic?
I stand up straight, pushing my curls into an impromptu bun before settling my hands on my hips.
In the back of my mind I thought that rocking the “mom” look my sister usually dons would give him a hard dose of reality.
This isn’t flattering on anyone, let alone someone who just got home from an achingly long day at work.
However, judging by the dazed expression that has settled on his face, you’d think I’d taken clothing off, not put more on.
My mouth pools so suddenly that I have to gulp, and I struggle to maintain the teasing tone I’ve grown accustomed to in his presence.
“Do you have any more chicken?”
He blinks himself free from his thoughts, grinning as if he didn’t just imagine me in some kinky housewife-type fantasy.
“Don’t think it’s salvageable, huh?”
“I’m not eating it.” I poke at the burnt mess with a fork.
“Damn.” His shoulders slump.
“I used it all.”
His body is so close that the heat from the leftover smoke isn’t the only heat that’s causing my skin to flush.
Taking a step back to keep my wits about me, I lean against the kitchen island and tap my nails near the cutting board.
“What else you got?”
He shrugs, slapping the dishtowel against the island by my hip.
“Whey protein.” His shoulders shake as he laughs at my grimace.
“Feel like take-out?”
A sigh of relief deflates my entire body.
“Please.” I tear the apron off, slapping it onto the island, watching as disappointment fills his expression as I strip myself from the domestic item.
In a moment of complete curiosity, I unbutton the top button of my pencil skirt and let my tummy loose, something I normally do the second I get home from work, but I’ve held that in for the sake of saving present company from seeing me so Homer Simpson.
Cooper confirms my theory, his lips turning up at the sight of me completely letting go, a rush of heat rising behind those blue irises.
I’m so not used to these kinds of reactions to such simple, very human-like things.
I wonder if I burped if he’d whisk me away for a night of torrid lovemaking.
His eyes lift to meet mine.
“Also… I do have a chef. I’m reminded of why.”
I chuckle, nodding at his very accurate assessment of his cooking skills.
Not that I can talk.
Chicken parm would be a little too advanced for me as well.
“I’m gonna get out of these,” I tell him, gesturing to my realtor wardrobe.
On my way up the staircase, I make my dinner requests over my shoulder.
“I like Hawaiian pizza and stuffed cheesy bread. Or if you go the Chinese route, I like mandarin chicken and beef and broccoli.”
“You sure you don’t need help getting out of those?” he calls up after me.
I answer by tossing my jacket clean over his adorable face.
I have a few theories I want to test tonight, and that smile will weaken my resolve to keep my distance long enough to prove their validity.
***
Any given weekday night, I’d have my feet kicked up on the coffee table, an overlarge, holey shirt draped over my braless bosom, and boxer shorts.
Tom and Kat would join me as I flicked through my streaming options and gorged on a party size bag of peanut butter M those suckers hurt like a bitch.
I’ve had one root canal in my lifetime, and I don’t revel in the idea of experiencing it a second time.
Saving him from having to squish into my bug, I hold my hands out for the keys to his truck.
His bushy eyebrow lifts, and after a reluctant pause in which we have a quiet stand-off, he relinquishes the right to sit behind the wheel of the Mud Monster.
I don’t exactly blame him for that either; he has driven with me before.
I put Cruella De Vil to shame in terms of aggressive driving, but since he’s putting so much faith in me, I decide that I’m going to be especially careful with his six-figure investment on wheels.
Cooper gets called back almost immediately after we arrive, the office dead now that it’s after hours.
The receptionist offers him an ice pack, and I internally chastise myself for not thinking of that earlier.
I chalk it up to the fact that I’m completely out of my element.
Have to say, I’ve never gotten to the point in a relationship where I make appointments and escort my SO on errands.
If this was part of his plan to show me that sparks will fly even during the mundane, talk about commitment.
“Don’t let me take Loritab,” he tells me, sliding in to the dentist reclining seat.
“It will be your top most regret.”
I set my hand on the headrest, running my thumb nail over his blond locks.
“It sounds like it will provide memorable entertainment.”
His eyes roll back at my touch, heavy lids closing as I run my fingers through his hair.
An amused grin teases the corner of my mouth as he lifts a finger to press it to his lips.
“Shh,” he says. “You’ve found my off button.”
Warmth starts to spread from my fingertips to my thumping heart.
Giving him innocent pleasure fascinates and confuses me in equal measure, and a stray thought flies across my mind, a thought I’ve never had before.
I could very well have a lifetime of just this and find myself happier than I’ve ever been.
My fingers pause, tangled in the soft strands of blond and silver.
I shake my head hard, closing my eyes to banish the thought back to where it originated from.
Cooper shifts under my hand, and I pull away, opening my eyes and forcing a grin.
I’m saved from having to answer the concern in Cooper’s pulled eyebrows when the dentist walks in.
“Well,” Dr. Jenkins says, eyes skating over my dress before flicking to Cooper in sympathy.
“I bet this isn’t how you expected the night to go.”
Cooper chuckles, meeting my gaze briefly before answering Dr. Jenkins.
“I did have other plans for my mouth.”
An embarrassed—and I admit, flattered—flush rises up my neck, and I playfully backhand him in the shoulder.
“That mouth’s gonna get you in trouble.”
The dentist chuckles at our banter, settling in to the swivel chair next to Cooper.
He slides on a glove and coaxes Cooper’s chin down.
“Let’s take a look, shall we? ”
Cooper opens his mouth so wide that I’m fairly impressed by it, but it’s not surprising.
With how often he lets it run, I’d be more surprised if he had a small mouth.
“Yep, definitely lost that crown.” He pulls his finger from Cooper’s chompers and leans back in his seat to address the both of us.
I thought I’d feel uncomfortable, maybe even overstepping my boundaries by being here.
Yet, it feels as natural as breathing.
That thought is the only thing that makes me shift slightly toward the door.
“I can put in a temp for now. Cover that nerve while you two continue your evening. Then we can put in a permanent replacement tomorrow afternoon.”
Cooper shakes his head.
“We have plans we can’t break.”
My brow furrows, and a speck of amusement dusts his blue irises.
“Babysitting, Maya.”
“Right.” I laugh, shaking my head at myself.
It’s funny how he remembers agreeing to watch my niece and nephew more than I do.
“Next opening I have is on Monday,” Dr. Jenkins says.
“The temp should last the weekend.”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll write you a prescription for—”
“Ibuprofen,” I interject.
“Apparently, this guy can’t take anything stronger than that.”
He chuckles at Cooper nodding like a bobble-head.
“All right, then. Let’s get that temp in there. You’ll be back to your date in twenty minutes, tops. Wouldn’t want to waste that spectacular dress on a night here.”
I smile in appreciation, warmth touching my cheeks as the dentist scopes out my lucky attire once more.
Cooper lifts an eyebrow up at me.
Those blue eyes, while showing how much pain he truly is in, also have a hint of admiration swirling in them.
“No offense, Doc. But I don’t think it’s the dress.”