Chapter 33
Chapter thirty-three
Dakota
“How about we go down for a drink after I shower?” Cooper says before slipping off his boots.
“Sure.” I nod, trying to think of any place to be besides in here while he’s naked on the other side of the wall. “I need to call and check on Ari. I’ll be on the balcony.”
“You sure you don’t need one?” He lifts a brow.
“Nope.” I glance down. “I didn’t get dirty. You did most of the work.”
“Give me ten,” he calls before he closes the bathroom door.
I slip outside, calling Ivy to check on Ari. Of course, she doesn’t answer, so instead I take a seat on a plastic chair and gaze out over the rolling plains. It stretches for miles, and the raw beauty of it has my lips tilting up in a smile.
I was nervous to leave Arizona behind when Emmett asked us to make the haul to Lubbock, but Ruthie and Ivy promised me that she would have nothing but a night of snacks, pumpkin carving, candy, and a movie marathon.
I reluctantly agreed and even let her invite Heather over to join the fun.
Now I was sitting here questioning my life choices.
Like the one where I surrendered to the wild idea that pretending to be married to the cowboy inside was completely rational.
Just another day in the life of Dakota Sterling. Chaos coordinator.
We had driven a total of five hours today, stopping at a hotel not far from the ranch we will be driving out to in the morning.
The ride consisted of my favorite playlist, my favorite snacks, and Cooper trying to convince me that Elvis Presley is still alive in some random mental institution.
Needless to say, hours of being with the man in a contained space and not being able to climb across the console and kiss him stupid was doing funny things to my brain.
My gaze follows a group of fireflies when the sliding glass door breaks my trance. “Ready?”
Cooper grins, his damp hair peeking out from beneath his hat.
“Let’s roll.”
Following him out the door, we give a friendly wave to a couple walking past us in the hallway before we step into the elevator.
I settle against the back wall while Cooper presses the button for the first floor.
I lift my eyes just in time to catch his hand falling away. His ringless hand.
My stomach drops, my whole body tensing as I watch him slide both hands in his pockets.
He didn’t wear his ring.
To a bar.
Out of town.
My fingers curl around the metal bar mounted to the wall behind me, my heart aching at the realization of what his intentions are tonight.
I told him he could hook up with anyone out of town.
I told him I would understand. Sure he refused, but that was weeks ago and he’s probably folding.
Probably having urges like any normal sexually actively male in his late twenties.
A sour pit forms in my stomach as the ding indicates we have reached our destination.
When the doors open, I dart forward, my eyes scanning the lobby.
“You ok?” His hand skims my lower back, guiding me to the left.
“Good,” I croak, managing to somehow appear calm and collected. Not like I’m having a nervous breakdown over the fact my fake husband is trolling for a hookup at our hotel bar. With me in tow.
The bar isn’t packed, but a few tables occupy guests, along with a couple of older men at the bar top.
As we take our seats, Cooper looks to the bartender who nods. “Tequila Sunset and a Miller Light.”
A flicker of familiarity sparks in my chest; but I shove it away. He knows my drink because I’ve ordered it for years. Hell, Maddox and Ryder even know it’s my favorite.
“So, how’s Ari?” He asks, leaning back on his bar stool.
“Ivy didn’t answer, but I left her a message to call me back.” I tap my fingernails on the wood grain, scanning the female selection in the room.
A couple of ladies seem to be mid-sixties, not paying anyone any mind.
Another table is a group of younger women, and it’s evident they’ve already spotted Cooper. Especially the brunette that’s pointing and whispering to the girl on her left.
Maybe this is what I need. For him to sleep with someone. Squash this nonsense that I’m reading too much into. That this marriage could ever be real.
“Thanks, man,” Cooper says before he slides my drink to me.
“Thanks.” I pull the straw to my lips, sucking down the liquid that will hopefully chill my nerves and knock some sense into me.
“Excuse me. Can I get four shots of Crown?”
The voice comes from the brunette I clocked three minutes ago. She leans her elbows on the bar top, pushing up her cleavage as she turns to Cooper. “Hey, there.”
He gives her a warm smile. “Evening ma’am.”
She giggles. “Ma’am? You make me sound old.”
I roll my eyes, sucking down more tequila.
“Just being respectful,” Cooper says before taking a swig of his beer.
The brunette tilts her head. “You look familiar.”
Cooper glances at me before he looks back to her. “I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Wait…you used to ride bulls, right?” She smiles, leaning into him. “I used to hang out with Pecos Holt.”
“Holt? I haven’t seen him in years.” Cooper chuckles.
This is the thing about Cooper. He’s mister sunshine. Never meets a stranger. And she happens to be a pretty stranger that would be straddling his lap if I wasn’t moping on the stool next to him.
I mindlessly run my fingertip over the ring currently resting on my left hand. The one I haven’t taken off since the day he put it on. I don’t even want to psychoanalyze that right now.
“Yeah. Small world.” She giggles again. “I don’t remember you looking so handsome.”
And that’s my que.
I take one more gulp of my drink before I slide off the stool.
“Where you going?” Cooper turns to me and frowns.
“I’m kind of tired. Gonna crash. You two catch up.”
“But…”
“Oh perfect!” She shrills. “Let me just grab my purse.”
“Here.” I fish the extra room key out of my pocket. “Take this.”
“Why are you giving me the key?”
“Cooper. She likes you. She’s pretty. Go have fun. I know you want to, and I already said you can have your pass when we go out of town.”
His frown deepens, but before he can say anything else, I turn on my boots and bolt for the lobby.
A giggle sounds faintly behind me, and when I finally make it to the elevator, I let the first crack in my resolve splinter straight down the middle of my heart.