41. Chapter 41
Chapter forty-one
Sutton
T hat son of a bitch child locked me in.
The nerve.
Not only did he storm into my best friend’s house like a madman and kidnap me, but he locked me up like a toddler who’s an escape artist.
And now he wants a heart-to-heart.
A heart-to-heart?
The man wants to have a cheesy teen-drama heart-to-heart?
What on earth is going on?
Well, too bad for him. I’m not in the mood to talk to him.
My decision was final.
If he has a problem with that, tough shit.
I wish my heels didn’t make my feet hurt like I’ve stepped on a thousand nails, but guess what, they still do.
I hate that arousal flooded me the moment he tossed me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing.
He’s like catnip to my libido.
Everything he does drives me crazy in one way or another.
I either want to strangle him or ride him like a horse. There’s no in-between when it comes to us.
I angle my body away from him. He might’ve stolen me away from the comfort of Vivian’s and locked me in the truck, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be grateful or even dare a glance at his dumb, handsome face.
We pull up in front of my house not even ten minutes later. Cooper places the truck in park and opens his door without a word before shutting it and rounding the truck to open mine.
Like the child he’s treating me like, I cross my arms and refuse to get out.
I smirk. That will show him.
Except it doesn’t.
His stupid-long arms reach across the seat and unclick my buckle, and then he lifts me in his arms, hauling me out of the seat as I squeal in irritation.
“If you think manhandling me like an oaf is going to get you anywhere, you’re wrong.” I pinch his wonderfully round ass. God, I love his ass—no, brain, no. Stop it. You will not think about his ass. He is an ass. Think about that. Think about how this man is not respecting the fact that you ended it with him… Right then, I know I have the perfect insult to throw at him. Something so good that he’s sure to drop me straight onto the ground the moment it slips from my lips.
“Guess you and Dillon have more in common than I thought.”
“Excuse me?” Cooper’s grip on my thighs tightens as his steps pound up the sidewalk to the porch.
“Can’t handle rejection, now, can you?” I taunt with a borderline evil smirk on my face. I’m channeling my inner bitch villain because it’s the only way he’s going to be free of me.
Cooper shoves his key into the lock and turns it with more force than is necessary before opening the door and slamming it behind us. Once inside, he slowly lowers me to the ground. His jaw flexes as anger blazes in his amber eyes. “Let’s get one thing straight. You didn’t reject me.”
“Then what do you call me breaking up with you.”
“Running. That’s all you ever do, isn’t it, Sutton? You run away without thinking things through.” He swings his arms open. “You did it with Dillon.”
Anger washes through me, along with a twinge of pain. He hit me where it hurts, just like I had to him. “This isn’t the same as the Dillon thing, and you know it.”
“Then don’t compare me to that lying, cheating piece of garbage again.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “You can’t talk me into something I don’t want, Cooper.”
“I know that,” he growls. “But this—us being over—isn’t something you want. You love me. Love me so much you pretend to like the same things as me, love me.” He moves and steps closer until there’s only a foot between us. One measly foot.
One easily closed foot.
“And I—” His voice breaks before he takes a deep breath. “I love you so much that the world seems better, brighter, just by having you near me. My life before you was like looking up at the night sky and not seeing a single star. It was sad and lonely.”
My breath catches in my throat. “And your life with me?”
“It shines. It’s like the night sky is filled with millions and millions of stars, and I don’t feel small in this vast galaxy. I know that there’s something out there. There’s something more, and it’s you. There’s wonder and endless possibilities as long as you’re by my side. You’ve broadened my horizons in so many ways. You’ve made this world seem less lonely. My life’s not so dark anymore because you brighten it. Please. Please don’t take my light away again.”
My nose burns as I try and fail miserably to prevent tears from pooling in my eyes. “But I’m bad for you.”
Cooper shakes his head adamantly. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I know you might not believe this, but I value you more than any job. More than anyone or anything in this world.”
My heart aches with how much I want to reach out and embrace him. I believe him.
I don’t know how he did it, but in a few short months, he’s gone from my number-one frenemy to my number-one person. The one person I’m willing to do anything for, even cause myself misery if it means their happiness. I sniffle. “Even Nate?”
“Even Nate.” A faint smile plays on his lips, and my chest warms with the overwhelming truth of his love and devotion.
I wipe my nose with a small, sad laugh.
“So, are we on the same page?” he asks, dipping his body so he’s on eye level with me.
My chest heaves. “I think so.”
“So that means you and I—”
“Are in it for the long haul.”
His lips curve into the softest smile as happiness glimmers in his eyes. “Forever, baby.”
I swallow the lump in my throat as tears blur my vision. “Forever.”
His arms wrap around my back, pulling me into his powerful chest. The warmth of his body leaking into mine, burning away the cold that had settled into my bones when we were apart.
I want to stay like this forever. In his arms, where nothing can get in the way. But I have to ruin it by needing to ask the question lingering in the back of my mind.
I turn my head to rest my ear over his heart. The rhythm soothing me as I ask, “What are you going to do about your job?”
“It’s already handled.”
I pull back to look at his face. “What do you mean it’s handled? What happened?”
His eyes are soft as they meet mine. “You did.”
“Me?”
“You went to bat for me with Tillan. And then he did the same.”
“Really?”
He nods, not offering me any more information.
“You still have your job?”
“No.”
“What?”
“I ended up quitting.”
“You did what?” I push away from him.
“I quit. Tillan called his friends, some who happen to be clients of mine or the company’s, and others who have a close relationship with another firm.”
“I don’t understand. If he and other clients went to bat for you, why quit?”
“Because they got me a job at the competition’s company and plan to follow me.”
“Shut up. You quit and stole their clients?” I cackle. It’s perfect. “Something tells me Mr. Avery wasn’t so happy about it.”
He grins. “Oh, he was pissed. He actually tried to demote me, expecting me to be happy to take whatever scraps of my job he offered me. You should have seen his face when I turned him down and told him I’d be taking my clients with me over to his competition because, stupidly, there was no noncompete in my contract, and the other firm doesn’t punish their employees for not being romantically involved. In fact, they don’t ask their employees about their personal lives, and they definitely don’t use what happens outside of the job against them.”
“Holy crap. He must have been flipping his shit.”
“His face turned beet red. It was quite the sight. But once he started to yell, I left with a huge grin plastered on my face.”
“I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you.” He dips his head, pressing his lips to mine for a kiss. “I love you, Sutton.”
I bask in the way his smooth lips slip over mine in the sweetest of kisses. “I love you too.”
It had only been one day. One tortuously long day without him and those delectable lips. I never want to go that long without this again. Without him.
But Cooper seems to feel the same because he whispers, “You’re my forever.” Then kisses me again. His hands move down my back, slowly caressing every inch. He pours promise after promise into every kiss and touch.