Stumbling back, Cooper hits the wall with a thud. “What are you doing?” I ask, confused.
But he doesn’t answer. Instead, he’s plastered to the wall, a distant look on his face as he stares at me.
“Cooper?” I ask, snapping at him.
“Yeah?”
“You okay?”
“No.”
“What do you need?”
He shakes his head, his eyes widening as he scans me from head to toe. “I need you to put a bag over yourself. Pronto.”
Blush creeps up my chest and into my cheeks. “Friends don’t say that to friends,” I whisper.
“Friends don’t do a lot of things we talked about doing once,” he throws back.
A shiver runs up my spine.
“Can you zip it for me?” I barely bring myself to ask.
He looks like he’d rather do anything else, but as he brushes my curls over my shoulder, his warm fingers leaving lingering butterfly kisses in their wake, I’d rather him do anything else.
What are you even thinking?
This man is on your permanent shit list.
I remind myself once again how hurt I’ve been. I don’t need to feel that ever again, especially not after all of this is over and he goes to bang his next interior designer.
Why are feelings so god damn complicated?
Why ishistoryso damn complicated?
Cooper takes his time with the zipper, which makes it all the more treacherous, and when he’s done, I can feel his breath on my neck.
“You ready to go?” he asks, not moving an inch.
It takes everything in me to take a step away. “Lindseysaid that we need to be in the car they’re sending by five, and it’s four fifty. We should probably get downstairs.
Cooper nods, grabbing his wallet and keys and shoving them into the pockets of his dress pants as I pray with everything in me that tonight is easy.
“I’m so glad that you could all make it tonight,” Joanna Day says, holding up a glass. “You have all been such a wonderful part of this season, and we have so much more to go. I just want to thank every one of you for being a part of this show and allowing us to play a small role in the rest of your lives.”
I take a sip of my wine so I don’t scoff.
“We have you gathered tonight so you can socialize with the other couples, get some food and drinks, and have some fun!”
Other than for a select few events, we don’t generally get together with other couples. They’re scattered throughout the state, with the show moving from one corner of the country to another each season.
It’s been only about ten minutes of being here, and I’m already over it.
Cooper stands to my right, his hand placed politely on my left hip, and I can feel the lights and cameras on us as I down the rest of my wine.
He looks down at me, his eyebrow raised the slightest bit.
I smile sweetly at him. “I’m just nervous.”
