If they want a show, I’ll give them a little something.
Downing another drink, I grab my purse and walk slowly toward Cooper, keeping my eyes on him. The way his jaw ticks as he moves away from the other woman, little by little. The way he looks at me every few seconds, clearly begging for help.
When I finally reach him, I grasp his arm in my hands, bringing my chest as close to him as it can be. “You having a fun time, Baby?” I ask, rubbing my face against his jaw.
“Yeah, all the guys are really cool,” Cooper says, his pulse instantly calming down. “And well, Caroline, was it?” he asks, tilting his head.
I can feel her sizing me up. “Caroline, yes, I’ll—” she pauses to look around for her husband. “I’ll catch you later, Cooper.” The woman turns on her heel and sashays away, leaving the two of us alone.
“I’ll catch you later, Cooper,” I mumble in a mocking tone.
A grumble of laughter shakes me, and it’s in that moment that I realize I’ve had entirely too much to drink. “I like seeing you jealous,” he says with a grin.
I shake my head, using him for stability. “Why would I be jealous?”
“Because I know how you are when you’re jealous.”
My lips thin and my eyes narrow as I try to figure out what he means.
“That night on the beach? God. It’s burned into my memory, Sweetheart.”
“You’re just saying that for the cameras,” I say simply.
“Am I?”
But something tells me he’s not.
CHAPTER 23
AMARA
Early Winter, 2009
The freezing air hits our faces as the wind blows, and I turn, letting it warm up in the heat of the fire.
“Take another drink, it’ll warm you up,” Natalia says, handing me another red cup of mystery liquid.
“I feel like my mom told me this is how you get frostbite and die,” I mumble, taking it.
Natalia rolls her eyes. “We’re wearing coats, mittens, scarves, and hats. We’ll be fine.”
I down the drink in one sip, watching everyone.
When Sam invited me to this party, I wasn’t sure what we were getting into or why we weren’t sitting inside, in the comfortable heat of her home. Instead, we’re all huddled around her parents’ fire pit in the backyard, drinking watered-down alcohol.
I haven’t really been drunk before, but the warmth it brings to my stomach is welcome.
“Oh god, do you see that?” Natalia whispers.
I watch from across the fire as Sam leans into Cooper, her fingers playing with the collar of his coat.
She looks at me from the corner of her eye, a sly smile gracing her lips.
“What the hell?” I whisper.
Although I haven’t come out and said, point-blank, that I have feelings for Cooper, it’s not exactly a secret. Especially within our little friend group. In fact, Natalia has been pushing us together forever, and everyone knows it.
A white hot, jealous burning starts in the pit of my stomach, and the more I watch them, the more Sam does to piss me off.
