This was not good.
Chapter Two
Sam and Juliet wanted to settle into their cabin before meeting at the pool on the upper deck. It made sense for Cooper and I to do the same, so with fake smiles and laughter, we waved at them as they headed toward their cabin on the north side and we walked toward ours.
Our smiles transformed into scowls, and nerves danced along my spine the closer we got to our room. Fifteen-year-old me would’ve loved to spend the night in the same room as Cooper Swanson, but a much more rational, twenty-six-year-old me knew better. His familiar spicy cologne mixed with the scent of sunscreen, and his annoyed sighs grated on me by the time we reached our door.
“Do we need to have a schedule made so we avoid the room as often as possible?” I asked.
“Be more mature than that,” he said, stopping once he walked into the miniscule cabin. There was a tiny cut-out of a shower, a toilet, and a sink. Two beds lay on either side of the wall, and the patio had two lounge chairs. This seemed intimate. Way too intimate.
“I’m getting on a suit and heading to the lounge pool.” He dropped his bag on the bed to the left, shuffling it around and pulling out red shorts. He didn’t look back at me once as he went into the small bathroom, which was fine. I needed the moment alone.
I set my bag on the bed, checked my phone to see more apology messages from my ex, and ignored those. Matt had been selfish in bed, and when I pointed it out, he got all defensive and called me frigid.
Yeah, okay. Wanting to have orgasms was totally frigid.
Dick.
I wanted to read, relax, and celebrate my brother’s upcoming wedding. I bought a steamy romance book my friend recommended and set it on the bed, finding my new black bikini to change into after Cooper left. It wouldn’t be so bad if he was gone most of the time.
The door squeaked when he exited the bathroom, and my tongue got stuck in my mouth. I couldn’t help but stare at his bare chest and chiseled stomach. Every muscle was earned from his dedication to the gym, and his tanned chest was mouth-watering. But his arms were the best part of his body. They were straight up fist-biting material.
Shit.He caught me staring and gave me a knowing look. “Trying to find an insult but coming up blank?”
“I can always think of a way to insult you, even when you look like that.” I paused and gestured to his chest.
“You seem distracted, and your face is red. Oh, this is fun.” He smirked with the same heated look in his eyes that he gave the receptionist. Does my body make you nervous, Baby D?”
Ugh, the nickname from junior high.
“Don’t take it personally,” I said, needing to find a way to set him off-kilter. In all our conversations, there was always the borderline flirt-hate issue, where we’d start an argument and I was never sure if it was flirting or actual anger. He loved getting under my skin as much as I enjoyed pushing his buttons.
I narrowed my eyes and tried to sound as flippant as possible, “You might look good, but you’d be no better than my ex—garbage in bed and not unable to understand commitment.”
He pursed his lips and let his gaze move from my eyes to my mouth, lingering there for a beat before shifting toward my bikini on the bed. “Hoping to get laid this weekend?”
“If the opportunity presents itself, then yes.” I shrugged and grabbed my suit. “Have fun flaunting your shitty personality. I figured we’d meet up with Sam and Jules in an hour or so.”
I didn’t wait before going into the bathroom and stripping down into my two-piece. It fit me perfectly, which was good, since I spent a stupid amount of money on it. The cost was worth it though. It pushed my boobs up and gave me fantastic cleavage while the bottoms flirted with exposing too much. I wrapped my chiffon cover up around my waist and put my dark hair up in a messy bun. Curls always escaped no matter what I tried, but I didn’t care. The sun would warm my skin, and I could relax.
“Maybe they’ll have a bar nearby,” I said to myself. I jumped back when I realized Cooper sat on his bed staring at me. “Jesus, I thought you were leaving.”
“Talk to yourself often?”
“Sure do. Especially when it comes to getting alcohol.” I set my clothes down in my bag and put on flip flops. “Here’s your room key.”
“If you’re grabbing a drink, I’m coming with you.”
“Please, let’s stay away from each other,” I said with a snort. “The last time we both got a little tipsy, we got into a screaming match over sand volleyball.”
“Because you cheated,” he fired back, jumping up from the bed. His eyes lit up when he was into something, and it only made the blue stand out more. “Youhit the net, and the ref didn’t call it. We should’ve won that game, and you damn well know it.”
“I didn’t hit the net!” I said back, getting right into his face. “Someone else on your team did. I’m too short to actually block anything, so how could I have hit the net?”
He shook his head, dragging his teeth over his bottom lip. Irritation swirled in his eyes. “Bullshit.”
“This is why you and I shouldnotget a drink together.” I laughed and looked up to find him staring at me with an entirely different expression. His nostrils flared, and the usual snarl completely disappeared from his lips. “Cooper,” I whispered, unsure if I was warning him or myself.
