But isn’t this what I’ve been looking for?
Cooper takes me home and walks me to the door, waiting for me to unlock it.
“So, I’ll see you around?” I say.
He chuckles and slides his hand to my back. “I’ll be doing a lot more than seeing youaround,Mae. When are you free again?”
I bite my lip, trying not to smile like a total idiot. I want to say tomorrow, but is that too eager?
“I’m not sure. I have to mow the lawn because I told my uncle I could do it myself. I don’t know why. And I have another project coming down the pipeline, and then the shop, and um…” I trail off.
Cooper hums and kisses me quickly. “You sound pretty busy, but I’m afraid you’re avoiding me.”
“I’m not.”I totally am.
“Okay, I’ll call you later and we’ll figure something out. Is that okay?”
I nod.
“Great,” he says, and kisses me again. But this time he grabs my face, kissing me long and hard, making my knees weak. I catch myself on his chest, and he takes a step, pushing me back into the door.
Standing on my toes, I fist his shirt, pulling him down to my height. He kisses me for so long it steals the breath from my lungs.
Cooper pulls back, growling into my neck. “If you keep kissing me like that, I’ll make a fool of myself, Mae.”
I giggle, hiding my face in his shirt.
He groans and stands up straight, taking a step back. “Alright, get inside,” he tells me.
I frown.
“No, I mean it. Get in that house before I change my mind,” he says.
My face goes hot and every single bit of me wants to know what he’s fighting himself over. But I listen to him and open the door slowly.
“Goodnight, Mae,” Cooper says, tipping his hat.
“Goodnight, Cooper,” I whisper.
He grins and watches me close the door.
I spin around, leaning against the wood with a giant smile on my face, and let out a shrill, “Yes!”
Then a knock startles me from my yell.
I spin around and throw the door open.
Cooper prowls toward me with hunger in his eyes as he palms my cheeks, kissing me as if we’ll never see each other again. “One more,” he mumbles against my lips.
“Do you practice in the mirror? You’re good at this,” he mumbles.
I giggle, and he swallows it.
My heart skyrockets into my throat, and I startle myself, moaning into his mouth. The kiss turns uncoordinated, savage, and messy, but neither of us seems to care, as my body makes the decisions before my brain can catch up, looping a leg around his thigh. He grabs my leg and, with far too much ease, picks me up and sits me down on the counter.
We kiss a little longer until I have no oxygen left in my lungs and rip our mouths away, both breathing heavily, eyes locked together, and I don’t even remember what I was scared about.
Cooper takes his hat off and takes a deep breath, nodding to himself. “Okay, yeah,” he says, staring at me.
