“Sorry,” I rasp, pulling back.
He grins and shakes his head, taking his hat off and setting it crown-side down next to me. “Nothin’ to be sorry for, do it again,” he says.
I lean in to kiss him and nip him again. Cooper’s hands stray from my hips up my ribs, to my back, but his hands are so big, his thumbs graze the underside of my breasts and despite the barrier of my bra, a whimper rolls out of me before I can stop it.
“Damn, I missed you,” he says, and kisses me again.
“I think I missed you too.”
His brow hitches. “You think?” he asks.
I lift a shoulder, and Cooper chuckles. “Keeping me on my toes, stubborn. I’d like to keep going wherever this was heading, but let me take you out to dinner first.”
“Okay,” I sigh.
I see something fly past his eyes, and I grab his face. “Are you okay?” I ask him.
He nods and leans his head against my shoulder. My hands naturally gravitate to his soft hair and drag my fingers through it. “Cooper,” I whisper.
“I’m alright. I just want to take my pretty lady out for dinner.”
He stands up straight and looks me in the eye. “Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
“Good,” he says, and takes a step back. I can feel the mental distance from him even though he physically retreated.
Something must have happened in the days we’ve been apart. Is it me?
I shake off the feeling and grab my purse, then flip off the lights.
When we get to Perry’s, it’s in full swing, but the atmosphere is entirely different compared to the Wooden Cowboy.
Cooper takes my hand, leading the way to the dining area. Perry’s is fairly large and higher scale than the Wooden Cowboy. It’s divided up between a bar, restaurant, dance floor, and pool tables off to the side.
The hostess leads us to our table, and Cooper pulls out my seat for me. Luckily, it’s quieter here since the dance floor is clear across the bar.
“Thanks,” I tell him.
Cooper sits across from me, and a waitress brings us some water. I order a cocktail and he gets a beer.
“What do you think?” he asks.
“It’s nicer than the Wooden Cowboy,” I say.
He chuckles. “That’s not a very high bar, but there’s something about the Wooden Cowboy that we all love.”
“Nostalgia.”
Cooper nods. “So, what’s going on? It’s been a week since we’ve seen each other,” he says.
I stare at him for a breath, taken aback by the question. I don’t know why, but then again I’m not sure a man has asked me that while on a date.
“What?” he asks.
I shake my head and take a sip of my cocktail. “It’s been a challenge. I finally worked up the nerve to call some of the wedding venues, and I was able to talk to someone then they asked me about a lookbook. I had no idea what that was, so now I have to come up with one. But they said they’d be interested in working with me.”
Cooper grins. “That’s awesome. What’s in a lookbook?” he asks.
