I can’t help the smile that pulls at my mouth.
“Let me guess… you find this attractive too?” he asks.
“I just…” I shrug. “I like this side of you.”
He squints at me. “What side would that be exactly?”
“The one that gets his hands dirty out here,” I tease. “Sleeves rolled up and everything.”
He snorts. “If I knew this was all it took, I would’ve brought you out here a lot sooner.”
I roll my eyes, but I’m still smiling. “Relax. I’m just saying, I’ve only ever seen Hockey Cooper.”
“And this is different?”
I glance back toward the barn.
“You’re like… Farm Boy Cooper out here.”
He shuts off the hose and coils it back up, hanging it neatly on the holder.
When he looks at me again, the teasing is still there, but there’s something heavier underneath it now.
“Farm Boy Cooper,” he repeats slowly.
I shrug, trying to act unaffected even though the way he’s looking at me now is doing crazy things to my stomach.
“I like Farm Boy Cooper,” I say.
He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he takes a slow step toward me.
My smile widens. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh, I’d definitely say you’re up to something.”
He takes another step, closing the space between us. Up close, I can see the faint streak of dirt on his cheek and the way his shirt clings to him.
“You were staring,” he says.
My cheeks heat. “Maybe.”
“And you said you like this side of me.”
“I do,” I say, then add, softer, “but you should know I’m starting to like all the sides you’ve shown me.”
His hand slides around my waist before I even see it coming. I let out a small laugh as he backs me into the shop, lifting me easily onto the workbench just inside the barn door.
“Cooper, your shoulder—”
“It’s fine,” he says. “I promise.”
My eyes flick toward the open space around us.
“What if someone—”
“There’s no one here,” he says, stepping between my knees.
