“I’m thinking of taking a leave of absence,” I babbled on, “to take care of everything here, and spend some time with Mehki.”Shit, Angel, you didn’t even say that to Tee. I tugged on my shirt. “And you can feel free to tell me to be quiet if I’m talking too much.” I wanted to tell myself to shut the hell up.
His gaze dropped to my mouth. “Why would I do that?”
Instinctively, I rubbed my bottom lip with my thumb.Damn, I forgot my lip gloss.I licked my lips and prayed they didn’t look ashy. “Because… we just met. It’s weird for me to talk to this much.”
He laughed. “You’re not. If you were, it wouldn’t bother me. I like your voice.”
Releasing my bottom lip, I stepped away from him. Distance was necessary.
“Okay.” I didn’t know what to say to that shit. No one had ever told me they liked my voice, not even Malachi.
“Do you sing?” he asked.
“Sometimes. But not very well.” It was a lie. I’d been singing my entire life. Not just in the shower either. I’d traveled with choirs, recorded with producers, and had even written a few songs. I still sang to Mehki, but anything other than Dream a Little Dream and other lullabies had stopped when Malachi died.
“Why don’t I believe you?”
“I have no idea.” I shrugged. “Maybe you’re just a naturally suspicious person.”
Chuckling, he admitted, “That’s kind of true.”
“See!”
“But you sound like you can sing. The inflections in your voice, the tone… almost melodic. Soft.”
Shit.He’s good. “Well, congratulations. You’ve officially rendered me speechless.”
He smiled. “You crack me up.”
If only it was that simple for me. Yes, he made me laugh, but he also made me… hot. And very bothered. “Thanks.”
Struggling with my conflicting emotions and tempted to say something that might get me in trouble, I breathed a sigh of relief when Mehki barreled into the room.
An out of breath Tee entered the room seconds later. Leaning against the table, she mouthed a quick apology and muttered, “He’s so damn fast.”
“Mommie, I’m hungry,” Mehki said. “Can I have a grilled cheese and soup?”
I eyed Cooper out of the corner of my eye.Yep, he’s still watching me. “Sure, honey.” I grabbed Mehki’s hand. I’d picked up a few groceries from the store because I knew we’d be spending a lot of time at the house. “I can make that for you right now.” Turning to Cooper, I asked, “Do you mind?”
“Only if you make me some, too.”
With narrowed eyes, I asked, “Why do I think you’re going to be a handful?”
He grinned. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because you’re a naturally suspicious person.”
I laughed. Loud. Then, I realized that Tee and Mehki were watching me with interest. Drawing in a deep breath, I told Cooper, “That’s actually very true.”
“Then, I guess we have something in common.”
It had become very clear that we had more than a few things in common. In that moment, I realized that I wanted to find out more about Cooper Prescott.
