bowl, her face impassive. “I heard you and your friend.”
Felicia filled her glass and handed it back to her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Brows up, she sent her a you’ve-got-be-kidding glare.
“In the kitchen, not long ago.”
Felicia’s face fell. “No. Yaci’s mistaken. She—” Her words broke off, and her attention went to the person behind Lyse.
Coop . She didn’t have to see him to know he stood there. She felt his heat penetrating her.
He stopped, his shoulder brushing her back ever so slightly. “What did Yaci do?”
What they said came back ten-fold: he used his sex appeal to tempt her to sell Mom’s store. He used her. Him of all people. “How dare you?” She whipped around, the contents of her drink splashing over the rim of her glass onto him.
He snatched a napkin from the table, dabbed his sleeve.
She might be mad, but didn’t mean to spill her drink on him. “Sorry.”
He shoved the napkin in his pants pocket as if he expected it to happen again. “Catch me up to speed, Lyse. You vanished for a few days, and I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Fire lit into her and heat rose from her belly. “Don’t you dare speak to me about vanishing, you son of a bitch,” she snarled as if she’d taken lessons from her dog.
An announcement came over the loud speaker in the blaring way it had in high school. She didn’t understand what it said then and she didn’t now.
“You tricked me into coming here,” she said, not missing a beat. Someone stuck a box in her hand then put one in Coop’s. “To convince me to sell my mom’s store.”
“I did. I wish I hadn’t, but I don’t regret it. I won’t even apologize, but I will tell you I stopped all proceedings to purchase the store today. For the record, I had no idea that store belonged to your mother.”
Not good. He avoided fighting when she wanted to have a go at it. A mixture of reactions pinged around her like a pinball game. Her heart smacked the ball preventing it from hitting the desired mark while the dreaded “out hole” waved it in. She had to do something. If she didn’t argue, she’d end up in a puddle at his feet. It was his darn suit’s fault. He wore it extremely well, so well, she whimpered. She wanted to lick him like an ice cream cone. The “Lyse Find Me” flavor. “Why?”
“Simple. You’re it. You’re the one.” He shrugged. “I’ve been in some sort of love with you my entire life and I’ll never stop.”
Hell’s bells! The way he stuck simple sentences together turned her on. The geek!
“True, he has,” Felicia said and poured a glass of juice for a classmate, completely ignoring Coop’s glare.
“Will you dance with me?” he asked so sweetly, so full of compassion, she had no choice. “I would like to talk to you in private.” He held out a hand.
Close to him—her body against his—she wouldn’t be able to cling onto her well-earned mad. Why did she want to exactly? This was Coop, her friend, buddy, the person who knew all her secrets and crazy dreams. He held her when she missed her mother or whenever she was sad. Suddenly, the years that had separated them, poof , disappeared into thin air.
She slipped her hand into his, knowing the gesture meant more than a simple act for them to walk to the dance floor together. It meant acceptance.
His fingers closed over hers, and he nudged gently. He waited for her to move as if afraid she wouldn’t follow.
They stepped onto the dance floor as the band started a slow melody. He slid his hand around her waist and touched the cutout in the back of her dress. The low-level hum of arousal continuously surrounding them took a giant step forward, going from look-at-me to got-to-have-it faster than she could blink.
He must have felt it too since he rested his forehead to hers. His throat moved, indicating the chemistry snapping the air wasn’t one-sided. “I heard someone say, there’s no better
Felicia filled her glass and handed it back to her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Brows up, she sent her a you’ve-got-be-kidding glare.
“In the kitchen, not long ago.”
Felicia’s face fell. “No. Yaci’s mistaken. She—” Her words broke off, and her attention went to the person behind Lyse.
Coop . She didn’t have to see him to know he stood there. She felt his heat penetrating her.
He stopped, his shoulder brushing her back ever so slightly. “What did Yaci do?”
What they said came back ten-fold: he used his sex appeal to tempt her to sell Mom’s store. He used her. Him of all people. “How dare you?” She whipped around, the contents of her drink splashing over the rim of her glass onto him.
He snatched a napkin from the table, dabbed his sleeve.
She might be mad, but didn’t mean to spill her drink on him. “Sorry.”
He shoved the napkin in his pants pocket as if he expected it to happen again. “Catch me up to speed, Lyse. You vanished for a few days, and I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Fire lit into her and heat rose from her belly. “Don’t you dare speak to me about vanishing, you son of a bitch,” she snarled as if she’d taken lessons from her dog.
An announcement came over the loud speaker in the blaring way it had in high school. She didn’t understand what it said then and she didn’t now.
“You tricked me into coming here,” she said, not missing a beat. Someone stuck a box in her hand then put one in Coop’s. “To convince me to sell my mom’s store.”
“I did. I wish I hadn’t, but I don’t regret it. I won’t even apologize, but I will tell you I stopped all proceedings to purchase the store today. For the record, I had no idea that store belonged to your mother.”
Not good. He avoided fighting when she wanted to have a go at it. A mixture of reactions pinged around her like a pinball game. Her heart smacked the ball preventing it from hitting the desired mark while the dreaded “out hole” waved it in. She had to do something. If she didn’t argue, she’d end up in a puddle at his feet. It was his darn suit’s fault. He wore it extremely well, so well, she whimpered. She wanted to lick him like an ice cream cone. The “Lyse Find Me” flavor. “Why?”
“Simple. You’re it. You’re the one.” He shrugged. “I’ve been in some sort of love with you my entire life and I’ll never stop.”
Hell’s bells! The way he stuck simple sentences together turned her on. The geek!
“True, he has,” Felicia said and poured a glass of juice for a classmate, completely ignoring Coop’s glare.
“Will you dance with me?” he asked so sweetly, so full of compassion, she had no choice. “I would like to talk to you in private.” He held out a hand.
Close to him—her body against his—she wouldn’t be able to cling onto her well-earned mad. Why did she want to exactly? This was Coop, her friend, buddy, the person who knew all her secrets and crazy dreams. He held her when she missed her mother or whenever she was sad. Suddenly, the years that had separated them, poof , disappeared into thin air.
She slipped her hand into his, knowing the gesture meant more than a simple act for them to walk to the dance floor together. It meant acceptance.
His fingers closed over hers, and he nudged gently. He waited for her to move as if afraid she wouldn’t follow.
They stepped onto the dance floor as the band started a slow melody. He slid his hand around her waist and touched the cutout in the back of her dress. The low-level hum of arousal continuously surrounding them took a giant step forward, going from look-at-me to got-to-have-it faster than she could blink.
He must have felt it too since he rested his forehead to hers. His throat moved, indicating the chemistry snapping the air wasn’t one-sided. “I heard someone say, there’s no better
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