12. COOPER

12

COOPER

This had been the best night of my life.

I should have expected nothing less, because I was quickly learning that with each opportunity I had to spend time with Skye, it was always better than the occasion before had been. Not one time that I'd been around her had I ever been disappointed, and tonight was no exception. In fact, it had all gone far better than I had anticipated.

Following dinner, I didn't hesitate to get up and whisk Skye out onto the dancefloor. I wasn't typically the kind of guy who was the first to get up and dance, but I'd occasionally been known to have a good time.

Tonight was different for me.

Because I had been thinking about it all night, wanting nothing more than to be able to hold Skye in my arms with her body pressed close.

And my desire to do exactly that had nothing to do with proving anything to her ex-boyfriend. From what I could tell, Skye hadn't thought about him or Maria since she and I walked away from them at the start of our evening.

Initially, I had been worried that encountering them almost as soon as we arrived could have been problematic. I was concerned that Skye might have been truly upset by seeing them—especially since she'd shared her concerns on the drive here with me—and it bothered me to think our night could have been ruined.

In the end, I think it was for the best that we saw them when we did. Skye didn't have to spend the rest of the night worrying and wondering how that encounter would go, and it gave her the chance to just enjoy herself and have a great time.

On the plus side, even though I'd spotted the pair two or three times throughout the evening, they never approached us again. Maybe that was their pride or ego that wouldn't allow it, or perhaps they realized Skye had moved on and was happier without them. Whatever the reason, I was grateful.

I enjoyed having her all to myself. From the moment we walked away and left Simon and Maria standing at the bar, nothing but showing Skye a good time had been important to me. And I believed I had accomplished that if what I'd observed was any indication.

The two of us barely stopped talking to one another all throughout dinner. The only moments when I stopped were when she was speaking or if I was watching her eat.

She hadn't been lying—she loved food like nobody I had ever met. Watching her eat made me feel things I didn't know were possible to feel. What I thought was strange was that I hadn't noticed how much she enjoyed food when I'd taken her out to dinner. But it hit me that the reason for that might have had something to do with her feeling more comfortable with me now than she had then.

That comfort came through in other ways throughout the evening, too. I noticed the way her body visibly shivered when I touched her at the small of her back and how she didn't flinch, but instead grew slightly turned on when I placed my hand on her thigh.

Once I had her up and dancing in my arms, I took note of how she held herself. When I'd met her in her bookstore and had taken her out for dinner the first time, there had always been a touch of tension lingering in her frame.

Not tonight.

Tonight, Skye willingly held my hand, sought it out. She leaned into me more than once. And when we were dancing, her hands would grip my biceps or press firmly against my chest whenever she threw her head back with laughter.

There were quiet moments, too. At one point, Skye had come down from her laughter, the music rolled from one slow song into another, and she rested her cheek against my shoulder.

All evening long, I felt her softening more and more toward me. It gave me hope. I wanted to be optimistic about all of it, and I thought tonight would be the perfect opportunity to tell her what I wanted.

Things were finally winding down at the event, and many people had already left. Skye was still in my arms, dancing with me, and I was torn about what to do.

She must have realized something was up, because she asked, "Is everything okay?"

"It is," I assured her. "I just, I'm a little bit disappointed that this night is nearly over."

The corners of her mouth tipped up, revealing a gorgeous smile. "Yeah, me too. I've honestly had the best night tonight, Cooper. I know we came here with a plan, but I forgot about it roughly two seconds after we walked away from the bar. The nerves I'd been feeling all day long vanished, and I've been so caught up in just having a wonderful time with you. On the bright side, we get to see each other tomorrow."

That was exactly what I didn't know I needed to hear. Reassurance that she enjoyed herself tonight and was looking forward to the next time we'd see each other. Any doubt that had been lingering about what I'd do tonight went out the window. I was going to take a shot and hope she'd be receptive to the idea.

But since I didn't want to risk things getting awkward while we were still here, I decided I'd wait until I took her home. This way, she wouldn't feel any pressure, and she could react however felt most natural to her.

"You're right. I do get to see you tomorrow," I replied. "Now I don't feel so bad anymore."

For the next minute or two, we fell into a comfortable silence, our bodies still swaying to the music. When the song ended, Skye looked up at me expectantly, and I figured it was time.

"What do you say? Are you all partied out, or did you want to stay a little longer?" I asked her.

Truthfully, as much as I wanted to tell her what I planned to say when I took her home, if she wanted to stay here for a bit more time together, I wouldn't have cared. There were far worse things I could have experienced in my life than to have a woman I was beyond attracted to and interested in wanting to spend more time with me.

"I think it's probably a good idea to get going," she said. "If I'm going to be able to function at work tomorrow morning and have the stamina to help you celebrate later in the day, I should try to get some sleep tonight."

At the mention of sleep, all I could think about was being in a bed with Skye and feeling her naked body curled up against mine.

Maybe it was smart for us to head out. If not, I'd likely spend the rest of my time here thinking about all the things I'd want to do to her in that very bed.

Taking her by the hand, we walked off the dancefloor. We stopped by our table, so Skye could grab her purse, and before I knew it, we'd left the hotel and were on our way back to her place.

As I drove, Skye didn't hesitate to fill the silence. "So, what exactly is on the agenda tomorrow? How do you typically celebrate your birthday?"

Laughter escaped before I had the chance to stop it. "That always changes from one year to the next. All I can say is that birthdays are a big deal in my family. In fact, everything that could possibly be celebrated gets celebrated. It's rarely simple.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

My lips twitched. "Wait until you meet my family tomorrow. You'll understand better what I'm talking about."

"Okay. Well, how should I dress? I don't need to wear another ball gown, do I?"

I laughed again. "No. We're just going to be doing a cookout at my parents' place so you can keep it casual. The only thing that you might want to bring along is a swimsuit."

"A swimsuit?"

"It's July 1st, and we're having an outdoor party," I explained. "Everyone is bound to jump in the pool at some point throughout the day. If you choose not to, it's no big deal, but I wouldn't want you to miss out on the fun."

"Well, crap," she muttered. "If I had realized I was going to need to put on a bathing suit, I might have had one or two less dinner rolls tonight."

We'd pulled to a stop, so my eyes immediately cut to her to discern whether she was being serious. I could see a tinge of worry in her features.

"Are you serious?" I countered.

"Um, kind of," she answered hesitantly.

I had to tamp down the frustration I could feel building inside of me. My mind was instantly filled with questions about what would make her feel any insecurity about her body.

"What would ever make you think you're anything less than stunning, sweetheart?" I asked, hoping my voice didn't give away my true feelings.

She swallowed hard just as the light changed. Once I started driving again, she insisted, "I'm not suggesting there's anything necessarily wrong with me, but?—"

"Good. Because there isn't anything wrong with you or your body," I said, the words coming out a bit harsher than I had intended.

Following a beat of silence, Skye explained, "It's just that I'm not exactly very tall, and I'm not particularly slender. That's not to say that I think I'm overweight or anything, but I love food, and I have some curves."

"Yeah, you do. And they're fucking gorgeous."

God, my palms itched to hold her hips or squeeze her ass. I could only hope I'd be able to bury my face in her tits one day soon. When it came to her physical form, Skye was everything I could have wanted in a woman.

Her voice was just a touch over a whisper when she said, "Thank you."

I reached across the center console, sought out her hand, and after I found it, I gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Look, if you truly feel uncomfortable about it, you don't have to. But everyone else there is going to end up in the pool, and I think you'll be disappointed if you don't at least come prepared. All of that said, you'd make my birthday if you donned a swimsuit for even just a little."

"Alright. I'll think about it," she promised, a bit more confidence back in her voice.

A couple minutes later, we arrived at her place. After opening her door for her, I walked Skye to her front door. Once we were there, she turned toward me and said, "Thank you for such a wonderful night tonight, Cooper. I had a great time with you."

I smiled at her. "You're welcome. And it was the same for me with you."

She twisted slightly and pushed her key into the lock. Just before she opened the door, I reached for her wrist and called, "Skye?"

"Yeah?"

My eyes roamed over her face, taking in every beautiful feature. I felt a tremendous amount of anxiety at the thought of what I was about to do, worried that I might ruin what had been an incredible night. But I knew I'd feel even worse if I walked away from her tonight and didn't say what I wanted to say.

So, I finally bit the bullet and shared, "I understand where things are for you right now, and why you have made the decision that you've made. But I would love for you to take the time to imagine what life could be like for you, if you would consider giving us a chance to have something more between us."

Her stunned eyes shifted back and forth, the surprise and questions in them plain as day. "Cooper, I… I?—"

"You don't have to give me an answer now," I said, cutting her off. If giving her some time to think about it got me the answer I wanted, I'd rather wait. "Take your time, think about it, and whenever you are ready to discuss it again, I'll be happy to do that. I understand this is probably not something you want to rush into, considering what you've been through. I get it. But I also can't ignore what I've been feeling from the moment I met you, something that's only gotten stronger every time I've been around you."

She offered a slight nod of acknowledgement in return. "Okay. I'll take some time to think about it. Would you rather me not come tomorrow, so I don't make things awkward?"

My eyes narrowed. "I don't think it would feel right not to have you there. And I promise I won't allow it to get awkward."

"Alright, so I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"You will. But sweetheart?"

"Yeah?"

I took both of her hands in mine, gave her fingertips a squeeze, and said, "I won't let it get awkward, and I will never pressure you to do something that you don't want to do or before you're ready to do it. I can promise you that. But I can't promise I won't try everything in my power to convince you that you can't live without me."

She lifted a curious brow. "Is that so?"

Relief swept through me at the playful look in her eyes and the teasing tone in her voice. "Absolutely."

Skye beamed at me. "Then I'll look forward to seeing you try."

I nodded, leaned forward, and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. I let my lips linger for just a moment. Then I moved my mouth toward her ear and whispered, "Goodnight, Skye."

Her voice was hushed when she returned, "Goodnight, Cooper."

Once she was safely inside, I turned and walked back to my truck. And I didn't wipe the smile off my face the entire way home.