20. COOPER

20

COOPER

"What made you think this was a good choice?" Skye asked.

I was beginning to believe there was no better sound in the world than that of Skye's voice. It didn't matter to me what she was talking about—I wouldn't have cared if she told me the plot of every book she'd read over the last five years—as long as I could hear her voice, I would be happy.

Well, that and being able to have her to myself every now and then. I loved my family—adored them—but after spending nearly all morning and afternoon with them, I was glad I'd decided to bring Skye back to her place, so we could have some time alone together. Time that wouldn't include one of my brothers walking in on us and disrupting anything we might wind up doing.

For now, I was content to simply sit and talk to her. Of course, Skye didn't have a problem coming up with things to discuss. It was just that I wasn't quite sure what she was referring to now.

"What?"

"For dessert. A few days ago, you said you were going to cover breakfast and dessert. Breakfast was one thing, but I got the feeling you were going to have your sister make something again for dessert. I wasn't expecting this," she explained.

I tipped my head to the side and assessed her. "Is this not a good choice? Would having Jules make something else have been better?"

She shook her head, looking slightly horrified. "No. No, I'm not saying that at all. I think this is great. I just hadn't expected it. That's all."

Relief swept through me. "When I was in your kitchen having a cupcake with you that day, I noticed you had this firepit in your backyard," I revealed. "And I thought s'mores were synonymous with summer, especially the 4th of July."

Skye was sitting close, roasting a marshmallow over the fire I'd started for us, and she seemed perfectly content with what we were doing. "It was a great idea."

"Yeah, but you better watch, or that marshmallow isn't going to survive," I noted, unable to contain my laughter.

She shrieked, yanking the marshmallow away from the fire. "Ah! That was close."

I held the plate with the graham crackers and chocolate out to her. She placed her marshmallow on top of the chocolate already on a cracker, positioned the other half of the cracker on top, and squished the marshmallow beneath it.

That's when she glanced over at the fire and noticed my marshmallow was ready. So, she took the plate and said, "I'll hold it while you do yours."

I did the same as she had done and assembled my s'more.

And the next thing I knew, we were sinking our teeth into the delicious desserts.

"Mmm," she moaned the moment the flavors hit her tongue. After taking several more bites and seeming to love every second of it, Skye declared, "You were right. This dessert is perfect for today."

This was it. This was just what I'd hoped for when I'd planned to do this tonight. Nobody appreciated certain things in life the way Skye did.

Her eyes met mine, and I hoped she could see from the look on my face that I not only agreed with her sentiment and was just as happy about having this treat, but also that I had these other thoughts about her lingering there.

I was so caught up in those thoughts as I watched her eating—frequently making the effort to lick the melted marshmallow off her thumb or lip—that I was caught off guard when she asked, "What does that look mean?"

As soon as she got that question out, she sank her teeth into another bite.

I swallowed what was in my mouth and continued to stare for a few more beats. My eyes remained locked on her as they roamed over her face, my features softening with each passing second.

Finally, I said, "I love the way you find such happiness in the simplest things."

Her expression warmed as she returned, "I'm a simple girl."

I shook my head slightly, my lips twitching. She was crazy if she expected me to believe that. "I don't think I've heard anything so far from the truth in my life. Nothing about you is simple, sweetheart."

"I feel like that's meant to be a compliment," she rasped.

"It is." I lifted my hand toward her face, where my thumb stroked over her bottom lip. "You've got chocolate and marshmallow on your lip."

Sure, I could have just told her about the mess on her face, but I couldn't resist the urge to touch her.

And it seemed it had paid off tremendously to do that.

Because instead of pulling back and grabbing a napkin to clean it, Skye's tongue darted out. It hit my thumb, and I lifted my gaze from her mouth to her eyes. Skye parted her lips.

I was stunned at her brazen move. I hadn't expected Skye would ever do something like that. Sure, she might have had some playful banter at times, and she didn't seem to have an aversion to kissing me. But this was another level, and I quickly realized I liked where this was heading.

I didn't miss the opportunity and pushed my thumb forward to touch the tip of her tongue. Skye closed her lips around my thumb and used her tongue to lick off the chocolate and marshmallow mixture.

My stare grew intense. It was the only means available to communicate how much I liked what she was doing, because my voice seemed to have disappeared. Skye circled the tip of my thumb with her tongue several more times before offering a gentle suck.

Continuing to appear unaffected was going to be an impossibility. My pants were growing tight around the groin, and visions of this woman fulfilling every fantasy I'd had of her danced through my mind.

Unable to stop it, I released a low growl, and the sound resulted in an undeniable reaction in Skye. She squirmed enough in the seat for me to realize she had squeezed her legs together.

Fuck, she was just as turned on by what she was doing as I was. And it only seemed to embolden her further, because she sucked harder before she pulled back to free my thumb from her mouth.

"That was unexpected," I said, my voice just a touch lower than usual, the result of still attempting to come to grips with what I'd just witnessed this sweet woman do.

"I'm sorry. Was it bad?"

I shot her a look of disbelief. Had she lost her mind? "I'm disappointed you stopped."

Her lips twitched slightly, a proud look washing over her face. "I was teasing, Cooper. The way you looked at me and the sound you made let me know you enjoyed it. I just thought I should stop, so we could talk first."

There was that playful banter I'd just been thinking about. As a smile spread across my face, I considered how much things had changed between us since the day I first walked into her bookstore, especially since we'd decided to pretend to be dating.

God, that decision to attend the charity benefit felt like it had been ages ago. It was impossible not to recall how Skye had indicated she wasn't interested in getting into another relationship, and now I'd experienced all that I had with her today.

She wanted to talk. As much as I wished we could have continued what we were just doing, it would be better to know where things stood before we did things we couldn't undo.

"Yeah, that's probably not a bad idea," I returned. "You mentioned that a few days ago, too."

And ever since she'd mentioned it, I'd been thinking about it. I wanted to believe she'd taken the time to consider what I'd discussed with her when I brought her home from the charity event on Friday evening. Maybe I was finally going to get the answer I'd been hoping for—that she wanted to see where this could go between us.

I watched as she popped the last bite of her s'more into her mouth before she turned slightly on the cushion of her outdoor furniture and reached for her drink. After chewing and swallowing, she took a sip of her drink, and I took the opportunity to do the same with mine.

She shifted her body one more time and turned to face me. She was sitting right beside me, and I desperately wanted to rest my hand on her thigh. But without knowing exactly where this was going to go, I thought it would be best to exercise some restraint. I'd already made it clear to her what I wanted, but I didn't have any verbal admission from her that she wanted the same. Recognizing how much her body reacted around me was different than having her verbal confirmation.

And that's when I realized I was nervous. What if what she'd said to me weeks ago about not wanting to get involved in a relationship was where she still stood?

When she took a deep, settling breath, I feared the worst.

"A few days ago, you told me to take my time to consider there being something more than just the fake relationship between us," she declared, her eyes pinned intensely on mine.

I gave her a nod, but felt compelled to clarify, "I think we've already moved past the fake relationship and into a mutual respect and friendship, Skye."

Nodding, she said, "Fair enough. But the bottom line is that you don't want us to remain just friends."

"Correct. I would like for there to be the chance to explore something more."

She licked her lips, my eyes powerless to avoid dropping to them. "If I'm completely honest with you, I started feeling the same way before we even went to that event."

Hope surged in my chest, and I felt the surprise wash over me, my brows shooting up. "Are you serious?"

"I am," she confirmed. "And there's a part of me that believes I'm insane for feeling that way, but I can't ignore it. Cooper, I've never met anyone like you."

I lifted my arm and rested it on the back of the cushioned bench we were sitting on and allowed my fingertips to just barely graze the back of Skye's opposite arm. I'd held myself back from touching her before she started speaking, but now that I had her admission, I could no longer resist. "I want to believe that's a good thing."

"It is. There are a lot of things I've learned that I like about you," she shared.

This was getting better and better. One half of my mouth quirked up. "Like what?"

Her eyes roamed over my face, like she was searching for answers to unasked questions. I wondered what was going through her mind, but I refrained from questioning her. And eventually, she revealed, "Well, first of all, you're unbelievably handsome."

I chuckled, my fingers now curling around her shoulder.

"When you first stepped inside my store, I was both terrified and attracted to you," Skye confessed. "There's nothing quite like believing you're about to be murdered by the most handsome man you've ever seen."

"I thought you looked a bit terrified that day," I said.

She shrugged. "Fortunately, you were a great-looking guy who was nice. And I love your voice. I love the way you can sound so confident when you speak with that buttery smoothness to your voice. I might regret admitting this, but I've replayed the sound of your voice over and over in my head for weeks now."

Hearing her admit she'd recalled the sound of my voice did not help me keep myself focused on the discussion we were meant to be having. I envisioned where Skye might have been and what she might have been doing when she had those thoughts about me speaking to her. Most of them led me to naughty places.

"But you're more than just the way you look and sound," Skye began again, forcing my mind back to our conversation. "You're so hardworking and generous. You're competitive and playful. You listen when I talk, and you care about what I have to say. And with the exception of my parents and grandmother, you treat me better than anyone has ever treated me."

She took another deep breath, her eyes still focused on mine. Recognizing she wasn't quite finished saying all that she needed to say, I patiently waited, my fingers continuing to trace random patterns on her shoulder.

"I'd be a fool to meet a man like you and find a way to convince myself I needed to look the other way," she remarked. "I don't think it's possible to walk away from you, Cooper."

My fingers stopped tracing to squeeze her shoulder. This was exactly what I'd been hoping for. It was just what I wanted to hear. But for some reason, I couldn't celebrate it the way I'd imagined. There had been something lingering in her tone from the start, which I'd initially assumed was nerves, but now I wasn't so sure. For several long moments, I simply stared at her, wondering if she was going to give me all the hope she'd just given me, only to rip it away. Finally, I said, "Sweetheart, while I am happy about and humbled by everything you've just shared, I can't help from feeling as though there's something else lingering here for you."

She dropped her gaze to her lap and declared, "There's that, too. You have this uncanny ability to know when something isn't right with or for me."

Damn.

Those were the last words I'd wanted to hear. I closed my eyes momentarily, attempting to breathe through the panic I felt.

I could not lose this woman.

Although we were already sitting close to one another, I opened my eyes and shifted myself in her direction, the hold I had on her becoming far less casual. It was just one arm shy of being a full-fledged hug. "Tell me what's on the other side of this for you, Skye," I urged her. "Despite all of the good things you've just shared, it's clear something else is eating at you."

There was an uneasiness lingering in her gaze as she rasped, "I'm scared."

"Of me?"

Shaking her head, she returned, "Not exactly. I don't want you to think I'm comparing you to Simon, or that I think you're anything like him. God, you couldn't be any more different from him. But I've suffered a lot of loss in my life, Cooper. My whole family is gone, and the two people I'd held on to for a long time are no longer in my life. I know when it comes to them that it's for the best, and I don't regret cutting them out of my life."

She paused a moment to rein in the emotions before she continued, "For the five months between learning the truth about their betrayal and meeting you, I told myself I was never going to put myself in the position to lose someone else. It's been so hard. With the exception of my store, I was all alone. The loneliness just eats away at me, and I can't sleep at night. I haven't been able to do that for months. It's horrible."

My hold tightened on her, my other hand reaching for hers and giving her fingertips a gentle and reassuring squeeze. The idea that this sweet, gorgeous woman felt any fear about a relationship was heartbreaking. Obviously, it made sense and was justified, but I hated that she felt it.

And loneliness? Living the life I did, it was a concept I found difficult to grasp. Even still, I wanted to do anything I could to make sure she never felt an ounce of loneliness again.

Before I had the chance to come up with all the words I thought she needed to hear, Skye confessed, "I just… I really like you a lot, and I think I could be very happy with you. But I'd be lying if I said I'm not afraid. I just need you to understand how scary this feels for me."

Between the sound of her voice and the way she was looking at me, it was safe to say I felt like Skye was pleading with me. I could only hope I had fully grasped what she was begging me to understand. And that was the moment I finally decided to speak.

"All of these things you've told me about your fears and worries are things I already knew, Skye," I said. "Even if I hate knowing some of it, none of it surprises me. I recognize that you've suffered some heartache and betrayal and need time to learn to trust yourself and the decisions you make going forward. I'd expect nothing less. But there's something you need to understand about me, sweetheart."

"What's that?"

I lifted my hand, cupped the side of her face, and stroked my thumb gently over her cheek. "I'm a man who makes his living fixing things. I've always been the kind of guy who does whatever it takes to repair whatever is broken. And I'm good at what I do. So, I need you to know that I intend to fix your broken heart. Because over these last couple of weeks, there are things I've learned about you that I like a whole lot, too."

Her lips parted slightly, and I noted the rapid rise and fall of her chest before I continued, "Not only are you the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on, but you're unbelievably sweet, too. You make me want to be a better man, one who has more patience and understanding. And when I'm not with you, I'm always thinking about you. I find myself counting down the minutes until I get to see you again, because I start to miss things that you do that make me happy. Like how every time you do this little dance in your chair whenever you eat. Or the way your body shivers and reacts to my touch. And how you always try to be understanding and look on the bright side of every situation. Or the way your smile and laughter can take away any of the stress I feel."

"Cooper," she whispered.

My hand dropped to hers again, squeezing once more. "I know you're scared, sweetheart. But I promise you don't need to feel that way with me. I understand it could take time, but I give you my word; if you give us a chance, I'll make sure you never regret it."

For a long time, Skye didn't respond. I had said all I could think to say to attempt to convince her she'd be safe to hand her heart over to me. It came down to whether she believed that was the case.

I could only hope that the last couple of weeks of getting to know one another, following through on the things I said I would, and introducing her to my family would be enough for Skye to know the kind of man I was, to realize she had nothing to worry about.

Waiting for her to say something, anything, was like torture. All I wanted was the chance. Even if I knew she might be hesitant to go all in—I wasn't expecting declarations of love right away—the only thing I needed was the opportunity. Skye just needed to give us the chance, and I'd work my tail off to give her everything she was missing in her life, all that she deserved to have, and the proof that she hadn't made a mistake to put her faith and trust in me.

The silence stretched on for so long, I feared the worst. But then Skye did something.

She brought her hands to either side of my face, allowed her eyes to search mine for just a moment longer, and leaned forward to touch her lips to mine. She'd barely gotten them there when I took over and deepened the kiss.