5. Cooper

Cooper

Okay, I swear this wasn’t part of the plan when Maverick asked to come to the shelter. But finding Rosie a good home?

How could I resist that?

And I know Maverick will give her a good home. He can say what he wants, but Ralph is spoiled rotten. I was honestly shocked he didn’t have him with him last night at the bar. That dog loves going for rides in his truck, and Maverick usually indulges him.

But it makes sense he didn’t take him last night to the bar. I mean, Ralph would have been bored out of his mind.

Rosie sits between us in Maverick’s truck, her tongue hanging out as she pants wildly, probably nervous and excited at the same time. I fell in love with the little Pitbull mix the second she was brough to us a couple of days ago. I would have taken her myself, if it weren’t for my pesky landlord getting annoyed by the amount of animals I bring home.

He’s threatened eviction more than once, and I kind of need a place to stay at the moment. I can’t wait until I can afford to buy a house of my own. It’s going to be full of animals, and I’ll have no regrets.

Maverick makes a turn off the highway and then soon pulls up to a large house. It’s clearly newly built but has a rustic country feel, all the same. He parks the truck, and I hold onto Rosie’s leash when he hops out and comes around to my door, opening it.

We get Rosie out, and I look up at the beautiful home. “This is the new place?”

He smiles up at it—and I see the pride he definitely didn’t have about the house he lived in before in the city. “Yeah. Custom built but not as flashy as the last one.”

I get the feeling Maverick doesn’t like flashy at all. His truck is new but simple. His style is pretty low-key, and his house seems to be the same. “I like it,” I say truthfully, and the man positively beams.

Wow. He’s just too beautiful to look at. This morning, when he came into the kitchen wearing only those black joggers slung low on his hips, showing off a delicious V I kind of wish I didn’t know he had because I can’t stop thinking about it—I nearly swallowed my damn tongue.

His abs are sculpted to perfection, along with his pecs, which has a light smattering of dark hair between them, and then a very light thin trail of hair that picks up at his belly button and leads down to a place I am not allowing myself to think about.

I stared way too much to be polite, but damn it, could he really blame me? I don’t think Maverick is the type to be annoyed that a man is checking him out. He’s not an asshole.

But still, we’re friends, and I shouldn’t do that.

“Cooper?” Oh no. Was he talking to me all this time? Time I used to think about his naked torso and where that happy trail leads? Damn it, Cooper.

“Um, what?”

His lips pull up into a small smile. “I asked if you’re ready to go inside.”

“Oh, right.” I look down at Rosie, who’s waiting patiently, looking at her surroundings and cowering a little at my feet. “Yes. We should show this girl her new home.”

Maverick lets us both into his house, and instantly, Ralph is there, running around and sniffing Rosie. My girl is a little nervous at first, but then she starts sniffing him right back. They start to wrestle and play, taking to each other surprisingly fast. I can’t help the satisfaction that floods me.

It’s going to be okay. Rosie will have a nice home with a big brother. “Looks like they’re going to be friends,” Maverick says, his deep timbre settling inside me.

I love his voice.

I look up at him proudly. “I think so.”

“You hungry? I can make us an early dinner. Unless you need to get back home.”

I shake my head way too fast at that. I should play it cool, but the idea of Maverick making dinner for me is way too exciting. “Yes. I’d love dinner. No, I don’t need to go home. They don’t need me there,” I say, laughing nervously. Maverick looks pleased as he shows me to the massive kitchen.

The home may have a rustic look on the outside, but the inside is modern and nicely decorated. The kitchen is sleek with dark granite and appliances. He motions for me to take a seat at the kitchen bar, and I do as I’m told, immediately sitting on one of the stools as I watch him work.

The guy has millions in the bank, but he doesn’t seem to be new to the kitchen. He moves gracefully, filling pans and cutting up ingredients for what looks like some sort of stir-fry, which already has my mouth watering. “Is there anything you can’t do?” I blurt out, and he turns from the stove to face me.

“What?”

My cheeks heat yet again—pretty much my permanent state around him. “I mean, you cook? Really?”

He chuckles. “It’s just stir-fry. And yeah, I like to cook. My mom taught me when I was pretty young, and I took to it. Even thought about being a chef for a while.”

My heart aches when he mentions his mother teaching him—not because he doesn’t deserve to have the best parents in the world. But my mother could barely stand me, and my father never would have allowed my mom to teach me to cook. It was women’s work, in his opinion. Makes me sick to think about it.

“You okay?” I didn’t realize he’d moved closer to me until he spoke.

“I’m fine.” I try to brush off the gross feelings thinking about my parents always inspires and put on a smile. “Totally fine. That’s great about your mom teaching you, but I can’t picture you being anything other than a racer.”

He watches me carefully for a moment, then thankfully smiles with a nod and walks back toward the stove. “Yeah. I can’t either. That’s why I didn’t pursue it. Racing worked out, thank God.”

“You really do love it, don’t you?” It’s easy to tell. Maverick can be hard to read, for sure, but his love for racing is written clear as day on his face.

“The racing? Yes. The fame?” He stirs something on the stove and then shrugs. “Not so sure.”

I frown at that, even though I’d pretty much figured that out. Anyone who watches him do an interview after a race knows that. He can’t wait to get away. And while he seemed proud and happy to be on Pheobe’s arm at all sorts of social events, it was also pretty apparent to me he didn’t love the spotlight.

“Is that why you and Pheobe didn’t work out?”

He turns around to look at me, amused. But I’m horrified. I shouldn’t have asked him that. Why do I blurt so many things out around him?

“Don’t answer that. It’s none of my business,” I say way too loudly, and he just chuckles.

He folds his arms over his broad chest and leans back against the counter. “You can ask me anything you want, Cooper.” Again, I almost swallow my tongue for the second time today. The way he says it is so open and genuine. I know he means it, but he doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into, giving me that kind of freedom. “Yeah, I think that’s the biggest reason why it didn’t work out. Pheobe belongs in the spotlight. I don’t.”

“But you shine,” I say and then close my eyes briefly at my own eagerness.

“Thank you.” He laughs. “But I never really wanted to shine.” He’s grinning from ear to ear, and my face heats even more. “I just wanted to race.”

“But then you started dating the biggest superstar on the planet,” I point out.

He laughs at that, and it’s effortless. “I did. Didn’t mean to fall for her, it just sort of happened.”

“How could you not? I’m totally gay, and I’m a little in love with her myself,” I say, and Maverick barks out a quick laugh, shaking his head.

“You’re something else, Cooper.” He says it almost fondly, which makes me warm inside.

It’s not like no one has told me that before, but it’s usually with annoyance and not fondness.

Oh, I need to be so careful here.

I could very easily let this silly crush get way out of hand and fast.

I could be planning our wedding before you know it.

And that would so not be good for me.