My One and Only(53)

In Cooper’s arms, she didn’t feel worthless or inadequate or disappointing, which made this exchange all the more dangerous. Haleigh could easily see herself replacing one demon-suppressant for another. Only drowning in Cooper would be way better than losing herself at the bottom of a bottle had ever been.

While that thought circled through her mind, Cooper’s powerful hands drifted up her rib cage, setting tiny fires along her nerve endings. Haleigh clung to him, wanting more but not willing to sacrifice his heat to find a better location to carry on.

When his thumbs found her nipples through thin satin, her body kicked into another gear as she sucked on his tongue, desperate for more.

“What’s going on back here?” a female voice spoke from the trees, followed by at least two gasps and an “Aw, shit.” The expletive came from a man who proceeded to take charge, saying, “Everybody back to the party.”

Cooper slammed his hands on the side of the building, presumably shielding Haleigh from the onlookers. As if he could protect her from the fallout of this colossal mistake.

This is not a mistake! screamed a voice in Haleigh’s head. One she didn’t recognize but wanted to believe.

With his forehead pressed to hers, Cooper said, “I need less nosy friends.”

The joke broke the tension, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “That first voice was Abby’s, wasn’t it?”

“Yep.” Cooper lifted her to the ground as if setting down a priceless piece of crystal. “Afraid so. They must have heard the screaming with the chickens.” Attempting to button his shirt, he looked down in confusion. “When did you do this?”

“Somewhere around the time you slid your tongue in my ear.” Haleigh righted her clothes. “This should make for a fun ride home.”

“Hey,” he said, lifting her face with a finger beneath her chin. “We haven’t done anything wrong.”

She managed a halfhearted smile. “For once, I agree with you.”

Dark brows shot up. “Seriously?”

Cupping his face with both hands, Haleigh rose up to her toes to drop a quick kiss on his lips and said, “Seriously.” And then she gave a gentle tap with her left hand. “But that doesn’t mean this is going to happen again.” Knowing the jury was still out, she added, “Maybe.”

“Oh, this will happen again,” he said, confidence brimming. “That was too good not to repeat.”

“Repeating behaviors that make me feel good has led me into more trouble than I can tell you,” she said. “We’re still the same mismatched people we were before . . .” Haleigh waved a hand in the air. “Before whatever that was.”

“That,” Cooper said, pulling her into his arms, “was chemistry. And it’s been brewing for a long time.”

“You’re confusing chemistry with coffee,” she corrected, settling against his body. “And we aren’t the only variables in this equation. I made Abby a promise that I wouldn’t hurt you.”

His arms tightened. “Then don’t.”

As if anything in Haleigh’s life was that easy.

Going for total honesty, she said, “If we follow the road less taken here, I can’t make any guarantees.”

Cooper acknowledged the confession with a nod. “Fair enough. But while we’re putting our cards on the table, you need to know this. I want you. And I’m willing to step out on whatever crazy limb it takes to make you see that. Your good side and your bad. Whatever fatal flaw you think makes you less deserving than the rest of us. That’s what I’m in for. So don’t think I’m going to be easy to spook, because I’m not.”

The speech took Haleigh by surprise. And touched a nerve. Her whole life had been a fight for acceptance and always coming up short. With Cooper, she didn’t have to fight for anything.

Uncomfortable with the abrupt leap from hormone rush to something serious, she attempted to defuse the bomb he’d just dropped in her lap. “That’s a big jump from one make-out session.”

“We both know this thing between us didn’t start with a chicken attack.”

Haleigh couldn’t resist the giggle. “If this works and we have kids someday, I’m totally telling them it started with a chicken attack.”

Taking her hand, he led the way back to the stone path. “And I’m telling them that you ripped all the buttons off my shirt.”

“Don’t you dare,” she ordered, poking him in the ribs. They walked the rest of the way in silence. At the entrance to the clearing, Haleigh tugged on Cooper’s hand until he stopped and turned her way. “You know this is all just kidding around, right?”