Torrid Little Affair (Forbidden Desires #3)

“The more time you spend with him, the more he’ll show himself to you. He’s an easy guy to like.” Emma smiled.

“He is. Thanks.”

I sipped my drink again, then shook my head to clear it. She’d given me a lot to think about. Too much, maybe. But what her words had convinced me of was that whatever I felt for Cooper was worth exploring.

“What do you say we dance?” I said, desperate for an escape from all the heavy thinking I had ahead of me.

Together we joined Alyssa on the dance floor, and I learned the lyrics to every song the band played as Alyssa shouted them in my ear. As the night progressed, one shot turned to two, and then three.

By the time midnight rolled around, I was finally feeling less like I wanted to fall on a sharp object every time I looked at Emma, but even if I did? I doubted I would feel any pain.

I was swaying back and forth even as the band took a break, and when we found our table again, the euphoria of my drunkenness shifted from mellow to reckless.

Feeling more certain by the second, I picked up my phone and stared at it for a second before doing the thing I knew I’d probably regret.

I drunk-dialed Cooper.

He answered, his voice tight with worry. “Hey, are you okay? It’s late.”

“Fine, fine. C-can you pick me up, though? I think I drank too much, and I want to go home but I don’t want to ruin the girls’ night.”

“Of course. Where are you?” he replied without hesitation.

I told him the name of the bar, and I heard rustling in the background. Had he been in bed?

“Stay right there. I’ll find you,” he said and clicked off a second later.

When I returned to the table, Emma and Alyssa had three glasses of water waiting for us.

“Here you go,” Alyssa said. “We’re gonna have one last dance and then head home. You cool with that?”

I shook my head. “No, no, I called a ride. But thank you.”

Emma gave me a wobbly thumbs-up. “We’ll wait with you until they get here.”

“No, go ahead. You guys dance. I swear I’m fine,” I said, and though I had to assure them roughly twenty more times, they eventually left just in time for Cooper to text me that he was waiting outside.

I recalled getting to my feet and making it to the sidewalk, and then a strong pair of arms closing around me.

And after that? It was all blackness.

• • •

Morning came in like a wrecking ball, pounding against my skull, demanding entry.

I cracked my eyes open to find I was still fully dressed and now surrounded by a sea of white. The down comforter and feather pillows surrounding me were luxurious and inviting.

In the distance, I heard the sizzle of something on a stove, and I forced myself to find my bearings, despite the fact that I felt like I was moving underwater. When I finally got to my feet, I stepped through the bedroom door to find Cooper at the stove in his light blue pajama bottoms, cracking an egg into a hot skillet.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“Good morning. How are you feeling?” He grinned at me as I slipped into a chair at the breakfast bar in his kitchen.

I forced myself to look away from his glorious body-because, holy shit, my boss had a six-pack and the sexiest muscled chest I’d ever seen outside of one of those men’s fitness magazines-and scrubbed a hand over my face.

“Not great,” I confessed with a pained chuckle. “Should I be embarrassed about anything I said or did last night?”

“Well, you told me my bed head looked cute, and patted my butt. Other than that, though? You passed out the second you got in my car. I carried you in and put you to bed. That was about it.”

I groaned. “I’m sorry. God, I didn’t realize I’d drank so much.”

Cooper shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, Corinne. I was happy to come pick you up.”

Suddenly realizing things felt freer, I looked down at myself, noticing for the first time my lack of a bra. “Um.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “What happened to my bra?”

Cooper let out a chuckle, his gaze raking over me. “Oh yeah. I forgot about that.” A smile tilted up the corners of his mouth. “When I laid you down in bed, you tugged at the straps like you were uncomfortable, so I removed it. Women don’t usually sleep in them, right?”

I swallowed. “Oh. That’s . . .” Awkward.

“Trust me, it was no problem at all. And I didn’t even steal a peek.”

I pursed my lips. “Aren’t you a saint.”

“Fuck yes, I am. You’re so sexy, Corinne.” His voice went husky as he watched me. “All those curves. You’re stunning.”

My gaze focused on the floor, I mumbled something of a disagreement. I was so not, but I didn’t want to argue with him. “Thank you again for last night, but you don’t have to babysit me,” I said, rising to my feet. “Let me get out of your hair so you can-”

“No, not before you get some food in you,” he said, shaking his head.

Another panicked thought crossed my mind, and I groaned. “No, really, my roommate is probably a wreck with worry. I always come home, and I didn’t even call. I have to go.”

Cooper shrugged. “So, call her now.”

“Him,” I said as I stood. “And I can’t. My phone is dead.”

“Him?” Cooper flipped the egg and then turned to face me. “You have a male roommate?”

“Yes.” I tried to sound as casual as possible despite the fact that my stomach felt like it was going to rebel. That was probably something I should have divulged before now, but mentioning it brought with it a whole other can of worms.

“So . . . are you sleeping with him?” Cooper asked, his voice deceptively soft.

“What? No.” I frowned, shaking my throbbing head.

“I had to ask,” he said with a clipped nod, the concern on his face clearing. “But good. I trust you. And while we’re involved, I want you to know you can trust me too. No fucking unless it’s between you and me. Deal?”

I refused to meet his gaze and searched for my purse, which I found hanging on the back of one of the high-backed chairs. “I just need to get home. Can we talk about this later?”

His face tensed again as he stared at me. “Do you have a history with this guy or something?”

I let out a long sigh. “Will you just please tell me where my shoes are?”

Cooper frowned. “Foot of the bed.”

“Great. Thanks.”

After I slipped into my bra and gathered my shoes, Cooper plated his eggs, leaving them to grow cold while he called me a car.

“Thank you again. And I’m really sorry for bothering you last night.”

He nodded, watching me warily. “You didn’t bother me.”

I’d just gotten things back on a good footing with him the day before, and now, less than twenty-four hours later, here I was running again. Like a child.

But even that shameful thought didn’t stop me as I slid on my shoes and bolted out the door.