Page 26 of Enticed

Cooper chuckles, passing the pen and paper to me. “You can lie to yourself all you want, Clara… but you don’t have to lie to me. I know you don’t hate me. I know you really want me all to yourself,” he whispers in my ear as tingles travel up and down my arms and a rush of desire flows between my legs.

“Yeah, sure…” is my rebuttal.

Smooth, Clara. Real smooth.

“Well, looks like I’ll be in touch soon,” he kisses my cheek, granting me a smirk that makes my vagina clench as he walks away.

“Did you just bet on my brother?” Olivia comes up beside me, making my spine straighten and my eyes go wide.

“Yeah, I did,” I answer as I turn to face her. “But it was only to save him from Misty. And the donation is going to a good cause,” I smile, trying to be as convincing as possible.

Olivia gives me a curious look, watching me with an intensity that’s making me even more nervous.

“Come on, Liv. It was the least I could do after he saved my life. Please, don’t think too much about it, okay?”

I hate that I’m lying to one of my best friends—but her warning and my lack of confidence in what’s going on between Cooper and me is convincing me that lying to her right now is the best option.

She sighs. “Yeah, you’re right. Even Cooper doesn’t deserve Misty’s antics,” she jokes as I nod in agreement.

After a long day of being on my feet, I kick off my wedges as soon as I get home and sink down into my couch, flicking on the television before my phone pings with a text.

Olivia: Dinner tomorrow at my parent’s house if you’re interested.

Me: What’s momma Walsh making?

Olivia: Chicken piccata.

My mouth instantly waters.

Me: I’m there.

I fire off my response before convincing myself that I desperately need a shower. As I strip down and wait in the bathroom for the water to turn hot, my phone pings again.

Cooper: Seems I’ll be seeing you tomorrow night at dinner. Perhaps we can discuss our date some more.

Me: The only thing to discuss is how I’ll be able to get through it without punching you in the junk.

Cooper: Don’t worry, it’s too big to miss.

The memory of Cooper’s goods pressed up against me makes me hot all over—and he’s right—he’s packing way too much to miss.

Me: You’re ridiculous. You kiss me once and suddenly you’re full of yourself.

Cooper: Maybe that one taste was just what I needed to convince myself I need more.

My heart bounces on the trampoline in my chest. His confidence is unnerving, but I can’t help but fish for answers.

Me: How much more?

I wait on pins and needles for his answer.

Cooper: We’ll discuss it tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Clara.

And then he’s leaving me hanging—my body buzzing with excitement and arousal. I can feel how wet I am between my legs just from the brief interaction. So I let my fingers ease the ache in the shower and pray I can hold my composure tomorrow when we’re surrounded by Cooper’s family—the family that I pretty much claim as my own.

Damn. I’m playing with fire and I know deep in my gut—this can’t end well. But there’s an inkling beneath the uncertainty that keeps me longing to push past the warnings from Liv and myself. There’s something between us—and I’m now determined to figure out what that is.

Chapter 10

---