Page 2 of Summer Nights

He waited for me to precede him, and I wondered if I affected him the way he did me. I prided myself on being in control of any interaction with a man, especially one I was interested in, but I didn't feel that way when I was with Cooper. He had this way of throwing me off center. It was exciting and scary at the same time.

I followed him through the bedrooms, studying him to see if I could glean anything from his method. But he worked silently, not telling me what he was thinking or doing. It was frustrating. I didn't want to rely on a Kingston.

The brothers were the subject of a recent magazine article which ranked which brother was the most eligible. The attention had only inflated their egos as far as I could tell. But Cooper was quieter than the others, so I couldn't get a read on how it had affected him.

Our friend group hung out together often, but I hadn't seen him flirt with anyone. If he had a personal life, he kept it quiet.

As he worked, the room grew darker. Thunder cracked, and I jumped.

"You okay?" Cooper asked.

I wrapped my arms around myself. "Yeah, I didn't realize we were going to get storms."

Cooper's hand landed on my lower back as he steered me out of the room. "You always work this late at night, alone with contractors?"

I scoffed. "You're a friend. I don't have to worry about you."

His forehead wrinkled as if my words hadn't alleviated his concern.

"I always let my assistant know where I am, and I never put myself in dangerous situations." I'd grown up navigating my mother's numerous boyfriends. I knew how to take care of myself.

He raised a brow.

"If you think I'd let someone take advantage of me, then you don't know me very well." We'd grown up together, but I wasn't sure how much he knew about me. As soon as I was old enough, I got a job. I saved so I could go to college. I moved out of my mom's trailer and never went back.

"That's probably the case."

I walked past him. "That you don't know me very well?"

"You don't exactly let people get close to you."

I paused in the hallway. "I could say the same to you. Shepard tends to get the attention."

He winced.

I immediately regretted my words. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"People assume we're the same, and I don't have the energy to change their mind."

I smiled softly, stepped closer, and touched his stomach. His rock-hard stomach. "Maybe you should let people get to know the real Cooper Kingston."

I turned away from him, not wanting him to see the desire swirling in my eyes. He was quiet as we made our way down the hall and to the foyer.

At the door, he said, "I'll get you that report."

"I appreciate that." I glanced out the front window where the rain was coming down hard. Puddles were already forming on the driveway. "You might want to wait to leave. Unless you're okay with getting soaked."

He hesitated, clearly unsure what he should do. Then he glanced back at me, a look of concern crossing his face. "I can wait until it passes."

Storms never lasted long in Florida. But the thought of being stuck in this house with Cooper had my throat tightening. I pretended my interest in him was purely professional, but I couldn't deny the physical attraction.

Thunder cracked, and the lights in the house went out. I sucked in a breath, my heart hammering.

Cooper placed a hand on my back and steered me deeper into the house, away from the windows.

Thunderstorms always reminded me of living at my mom's, huddling under my blankets, scared of the storm but reluctant to go in my mom's room. She usually shared it with a man I didn't know well.

I felt shaky with the memory of hiding under my blanket and trying to stifle the sound of thunder with the pillow. It never worked.

---