Page 23 of The Love Lie
I am a thirsty, thirsty bitch.
She swallows.
Cooper grins.
Her competitiveness rears its ugly head.Two can play at that game, cowboy.
Sam reaches for the hem of her shirt, fully aware of the almost physical touch of his eyes as they zero in on her. She lifts the cotton slowly, tantalizingly revealing inch after inch of her flat stomach, round curves, and perfectly respectablebreasts. She kickboxes five days a week at the gym down the street. She knows what she’s working with. And despite her sister’s normally conservative tastes, she found a tiny electric-blue string bikini buried in the back of her closet—probably part of the wardrobe from the show. So yes, it’s not exactly a surprise that when she finishes pulling her tiny shorts down her proportionally long legs, Cooper is practically panting at her. But it sure as hell feels good.
“Are you two done stripping yet?” Nina drawls from where she has already settled in the hot tub, a black one-piece with mesh panels covering her petite frame. “If I’d known I was getting a show, I would’ve brought popcorn.”
Sam snatches her margarita from the table and climbs into the hot tub. Cooper splashes in behind her. As she’s settling into the hard plastic seat, a deliciously calloused hand finds her hip. Next thing she knows, she’s sidled up against his firm body, dwarfed by his sheer size. Her entire right side feels on fire, all the way down to where their ankles gently knock in the bubbling water. She takes an aggressive sip of her marvelously cold drink.
This is going to be a long afternoon.
“So,” Nina says in a chatty tone, a wide smile on her lips. Something about her seems a bit too friendly, but Sam can’t quite place what. “How are things going?”
She looks up at Cooper. He’s already watching her. A beat of expectant silence passes before she swallows and glances back at Nina with an overly cheerful smile. “Great!”
“Yeah?” Nina responds casually before taking a sip of her drink. “It can be hard for couples to find their footing after the show. But I had a feeling you two would figure things out, especially after the proposal.”
“Really?” Sam’s genuinely curious. “Why?”
“There was something different about you both on the beach that day. I mean, you always had great chemistry on camera,but when we filmed that scene…” The producer shrugs. “I don’t know. Your connection was palpable, not just through the rose-colored lens of the show, but here in real life. For the first time, I got the sense you could really make it.”
There was something different about you both on the beach that day…
Nina has no idea how right she is.
Sam squirms in her seat. Cooper trails his fingers up and down her bicep in a soothing motion. The flurry of nerves turns to a different flurry entirely, and her breath catches in her throat.
“We have some stuff to figure out,” Cooper says in that deep, confident voice. “But we’re enjoying the time we have together.”
“Stuff?” The producer arches a brow inquisitively.
“Where to live, when to move,” he answers noncommittally. “That sort of thing.”
Sam knows what he’s doing. Laying the groundwork for their plan. Planting the seeds for their inevitable breakup.
Nina looks at her, that gaze far too perceptive. “You don’t—”
“Dolphin!”
Sam throws her arm wildly to the left and leans forward, getting some much-needed space from Cooper’s hard body and a much-needed break from this conversation. She stares intently at the brilliant blue water which is, at the moment, glassy and calm. There’s not a single whitecap in sight beneath the beating sun.
Motherfucker.
“Dolphin?” Nina asks sardonically.
“I swore I saw…” Sam narrows her eyes as she trails off, pretending to study the water. Then she shrugs and settles back in her seat, leaving a bit of space between her and the cowboy. She takes a sip of her margarita and then grins at Nina. “Oh, speaking of couples from the show, I’ve been dying to ask aboutAshleigh and Brad. Why didn’t he pick her? When did he find out about the baby? Was there any behind-the-scenes drama? I need the scoop.”
Nina rolls her eyes and leans back in her seat. For the next hour, Sam pesters her with questions about prior contestants and petty drama. Being a huge fan ofThe Love Matchhas never come so much in handy. She keeps the topics neutral, never once letting them steer into more personal territory. And just when she’s about to run out of questions, Fred wakes up and joins them. The conversation switches from the show to polite chatter.
Cooper keeps his arm around her the entire time, all twinkling eyes and easy smile. She can’t help but stare when he arches his head back to take a swill of his beer, his Adam’s apple bobbing, the muscles of his thick neck rolling, the edge of his jaw sharpening, everything about him screamingman—sexy, sexy man. It becomes all too easy to lean into his touch as the alcohol permeates her blood. All too easy to catch his eyes with a knowing smile, the secret between them turning into an inside joke. All too easy to let her fingers fall on his meaty thigh beneath the water as if they’re supposed to be there, gently squeezing hard muscle.
When they reach the reef to snorkel, he doesn’t seem to think twice about wrapping his large arm around her small waist to help her as she climbs out of the hot tub. He keeps it there, warm and solid and steady as they follow the others to the back of the yacht. In the water, they hold hands. And though it’s too difficult to speak aloud with the goggles and the waves and the breathing tube, they meet each other’s eyes, conversing without words as schools of fish dash and dart around them.This is amazing! How beautiful! Look over here!They point and explore.There’s a sea turtle! Do you see that stingray? Oh my god, a shark! Nemo fish!They nudge each other with their elbows. They taketurns diving deep beneath the surface. Again, and again, they find each other—to keep up the facade, of course.
All too soon, time is up.
