Page 35 of The Love Lie
“Don’t throw buzzwords at me, young lady. What’s really stopping you?”
“He’s a cowboy. Like an actual cowboy. From a ranch. With a hat and everything.”
Winnie harrumphs. “I’m from Texas. That’s pretty much a prerequisite. You could use a cowboy after all the awful finance bros you’ve brought home.”
Sam sits up. “I do NOT date finance bros. That’d be like shitting where I eat.”
“Gross,” Winnie comments, no doubt wrinkling her nose. “But the point stands. They wear those vests. They have that look. Potato potahto. What else you got?”
Nothing.
She has nothing.
Because Cooper pushes all her buttons yet respects every inch of her boundaries. He’s way too kind to be real, but has enough edge to keep her interested. He’s calloused hands with an artist’s soul. A delicious dichotomy. A dangerous one. Worst of all, he’s the type of guy who always has a bout of laughter simmering at the back of his throat, not because he’s never faced hardship, but in spite of it. She thinks about the somber shift of his features when he mentioned his mother, the haunted shadow erupting in the corners of his eyes. To lose a loved one to a disease like that and still be able to smile? To see the joy in life? She admires him. She doesn’t know how he does it. He’s just…
He’s perfect.
He’s fucking perfect.
And that’s the problem.
“You sleep with guys all the time,” Winnie continues, oblivious. “What’s the big— Oh.”
“Oh, what?”
“Ohhhhh.”
“Winnie.”
“I love a good plot twist.”
“This is not a romance novel.”
“Actually, Sammy baby, I’m pretty sure it is.”
“Sammy baby?”
“You like him.”
“Sure. He’s a nice guy.”
“No. Youlike himlike him.”
“I do not.”
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
“I protested once.”
“You’re afraid you can’t just sleep with him. You’re afraid you’ll catch feelings.”
“I am—”
“Not?” Winnie interrupts with a delighted giggle. “Is that another protest?”
“Okay, this conversation is officially done.”
“But it just got interesting!”
