Page 40 of The Love Lie
“Don’t start something you’re not prepared to finish, Cuj.”
That shuts her up, though the smile on her lips could still give the Cheshire cat a run for his money.
“Okay, okay. But that was so worth it. You definitely earned your one question. Shoot.”
“Eh, I don’t think so.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think I’m going to hold on to that baby for a little while, dangle it over your head for a bit, hit you with it when you least expect it.”
“Don’t make me start singing again, cowboy.”
“You won’t.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because, Sam,” he answers honestly. She swallows at the sound of her name. “You do a good job of hiding it, but I know you well enough to know that you’re afraid of going there, a helluva lot more afraid than I am, which begs the question, what’s got you so interested in spilling secrets all of a sudden?”
She looks away.
Her jaw tightens.
He tilts his head to study her, aware he’s drawing close to the line and unable to stop himself from testing the limits. “What happened to rule four?”
“I don’t want your secrets, Cooper.” She meets his gaze head-on, not backing down. A stubborn curl purses her lips as she leans forward. “I want your red flags.”
Behind her, the sun starts to sink into the ocean, casting the sky in brilliant shades of orange and red. But it’s not romantic. It’s apocalyptic as the air between them turns taut, the conversation switching to dangerous territory as the oxygen is sucked from the sky. Tension radiates between them, a buildup they’ve both been trying to ignore.
He’s not so sure he wants to any longer.
“For a city girl like you? That’s easy. I live on a ranch in what you would call the middle of nowhere. The closest grocery store is an hour’s drive and if you want to eat at any restaurant other than a steak house you’ll practically need an airplane to do it. My idea of a fun night out is line dancing at the local dive, and come hell or high water I will spend every Saturday afternoon in the fall watching the Huskers kick some ass. I’ve broken girls’ hearts. I’ve broken some beds too. And I’ve never met a rule I didn’t know how to bend. But if none of that scares you, here’s the real kicker.”
He folds his hands between his legs and leans forward with his elbows on his knees so they’re nose to nose. She doesn’t back off. And damn if he doesn’t like that fire.
“Over the next three months, my love story with your sister is going to play out on national television. None of it’s real, but when has that ever mattered? And thanks to us both, it’s going to end with a proposal. So if we don’t want the entire country coming down on our heads, we’d best stick to the plan and keep our distance.”
He’s starting to wonder if he’s talking to her, or to himself, especially as his focus drops to her lips, his eyes zeroing in on those plush pink petals. They’re slightly parted and glistening with the barest hint of moisture, utterly ripe for the picking.
The ranch. Think about the ranch.
He swallows.
Think about the followers, and the money, and everything a season as the lead could bring.
But he can’t.
All he can think about are those lips and where exactly he wants them.
“But like I said,” Cooper murmurs, still transfixed. “Good decisions have never been my strong suit.”
“This is a bad idea,” she whispers, even as she leans the slightest bit closer.
“The best ones always are.”
Her golden eyes flare like the flash of fire on a cold, dry night, whispering of imminent danger. Too bad for him, his innate response has always been to find his truck and drive into the flames. The risk only makes the reward that much sweeter.
“Cooper.” Her gaze darts over his features as if searching for an escape hatch, a reason to turn away. Like an afterthought, she adds, “This makes no sense.”
