Page 59 of Every Single Vow
Dakota
I have no idea what time it is. But I lie here awake, ghosting my fingertips over Cooper’s chest.
“I’m sorry I never told you.”
The hand resting on my hip squeezes.
“I never told you either.”
I glance up, my eyes finally adjusting to the dark. We’d fallen asleep after round one, then I woke up, and wanted to know what he tasted like.Insert round two.
“I didn’t want to lose our friendship,” I admit. “I didn’t want my reputation to taint yours.”
“I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks.” His tone is hard, and then all of a sudden, I’m being yanked up to straddle him.
“I think we both had our reasons. But I knew deep down you loved me. You just had those walls up.” He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. “I knew I’d break them down one day.”
“Now you just sound cocky,” I grin.
The sheets are bunched around my waist, my breasts exposed as he dances callused fingertips across my stomach.
“Not cocky. Confident,” he corrects.
I tilt my head back on a laugh, then sober my expression. “I’m sorry loving me is so hard.”
His brows furrow, then he scoots up to rest his back against the headboard. The movement makes me shift, causing me to rise to my knees, then settle back down.
“Loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done, Kota. I’ve been doing it since I was a kid.”
My eyes well with tears, the reality landing on me that I’ve wasted so much time letting my circumstances block my happiness. Letting my family history derail the things I wanted for my life.
“I stole from you,” I blurt.
A laugh barks from his chest as he leans over to flip on the lamp, then rests back against the headboard. “I know.”
My mouth hangs open. “You know?”
“Of course I did.”
“You know I stole bottles of your cologne?” I squint my eyes, watching for the lie.
He tilts his head. “Why do you think I bought two every time? I’d leave one out for you, and the other I kept in my closet.”
“You never said anything.” I swat at his chest.
He shrugs. “You weren’t ready to hear what I had to say then.”
“What do you mean?” I question.
He leans up, placing a kiss on the junction of my shoulder. “I mean, I wanted to tell you then that I was in love with you. That instead of you stealing my cologne, you could just come stay with me. Get out of that fucking house. Sleep with me every night so it would be permanently imbedded in your skin. That you’d always have me with you.”
My eyes blink as he cranes his neck back to look up at me.
“We were sixteen,” I whisper.
“I know.” He kisses my jaw.
“But you slept with Shandi at prom,” I accuse before embarrassment creeps up my neck.
