Page 25 of Tell Me Again

His voice cuts off just as I turn around, and I see him standing next to one of the booths, where a middle-aged, petite woman with long dark-blonde hair pulled back into a high ponytail sits. The woman follows his gaze to me, and her eyes seem to dart back and forth between Coop and me for a moment before she grins and then scoots back into the booth more.

Coop’s just staring still, one hand shoved into his pocket and the other resting on the back of the booth. And I’m not much better I suppose, since I can’t seem to move again. Damn sticky feet.

“Uh, h-hey. Do you guys, uh... That is, can I get an order to go?” There. At least my words work. Right? God, he’s still just staring at me, and his eyes are deep and dark, and there’s that sexy baseball cap...

He blinks and straightens up. “Yeah, yeah, sure. What do you want? Sorry, gimme a few minutes, Ang?”

The woman nods, and I’m pretty sure she’s trying not to giggle now, but I’m gonna choose to not pay attention to that. I’m just here to order some lunch. For Brenna.

I shove my hands into my pockets and follow him as he motions to the counter. God, his muscles. And his aftershave. Damn, he smells good.

He glances over his shoulder at me with this smile that just really doesn’t help me get a hold of myself. And my heart does something funny in my chest.

“So, just can’t get enough of Mel’s Diner, eh?”

He grins, and oh god, I can just barely stop myself from blurting out “I can’t get enough of you.” Shit. What’s wrong with me? I clear my throat.

“Heh, well, uh, Brenna heard the BLT here can’t be beat, and she needed to try one,” I say.

“Ah, yeah, Mel’s BLT is really good.” Coop stops at the counter and then grins again as he half sits on it and pulls a notepad out of his pocket. He scribbles something down and then looks back up at me, expectantly.

Food. Right. Um.

“Um, and then I guess I’ll just have, uh...”

I have no idea. Absolutely none. And his eyes are distracting me. And my heart’s racing. I look down and rub the back of my neck.

“The French dip is really good. We get the baguettes fresh every morning from the bakery down the street,” he says, and when I risk glancing up again, he’s still watching me, but his expression is softer.

“Perfect. That sounds great. Uh, thanks.”

He nods. “Yeah, no problem. Anything else? Pie or something?”

“Um, yeah. An iced tea, unsweetened, and uh,” I stammer, and my brain freezes up again as my eyes flit to his lips. “Chocolate...? Do you have anything chocolate? No, no, wait. Um, Brenna wanted the peach cobbler. If you’ve got it, that is.”

And something weird happens then. I’m not sure exactly what. I just feel it as he blinks and then bites his lower lip, and this shiver runs through me. He’s looking at me with this intensity that I can just feel in my chest. It’s brief but powerful.

Then he nods and looks down with a rough cough as though to clear his throat. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, we’ve got the peach cobbler. I, uh, hear it’s really good. I can throw in something chocolate too. Mel made a chocolate cream pie this morning. It’s my favorite. No charge.”

“Ah, cool, thanks, man.”

His smile is tight now, but he nods again, rips the page out of his notepad, and then hooks a thumb toward the doors leading into the kitchen. “Be right back. It should only be a few minutes.”

Then he takes off, and I’m left there staring after him.

Chapter Eleven

Coop

I step into the kitchen, my heart pounding. And dammit if my palms weren’t so sweaty.

God, this is getting harder. Why is this getting so much fucking harder? Shit. It’s gotta be because of whatever happened yesterday morning, right? His sort-of apology. It wasn’t even anything, really. But seeing him now, being close to him, I just can’t help but feel... everything.

And of course he’d order a fucking peach cobbler.

“Come on, Coop. Aren’t you even just a little curious? I mean, it’s just a kiss, right?”

Fuck, that kiss. I really, really, really want another one.

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