Page 52 of Craving Cooper

“And that’s my fault, is it?”

“No. I’m not blaming you for anything. I’m just saying I don’t want it to be like this between us.”

“What do you want, then?”

I’m so tempted to say ‘you’, but I think we need to work up to that. “I want to ask if you can forget about what happened on Saturday.” She opens her mouth, but I hold up my hand and she closes it again. “I get that it’s a lot to ask, but do you think you could forget about all the things I got wrong, and try to remember what you said about wanting to be with me… because even if my brain doesn’t seem to be functioning properly anymore, I remember you saying that, and I’d really like it to be true.” She stares at me, her mouth open… but not like she wants to say something. This is more like she can’t believe what she’s hearing, and I’m not remotely surprised by that. I’m struggling to believe it myself. “I—I get that I didn’t handle things very well,” I say when she doesn’t reply. “But please believe me, I never meant to hurt you. I hate the idea that I could have done, and I just wish you could put it behind you, and let me try to be better. Because I think I could be so much better. I think everything could be so much better… with you.”

I never thought I’d say anything like that to anyone. But it feels right to say it to Mallory. Because it’s the truth, and I stare at her, watching as her eyes widen, and she licks her lips, then tips her head, like she’s confused. That’s understandable. It’s how I’ve been feeling for quite some time now.

“Why?” she says, speaking at last. “I don’t understand why.”

“Why?” I repeat. “Didn’t I make myself clear enough?”

“Yes, you did, but I still don’t understand, Cooper. You said you didn’t know why you invited me to the festival. I don’t expect you to invent a reason now. It wouldn’t make sense if you did. But I need to know why you’re saying this. I need to be sure you know, too.”

I smile. At least she’s not dismissing me. “Because you’ve done something to me.”

She frowns. “I haven’t touched you.”

I push myself off of the door and walk over, standing in front of her, and looking down into her baby blue eyes. “Yes, you have. You’ve touched me in ways I don’t think I’ll ever be able to explain.”

“You’re not making any sense, Cooper.”

I study her beautiful face, the puzzled expression in her eyes, the slight furrowing of her brow, the way she’s gazing at me, and I suddenly don’t care. That is, I care about her. Obviously. But I don’t care that none of this adds up. I don’t care about analyzing it, or working out the why, and how and when.

“I know,” I say, moving just a little closer. “Nothing makes sense anymore. It’s fabulous, isn’t it?”

“I—I don’t get it,” she mumbles, although her eyes don’t leave mine, and she does it again. Without moving a muscle, she pulls me in, making me smile. I don’t need to understand it anymore. I just love the sensation of being drawn to her… of knowing this is where I belong.

“Neither do I.”

“What are you saying?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “I don’t have a clue what I’m saying. Except I think I might want to be with you just as much as you want to be with me… assuming you meant it when you said that?” Please tell me you did… tell me it was true.

She blinks, then licks her lips again, and I’m so tempted to lean in and kiss her. I don’t, because I can’t be sure how she’d react, and I don’t want to spoil things. I just want her to give me another chance, and I wait for her reply, wishing and hoping she’ll say ‘yes’. It takes me a while to realize she’s still staring right at me, that her mouth is slightly open, she doesn’t seem to be breathing, and she hasn’t answered me. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, but I can’t wait any longer.

“So? What do you say?” I ask.

She startles and sucks in a breath, blinking hard. “A—About what?”

I laugh. How can she have forgotten? Unless…

Can it be?

Can it be she’s as flustered as I am?

“About everything I’ve just said.”

“I’m sorry. Did you say something?”

I laugh even louder, hope rising inside me. “Yes. I said I think I might want to be with you as much as you want to be with me, and I was hoping you’d consider giving me another chance to prove it. W—We could start with dinner tonight, if you like?”

She looks up at me, studying my face, her eyes shifting from mine to my lips and back again as she lets out a gentle sigh, and to my great relief, she slowly nods her head.

Chapter Thirteen

Mallory

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