Page 88 of Craving Cooper

He smiles, fetching a pan from the cabinet next to the sink and putting it onto the hob.

“That’s why I love the fact that you can tell me exactly what you want,” he says, taking the bowl back with him.

“You don’t mind?”

“No. I find it… refreshing.”

He struggled to find that word, and although I appreciate that might be because he’s concentrating on putting dollops of pancake batter into the pan, I wonder if there’s more to it.

“Why refreshing? Meredith never held back, did she? Hell, I used to hear…” I stop talking, the memories flooding back, and he turns, the spoon still in his hand, although the smile has gone from his face.

“What did you hear?” he asks, sounding concerned, and I let out a sigh.

“Sometimes I’d hear her yelling for more,” I whisper, and he shakes his head, puts the spoon down, and walks around to my side of the breakfast bar.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I wish you hadn’t heard any of it, and I know it can’t be easy for you. Hell… I struggled just imagining you with someone else.” He shakes his head, looking so contrite, I have to stand, so I can put my arms around him.

“It’s okay. You’ve said she’s history, and I believe you.”

“Thank you,” he murmurs as he leans in and kisses me, then pulls back and gazes into my eyes. “Just so you know, it’s refreshing because being asked for more is nice to hear, but it’s open to interpretation. Being told exactly what you want… it’s something else, babe. It means you trust me enough to be yourself, and not hold anything back.”

I reach up and rest my hand on his chest. “Of course I do.” He smiles and leans in, although I pull back before our lips meet. “Haven’t you forgotten something?” He frowns, like he doesn’t understand. “The pancakes?”

He dashes to the stove, pulling the pan off the heat. “That was close,” he says and smiles at me before he returns his attention to our breakfast.

It doesn’t take too long before he’s created two neat stacks of pancakes, which he tops with blueberries, and sets on the breakfast bar, along with a jug of maple syrup and two steaming cups of coffee.

We eat, both of us hungry, although after a few mouthfuls, he turns to me.

“Were you always like this?” he asks.

“Like what?”

“Able to speak your mind… to say what you want. Were you like it with Jonah?”

“No. It must be something about you, and the things you do to me. You certainly bring out the wild side in me.”

He smiles and nudges in to me. “That’s good. I like the idea of being wild with you.”

“So do I.”

He gazes at me, and I stare back, unable to believe where we are, or that we got here so quickly. I love him so much, and I want to tell him… except now doesn’t feel like the right time. Not when we’re rushing through breakfast, and still have to get dressed for work.

“I’ll have to head upstairs in a minute,” I say, getting back to my pancakes.

“You will?”

“Of course. I need clean clothes, and I’ve gotta feed Saffron.”

“Oh. I see.”

“Besides, you’ve got an early patient today.”

“Have I?”

I smile at him. “Yes, you have. Mrs. Brennan’s coming in at eight-thirty. It’s already…” I glance at the clock on his microwave. “Shit… it’s already eight-fifteen, Coop.”

We both drop our forks and leap to our feet. “I should be downstairs by now,” he says.

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