Page 11 of Interception

Faith is in good hands with Hunter. There’s nothing else we can do tonight. It’s late, and this problem will sure as shit still be here in the morning. As soon as the door shuts behind us, Coop flips the lock and pushes me back against the wall.

“What you just did for Faith… that was fucking hot.” He slides his fingers under the hem of his shirt I’m wearing, trailing his fingers up my side. “I’m going to lick every last inch of your body. You good with that?” A jolt of electricity shoots straight to my core as his eyes find mine, smoldering with the promise of a night I won’t forget.

“Only if I get to lick yours.” Without another word, I reach for the waistband of his sweats and let my hand follow his happy trail.

“Deal.” He lifts me into his arms, walking me over to the bed with a reverence I find disconcerting.

We explore each other’s bodies for hours, the sun rising by the time we fall into an exhausted slumber. I’m not the girl who wants to snuggle or fall asleep wrapped in a man’s arms, but I let myself, just this once. His shallow, even breaths are comforting, and I’m too tired to drag my ass upstairs for the sake of what’s essentially a power nap at this point.

All hell is sure to break loose when the world is awake, and people hear Faith’s drive-thru confession. She’s going to need me, and Coop seems like the kind of guy who’s going to get behind his friend and do whatever he can to help. We can allow ourselves a few hours to forget that we’re strangers who had one incredible night together. I’ll deal with my own clusterfuck once I get Faith back on track.

* * *

Faith has been a wreck these past few days. I took a couple of days off work to support her, and we’ve been laying low at Coop’s the entire time, but today, I need to get back to reality and back to work.

Watching how she and Hunter interact, it’s clear that they are so much more than a wager. They are completely smitten with each other, and I’m confident after probing him more than once about his intentions when it comes to my best friend, he’s more than capable of taking it from here.

It’s been a strange couple of days. Coop and I have fallen into bed more times than I can count as well as in the shower, the tub, the kitchen floor in the middle of the night. It’s not exactly been your typical one-night stand, and we’re bound to see each other again now that our closest friends are officially a couple.

When I pack up my things, I look around the guest room. I left my bag in here under the ruse that I was just sleeping in Coop’s bed for convenience after long nights of fucking, but I wasn’t kidding anyone, not even myself.

Faith and I hug it out before I leave, and she holds me tight. “Thank you, Zee. I couldn’t have gotten through the past few days without you. You’re a legend.”

“I think you would’ve been just fine. You’re strong, kiddo. Don’t let anyone ever convince you otherwise.”

“I love you. Call me when you get back to the apartment.”

“Will do.” As I head out the door to wait for my Uber, Coop comes bounding out the front door.

“Why did you call an Uber? I can drive you home.”

“You’re busy. I don’t want to be an inconvenience.” He slides his hands into my hair, pulling me in for one last kiss.

“When will I see you again?”

“I’m sure we’ll see each other around. Our friends are dating, and we’re bound to bump into each other every once in a while.” As my Uber arrives in the driveway, I force myself out of his arms even though my heart is hammering in my chest.

“Zee…” I pick up my bag and open the car door.

“Later, Coop. It’s been fun. Thanks for the hospitality.” I don’t look back as I slide into the back seat and slam the door shut. I’ve never had a three-day one-nighter before, and I won’t be doing it again. It’s too messy, and besides, my vagina needs time to recover from the great Cooper Danford. That man is hung like a horse and knows how to use it.

By the time I pull up at my apartment across town, I’m happy to be home and in my comfort zone. It’s time to get back to real life. Falling in love and having epic sex with an NFL god is perfect for someone like Faith, but not me. It was fun to dip my toe in the water and forget about my problems for a few days, but reality waits for no man—or woman.

I soak my aching muscles in the tub for well over an hour, remembering every second of toe-curling passion that made me sore in the first place. I’m a little sad when I can no longer smell Coop’s cologne on my skin, but it’s time for this Cinderella to get back to normal.

When I rented this place, I was expecting that Faith and I would make a ton of happy memories here, and we’d make this our home. I get the distinct feeling that she may not end up living here after her summer job is over. Something tells me she’ll have a new roommate by then.

It’s nice to crawl under the covers of my own bed and switch on the television for some background noise. Entertainment Tonight is still running the audio on Faith’s drive-thru faux pas. I can’t help but chuckle at the excitement in her voice. God, I love that woman to bits.

I drift off with the television still on, but my dreams are of someone else entirely—someone I have no desire to fantasize about from this point on.

* * *

The girls at work have been on me for days, looking for all the gory details that didn’t make it onto TMZ. They know me better than to think I’d actually give them the dirt on Faith. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s keeping my mouth shut. If only I were as good at keeping my legs shut.

I hate to admit that I’ve flicked the bean with Coop in mind more times than I can count since I got home. Faith has been messaging me, asking if she can give him my number. She’s not supposed to have told me he asked for it more than once, but she hasn’t given in yet. I begged her not to hand it over. If he calls me, I’ll agree to meet up with him, and one thing will lead to another. I’m not getting tangled up in a fling with him. He’s too good between the sheets, and it’s already going to take all of my self-control not to jump him on the occasions we’ll inevitably be thrown into each other’s company through our friends.

Faith has started sending me every cute GIF known to man, begging me to give up my number. She and Hunter are still laying low at Coop’s place, so she’s living in cloud cuckoo land, enjoying the bubble, and I know her—she’s playing out some fantasy that we’ll all live happily ever after together. I think she’s going to get her fairytale with Hunter, but she needs to get the idea of Coop and me out of her head.

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