Page 29 of Temptation and Tyranny

Cooper nodded grimly. “It’s possible. But I don’t think they know about you or this place. Still, we should be careful.”

I stood up, pacing the room as I tried to process everything. “This is...a lot to get involved with, Cooper. I don’t even know what to think.”

He watched me, his expression a mixture of guilt and something else—concern? Affection? “I understand if you want me to leave. I’ve put you in an impossible position.”

I stopped pacing, turning to face him. “No…you can’t leave. Especially in your condition. But Cooper, you have to promise me this is it. You need to promise you won’t bring any more trouble to my door.”

The relief on Cooper’s face was palpable. “I promise.” The left side of his face rose into a small grin.

“What?” I questioned, a little harsher than I’d meant to.

“You finally called me Cooper.”

I smiled back, realizing that at some point, I’d dropped the formality.

My stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, reminding me that in all the excitement, I hadn’t eaten since lunch. Cooper chuckled, then winced at the movement.

“Sounds like someone’s hungry,” he teased. “Got any food in this place?”

I glanced at the clock, surprised to see it was nearly eleven. “Not much. But I know a place that delivers late. How do you feel about pizza?”

Cooper grinned, a shadow of his usual charm returning. “Sounds perfect.”

As I called in the order, I couldn’t help but feel perplexed at the surreal turn my night had taken. Here I was, ordering pizza in the middle of the night with a wounded, gun-toting man on my couch—a man I was finding increasingly hard to keep out of my life.

While we waited for the food, I helped Cooper clean up a bit. He insisted on trying to wash the blood from his face, but his injured shoulder made it difficult. Without thinking, I took the towel from him.

“Here, let me,” I said softly, gently wiping the dried blood from his face.

Cooper’s eyes never left mine as I worked, the intensity of his gaze making my breath catch. When I’d finished, my hand lingered on his cheek, neither of us willing to break the connection.

“Allegra,” Cooper murmured, his voice tense and husky. He leaned in, and this time, I was sure he wasgoing to kiss me. My heart raced, my eyes starting to close…

The buzzer rang, making us both jump. The pizza had arrived.

Flustered, I hurried to the door, grateful for the interruption even as part of me cursed its timing. When I returned with the pizza, Cooper had managed to sit up straighter, though he still looked pale.

We ate in companionable silence, the normalcy of sharing a meal a strange contrast to the events of the night. As I watched Cooper struggle one-handed with a particularly cheesy slice, I couldn’t help but laugh.

He looked up, a grin spreading across his face. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” I said, still chuckling. “It’s just...this whole situation. If someone had told me this morning that I’d be eating pizza in the middle of the night with a wounded arms dealer, I’d—” I trailed off, knowing exactly what I’d think. I would have thought that I’d somehow gotten involved in my father’s dealings. But I didn’t want to share that with Cooper.

Cooper’s grin faded slightly. “Having regrets?”

I met his gaze, surprised by the brittleness I saw there. “No,” I said softly. “No regrets.”

The tension between us shifted, becoming something warmer, more intimate. Cooper set down his pizza, his gaze never leaving my face. “Allegra, I...I need to tell you something.”

My heart pounded as he leaned in. This was it. No phone calls, no pizza deliveries to interrupt us. I found myself leaning in too, drawn by an irresistible force.

The world around us seemed to fade away, the dim light of my apartment casting a soft glow onCooper’s features. I could see every detail of his face—the faint stubble on his jawline, the flecks of gold in his brown eyes, the small scar above his eyebrow I’d never noticed before. His scent covered me, a mixture of his cologne and the metallic spice of blood.

As he moved closer, I felt my breath catch in my throat. The air between us seemed to crackle with electricity, every nerve in my body aware of his proximity. My eyes flickered to his lips, and I unconsciously licked my own, my mouth suddenly dry.

Cooper’s hand came up to cup my cheek, his touch impossibly gentle for a man capable of such danger. The roughness of his palm against my skin sent shivers down my spine. I leaned into his touch, my eyes fluttering closed for a moment.

When I opened them again, Cooper was even closer. His smoldering look made my heart race, a mix of desire and something deeper, something that both thrilled and terrified me.

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