Page 42 of The Off-Limits Rule: Extended Edition

He doesn’t obey, just smiles. “Too late—already saw the pink underwear on the floor by the dresser. It was literally the first thing my eyes made contact with.” He’s so full of smug delight, and I race across the room, rip the offending article from the ground, and toss it into my hamper.

Cooper sits down on the edge of my bed and bounces a little before turning a daring grin at me. His thoughts are projecting from his eyes as he makes a show of checking how springy my mattressis.

I point a threatening finger at him. “Stop that!”

“Stop what?” he asks, all innocence.

“I know you’re just trying to get a rise out of me by doing suggestive things on my bed. Knock it off.”

He leans back onto his elbows and—will someone please get this man a shirt?!“I told you, I like seeing you blush.”

Great, now this is the image of Cooper that’s going to be burned into my mind all night as I have to go stare at a mediocre man and pretend I find him half as attractive as the Calvin Klein model lying across my mattress.

“You need to put on a shirt.”

He grins because he can completely read my thoughts. “Yes, ma’am.”

Chapter 18

Cooper

Levi strolls into the room and sits down beside me on the bed. Together, we stare at the closed bathroom door, waiting for Lucy to come out.

“We’re waiting to see if we like your mom’s outfit,” I tell him, even though he wasn’t asking.

“I like her dinosaur pants. She should wear those,” he says, offering up his suggestion.

I nod, ready to suggest it to Lucy, when the door opens and she steps out. Her face says she’d rather be serving jury duty than modeling outfits for me. “Okay, first of all, the dinosaur pants he’s talking about are PJs. It’s completely acceptable to wear a T-rex on your clothes when you’re sleeping.”

I grin and hold up my hands. “I wasn’t judging, just wondering where I could find a pair.”

“I have some that match. Wanna see?” Levi is already darting off the bed and racing out of the room. I love this kid’s commitment to everything. I’ve yet to see him walk anywhere.

I turn my eyes back to Lucy and take in her outfit from head to toe. She squirms under my gaze and tucks some hair back behind her ear. “Well? Do you like this outfit?”

I pop my eyes back up to her face. “Oh. Was I supposed to be looking at the clothes?”

Lucy’s cheeks flush, and she tries to hold back a smile as she picks up a house shoe and chucks it at me. It hits my chest and falls pathetically to the ground, wounding me none. “Come on. Be serious.”I was being serious.“Do you like it or not?”

“Okay,” I say, focusing this time and situating myself with better posture—perfect for focusing. I let my eyes scan her body again, but this time only paying attention to the clothes. She’s wearing black dress pants that look as if they’ve seen better days and a fancy blouse that, personally, I’d only consider pulling out if the queen suddenly showed up for tea. “That’s quite a few ruffles on the neckline.” I wiggle my fingers at my own neck, signifying the problem area.

Her shoulders drop in defeat. “Ugh. I know. I hate this shirt. I only wear it to funerals.”

“Maybe not the best vibe to bring with you into a date, then.” I think that shirt should have been buried along with the casket at the last funeral she attended.

“You’re right.” She holds up a finger. “I’ve got something else that might work. Hang on.” And she disappears into the bathroom again.

I lie back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering what it would take to get her to stay here with me tonight where I can keep her all to myself. It’s selfish, I know, because it’s not like I can offer her anything besides friendship—at least not for a while. My hope is that Drew will see me settling down and feel more comfortable about me dating Lucy. Is it too muchto ask that she not kiss, date, or flirt with other men until that time?

Yes.

So that’s why I’m helping her get ready for her date. If I can’t be the one to take her out, I want to spend time with her up until the moment she leaves the house. Thing is, I’m more than a little scared that Lucy is going to find someone before I can toss my hat in the ring. What if she goes out tonight with this guy and they hit it off? There’s a very real chance that, by sitting on her bed right now and helping her approve outfits like one of her girlfriends, I’ve inadvertently solidified my friend-zone status, and every man knows that’s a hard hole to climb back outof.

“Okay! It’s a little bold, but what do you think?” Lucy says, opening the door.

I shoot back up to a seated position and immediately grimace. “Ah, no. Take it off; you’re burning my eyes out.” I hold up my arm to shield myself from the light her floor-length dress is emitting.

She laughs, stepping forward to yank my arm down. “Stop it! You’re being dramatic.”

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