Page 65 of The Off-Limits Rule: Extended Edition

She tries to swat my arm, but I catch her hand and pull her up to me.Finally.I’ve got Lucy in my arms, and it’s the best I’ve felt all day. I shouldn’t be holding her, but I can’t helpit.

She tilts her head up to me and pulls her arms up between our chests, letting me fully hold her, right here—outside the men’s bathroom. “I just didn’t think you could have it all. I thought there would be a catch somewhere, some glaring flaw hiding beneath the surface.”

I squint dramatically. “Well, you haven’t seen my collection of Russian nesting dolls yet.”

“Is it impossible for you to be serious?”

“Nearly, yes.”

“Cooper,” she says, her voice dropping a notch and taking on a more sultry tone that has my heart rate ramping up. “I like us together.” Her finger inches up to trace a line over my collarbone, her eyes tracking the movements like she’s studying and memorizing every small trip her finger takes.

I know I don’t have long before Levi comes out of that bathroom, so I grab Lucy’s hips and swing her around so her back presses up against the wall. My hand cups her jaw as my other sweeps around her lower back. I don’t know if I dip my head down or if she rises up onto her tiptoes, but what I do know is, in the next moment, my mouth is slanted over Lucy’s. Most kisses start soft and mount into something hungry—this one is consuming from the start. Her tongue sweeps my mouth and I return the favor. Drinking her in and unable to get enough.

We’re kissing like two teenagers trying to perfect the process when the handle of the bathroom door jiggles. Lucy and I break apart like a KitKat bar. She flings herself across the small hallway and leans against the wall, while I turn a half circle, not sure where to go until I realize we’re adults and don’t have to hide.

Levi opens the door, smiling ear to ear, pride beaming from his chubby little cheeks, and steps out. “Told you I could do it,” he says to Lucy, whose face is flushed and lips are swollen fromme.I wonder if my cheeks are beaming with as much pride as Levi’s are.

She laughs, catching my eye briefly and giving me a rueful grin before putting her hands on Levi’s shoulders and guiding him back toward our full cart. “Never doubted you for a second, buddy.”

I stay in the hallway for a moment longer, watching Lucy and Levi walk out together and feeling something snap into place in my head:I will do anything to be in their life.And another thought directly follows that one:I’m so glad Janie refusedme.

…and also:Lucy’s butt looks so good in those jeans.

I jog to catch them, run up behind Levi, and pick him up by the armpits so I can make arawrsound and swing him up onto my shoulders. I didn’t even know I knew how to make that noise and definitely didn’t plan to. It just sort of came naturally, which is surprising. Once he’s laughing and settled on my shoulders, I nudge Lucy with my hip, pushing her out of the way so I can steer the cart. She wraps her arm around my biceps, and now we’re one happy family. It’s odd how you can know someone for such a short period of time and yet feel like you’ve always been there with them. That’s how being with Lucy and Levi makes me feel.

Lucy lets go of me briefly to grab a bag of apples off a produce shelf, then Levi suddenly shouts, “UNCLE DREW!”

Lucy and I both freeze, slowly make eye contact, then look up to find Drew holding a shopping basket a ways down the aisle and staring blankly atus.

Okay, so maybe the grocery store wasn’t the best meeting place, and I’m definitely the worst friend in the world.

Chapter 29

Lucy

“Drew,” I say, resisting the urge to shove Cooper as far away from me as possible.“You’re home early.”

“Yeah. A guy from our team had a family emergency, so the trip got cut short and we had to fly back early. Then one of my bags was lost at the airport, so I stopped in to buy more deodorant and toothpaste before going home.” I know that look on his face. He’s processing—unhappily. His eyes shift from me to Levi up on Cooper’s shoulders, then fall down to Cooper, where they land with an angry scowl.

Feeling this surge of protection for Cooper, I hurry to say, “Oh bummer! About your bags, not you coming home early. That’s a good thing! We’ve missed you. Uncle Drew is back,yay!” From the corner of my eye, I see Cooper mouthingstopand realize I’m rambling. Shoot. Drew will see right through that. “So anyway, Levi and I were just doing some shopping and bumped into Cooper. Funny, right?” Is he buying my fake calm smile? Probably not, but I’m trying to sell it like I’m on QVC.And here we have a lovely newlie in the intriguing shade of blushing! Order now before the truth comes out and everyone’s lives are miserable!

I look up at Cooper, who is also frowning now. Super. We’re the Frowny Bunch.

“Looks a lot like you’re shopping together,” Drew says, only mildly less uncomfortable than he was a moment ago. “Where’s Cooper’s cart?” Who asks a question like that? A skeptical person, that’s who.

Cooper opens his mouth, and I can see honesty all over his sweet face. It’s killing him to lie to Drew about us, and he probably thinks I want him to come clean and put us first. He’d be wrong. I know how much Drew means to Cooper, and I won’t be the reason their relationship is severed. We had a plan to ease Drew into the idea of this relationship, and we’re going to stick toit.

I step forward and pull on my no-big-deal face, giving a lazy wave of my hand. “Oh, he had one at some point, but then Levi wanted to ride on his shoulders, so he ditched it, and we combined our carts. Want to join us? There’s totally room for your stuff to pile in here too!”Okay, take it down a notch, Lucy. No one is this excited about grocery shopping.Someone from this store franchise should be filming me right now and turning it into a commercial, because apparently I love shopping for groceries more than anything in the world and want everyone to joinme.

It works, though, because Drew buys it. He finally closes the gap and steps into our space, and Levi leans forward to jump into his arms. “Hey, buddy! I missed you!”

“I WENT INTO THE BATHROOM BY MYSELF!” Levi announces at the top of his lungs.

Drew laughs and high fives him, and while they are distracted, Cooper and I take that moment to give each other a look. Myexpression saysBe cool.His seems to be trying to convey an entire conversation in one intensely lifted eyebrow as his head twitches toward Drew. I think he’s telling me we should come clean.

No,I mouth back.Not yet.

He can’t read lips, though. He gives a squinty frown while looking at my lips, then shakes his head.What?

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