Page 30 of Savage

“Cooper.” I gripped him by his upper arms and waited until he looked me in the eyes. Eyes that were laced with apprehension. He was wound up, for good reason, but he’d made the right decision. “You did the right thing calling me.”

He nodded and then exhaled slowly. “Okay. Thank you.”

I inclined my head toward the building, careful not to automatically look up to where I knew his apartment was. “Now, why don’t you show me what happened?”

“Okay.” He started toward the door, but then spun back to face me and said, “Whatever you do, don’t say what you’re really here for when Ms. Edith asks.”

“Ms. Edith?”

“My incredibly nosy landlord. Just pretend you’re a friend.”

“Or a boyfriend?” Cooper’s cheeks colored a delicious shade of pink that made me want to feel their warmth under my lips, but I managed to restrain myself.

Not something that was usually in my wheelhouse.

“Relax, Cooper. You and Iarefriends. No pretending necessary.”

He swallowed and nodded, but his foot caught on a break in the sidewalk as he turned around. Before he busted it on the concrete, I sprang forward, catching him firmly by the waist.

This close to him, feeling him in my arms with his heady scent filling my lungs, brought me back to how he’d felt beneathme, the way he’d arched his back, thrusting his ass up to give me another taste?—

Fuck.Before the memory took over every rational sense I had left, I made sure he was steady on his feet and took my hands off him. I wasn’t here for sex—I was here because he’d called me to help him. And that help didn’t, unfortunately, include multiple orgasms.

Cooper blinked at me, seemingly as distracted as I was, but then led the way into his building. I hadn’t been through the entrance yet, and it was just as cramped and old as his space. We started up the staircase that creaked every other step—definitely smarter to climb through his window—and a rough-hewn voice behind us said, “And just who might this be?”

To his credit, Cooper didn’t stop, continuing the climb as he called out, “Just a friend, Ms. Edith. Nothing to worry about.”

“If I hear you two messing around, I’ll give you something to worry about.”

Over my shoulder, I gave the old woman my most charming, least-threatening smile. She clearly wasn’t expecting it, because her mouth fell open and she slammed her door shut.

Well, she wouldn’t be following us.

“I’m at the top,” Cooper said quietly. “I know it’s a trek.”

If he only knew this wasn’t my first visit to his private space.

Once we reached the fifth floor, he didn’t bother unlocking it, just opened it and gestured for me to go in first.

“Was it unlocked when you arrived?” I asked.

He nodded. “The door was open. I got pissed because I thought maybe it was Ms. Edith going through my things, but then I walked in and…” He waved a hand at the mess I could see from the hallway.

I went to walk inside, accustomed to Libertine’s kind of self-reliance when it came to handling criminal matters. But this was Cooper, and he was a normal, everyday, law-abiding citizen inNew York, and I had to remind myself that there were steps and protocols for what happened when a crime was committed in the city.

“You said you thought about calling the police, but called me instead. Do you still feel that way? Because if you don’t, you should call before I go in there.”

I presented the choice as though it didn’t bother me either way, but deep down I was hoping he held tight to his original conviction. I’d been careful the night I crept through his window. But I wasn’t stupid enough to believe I hadn’t left some kind of trace evidence behind after fucking him into his mattress.

Reckless. Sloppy. Unplanned.

King’s words repeated on a loop in my head with frustrating accuracy.

“No… I… There’s something I need to show you.” Cooper gnawed on his lower lip as if trying to decide whether he was doing the right thing. “The reason I think this might’ve happened.”

“Okay, do you mind if I…” I gestured toward the open door.

“No, please, go ahead.”

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