Page 69 of Savage

“Yeah, but that’s different. We were kind of pushed together.”

“You don’t think we would’ve ended up here if you’d called me for a date instead of help?”

For the first time since we’d started talking, Cooper hesitated, choosing instead to draw shapes across my chest.

“Cooper?”

When he still didn’t respond, I took his chin in hand and angled his face so I could look him in the eye.

“You don’t think you would’ve ended up in my bed if we’d gone on a normal date?”

“Well, technically, this isn’t your bed.”

“That’s true,” I said. “But it’s also a convenient way to give a non-answer.”

“Says the king of non-answers.”

“So I know what I’m talking about.”

“Right.” Cooper sighed. “It’s not that I didn’t think or want to end up here. I just wasn’t sure…”

“Wasn’t sure about what?”

“If you really wanted it or if it was just in my head.”

I drew his hand down to my still-hard dick. “Doesthatfeel like it’s in your head?”

“No.” He chuckled and wrapped his fingers around me. “I just figured someone as confident and…sexy as you wouldn’t be interested in someone like me, that’s all. That what happenedin the coffee shop was a fluke. Or that, I don’t know, you were taken.”

“It wasn’t a fluke, and definetaken, because right now I’m pretty fucking taken by a curious journalist with big blue eyes and a penchant for getting himself into tricky situations.”

“Well, lucky forhim, he’s found someone to look out for him.” Cooper gave me a gentle squeeze. “Someone to watch over him.”

Hearing him say it made that drive even stronger. I pulled him up over me, capturing his lips with mine.

“I’ll watch you for as long as you need me to.”And probably long after…

“Are you sure?” Cooper ran his hands through my hair. “The need is pretty strong.”

“You see me running?”

He shook his head. “I can’t imagine you running from anything.”

I had a flash of the two of us back in that alley, and my tellinghimto run. It was crazy, but at times I could swear he was talking to his masked stranger instead of me. But there was no way he would’ve put those two pieces of the puzzle together without saying something.

“There are things that scare me.”

“Like what?”

“Oh, no you don’t.” I nipped at his lower lip. It was time to put an end to this before he dug a little too deep. “No more questions. It’s food time.”

“Fine… Oh.” Cooper jerked up, his eyes sparkling. “Are we going down to the restaurant? The one that made that fancy chicken?”

“If you want to.” I’d barely gotten the words out before he was out of bed and racing over to the bathroom door. “I take it that works for you?”

Cooper slid to a stop and glanced back. “Are you kidding? That was the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”

“Should I be offended?”

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