Page 61 of Clinch'd

Later, I stagger through the door giggling like a fiend. Rod grabs my arm with a chuckle, and says, “Maybe you should have stopped at the last drink.”

When I nod, the room spins. Thankfully, Rod catches me up as Mick tsks beside me. My new friends and I spent the last few hours bar hopping and after the first hour of drowning my woes, we lit the town up.

Unfortunately, now I feel like I might vomit, and the sensation is really fucking painful.

“C’mon,” Mick says, pressing the button for the elevator. I stumble along, squinting one eye as Rod asks, “What room are you in, sugar?”

“Um,” I hum, digging through my purse but my extremities are numb, and it slips through my fingers, dropping to the floor.

With a giggle, I crouch to pick it up and freeze when Cooper says, “Minnie?”

Glancing up, I follow his long legs encased in a sharp suit past the bulge in his pants, over his chest and to his frowning face. “Coop,” I breathe.

He reaches down and grabs my arm, helping me to stand before eyeing Rod and Mick with a frown.

“What’s going on?” he asks, and I step back, my hackles rising. Where’s the beautiful woman he met in the lobby?

“Nothing. Just going to my room,” I slur.

The elevator doors slide open, and I step inside, Mick and Rod joining me. Rod glances between us with a curious glint but my stomach drops when the brunette from before appears at the door to the elevator.

I guess that answers my question.

“Coop?” she says, and he looks back at her with a furrowed brow. I sag against the wall and Rod wraps his arm around me shooting a salacious wink Cooper’s way.

I catch a groan behind my lips when Mick says in a husky baritone, “What floor, baby?”

Cooper swings around, his eyes wide and I look away, shame filling my cheeks. I’m pretending I’m going to fuck two gay dudes. Shit.

Thank fuck, the doors start to close while the woman says, again, “Coop?”

To my horror, Cooper ignores her and steps into the elevator just before the doors shut. This while Rod purrs, something I don’t hear and grabs my ass.

I’d like to say I feel the burn of victory when Cooper growls, “Minnie?”

Instead, I fight my humiliation at the depths I’ve fallen and turn my head into Rod’s chest as I whisper, “Yes?”

“Who’s this?” he asks, grabbing my arm.

“My friends,” I say, pulling away.

“Yourfriends?”

His mouth pulls into a sneer, and I snap, “Yes! This is Rod and Mick andtheyshowed me the sights.”

Cooper cocks his head, his mouth forming a thin line before he says, “I see. What else are they planning to show you?”

For fucks sake, I do not have the energy to spar with him right now and rubbing my aching brow, I swallow when my mouth waters. I’m going to puke and it’s fucking imperative I get to my room before I do.

“Look,” I mumble, pressing the button for my floor. “Maybe you should worry about your date.”

“Date?” He raises his brows and I throw out my hand, which is a bad move because, of course I stumble…right into his fucking arms.

His pretty eyes search mine and I fight to remember what we were discussing before I say, “You can’t have forgotten about her already?”

Rod snorts and Mick chuckles, although when Cooper shoots them a searing glare, they quiet as he says, “Let me help you back to your room.”

When the doors open on the fifth floor, Rod touches my arm. Wearily I nod because I’m far past the stage of faking anything and he grabs me up and kisses me on the cheek, whispering, “You’re a gem, sugar.”

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