Page 86 of Clinch'd

My nipples immediately bead painfully and it’s the icing on the cake when I turn back to find Cooper sneaking a peek again.

“Whatever,” I mutter, “get a good look because you’ll never see these tits again.”

“What?” Lorri says and I swing to her after observing Cooper’s frown.

“Yes, Lorri. I fucked him. Now he’s pursuing you, do the math.”

Her mouth flops around like a fish and it all just gets worse when Beast appears and pulls me to his side. The gentle motion brings the tears I’ve been holding back to the fore, and I hide my sniffle by burying my face in his chest.

“What the fuck! Beast?” Lorri screeches.

“In the flesh,” Beast says dryly.

“Are you fucking him to get back at me?” she demands, and I turn to her consideringly. She’s not surprised about Cooper. What the fuck did he tell her?

“You’re fucking your cousin?” Cooper asks, his brows crinkled.

“Cousin? Is that what she told you?” Lorri says distastefully.

Beast grunts and Cooper’s brows slam over his eyes as he looks between Beast and me before saying, “If he isn’t your cousin then why the theatrics?”

“What the fuck is going on?” Lorri bellows.

Tiredly, I turn back to Beast’s chest and mumble, “Ask Prince Charming. I’d like to go now.”

Beast says nothing more as he pulls me away and I hear Lorri shouting, “Coop! What’s going on? You said it was a booty call!”

Coop. Booty call. What the fuck.

Chapter 33

Cooper

My brain hurts by the time I drop Lorri at home. I mean, I knew she could talk because she’s been doing it incessantly since I met her but now the tenor is almost at shriek worthy levels and I’m not in the mood.

Lorri hasn’t said a goddamn thing that hints she might know anything and the longer this goes on, the more I’m regretting my life.

When we pull into the garage, I put the car in park and stare at the wall. The single other car parked here contains an older gentleman who glances at me with wide eyes as soon as he passes, no doubt because he can hear Lorri’s bitching from there.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I close my eyes. How the fuck do I get her to shut the fuck up?

“She’s fucking him to get back at me. That must be it. But why would he fuckher? Why her? It doesn’t make sense.”

Hertiradedoesn’t make sense and if I could get a word in anywhere, I’d ask her why the fuck she’s pretending to be with me if she’s so caught up in Beast.

I mean, at least fucking pretend to be interested.

Minnie’s expression as she walked away with that asshole burns my brain, but I set it aside. I’m not here to do anything but find out what’s going on.

The rest is just background noise.

Chapter 34

Minnie

The following morning, I wake to ten missed calls and text messages from Lorri which I ignore as I shower and dress for work.

I’ve got a dull headache which feels like less than I deserve in the wake of my misguided feelings for Cooper fucking Jackson. He’s a dick and I vow to let it go because yes what I did, or was going to do, was wrong but he’s made up for it in spades.

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