Page 40 of Clinch'd

How’s it going? Did you get laid?

Minnie: Don’t be crude

Lorri: Translation—no

Minnie: Whatever

Lorri: Live a little Min, you’re young

“Hey,” Cooper says, striding into the room with a frown.

“Hey,” I mumble, my stomach sinking. Is this it then? The brush off?

Closing out my phone, I stare at him quietly as he gathers his stuff and starts shoving it in his bag.

“I’ve got to go,” he mutters.

“Right,” I whisper. “Well, um. I’ll you know…go pack and stuff,” I say awkwardly.

He nods but I can see he’s somewhere miles away, and I slide off the bed with a frown. He’s not just distracted, he's upset. But is it about me or something Jordan just said?

Shit. Did he spill the beans? But no, Cooper would be angry. Right?

Grabbing my purse, I pause at the door but he’s already in the bathroom grabbing his shit and piling it in his bag.

I don’t know what to do but I have more dignity than to beg even if that’s what I should be doing for Lorri. Suit hasn’t exactly let me off the hook while I’ve been getting my brains fucked out.

Once I’m in the elevator, I wipe my eyes and take a deep breath. This shit is getting too deep. It’s for the best that he’s sent me away because I needed the reminder, this isn’t happily ever after but a delightful interlude I’ll hold close to my chest for a long time to come.

Cooper is a special guy even with his mercurial moods and maybe if things had been different, I could have been his one, but I’ll never know now.

Still, I can’t give up on my mission because Suit is still waiting in the wings.

Chapter 14

Cooper

With each passing day that I don’t find Monroe, that’s one more day she could be hurt somewhere. Maybe I’m going about this all wrong. I don’t know but being on this fucking roller coaster while my sister is missing leaves me cold.

That’s why I took my frustration out on Minnie in the car yesterday. It’s true. I don’t trust her, but she didn’t deserve my anger and I refuse to analyze my relief when she came to the match seemingly unaffected.

Meanwhile, it burned my skin to know I almost lost a fucking fight against Billy Wyld. The asshole is always crazy in the ring but usually I can wear him down before going in for the kill.

Not so this time because seeing Minnie in the crowd with her wide eyes derailed me in a way I couldn’t put into words. When Monroe disappeared, the last person to see her was Billy. I broke his face looking for answers and he had the same grin then as he does now.

So, when he passed by me, pointed at Minnie, and winked, something blinked out in my chest. Was this the connection? Was Minnie colluding with Wild?

Derailed, I jumped into the ring in a daze and before I had the chance to catch up, Wyld was punching me in the face.

Why the fuck was I letting this asshole get the better of me over a woman?

Clearly, I need to drop Minnie before I lose my fucking mind, except something primal grabbed my chest when the dick sitting next to her frightened her. After that, Wyld was an obstacle that I easily overcame before rushing the cage in anticipation of fucking that bastard’s shit up.

And despite my resolve to end it with Minnie I fucked her raw and made the biggest mistake of my life. I didn’t pull out and even then, I fucked her again and again, this without ever trying to get answers.

Fuck me.

Now, after Jordan’s impromptu visit, I pack quickly and head to the airport because I have a stop to make on the way. Minnie’s out the door before I can say goodbye which is just as well.

---