Page 73 of Playmaker

Fortunately, before Pierce could put me to sleep with a recap of his last round at some golf course in the area that should have impressed me, Preston rose to his feet at the end of the table to do a “welcome to the family” speech to his new son-in-law and family, and a recap of the activities that would follow for the next couple of days. There were some barbs, very cleverly disguised, that hit Cooper, and my hands fisted uselessly in my lap.

Not long after the dinner, Cooper managed to make excuses for us to leave, pleading travel fatigue. I did my best to look tired, and we said our goodbyes and went to get the rental from the valet.

He examined my face. “You survived?”

“Barely. And you?”

He shrugged. The valet stopped the car at the foot of the steps and got out to open my door. I was finally getting used to this.

It was a short trip to the hotel. Cooper pointed out some landmarks, but it was the polite version of him.

He’d said he’d wanted a date for the wedding who wouldn’t expect too much from him. But what he really needed was an ally. He was so tense I wasn’t sure he’d make it through the weekend without something snapping. It would serve his family right if he went off on them, but I was afraid he’d hurt himself instead.

Another valet at the hotel. It was a good thing I didn’t travel by car often or I’d soon be standing around waiting for someone to open the door all the time.

We didn’t speak on the way up in the elevator since we weren’t alone for most of the trip. I had my own room key but let Cooper open the door, flicking on lights as he led the way to the sitting room.

“I didn’t have a say in the seating arrangement, or I would have spared you Pierce.”

He didn’t need to worry about me. Pierce was smug and irritating, but Preston was a greater hazard. “Once I got him onto the topic of golf, things were fine.”

His gaze sharpened. “And before?”

I shrugged. “Benson 2.0, like you said.”

“What did he say? Did he try to put you down?”

“He managed to insult the both of us for spending time together. But he was more focused on your supposed flaws than mine.”

His lips twisted. “Yeah, my family has a master’s in that. I shouldn’t have brought you.”

Was I not holding up my end? Did my upbringing show through? “Why not?”

He frowned down at me. “Because this is shitty, and you don’t deserve it.”

My whole body softened when he said that. Someone caring that I had an unpleasant time didn’t happen often. Especially when he was getting the brunt of it. “You don’t deserve it either. It’s just a few days. I’ll be fine. But…”

He deserved consideration too. Something to offset his family and how they affected him. He’d done enough that I’d be successful at the company tournament in a few weeks. But for this wedding? My credentials as a tax attorney weren’t sufficient. He might not have expressed it, but he needed someone to help him survive his nasty family.

Maybe it was the wine, or the food, which had both been excellent, but I wanted to take away all the poison his family spewed. Maybe it was something else, making me want to protect and comfort him. I wasn’t going to think about that now.

Would this be a massive mistake?

His rigid posture, the bleakness in his eyes, inspired me take a chance. Awkward and clumsy.

“Want to fuck?”

Chapter21

Flustered and off-balance

Cooper

She was blunt.So blunt. Why did I find that such a turn-on?

It was a shitty day and I felt like shit. Bad enough for me, but to inflict it on Callie? I never should have done it. But she surprised me again. Being insulted and looked down on didn’t faze her. And then…Want to fuck?

I’d had a lot of women proposition me. Sometimes they weren’t subtle at all—hand on my dick non-subtle, and we both knew what that was about. This was something totally different—her posture stiff and the words thrown out like a challenge.

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